Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League Event by Event Preview
Thirty-two Diamond League champions will be crowned during the two-day Diamond League final in Zurich. The winners will be awarded a wild-card entry to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
The first six Diamond Trophies will be secured on Sechselautenplatz, one of the most famous squares on the shores of the Zurich Lake near the Opernhaus. A temporary arena will host the men’s and women’s shot competitions, the women’s pole vault, the men’s high jump and both the women’s and men’s 5000 metres.
Women’s 100 metres:
Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce will renew her rivalry against her compatriot Shericka Jackson in the women’s 100 metres. Fraser Pryce won her fifth world title in Eugene in 10.67 beating Jackson and dipped under the 10.70 barrier five more times this year clocking 10.62 in Monaco, 10.66 in Chorzow, 10.67 in Nairobi, Paris and Szekesfehrvar.
Jackson improved her PB to 10.71 in Monaco and beat Fraser Pryce by 0.01 in Brussels in 10.73 last week. Elaine Thompson Herah will not defend her Diamond League title this year.
Marie Joseé Ta Lou finished seventh at the World Championships in Eugene in 10.93 after a preparation affected by a shoulder injury, but she came back stronger last August when she improved her African record to 10.72 in Monaco. The Ivorian sprinter continued her impressive season by clocking 10.89 in Lausanne, 10.78 in Brussels and 10.94 into a strong headwind of -1.2 m/s in Padua.
Former US champion Aleia Hobbs showed her good form by winning in Lausanne in 10.87 ahead of Jackson and Ta Lou. The other US sprinters in the line up are Sha’Carri Richardson, who won in Lucerne ahead of Thompson Herah and finished third in 10.93 in Brussels, and Twanisha Terry, who won at the Palio della Quercia in Rovereto in 11.02.
The only European sprinter in the line-up is Darryil Neita from Great Britain, who won two bronze medals this summer at the Commonwealth Games.
Women’s 200 metres:
Shericka Jackson starts as the favourite in the women’s 200 metres after her great season highlighted by the world title over this distance in 21.45 in Eugene. The Jamaican sprinter won two Diamond League races in Rome in 21.91 and Chorzow in 21.84 and the Continental Tour competition in Szekesfehrvar in 22.02.
Jackson will take Swiss star Mujinga Kambundji, who will focus only on the 200 metres and withdraws from the 100 metres.
Kambundji won gold in the 200m in 22.32 and silver in the 100m in 10.99 at the European Championships in Munich. Kambundji also finished fifth in the 100m in 10.91 and eighth in the 200m in 22.55 after breaking the Swiss record with 22.05 in the semifinal.
Mujinga Kambundji: “I am extremely looking forward to Weltklasse Zurich and running in front of the amazing crowd in Letzigrund Stadium. My season has been long but fiilled with many highights already. That is why I focus on the 200m this week.”
Women’s 400 metres:
World and Olympic silver medallist Marileidy Paulino from Dominican Republic will take on her compatriot Fiordaliza Cofil. Paulino won three Diamond League races in Doha (51.20), Rabat (50.10) and Lausanne (49.87) and claimed the world silver medal in Eugene in 49.60. She finished second in last year’s Diamond League final.
Paulino’s compatriot Fiordaliza Cofil, who finished sixth in the World Championships final in Eugene, claimed her first Diamond League win in Brussels with her PB of 49.80. Paulino and Cofil won the world gold medal in the mixed 4x400 relay in Eugene.
The line-up also features world bronze medallist Sada Williams from Barbados, who finished third in last year’s edition of the Diamond League in Zurich, European silver medallist Natalia Kacmarek from Poland, and Olympic finalist Candice McLeod from Jamaica.
Men’s 100 metres:
A new Diamond League will be crowned in the men’s 100 metres. Trayvon Bromell clocked a seasonal best of 9.81 in the semifinal of the US Championships and won the world bronze medal in Eugene with 9.88.
Bromell will go head-to-head against Olympic 200 metres champion André De Grasse and 2011 world champion Yohan Blake. Blake holds a seasonal of 9.85 and won in Leverkusen in 9.96.
De Grasse won the 100m in the Oslo Diamond League meeting in 10.05 last June and triumphed with the Canadian 4x100 relay team in Eugene.
