Live Coverage Begins This Friday, July 3, at 11:30 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN from Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene
Live Coverage Continues this Saturday, July 4, Beginning at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN before transitioning to NBC and Peacock at 5 p.m. ET
Olympic Medalists Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Timothy Cheruiyot Expected to Race Famed Bowerman Mile
NBC Sports to Present Live Coverage of USATF Outdoor & Para National Championships from July 23-26 Across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 30, 2026 – Paris Olympic gold medalists Sha’Carri Richardson and Rai Benjamin headline NBC Sports’ live coverage of the Prefontaine Classic this weekend from iconic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN. Live coverage begins this Friday, July 3, at 11:30 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN and continues this Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN before transitioning to NBC and Peacock at 5 p.m. ET.
The only U.S. stop on the Diamond League schedule, the Prefontaine Classic is one of the most prestigious track & field meets of the year, regularly attracting an elite lineup of international talent. First held in 1975, the meet is named in honor of legendary Oregon distance runner and 1972 U.S. Olympian Steve Prefontaine. This will be the 51st installment of the meet.
One of the biggest races of the meet could be the men’s 400m at approximately 4:04 p.m. ET, where Paris Olympic 400m hurdles gold medalist and U.S. 400m hurdles record holder Rai Benjamin is expected to face reigning 400m world champion Busang Collen Kebinatshipi (Botswana). While Benjamin is focusing on the open 400m this season, he has anchored the U.S. men’s 4x400m relays to gold in the last two Olympic Games. Kebinatshipi outkicked Benjamin at last year’s World Championships 4x400m relay to win gold.
Two-time Olympic medalist Sha’Carri Richardson – fresh off of running a 10.77 100m earlier this month, her fastest time in nearly two years – is expected to headline a competitive 100m field that includes reigning world 100 champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and five-time Olympic medalist Shericka Jackson (Jamaica). The race will start at approx. 5:29 p.m. ET.
18-year-old U.S. sprinting phenom Tate Taylor, who just broke Noah Lyles’ U.S. high school record in the 200m in April, is expected to make his Diamond League debut on Saturday, where he will face reigning Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) in the 200m at approx. 5:21 p.m. ET.
In the famed Bowerman Mile, reigning Olympic 1500m gold medalist Cole Hocker is expected to face a world-class field that includes Paris Olympic 1500m bronze medalist and U.S. mile record holder Yared Nuguse, newly-minted NCAA 1500m champion and NCAA record holder Simeon Birnbaum of Oregon, Tokyo Olympic 1500m silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot (Kenya), and defending Bowerman Mile champion Niels Laros (Netherlands), who upset Nuguse by .01 seconds last year. The final event of the meet will begin at approx. 5:50 p.m. ET.
Other notable athletes expected to compete include two-time 200m Olympic medalist Kenny Bednarek in the 100m, reigning 800m Olympic medalist Keely Hodgkinson (Great Britain), three-time reigning Olympic 1500m gold medalist and 1500m world record holder Faith Kipyegon (Kenya), and Paris Olympic 100m hurdles gold medalist Masai Russell.
NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey will call the event, joined by four-time Olympic medalist Ato Boldon, four-time Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross, two-time Olympian Kara Goucher, and 2012 London Olympic decathlon silver medalist Trey Hardee as analysts. Lewis Johnson will serve as reporter.
NBC Sports will present numerous outdoor track & field events this season, including the USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships on July 23-26 from Icahn Stadium in New York City, and the first-ever World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest from Sept. 11-13. Further programming details will be announced at a later date.
HOW TO WATCH – PREFONTAINE CLASSIC
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock, NBCSN
| Date | Time (ET) | Platforms |
| Fri., July 3 | 11:30 p.m. | Peacock, NBCSN |
| Sat., July 4 | 4 p.m. | Peacock, NBCSN |
| 5 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
--NBC SPORTS--
