Kipyegon, Lyles, McLaughlin and Ingebrigsten ready to light up great night of athletics in Paris

The Paris Diamond League meeting is shaping up as a great night of athletics in front of a sold out Charlety Stadium with Faith Kipyegon in the women’s 5000 metres, Noah Lyles and Marcell Jacobs in the 100 metres, Sydney McLaughlin in the women’s 400 metres, Grant Holloway in the 110 metres hurdles, Dina Asher Smith in the women’s 200 metres and Keely Hodgkinson in the women’s 800 metres.

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Women’s 5000 metres: 

Fresh 1500 metres world record holder Faith Kipyegon will clash against reigning 10000 metres world champion Letesenbet Gidey in the women’s 5000 metres. The world record set by Gidey in Valencia in 2020 with 14:06:02 could be under threat on the blue track of the Paris Charlety Stadium. Gidey set two more world records in the 10000 metres with 29:01.03 in Hengelo and in the half marathon with 1:02:52 in Valencia. Gidey won the Olympic bronze medal in the 10000m in Tokyo 2021 and the world title over the same distance in Eugene 2022. 

Kipyegon broke Genzebe Dibaba’s world record in the 1500 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Florence with 3:49:11 becoming the first athlete in history to run under the 3:50 barrier. The 29-year-old athlete from Rift Valley, who won two Olympic gold medals in 2016 and 2021 and two world titles in 2017 and 2022, has only run two 5000m races in 2015 in Eugene setting her PB of 14:31.95 and Paris, where she finished seventh in 14:44.51. 

Faith Kipyegon: The 1,500 m world record was an extraordinary moment. I just missed the record last year. In Florence, I was very relaxed throughout the race and I knew I had to believe right to the end. I hope to have other opportunities to do even better in the future. I'm a bit tired, but I'm hoping for a great 5,000 m race in Paris. It's a bit stressful because the effort is longer. I'll have to find my bearings on the track.”

She will make her first appearance at the Paris Diamond League meeting since 2017, when she finished second in the 1500m in 3:57.51 a few weeks before winning her first world title in London. 

Ethiopian 22-year-old Ejgayehu Taye will return to the track of Paris Charlety where she set the African record of 8:19.52 in the 3000 metres in 2021. Taye set the fastest time in the world in the 5000m in 2022 in Eugene with 14:12.95 and holds the world record over the 5 km distance on the road with 14:19. 

Beatrice Chepkoech is the fourth world record holder in the line-up. The Kenyan athlete set the world record in the 3000 metres steeplechase with 8:44.32 and won the world gold medal over this distance in Doha 2019. 

Olympic 1500m silver medallist Laura Muir steps up in distance to run the 5000 metres one week after finishing second to Kipyegon in 3:57.09 in Florence. Muir won the 1500m In a former Brithish record of 3:55.22 in the Paris meeting in 2016. 

The line-up also features world indoor 3000 metres champion Lemlem Hailu from Ethiopia, Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, two-time world medallist (silver in the 5000m in Doha 2019 and bronze in the 10000m in Eugene 2022), Agnes Ngetich, world cross country bronze medallist in Bathurst 2023, USA’s Alicia Monson, North American 10000m record holder with 30:03.02 and second in the 3000m in the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne in 8:26.61 last year, Grace Loibach Nawowuna from Kenya, who set her lifetime best of 29:47.42 in Hengelo last week. 

Diribe Welteji, fourth in the 800 metres at the World Championships in 1:57.02 in Eugene and winner in the 1500m at the Los Angeles Grand Prix in 3:57.84, and Freweyni Hailu, fourth in the Olympic final in the 1500m in 3:57.60 in Tokyo, will make their debut over the 5000m distance. 