The other top contenders are world finalist Aaron Brown from Canada, who won the 100m in Padua last weekend in 10.12 into a headwind of -1.6 m/s, former African record holder Akani Simbine, winner in the Stockolm Diamond League meeting in 10.02, 2018 European silver medallist Reece Prescod, winner in Ostrava in a seasonal best of 9.93, Yupun Abeykoon from Sri Lanka, bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 10.14 and national record holder with 9.96 in La Chaux de Fonds.
Men’s 200 metres:
Two-time world champion Noah Lyles has won four Diamond League titles (three in the 200 metres in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and one in the 100 metres) and is aiming to win his fifth title.
Lyles broke Michael Johnson’s US record clocking 19.31 in the World Championships final in Eugene. He has won all his 11 races over the 200m distance, including three Diamond League competitions in Doha in 19”72, Monaco in 19.46 and Lausanne in 19.56. he has dipped under 19.7 in his past five races. The Olympic bronze medallist won twice in Zurich in the 200m in 19.67 in 2018 and in the 100 metres in 9.98 in 2019. In his final test before Zurich Lyles won the 100m in Berlin in 9.95.
Lyles will face Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton, who won the silver and the bronze medals respectively at the World Championships in Eugene. Bednarek won the Diamond League final in the 200m in 19.70 last year.
Knighton won his first Diamond League race at the age of 18 in Brussels in 20.07 into a headwind of -2.9 m/s and finished second to Lyles in Monaco in 19.84.
The other top contenders are Olympic champion André De Grasse, who finished second in 19.72 in the Diamond League final in Zurich last year, Jereem Richards from Trinidad and Tbbago, Commonwealth Games gold medallist in 19.80, and Alexander Ogando, world champion in the mixed 4x400 relay and fifth placer in the 200m in 19.93 in Eugene.
Men’s 400 metres:
Kirani James will be aiming to win his third Diamond League title after his previous triumphs in 2011 and 2015. In last year’s Diamond League final he finished second to Michael Cherry.
James has won four of his seven races this year and finished second to Michael Norman in the World Championships in 44.48. The Grenadan athlete won two Diamond League races in Rome in 44.54 and Oslo in 44.78 and finished second in Eugene in 44.02 and Chorzow in 44.55.
James will be challenged by Matthew Hudson Smith from Great Britain, who won the world bronze medal in Eugene and the European gold in Munich. Hudson Smith improved Iwan Thomas’ national record to 44.35.
Women’s 100 metres hurdles:
Tobi Amusan won last year’s edition in 12.40 and will chase her second consecutive Diamond League title. Last July the Nigerian hurdler won her first world title in a wind-assisted 12.06 after breaking the world record with 12.12 in the final. Amusan also won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham in 12.30 and the Diamond League race in Paris in 12.41.
Jasmine Camacho Quinn won six Diamond League races this year in Eugene in 12.45, Rome in 12.37, Stockolm in 12.46, Chorzow in 12.34, Lausanne in 12.34 (beating Amusan) and Brussels in 12.27. She set meeting records in Chorzow, Lausanne and Brussels.
The line-up will also feature Olympic silver medallist Kendra Harrison, who finished second in Chorzow in 12.37 and third in Brussels in 12.40 , Bitany Anderson, world silver medallist in Eugene in a wind-assisted 12.23, 2019 world champion Nia Ali and world indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas.
Men’s 110 metres hurdles:
Grant Holloway won his second word title in Eugene in 13.03 and dipped under the 13 seconds for the first time this season with 12.99, but he was beaten by Jamaican rising star Rasheed Broadbell in Szekesfehrvar and Lausanne.
Broadbell missed the World Championships final by 0.01 in Eugene but he has performed very well since then, winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmigham. He broke the 13 seconds barrier for the first time this year in his career in Lausanne in 12.99 before beating Olympic champion Hansle Parchment in Lucerne in 13.36 on a rainy evening.
Trey Cunningham won the world silver medal in Eugene in 13.08 behind Holloway and finished second in Monaco in 13.03, but he beat the world indoor record holder in Lausanne in 13.10. Last Sunday he won in Padua in 13.21.
Women’s 400 metres hurdles:
Femke Bol will target her second consecutive Diamond Trophy one year after her triumph at the Letzigrund Stadium in a meeting record of 52.80.
