The world indoor 800m champion returns as the favourite after breaking through at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Athletics Championships almost a year ago.

When Cooper Lutkenhaus last competed at Hayward Field he created shockwaves around the globe.

The then 16-year-old didn't just qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo – placing second behind Donavan Brazier – but he did so with a mark of 1:42.27.

Not only was it a world under-18 800m record – taking over a second off Mohammed Amman's 1:43.37 from 2011 – but Lutkenhaus went fourth on the US all-time list.

Lutkenhaus returns to this year's Prefontaine Classic on July 3, almost 12 months on from his breakthrough in the sport, as the one to beat.

The teenager has evolved rather quickly. In March he became the youngest individual world champion in track and field history by securing 800m gold at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Toruń.

Lutkenhaus then defeated Olympic 800m silver medallist Marco Arop at the Stockholm Diamond League – the pair clocking 1:42.70 and 1:43.11 respectively – before finishing ahead of the gold medallist from Paris, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, in Oslo.

That race was even tighter as Lutkenhaus recorded a personal best of 1:42.08 – jumping to third on the US all-time list – to see of the challenge of Wanyonyi by just one-hundredth of a second.

Even though Wanyonyi and Arop aren't at Pre Classic, it's still a high-quality field, many of whom are American, that includes the likes of Brazier, Bryce Hoppel and Brandon Miller.

The women's 400m marks the long-awaited return of Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke to one lap racing. After an injury disrupted 12 months, the Irish 400m record-holder and European silver medallist will take on the distance for the first time since running 51.33 at last year's edition of Pre Classic.

A strong American contingent is led by Aaliyah Butler, who has a personal best of 49.09. Jamaica's Dejanea Oakley might be the favourite after becoming the NCAA 400m champion at Hayward Field just a few weeks ago in 48.79.

The men's two-miler is the other stand-out track event on Friday, with this year's Pre Classic taking place over a two-day period. The first night's action doesn't involve any official Diamond League events but is still full of high-calibre athletes.

Grant Fisher leads the two-mile entries and the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m bronze medallist will have hopes of improving his US record of 8:03.62 at Hayward Field. Only Jakob Ingebrigtsen (7:54.10) and Daniel Komen (7:58.61) have broken the eight-minute barrier for the distance.

With a season's best of 73.10m, Valarie Sion will be the overwhelming favourite in the women's discus throw, while the pole vault could be a battle between sisters Amanda and Hana Moll.

The men's hammer throw makes a rare appearance at a Diamond League meeting, with Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg up against the likes of Merlin Hummel, Mykhaylo Kokhan and Rudy Winkler.

You can watch the Friday night action of Pre Classic on USATF TV here.