Ajee' Wilson leads the pack in the women's 800 meters at the USATF Indoor Championships in Portland on Saturday, March 12, 2016.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
The Portland crowd cheered loudly as Vashti Cunningham thanked them after she was awarded first place in the women’s high jump.
Moments earlier, the high school daughter of NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham electrified the crowd with her 1.99-meter leap into the IAAF World Championships, to be held in Portland next week. But as soon as she turned to walk off the podium, the crowd’s cheers turned thunderous.
At the opposite end of the track, Sandi Morris had just landed a pole vault of 4.95 meters, pulling the audience’s attention from one champ to the next.
The USA Track and Field Indoor Championships at the Oregon Convention Center kicked off what will likely be a momentous five years for the Oregon track community.
In addition to this weekend’s nationals and the coming week’s worlds in Portland, the Beaver State hosts NCAA outdoor championships in June, the Olympic team trials in July, and the IAAF outdoor championships in 2021 in Eugene.
Matthew Centrowitz celebrates his win in the men's 1,500 meters at the USATF Indoor Championships in Portland on Saturday, March 12, 2016.
Emily Haugbro / OPB
The track and field frenzy has many Oregonians excited.
“We have knowledgeable fans in this state,” said Ken Andrews, a USATF volunteer at Saturday’s competition. “I think they have a particular appreciation for the accomplishments the athletes are doing.”
A near-capacity crowd saw Olympic gold-medalists like long-jumper Brittney Reese and decathlete Ashton Eaton compete this weekend in preparation for world indoors and the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. (Eaton, though, bowed out Friday after he was bonked by a stray pole vault crossbar.)
Shrimp Clarke, from Cottage Grove, said his family goes to the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene every year. He drove to Portland to watch the national indoors.
“This is another cut above [other competitions],” Clarke said. “And it’s all good.”
This is the first year the USATF Indoor Championships have been held in Portland. It will also be the first year Oregon hosts the IAAF World Indoor Championships, and only the second time the United States has done so since the event began in 1985.
Related: Knight, Nike Gave Big To Kitzhaber Before Track Championship Decision
With major footwear companies like Nike and adidas headquartered in Portland, it has become a place well-suited for track and field — running in particular.
However, some of the marquee athletics events have drawn criticism. The Register-Guard reported in early January that Nike CEO Phil Knight and University of Oregon officials poured significant amounts of money into then-Gov. John Kitzhaber’s campaign while at the same time requesting state funding for Eugene 2021.
Nonetheless, the week’s national and international championships in Portland have drawn and are expected to draw large crowds to the convention center. And most seem eager to have the opportunity to see some of the world’s greatest athletes in person.
Andrews, the volunteer, is training for the Eugene Marathon and participates in several races annually. He said he is glad to see more major sporting events coming to Oregon.
“I think it just continues to highlight Oregon as a sports center,” he said.