Bol lost only one competition to Sydney McLaughlin at the World Championships in Eugene, where she won the silver medal in 52.27. The Flying Dutchwoman won four Diamond League races this year in Rome (53.02), Oslo (52.61), Stockolm (52.27) and Lausanne (52.95) and three European gold medals in Munich in the 400m (49.44), in the 400m hurdles in the 400m hurdles (52.67) and in the 4x400 relay (3:20.87).
Dalilah Muhammad won the Olympic silver medal in 51.58 ahead of Bol, but she was beaten by the Dutch athhlete at the World Championships in Eugene. Muhammad showed her good form by winning in Padua in 53.84 breaking Sandra Glover’s meeting record.
The other top contenders are 2019 world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton and this year’s Commonwealth Games champion Janieve Russell, Viktoriya Tkachuk and Anna Rhyzhykova from the Ukraine, who won the European silver and bronze medal at the European Championships in Munich, Gianna Woodruff, seventh at the World Championships in Eugene, and Ayomide Folorunso, who set the Italian record with 54.34.
Men’s 400 metres hurdles:
Allison Dos Santos has won all of his six Diamond League races in Doha (47.24), Eugene (47.23), Oslo (47.26), Stockolm (46.80), Silesia (47.80) and Brussels (47.54) and the world title in Eugene in 46.29 setting the third fastest time in history.
Wilfried Happio finished fourth in the World Championships in 47.41 missing Stephane Diagana’s French record by 0.04 and won the European silver medal in Munich.
Another major contender is US hurdler Khallifah Rosser, who finished fifth at the World Championships in Eugene in 47.88 and won in Lausanne in 47.68.
The line-up also features Yasmani Copello, who won the European bronze medal in 48.27.
Women’s 800 metres:
Keely Hodgkinson will target her second consecutive Diamond League title one year after her triumph at the Letzigrund Stadium in 1:57.98. The British athlete won the silver medal in 1:56.38 after a close head-to-head clash against Athing Mu. The British athlete won three Diamond League races at the start of the season in Birmingham (1:58.63), Eugene (1:57.72) and Oslo (1:57.71).
Hodgkinson finished second to Kenya’s Mary Moraa at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 1:57.40 and won the European gold medal in Munich in 1:59.04. Moraa also beat Hodgkison in the Stockolm Diamond League meeting in 1:57.88 and showed her good form by improving the Kenyan record in the 400m in Brussels in 50.67.
The field also features 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi, Jamaican record holder Natoya Goule from Jamaica and three-time European silver medallist Renelle Lamote from France, who won in Monaco and Lausanne respectively.
Women’s 800 metres:
Emmanuel Korir will defend his last year’s win in the Diamond League final. The Kenyan 800 metres won his first world title in a seasonal best of 1:43.71 one year after claiming the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. In this year’s edition of the Diamond League Korir won in Chorzow in 1:45.72.
Korir will face Jake Wightman, who won the world title in the 1500m in 3:29.23 in Eugene and went on to claim the Commonwealth Games bronze medal in the 1500m in Birmingham and the European championships silver medal in the 800m in Munich. He won two Diamond League races in the 1000m in Monaco in a PB of 2:13.88 and the 800m in Brussels in a lifetime best of 1:43.65 beating Korir, who finished third in 1:44.12.
Korir and Wightman will clash against world bronze medallist Marco Arop from Canada and two-time Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal, world indoor bronze medallist Bryce Hoppel, French 800m specialists Benjamin Robert, winner in the Paris Diamond League meeting in 1:43.75), Gabriel Tual (Olympic finalist in Tokyo) and Andreas Kramer, who finished fourth at the European Championships in Munich last August.
Women’s 1500 metres:
Two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will target the third Diamond Trophy in her career.Kipyegon won the second world title of her career in Eugene and came very close to Genzebe Dibaba’s world record setting the second fastest time in history in the 1500 metres with 3:50.37 in the Monaco Diamond League. In last year’s edition of the Weltklasse Zurich Kipyegon claimed the win ahead of Sifan Hassan. Kipyegon will face Laura Muir, who won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo 2021, the world bronze in Eugene and two gold medals at the European Championships in Munich and at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
The other top names in the field are this year’s world 5000m champion Gudaf Tsegay from Ethiopia, Clara Mageean from Ireland, who won the 1500 metres setting the national record with 3:56.63, Diribe Welteji from Ethiopia, fourth in the 800m in 1.57.02 at the World Championships, and Freweyni Hailu, fourth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year.
