Saturday brought the first gold medals of the Oregon22 World Athletics Championships for Team USA at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Chase Ealey’s first throw of 67 feet 2 ¾ inches in the women’s shot put was enough to secure the gold for the 27-year-old. Her winning toss dethroned two-time defending world champion Gong Lijiao of China.
Minutes later, Fred Kerley led a sweep of the 100m, leaning at the line to finish in 9.86 seconds. He narrowly edged teammates Marvin Bracy-Williams and Trayvon Bromell by 0.02 seconds. The difference between second and third was 0.002.
This is the first time the World Championships have been held on U.S. soil. 19,543 ticketed fans watched the action at Hayward Field on Saturday.
Sunday’s men's finals include the marathon, 10,000m, 110m hurdles, and shotput. Former University of Oregon football and track star Devon Allen advanced to the 110m hurdles semi-finals with his first place finish in his preliminary heat Saturday. Oregonian and world record holder, Ryan Crouser is hoping to throw for gold in the men’s shot put final.
Sunday’s women's finals include the pole vault, hammer throw, and the 100m.
Some of these events are being televised on CNBC and NBC.
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