The Prefontaine Classic has added two men’s field events to the meet’s 50th edition: The Men’s Discus and Men’s Hammer Throw will be contested as non-Diamond Disciplines during the ninth stop on the 2025 Wanda Diamond League circuit.
They join the Men’s Pole Vault and Women’s Hammer Throw as field event non-Diamond Disciplines. All four events include their respective reigning Paris Olympic Games gold medalist.
Rojé Stona (JAM) made history in Paris this past summer in the Men’s Discus, bringing home Jamaica’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the discus throw, and the country’s only gold medal in athletics from the 2024 Games. His 70.00m (229’ 8”) throw to secure the victory was a personal best mark by nearly a meter, and set a new Olympic record in the event. A standout athlete early in his career, Stona also owns a World U23 title from 2019 and a World U23 silver medal from 2021.
Mykolas Alekna (LTU) is the current world record-holder in the Men’s Discus (75.56m / 247’ 10”), breaking his own world record not once but twice during the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in April of this year. Alekna had previously set the world record at the same meet in 2024. In addition to the best mark ever thrown, Alekna owns the silver medal from the Paris Olympic Games, where he threw 69.97m (229’ 6”) for his podium finish. A two-time Lithuanian national champion, Aleka earned silver at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and bronze at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Daniel Ståhl (SWE) joins the field as the reigning World Athletics Championships gold medalist in the Men’s Discus, throwing 71.46m (234’ 5.5”) for victory in 2023. Ståhl also owns an Olympic gold medal from the Tokyo Games, where he threw 68.90m (226’ 0.5”) to win. A Diamond League veteran, Ståhl has won individual Wanda Diamond League meetings since 2016 and has captured three Diamond Trophies. Ståhl’s personal best of 71.86m (235’ 9.25”) is the Swedish national record.
Ethan Katzberg (CAN) is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the Men’s Hammer Throw, launching it 84.12m (276’) to claim his first-ever Olympic medal this past summer. In addition to being the reigning Olympic Champion, Katzberg is also the reigning World Champion after capturing gold at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 with an 81.25m (266’ 7”) throw. Katzberg’s personal best of 84.38m (276’ 10”) stands as both the national and area record in the event. He is currently ranked first in the world in the event.
Mykhaylo Kokhan (UKR) joins his Paris podium mate in the Pre Classic Men’s Hammer Throw. Kokhan earned his first global senior medal at the Paris Olympic Games, where he finished third with a 79.39m (260’ 5”) throw. A two-time Olympian, Kokhan had finished fourth at the Tokyo Games. Kokhan is a four-time national champion for Ukraine and has represented his country thrice on the senior world stage. Kokhan’s personal best stands at 81.14m (266’ 2”). He is currently ranked second in the world in the event.
By Amos Amoako