Men’s 1500 metres:
Olympic and European 1500 metres champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen is still chasing his first Diamond League title, one of the very few Trophies missing in his collection. Ingebrigtsen won the 5000m gold medal and the 1500m silver at the World Championships in Eugene and completed his second 1500m-5000m double at the European Championships in Munich. In this year’s edition of the Diamond League he won two mile races in Eugene in 3:49.76 and Oslo in 3:46.46 and the 1500m in Lausanne in a world leading time of 3:29.05.
Ingebrigtsen will clash against Olympic silver medallist and 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot, who won four Diamond Trophies in a row between 2017 and 2021.
The line-up also features this year’s Commonwealth Games champion Oliver Hoare from Australia, world indoor bronze medallist Abel Kipsang from Kenya, Stewart McSweyn from Australia, who holds the Oceanian record of 3:29.51 in the 1500m and set a PB of 12:56.50 in the 5000m in Brussels last week, and Josh Kerr from Great Britain, Olympic bronze medallist in his lifetime best of 3:29.05 in Tokyo.
Women’s 3000 metres steeplechase:
Kenya’s 18-year-old rising star Jackline Chepkoech won the Commonwealth Games title in 9:15.88 and went on to improve her PB to 9:09.72 in the Monaco Diamond League meeting. The 2021 world under 20 champion won her first Diamond League race with 9:02.43 moving up to second in the world under 20 list.
Chepkoech will face Ethiopia’s Werkuha Getachew and Mekides Abebe, who won the world silver and bronze medals in Eugene, and Winfred Yavi from Barhein, fourth at the World Championships in Eugene and winner in the Paris Diamond League meeting.
Men’s 3000 metres steeplechase:
Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco. He started the season with two Diamond League victories in Doha and Rabat (setting a world lead of 7:58.28 in the Moroccan meeting. He went on to win his first world title in Eugene and his third Diamond League race in Lausanne in 8:02,45.
The line-up also features 2019 Diamond League winner Getnet Wale from Ethiopia, Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwott from Kenya and African champion Hailemaryam Amare.
Field events:
Men’s pole vault:
Armand Duplantis will aim to win his second consecutive Diamond League title. Duplantis claimed the win in last year’s final at the Letzigrund Stadium setting a Diamond League record of 6.06m. Duplantis set the world record of 6.21m at the World Championships in Eugene. He won four Diamond League scoring competitions in Doha (6.02m), Eugene (5.91m), Oslo (6.02m), Stockolm (6.16m) and two promotional non scoring competitions in Chorzow (6.10m) and Lausanne (6.00m).
Duplantis will be looking to bounce back from his first defeat of the season at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, where he finished runner-up to Ernest John Obiena, who cleared 5.91m.
Obiena will not compete in Zurich, as he competed in just two Diamond League meetings.
The other top contenders are Olympic and world silver medallist Chris Nilsen, who finished second in Eugene and Stockolm, Belgian record holder Ben Broeders, who won his first Diamond League competition in Paris with 5.80m beating Renaud Lavillenie on countback, Thiago Braz Da Silva from Brazil, Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro 2016, Sondre Guttormsen from Norway, NCAA champion with 5.75m and second at the Bislett Games and Swiss champion Dominik Alberto, European finalist in Munich.
Women’s high jump:
World indoor champion Yaroslava Mahuchik set the world seasonal lead and her outdoor PB clearing 2.05m at the Memorial Ivo Damme in Brussels. She then made three unsuccessful but decent attempts at the world record height of 2.10m. Mahuchik won the European gold medal in Munich with 1.95m and three Diamond League competitions in Eugene, Rabat and Paris despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Yaroslava Mahuchik: “It has been the most difficult season. In Brussels I jumped for all the Ukrainian people. I know they smile now for my win”.
Mahuchik will face Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers from Australia, world bronze medallist Elena Vallortigara from Italy, who cleared 2.00m in Eugene, world indoor bronze medallist Nadedzha Dubovitskaya from Kazakhstan, 2017 world silver medallist Yuliya Levchenko and world championships fourth placer Iryna Gerashchenko.
Women’s long jump:
Reigning World and Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo will clash against European gold medallist and two-time world indoor champion Ivana Vuleta.
Mihambo won her second consecutive world title in Eugene with 7.12m. The German jumper will be aiming to win her second Diamond Trophy three years after her first title in 2019, a few weeks before her world title with 7.30m in Doha.
