Rabat/Marrakech Diamond League Event by Event Preview
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A number of exciting clashes with top track and field athletes will highlight the 4th leg of the 2024 WANDA Diamond League on Sunday, May 19 in Marrakech. This highly anticipated event promises thrilling performances as world-class competitors go head-to-head in various disciplines. From sprints to distance races, and from jumps to throws, elite athletes aim to secure crucial points in their quest for Diamond League glory. Here is our event-by-event preview of the meeting, offering insights into the key matchups and athletes to watch.
Women’s 200 Metres:
Double world champion Shericka Jackson will debut in the Diamond League. She clocked 11.03 in her first 100 meters race of the season and will chase her second consecutive win at the Mohamed VI meeting.
Jackson won her first 200 meters world title in Eugene 2022 and her second in Budapest 2023. Mujinga Kambundji, Ida Karstoft, Maboundou Koné, Dalia Kaddari, and Caisja Chandler will also compete.
Men’s 3000 Metres Steeplechase:
Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco will debut in front of his home fans. El Bakkali won the 3000 meters steeplechase race in the past two editions of the Mohamed VI meeting and has won 16 Diamond League races in his career.
El Bakkali will face Samuel Firewu from Ethiopia, who won the Diamond League race in Doha, and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot, who won the Commonwealth Games gold in 2022. Getnet Wale from Ethiopia and Benjamin Kigen from Kenya are also top contenders.
Men’s 100 Metres:
André De Grasse from Canada will highlight the men’s 100 meters. He won the Olympic gold in the 200 meters and world gold with the 4x100 relay. De Grasse won in Jacksonville with 10.11 and finished second in the 4x100 relay at the World Relays.
The lineup features Rohan Watson, Emmanuel Eseme, Julian Forte, Brandon Hicklin, Yohan Blake, Jeremiah Azu, and Pjai Austin.
Men's Discus Throw:
World record holder Mykolas Alekna from Lithuania will clash against 2022 world champion Kristjan Čeh from Slovenia, world and Olympic champion Daniel Ståhl, and Diamond League champion Matthew Denny from Australia.
Alekna broke the world record in men’s discus throw with 74.35m in April, surpassing Jürgen Schult’s record from 1986. Mykolas, son of two-time Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna, won the world silver medal in Eugene 2022 and the European Championships gold in Munich. Last year, Alekna won the European under-23 title and World Championships bronze. His brother Martynas Alekna will also compete.
Čeh started his 2024 season with a win in Doha with 70.48m. He won the world gold medal in Eugene 2022 and two silver medals at the European Championships and World Championships in 2023. He holds a PB of 71.86m.
Ståhl won the Olympic gold in Tokyo and world titles in 2019 and 2023, setting a championship record of 71.46m in Budapest. He finished second in the previous two Mohamed VI meetings.
Denny finished fourth at the World Championships in Budapest and won the Diamond Trophy in Eugene in 2023. He holds a national record of 69.35m.
The lineup includes Andrius Gudžius, Lukas Weißhaidinger, Fedrick Dacres, Traves Smikle, Lawrence Okoye, and Sam Mattis.
Women’s Shot Put:
Chase Jackson will face Sara Mitton, Maggie Ewen, and Jessica Schilder.
Jackson claimed world outdoor titles in Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023 and three Diamond League Trophies. She holds a US record of 20.76m and won in Suzhou with 20.03m.
Mitton won the world silver medal in 2023 and world indoor gold in 2024, breaking the Canadian record with 20.68m.
Ewen won the Diamond League title in 2021 and finished fourth at the 2019 World Championships.
Schilder won the world bronze medal in Eugene and the European title in Munich in 2022.
Men’s Triple Jump:
Diamond League champion Andy Díaz will compete against world indoor and outdoor champion Fabrice Zango, Olympic champion Pedro Pablo Pichardo, and Lazaro Martinez.
Díaz set the Italian outdoor record with 17.75m and was unbeaten in three indoor competitions last winter.
Zango won the world outdoor gold in Budapest and has Olympic and World Championships medals. He holds a PB of 17.64m.
Pichardo won gold medals at the Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships. He won in Xiamen with 17.51m.
Martinez won the world indoor gold in 2022 and world outdoor silver in 2023.
Men’s 800 Metres:
Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi will compete against Wycliffe Kinyamal. Wanyonyi won the world silver in Budapest and the Diamond League final in Eugene. Kinyamal finished second in the first two Diamond League races of the season.
Emmanuel Korir, Ben Pattison, Daniel Rowden, Tshepiso Masalela, Moad Zahafi, Adrian Ben, and Yanis Meziane are also in the lineup.
Women’s 400 Metres Hurdles:
The women’s 400 meters hurdles race features a Jamaican trio: Janieve Russell, Rushell Clayton, and Shiann Salmon.
Russell finished fourth in the 400 meters hurdles final in Tokyo. Clayton won world bronze medals in 2019 and 2023. Salmon won silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Anna Ryzhykova, Viktoriya Tkachuk, Jessie Knight, Viivi Lehikonen, and Noura Ennadi will also compete.
Men’s 400 Metres:
Bayapo Ndori from Botswana will compete against world indoor champion Alexander Doom from Belgium.
Ndori leads the entry list with a PB of 44.10. Doom won two gold medals at the World Indoor Championships in 2024. The lineup includes Muzala Samukonga, Rusheen McDonald, Quincy Hall, Lythe Pillay, and Emmanuel Bamidele.
Women’s Pole Vault:
Tina Šutej from Slovenia, Angelica Moser from Switzerland, and Ekaterini Stefanidi from Greece lead the women’s pole vault lineup.
Šutej won bronze medals at the World Indoor Championships and European Championships. Moser won the European Indoor gold in 2021 and finished fifth at the World Championships in 2023. Stefanidi won the Olympic gold in 2016 and the world title in 2017.
Elisa Molinarolo and Roberta Bruni will also compete, along with Olivia McTaggart, Ninon Chapelle, and Marie-Julie Bonnin.
Women’s High Jump:
Angelina Topic from Serbia aims for her second consecutive Diamond League win after victory in Doha. Topic won the European under-20 title in 2023 and the European senior bronze in 2022.
Topic will face Safina Sadullayeva, Lia Apostolovski, Morgan Lake, Nadezhda Dubovitskaya, Christina Honsel, and Solène Giquel.
Women’s 5000 Metres:
Medina Eisa from Ethiopia leads the women’s 5000 meters lineup. Eisa won the world under-20 gold in 2022 and improved her PB to 14:16.54.
Eisa will compete against Melknat Wudu, Nadia Battocletti, Likina Amebaw, and Edinah Jebitok.
Women’s 800 Metres:
Habitam Alemu from Ethiopia leads the women’s 800 meters lineup. Alemu finished sixth in the 800 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and improved her PB to 1:57.86.
Alemu will face Noelle Yarigo, Prudence Sekgodiso, Anita Horvat, and Eloisa Coiro.
Men’s 1500 Metres:
Lamecha Girma will chase his second Diamond League win following his victory in the 5000 meters in Xiamen. Girma set world records in the 3000 meters indoors and 3000 meters steeplechase.
George Mills, Vincent Keter, Lemi Teddese, Tshepo Tshite, and Azeddine Habz are also in the lineup.
