Van Buskirk and Knight third at Payton Jordan Invitational

The Payton Jordan Invitational is arguably the biggest American track meet of the spring. With names like Matt Centrowitz, Paul Chelimo, and Meraf Baht, among many other world and Olympic medalists, the meet is a major stop for elite distance runners. 

The men’s 1,500m was the most anticipated race of the evening. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, a 17 year old from Norway, won the race in a huge upset against 2016 Olympic silver medalist Paul Chelimo. Ingebrigtsen made a name for himself last summer when he became the youngest person to ever break four minutes for the mile. 

A large number of Canadians made the trip to Palo Alto and among them was Kate Van Buskirk. Van Buskirk ran a blazing 5,000m. The 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist placed third in the race and ran a 15:16.34 to open her season. For context, Olympic standard in the event in 15:20.00. Nicole Sifuentes also ran the 5,000m, finishing in 15:27.82, which is a strong time for this early in the outdoor season. 

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Another notable Canadian result was Charlotte Prouse, who finished second in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase. Prouse ran 9:50.47, which is only 5 seconds off of the Olympic standard. She is in her junior year at the University of New Mexico. 

In the women’s 800m Lindsey Butterworth and Jenna Westaway went one and three against a very strong field. Butterworth and Westaway ran 2:03.33 and 2:03.50 respectively. 

Rachel Cliff was the lone Canadian woman in the 10,000m as Natasha Wodak was forced to scratch due to illness. Cliff ran an impressive 31:56.86, which is within striking range of the Canadian 10,000m record held by Wodak at 31:41.59. 

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Knight pictured in orange. 

On the men’s side, Justyn Knight ran the 5,000m in 13:18.74 to place third among a highly competitive field. Knight will add this race to his long list of accomplishments as he vies for a spot on the short list for the Bowerman Award, the most prestigious award in NCAA track and field. Alongside Knight, Luc Bruchet ran the 5,000m finishing in 13:27.94, which is a strong season opener.