Vuleta won her second European gold medal in Munich with her seasonal best of 7.06m beating Mihambo by three cm. The Serbian star will be aiming to win her fourth Diamond Trophy.
There were four different winners in this year’s Diamond League meetings: (Mihambo in Birmingham, Khaddi Sagnia in Eugene, Maryna Beck Romanchuk in Rome and Lorraine Ugen in Stockolm). All these jumpers will compete in Zurich.
The line-up is completed by world championships fourth placer Quanesha Burks and European heptathlon silver medallist Annik Kaelin.
Men’s long jump:
Olympic and European champion Miltiadis Tentoglou will clash against Swiss decathlete Simon Ehammer and reigning Diamond League champion Thobias Montler.
Tentoglou won the world silver medal in Eugene, the European title with a world leading mark of 8.52m in Munich and three Diamond League competitions in Rabat, Oslo and Chorzow. The Greek jumper finished runner-up to Cuba’s Mayke Massò in Monaco.
Montler won the Diamond League title last year with a jump of 8.17m in the final attempt and finished runner-up to Tentoglou in the World Indoor Championships final in Belgrade with a national record of 8.38m.
The line-up is completed by world indoor bronze medallist Marquis Dendy from the USA and Emiliano Lasa from Uruguay, who finished sixth at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Men’s discus throw:
World champion Kristrjan Ceh won four Diamond League competitions in Birmingham (71.27m Diamond League and national record), Rabat (69.68m), Rome (70.72m) and Stockolm (70.02m) and the world title in Eugene with 71.13m. He had to settle with silver medal behind Mykolas Alekna at the European Championships in Munich. The discus thrower coached by Gerd Kanter is aiming to win his first Diamond Trophy.
Olympic champion Daniel Stahl from Sweden leads the world seasonal list with his mark of 71.47m set in Uppsala last June. The Swedish thrower is chasing his third Diamond Trophy.
The line-up features world bronze medallist Andrius Gudzius from Lithuania, who finished second to Ceh in Birmingham, Olympic bronze medallist Lukas Weisshaidinger from Austria, Sam Matthis from the USA and Matthew Denny from Australia.
Women’s discus throw:
Olympic champion Valarie Allman will aim to win her second consecutive Diamond League title. The US thrower won three Diamond League competitions in Birmingham (67.85m), Eugene (68.35m) and Paris (68.35) and threw over the 70 metres barrier with 70.06m in Berlin last weekend. She had to settle with world bronze medal at the World Championships in Eugene with 68.30m.
Sandra Perkovic won in Oslo with 66.82m and finished second in Paris with 68.19m and in the World Championships final in Eugene with a seasonal best of 68.45m. The Croatian star won her sixth consecutive European gold medal with 67.95m.
The other major contenders are Olympic and European silver medallist Kristin Pudenz, who finished third in Eugene, Oslo and Paris, European bronze medallist Claudine Vita from Germany, Liliana Ca from Portugal and Laulauga Tausaga from the USA.
Women’s javelin throw:
Kara Winger will be looking to crown a successful season after winning the world silver medal to Australia’s Kelsey Lee Barber in Eugene and the NACAC Championships in Freeport. The 26- year-old US thrower set the world leading mark with 68.11m in the Brussels Diamond League meeting.
Winger will face the other two world championships medallists Kelsey Lee Barber, who won in Monaco with 64.50m, and Haruka Kitaguchi from Japan, who claimed two Diamond League competitions in Paris (63.13m) and Chorzow (65.10m), Barbora Spotakova, who won the European bronze medal in Munich and collected five Diamond League titles, Lithuania’s Liveta Jasiunaite and Latvia’s Lina Muze.
Men’s javelin throw:
Neeraj Chropra became the first Indian athlete in history to win a Diamond League competition in Lausanne with 89.08m. The reigning Olympic champion won the world silver medal in Eugene ahead of Jakub Vadlejch from Czech Republic.
Vadlejch finished second in Doha with a PB of 90.88m and Lausanne.
Julian Weber showed his form recently winning the European gold medal with 87.66m and at the ISTAF Berlin meeting with 84.90m. The German thrower also placed fourth with 86.86m at the European Championships.
