Three Minnesota natives — Maggie Ewen, Emma Bates and Joe Klecker — are among 151 U.S. athletes who will compete in the world track and field championships beginning Friday. This year, making the American team came with a side benefit: a short commute.
The meet will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., marking the first time U.S. athletes have chased world titles on home soil. Ewen, a shot putter from St. Francis, is making her third appearance at the event. Klecker (Minnetonka, 10,000 meters) and Bates (Elk River, marathon) are first-timers.
The world championships run through July 24. The qualifying round of the women's shot put is Friday, with the finals on Saturday. The men's 10k is Sunday, and the women's marathon is Monday.
Ewen is hoping for her first medal at the world meet after finishing fourth at the 2019 championships. Following that near-miss, the two-time U.S. champ experienced another, falling short of a berth at last summer's Tokyo Olympics by only 0.03 meters. Ewen, who won NCAA titles in shot put, hammer throw and discus at Arizona State, rebounded to win the Diamond League title last season and is currently ranked third in the world.
After finishing 16th in the 10,000 at the Tokyo Olympics, Klecker is continuing his ascent in U.S. distance running. The Hopkins High School graduate won the 10,000 — and his first U.S. title — at the Prefontaine Classic in May to earn his berth at the world championships.
USA Track & Field chose athletes for the marathon through a results-based qualifying process. Bates, the 2018 U.S. champion in the event, secured her spot with a second-place finish at last fall's Chicago Marathon. The top American finisher in that race, she ran a personal-best time of two hours, 24 minutes, 20 seconds for her first top-three placing in a world marathon major.
Two Minnesotans also will be competing for Liberia at the world championships. Joe Fahnbulleh of Hopkins, fifth in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and a three-time NCAA champion at Florida, will race the 200. Former Minnesota State Mankato sprinter Emmanuel Matadi of St. Paul will compete in the 100.
Heats in the men's 200 are Monday, with semifinals Tuesday and finals Thursday. Competition in the men's 100 is Friday (heats) and Saturday (semifinals and finals).