Jason Gomez Darius Kipiego and finley maclear He will compete in the world-class invitational 800 meters at the 2024 Drake Relays. This field includes not only the top in Japan, but also the top in the world.
Cyclone in the elite field
Gomez recently completed his Cyclone career at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, earning his sixth All-American title, and is now transitioning to running professionally. The 800-meter specialist also won his second conference title in the event at the 2024 Indoor Big 12 Championships. Gomez is ranked second in the indoor 800m and 1,000m and sixth in the outdoor 800m with a personal best of 1:46.34.
Kipiego continued his impressive season after the outdoor opener, running 1:45.76 in the 800 meters. His time meets the automatic qualification criteria for Olympic selection. In the indoor season, Kipiego earned All-American First Team honors with a sixth place finish and left his first NCAA Championships. His junior also broke the school record with the fourth-fastest time in college history in all conditions for the 1,000 meters. The Iowa State Record Book also ranks Kipiego third in the indoor 800 meters and fourth in the outdoor 800 meters.
McClear will open the outdoor season at Drake after finishing third at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships and earning first-team All-American honors for the third time. Maklear will be competing in his first outdoor race in two years after returning from injury. Prior to ISU, McCrea represented Miami (Ohio) and took second place at the 2021 Indoor Championships, 0.01 seconds behind first place. Maclear finished fourth at the outdoor championships with a personal record of 1:45.80.
competition
Reigning Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Corir sets the field apart. Korir holds a personal best of 1:42.05, which is the sixth fastest time of all time. In addition to the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Korir also won the 2022 World Championships.
Other competitors include Wes Ferguson, a four-time NCAA DII champion who holds the third-fastest time in DII history at 1:45.46, and 2022 Japan national champion Mikuto Kaneko. Shane Stritch, the 1000m indoor record holder, will also be running. Drake's Isaac Basten and former Bulldog and current pro Adam Fogg round out the field. Basten was runner-up in the mile at the 2023 NCAA Championships and is a two-time All-American, while Fogg holds a mile PR of 3:49.62, which ranks ninth all-time indoors. He is also a participant in the 1,500m World Championships. Finalist.
The race is scheduled for the final day of the 2024 Drake Relays, Saturday, April 27, at 3:30 p.m.