Women’s triple jump:
Yulimar Rojas will aim to win her second consecutive Diamond Trophy after her triumph in last year’s edition with 15.48m at the Letzigrund Stadium. The Venezuelan star set an outright world record of 15.74m at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and leapt to 15.47m to claim her third world outdoor title in Eugene. The triple jumper coached by Ivan Pedroso won two Diamond League competitions this year in Monaco with 15.01m and Lausanne with 15.31m.
World indoor silver medallist Maryna Beck Romanchuk from the Ukraine set the second best performance among the entrants with her lifetime best of 15.02m at the European Championships in Munich, where she won the gold medal.
Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts won her second consecutive world silver medal in Eugene with 14.89m and has a fond memory of Zurich where she won the Diamond League final in 2019 beating Rojas. Ricketts won the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with 14.94m and finished second in Monaco with 14.91m and Lausanne with 14.64m and first in Padua with 14.72m.
The line-up also features world bronze medallist Tori Franklin, Olympic bronze medallist Patricia Mamona from Portugal, and Thea Lafond from Dominica, Commonwealth Games silver medallist in Birmingham and winner in the Diamond League in Rabat.
Men’s triple jump:
World, Olympic and European champion Pedro Pablo Pichardo will take on world indoor champion Lazaro Martinez and world indoor record holder Fabrice Zango.
Pichardo won his first outdoor title in Eugene with the world lead of 17.95m. The Portuguese jumper will be aiming to win his third Diamond Trophy after his triumphs in 2018 and 2021.
Martinez improved his outdoor PB to 17.50 in Lausanne and won in Brussels with 17.49m despite a muscle injury, which forced him to retire after two rounds.
Zango won the world silver medal in Eugene and finished second in Brussels with 17.40m.
Andy Diaz from Cuba leads the Diamond League standing before the final after his wins in Chorzow with 17.53m and Lausanne with 17.67 and his second place in Paris with 17.67m. Diaz is coached by 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Fabrizio Donato and Andrea Matarazzo in Rome.
The other Cuban jumper in the field is Jordan Diaz Fortun, who won in Paris with 17.68 and finished third in Lausanne with 17.44m.
Women’s shot put:
World champion Chase Ealey will aim to break the US record in the first day. Ealey is unbeaten this year and set the world seasonal best with 20.51m when she won the US title in Eugene last June. She won her first world title with 20.49m at Hayward Field. She has thrown beyond the 20 metres barrier seven times this year and has moved to second in the US all-time list, 12 cm off Michelle Carter’s national record of 20.63m set at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016. Ealey won four Diamond League competitions in Doha with 19.51m, Oslo with 20.13m, Stockolm with 20.46m and Chorzow with 20.36m.
Ealey will take on Sara Mitton from Canada and Jessica Schilder from the Netherlands. Mitton won the Canadian title with 20.33m at the Canadian Championships, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the NACAC Championships in Freeport and finished fourth at the World Championships in Eugene.
Schilder won the world bronze medal in Eugene and the European gold in Munich with a national record of 20.24m.
Ealey, Mitton and Schilder finished in the top three in their most recent Diamond League clash in Chorzow last August.
The line-up also features world and European indoor champion Auriol Dongmo from Portugal, European indoor silver medallist Fanny Roos from Sweden and 2019 world silver medallist Danniel Thomas Dodd from Jamaica.
Men’s shot put:
Double Olympic champion and this year’s world gold medallist Ryan Crouser will be aiming to defend the Diamond League title he won last year with a Weltklasse meeting record of 22.67m.
Crouser lost to Joe Kovacs at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne on 26 August. This was his first outdoor defeat since the 2019 World Championships in Doha. Crouser bounced back a few days later with a win in Lucerne with 22.08m.
Crouser will clash against his compatriot Joe Kovacs, who won two consecutive Diamond League competitions in Lausanne with 22.65m and Brussels with 22.61m. Kovacs will aim to win the second Diamond League title after claiming his first Trophy in 2015.
The other contenders are Tom Walsh from New Zealand, who won the Commonwealth Games gold medal with 22.26m and three Diamond Trophies in 2016, 2018 and 2019, European outdoor gold medallist Filip Mihaljevic from Croatia, Commonwealth silver medallist Jacko Gill from New New Zealand, and Nick Ponzio, who finished ninth at the World Championships and fourth at the European Championships in Munich.