Women’s 400 metres: 

World 400 metres hurdles record holder Sydney McLaughlin will be making her Diamond League come-back In Paris Charlety. McLaughlin Levrone will line-up in the women’s 400 metres on the blue track of the Charlety Stadium. She improved her own world record in the 400 metres hurdles final to a sensational 50.68 at the World Championships in Eugene. She previously set three world records during 13 months and was the first woman to break the 52-second barrier with 51.90 at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene. She won the Olympic gold medal improving her world record to 51.46 ahead of Dalilah Muhammad and Femke Bol. 

McLaughlin Levrone will test her speed in the 400 metres. She set her PB of 50.07 over the flat distance in 2018 when she was 19 years old. The native from New Brunswick ran 47.91 on the last leg of the 4x400 relay helping the US team that won the 4x400 gold medal at the World Championships in Eugene 2022 in a world leading 3:17.79. 

McLaughlin has competed in just four Diamond League races since the start of her career and will make her first appearance at the Paris Charlety meeting. She won the Diamond League title in the 400 metres hurdles winning the Zurich final in 2019 in 52.85. That season she also won in Oslo in 54.16 and in Monaco in 53.32. 

Sydney McLaughlin: “I am very happy to launch my 400m season in Paris. My coach wants to see where I am at over this distance. I trust him. For me the challenge is to run well tomorrow evening and we will see thabout the rest of the season. I don’t know if if I am going to take part in any 400m hurdles races this year. I think the 400m is good for me to gain speed for the 400m hurdles. It gets me out of the comfort zone.”

Mclaughlin will go head-to-head against Marileidy Paulino from Dominican Republic, who claimed the Diamond League title in Zurich in 48.99. Paulino won two silver medals in 400 metres at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 49.20 and at the World Championships in Eugene in 49.60. She won seven Diamond League races in her career, including the Paris Charlety meeting in 2021 in 50.21. Paulino started the 2023 season with a win in the Doha Diamond League meeting in 50.51 and improved her PB to 48.98 at the Los Angeles Grand Prix meeting on 27 May. She is undeafeted in her nine races across different distances this year. 

Marileidy Paulino: “I am very happy to be here. My goal is to come back to Paris to win the Olympic gold medal, and why not, break the world record. Felix Sanchez won the first Olympic gold medal for Dominican Republic. I want to become the first woman from my country to win the Olympic gold medal”. 

Salwa Eid Naser returns to the Diamond League for the first time since 2019. Naser won the world title in the 400 metres in 48.14. She clocked 49.78 in her most recent race in Huelva (Spain) last week. 

Anna Hall will run the 400 metres one week after improving her PB to 54.48 in the 400 metres hurdles in the Florence Diamond League. Hall won the heptathlon at the Hypo meeting in Goetzis with 6988 points moving to fifth in the world all-time list. Hall won two US indoor titles in the 400 metres in 51.03 and in the pentathlon with 5004 points setting the world all-time best performance. 

Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek and Netherlands Lieke Klaver will renew their rivalry one week after finishing first and second in 50.41 and 50.75 respectively at the Florence Diamond League meeting. 

Kaczmarek, European silver medallist in the 400 metres in Munich, followed her win in Florence with another victory in Chorzow in 50.02 last Sunday. 

Klaver finished fourth at the World Championships in Eugene in 50.58 and sixth at the European Championships in Munich in 50.56  in 2022. She won the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul 2023 in 50.57 behind her training partner Femke Bol. 

The line-up is completed by Jamaica’s Candice McLeod, fifth in the 400 metres in 49.87 and bronze medallist in the 4x400 relay at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and Amarachi Pipi, European bronze medallist with the 4x400 relay at the European Championships in Munich 2022. 

Men’s 100 metres: 

Olympic 100 metres champion Marcell Lamont Jacobs will go head-to-head against two-time 200 metres world champion Noah Lyles in the 100 metres on the fast track of the Paris Charlety Stadium. The European 100 record holder has never clashed against the 200m US record holder in his career. 

