Dix outduels Gay

EUGENE, Ore. – Walter Dix spoiled Tyson Gay’s return.

Dix won the 200 meters at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday in 19.72 seconds, edging Gay by 0.04 seconds.

Gay had not competed since May because of a hamstring injury. The Prefontaine, which did not include a men’s 100, was a first step toward challenging Jamaican Usain Bolt’s dominance in the sprints.

“Yeah, it’s not bad for a first race,” Gay said.

Bolt, the world-record holder in the 100 and 200, did not compete at the meet, part of the elite IAAF Diamond League series.

Dix was coming off a victory in the 100 last week in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, where he finished second to Walter Spearmon in the 200.

Earlier this year Dix ran the 200 in 19.86 seconds at a Diamond League meet in Rome.

“Glad I got the competition against Tyson and came out victorious,” Dix said.

The Pre, as it is known, is in its 36th year and first as part of the Diamond League, a series of 14 meets worldwide. The event at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field is named after distance runner Steve Prefontaine, an Olympian killed in a 1977 car accident at 24.

Kenyan Asbel Kiprop won the Pre’s signature Bowerman Mile in 3 minutes, 49.75 seconds. The race is named after legendary Oregon coach Bill Bowerman.

But the highlight of the race was the surprising fifth-place finish by Oregon’s Andrew Wheating, running on his home track. Wheating, an Olympian in Beijing, leapt when his finish of 3:51.74 was announced to the cheering sellout crowd of 12,834.

The mark shattered the Ducks’ all-time record in the mile, 3:53.00, set by Joaquim Cruz in 1984.

“I think I can run with the big dogs!” Wheating exclaimed.

Former Washington State Cougars star Bernard Lagat, coming off a victory in the 5,000 in Des Moines, finished a disappointing ninth in 3:54.46.

David Oliver won the men’s 110 hurdles in 12.90 seconds, matching the American record set by Dominique Arnold in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2006.