Men’s high jump:
Mutaz Barshim will chase his fourth Diamond League title after winning three titles in 2014, 2015 and 2018. Barshim won his third consecutive world title in Eugene with 2.37m before finishing first in Monaco with 2.30m and second in Lausanne to Andiy Protsenko on countback with 2.24m.
Barshim will renew his rivalry against his friend Gianmarco Tamberi, who won last year’s edition of the Diamond League final in Zurich with 2.34m becoming the first Italian athlete to win the Diamond Trophy. Tamberi finished fourth at the European Championships in Eugene with a seasonal best of 2.33m and won his second European gold medal in Munich with 2.30m. Tamberi will compete for the first time since he married to his longtime partner Chiara Bontempi. Barshim was among the guests at Tamberi’s wedding.
Protsenko will return to Zurich where he won the Diamond Trophy in 2019 and the European silver medal in 2014.
The line-up also features US Ju’Vaughn Harrison, who finished seventh in the Olympic final in Tokyo and won the Diamond League meeting in Rome with 2.27m, Django Lovett from Canada, who won in the Birmingham Diamond League meeting with 2.28m, and Hamish Kerr, who won the world indoor bronze medal with 2.31m and the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Women’s pole vault:
Sandi Morris cleared a seasonal best of 4.85m to win her third world outdoor silver medal in Eugene. Morris has won 11 of her 13 competitions in 2022, including three Diamond League victories in Birmingham, Rabat and Rome.
Wilma Murto from Finland finished sixth at the World Championships in Eugene and won the European gold medal in Munich with her PB of 4.85m. The 24-year-old Finnish vaulter sealed her spot in the Diamond League Final with her third place in Lausanne.
The line-up also features Australia’s Nina Kennedy, who won the world bronze medal with 4.80m in Eugene and the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Glasgow with 4.60m, this year’s world indoor bronze medallist Tina Sutej from Slovenia, 2016 Olympic gold medallist and four-time Diamond League champion Ekaterini Stefanidi, Roberta Bruni, who improved her Italian record to 4.72m at the Palio della Quercia in Rovereto, and local star Angelica Moser, who won the European Indoor gold medal in Torun 2021 with 4.75.
Women’s 5000 metres:
Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay will target her first Diamond Trophy. Tsegay finished second behind Dawit Seyaum at the Bislett Games in Oslo in 14:26.69 this year. Tsegay won the world indoor 1500m title in Belgrade and the world gold medal in the 5000m in Eugene.
Tsegay will take on her compatriots Ejgayehu Taye, world indoor 3000m bronze medallist and world 5 km record holder on the road, Ejgayehu Taye and Fantu Worku.
Sifan Hassan has raced sparingly this year after winning the Olympic 5000m and 10000m titles, but she returned at last July’s World Championships, where she finished fourth in the 10000m and sixth in the 5000m. Hassan won the 3000m in Chorzow in 8:39.27 and finished fourth over the same distance in Lausanne.
The Kenyan challenge is led by world 5000m silver medallist Brenda Chebet, and world 10000m bronze medallist Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, who clocked 8:27.14 and 8:29.05 in Lausanne respectively.
The best US athlete in the field is Alicia Monson, who finished second to Francine Nyonsaba in a PB of 8:26.81 in the 3000m in Lausanne.
Men’s 5000 metres:
Kenya’s 21-year-old Jacob Krop won the 5000 metres in Brussels with the fastest time in the world this year of 12:45.71 moving up to sixth on the world all-time list. Krop will renew his rivalry against US Grant Fisher, who set a North American record of 12:46.96 in the Belgian capital moving up to 12th on the North American list, and Nicholas Kimeli, who won in Rome in 12:46.33 and finished third in Brussels in 12:50.97.
Berihu Aregawi will defend the Diamond League 5000m title he won in Sechselautenplatz last year. Aregawi won the 5000m in Eugene in 12:50.08 and finished second in Monaco in 7:26.81 in the 3000m. Ndikumwenayo set the national records of Burundi of 7:25.93 in the 3000m in Monaco and 12:59.39 in the 5000m in Rome.
The line-up also features Selemon Barega, who won the 5000m clocking 12:56.19 in the Paris Diamond League meeting and finished third in Eugene in 13:07.30, Dominic Lobalu, who won the 3000m in Stockolm in 7:29.48, Hailu Telahun Bekele, winner at the Bislett Games in Oslo in 13’03’51”, e il Tedesco Maximiliam Thorwirth, sixth in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