Lyles has already won 18 Diamond League races in his career (16 on his favourite 200m distance and 2 in the 100 metres). Lyles has clinched five Diamond League Trophies (four in the 200 metres in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 and one in the 100m in 2018, when he won in Zurich in 9.98). The US star won the 200 metres in the 2019 edition of the Paris Charlety meeting in 19.65. Lyles won his second consecutive 200 meters title in Eugene last year breaking the North American record with 19.31, the third fastest time in history. Last weekend he won the 200 metres in 19.67 in Kingston. 

Noah Lyles: “I feel really good and I can't wait to race tomorrow evening. I know exactly what I need to do when I'm at the start of a race. I've made a lot of progress over the last year, even after winning the 200 m world title. It's very exciting because I can feel that the big times are just around the corner. In the 100 m, I know I still have to improve in the first part of the race. That's one of the reasons why I took part in so many indoor 60 m events.”

Jacobs is still chasing his first Diamond League win. The Italian sprinter achieved his best results on the circuit in his magic 2021 season, when he finished second in Stockolm in 10.05 and third in Monaco in 9.99 one month before his Olympic triumph in Tokyo in a European record of 9.80. He dipped five times under the 10 seconds in his career.  

Jacobs has a faster PB than Lyles, who set his lifetime best of 9.86 when he won the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai in 2019. Both sprinters could threaten the event record of 9.79 set by Usain Bolt in 2009 when the meeting was held at the Stade de France in Paris St. Denis. 

Marcell Jacobs: “This race should have been my third of the season, but it ended up being my comeback race. I wanted to make sure that all my physical problems were behind me. This race will be ideal to launch my season and achieve the goals I've set myself. The world gold medal is the only one missing from my list of achievements. This long absence has only increased my motivation. The most important thing for me is to feel good and to get out on the track to put into practice the work I've been doing every day.

The line-up also features African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala from Kenya and Letsile Tebogo from Botswana. 

Omanyala set the African record of 9.77 in Nairobi in 2021 and won two gold medals at the African Championships and at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year. This year the Kenyan sprinter beat Jacobs in the 60 metres in the World Indoor meeting in Liévin in 6.54 and won the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Gaborone in a wind-assisted 9.78. Omanyala finished third in Rabat in 10”05 and repeated the same time to finish second at the Golden Gala in Florence. Last Sunday Omanyala won in 10.13 at Lucca meeting in Italy. 

Tebogo won his second world under 20 gold medal in Cali setting a world under 20 record with 9.91 and the silver medal in the 200m in 19.96. The Botswanan sprinter clocked a wind assisted 9.91 in the 100 metres and a PB of 19.87 in the 200m at the Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone. He also beat Christian Coleman in the 200m in 20.00 in Miramar.   

The line is completed by Ronnie Baker, fifth in the Olympic final in Tokyo, Jamaica’s Yohan Blake, world champion in Daegu 2011, and Frenchman Mouhamadou Fall, fifth placer at the European Championships in Munich 2022, and Benjamin Azamati from Ghana, national record with 9.90.

Men’s two miles: 

Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will target the world all-time best performance in the 2 miles race set by Daniel Komen with 7:58.61 in Hechtel since 1997. Komen has been the only athlete in history to break the 8 minutes barrier over the 3218 metres distance. Such great stars like Haile Gebrseslasie, Mo Farah and Eliud Kipchoge have never managed to break this time. Farah holds the European record with 8:07.85. 

Ingebrigtsen has already broken a world record on French soil when he clocked 3:30.60 in the 1500 metres at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Liévin. He finished fourth in his only previous appearance at the Paris meeting in 3:31.33 in 2019. In the past two seasons Ingebrigtsen won the Olympic gold medal in the 1500m in a European and Olympic record of 3:28.32, the world gold medal in the 5000 metres and two European gold medals in the 1500m and in the 5000m in Munich 2022. 

The line-up also features Paul Chelimo, two-time Olympic medallist and third placer in the 5000m, and this year’s world under 20 cross country champion Ishmael Rokitto Kipkirui from Kenya. 

Men’s 110 metres hurdles: 

Double world outdoor champion and world indoor record holder Grant Holloway will make his second appearance at the Paris Charlety meeting following his sixth place in 13.25 in his Diamond League debut in 2019. The US hurdler went on to win his first world outdoor title in Doha in 13.10 a few month later. Holloway missed the world outdoor record by just 0.01 clocking 12.81 in the semifinal of the US Olympic Trials in Eugene in 2021 before winning the Olympic silver in Tokyo behind Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment. 

Last summer Holloway won his second world outdoor title in 13.03 in Eugene and won his first Diamond League Trophy in Zurich in 13.02. He finished second to Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell in 13.12 into a headwind of -1.2 /s in his first Diamond League race of the season in Rabat and won in Florence in 13.04 and Hengelo in 13.03. 

Grant Holloway: “It's always a pleasure to race in France. I've taken part in several races since the start of the season. My form continues to improve, and I'm getting better with every outing. I've still got some great years ahead of me, with medals and titles to come. You can be very talented, but if you don't have this rigor and desire to progress every day, you can't make it. You know, you have to be a bit crazy to run the 110 m hurdles. I've always wanted to compete against the best athletes in the world. The American selection, which takes place in a few weeks' time, will be an important step before the world championships.”

Holloway will face Devon Allen, who set the third fastest time in history with 12.84 in New York and won last year’s edition of the Paris meeting in 13.16. The two-time Olympic finalist will compete in his fifth race after clocking 13.46 at the Penn Relays, 13.25 in Rabat, 13.19 in Florence and 13.12 in Hengelo. 

Devon Allen: “I'm happy to be back on the track. I hope I've learned from my disqualification at the world championships. The important thing for me is to be able to train regularly and to be in good shape to run fast. In the United States, the first objective is to make the selection. There are some tough opponents, starting of course with Grant.”

The US line-up also includes Trey Cunningham, world silver medallist in Eugene and NCAA indoor and outdoor champion in 2022, Daniel Roberts, who won the US outdoor title in 2019 and set his indoor PB of 7.39 in the 60 metres hurdles in Madrid last February, and Freddie Crittenden, NACAC Championships gold medallist in Freeport in 2022 and US indoor champion in 7.49 in Albuquerque last February. 

The 110 metres hurdles race is shaping up as a clash between the USA and France. The major hopes of the French crowd are carried by Pascal Martinot Lagarde, who set the French record with 12.95 in the Monaco Diamond League meeting in 2014 and won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and the silver medal at the 2022 European Championships in Munich. In his career the French hurdler also won four world indoor medals, three European outdoor medals and four European medals. 

The other top French hurdlers in the line-up are Wilhelm Belocian, European indoor champion in Torun 2021 in the 60 metres hurdles, Just Kwaou Mathey, who won the European outdoor bronze medal in Munich 2022 and clocked his PB of 13.27 in Paris last year, and Aurel Manga, World indoor bronze medallist in Birmingham 2018. 

Jason Joseph from Switzerland is looking to continue his good season after winning the European Indoor gold medal in the 60 metres hurdles in a national record of 7.41 in Istanbul last March. Joseph finished second to Holloway at the Golden Gala in Florence in a Swiss record of 13.10. 

The line-up is completed by Rafael Pereira from Brazil, South American record holder with 13.17 and Roger Iribarne, who set his indoor PB of 7.48 in the 60 metres hurdles in Madrid last February. 

Women’s 200 metres: 

Dina Asher Smith will make her second appearance in the Paris Charlety meeting after finishing third in the 100 metres in 2021 a few weeks after her bronze medal in the 4x100 relay at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. This time the 27-year-old British sprinter will run the 200 metres, the distance where she won the world title in Doha 2019 in a national record of 21.88 and the world silver medal in Eugene 2022 in 22.02. The history graduate at the King’s College University started her season with a third place in the 100 metres in 10.98 in Doha and won her first 200 metres race of the season in Savona in a wind-assisted 22.61. 

Dina Asher Smith: “I love Paris. I have lots of friends here and I spend a lot of time in this city. We're only an hour from London. For me, the 2024 Olympics will almost be at home. Last Friday, at the Florence Meeting, I felt a cramp during the warm-up, just before taking the start. It was very frustrating not to run, but I didn't want to take any risks for the rest of the season. I'm feeling much better now and hope to run fast tomorrow evening. The 200 m is a distance I love.”

Marie Josée Ta Lou showed her recent good form by winning two consecutive 100 metres at the Golden Gala in Florence in 10.97 and in Chorzow in 10.82. Last month the three-time world medallist came close to her African record with 10.78 in Clermont and clocked 10.88 in Los Angeles. 

Marie Josée Ta Lou: “I'm very excited to compete in Paris. This is where I took part in my first Wanda Diamond League meeting in 2015. I used to run for the local club (Stade Français), so it's a bit like my second family here. I always take one competition after the other. I know this race is going to be very fast, so I hope that I will get a great time.”

The US contingent is led by three sub-22 performances Abby Steiner, Gabby Thomas, Jenna Prandini. Steiner won two world gold medals in the 4x100 and the 4x400 relays in Eugene 2022 and finished fifth in the 200m in 22.26 at the World Championships. The former soccer player won the 200 metres in a wind-assisted 22.06 at the Bermuda Grand Prix and placed fifth in the 100 metres in Florence in 11.23. 

Thomas won the Olympic bronze medallist in the 200 metres in 21.89 and set the fourth fastest time in history with 21.61 at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene. The US sprinter, who graduated in microbiology at the Harvard University improved her PB in the 400 metres clocking 49.68 in Austin last April. 

Prandini set her 200m PB with 21.89 at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene and won the world gold medal in the 4x100 relay in Eugene last year. Prandini won the 200 metres in Los Angeles in 22.34 this year. 

The line-up is completed by Tamara Clarke set a PB of 21.95 and finished sixth in the World Championships in Eugene, and Kayla White, NCAA champion in the 200m in 2019

Men’s 3000 steeplechase: 

Ethiopia’s Lemecha Girma will target the world record in the men’s 3000 metres steeplechase set by Qatar’s Saif Saeed Shaheen with 7:53.63 in Brussels in 2004. Earlier this year Girma broke 25-year-old world indoor record in the 3000 metres with 7:23.81 in Liévin, slicing 1.09 seconds off the previous mark held by Daniel Komen since 1998. He started his Diamond League season with a win in the 3000 metres with 7:26.18 in Doha. The 22-year-old Ethiopian runner won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo 2021 behind Soufiane El Bakkali in the 3000m steeplechase with 8:10.38 and finished second again behind the Moroccan runner in 8:25.13 in Eugene 2022. 

Girma will face Abraham Kibiwott, Commonwealth Games champion in Birmingham 2022, and Benjamin Kigen, Olympic bronze medallist in Tokyo and Diamond League champion in Zurich in 2021, Hailemariam Amare from Ethiopia, Japanese record holder Ruuji Miura, reigning European champion Topi Raitainen from Finland, 2018 European silver medallist Fernando Carro from Spain, 2022 European bronze medallist Osama Zoghlami from Italy and Frenchman Djilali Bedrani. 

Women’s pole vault: 

Katie Moon (née Nageotte) will chase her third Diamond League win this season after taking first place in Doha with a world leading mark of 4.81m and in Florence with 4.71m. The native of Ohio won the Olympic gold medal with 4.90m in Tokyo and the world title in Eugene with 4.85m. She is looking for a revenge after her sixth place in 2019 in her only previous appearance at the Paris meeting. 

Moon will renew her rival against her training partner Sandi Morris, who placed third in Doha with 4.71m and fifth in Florence with 4.61m. Morris cleared her lifetime best of 5.00m at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels in 2016 a few weeks after winning the Olympic silver medal in Rio de Janeiro. Morris placed third in her only previous appearance at the Paris meeting in 2019 with 4.75m, but she claimed two competitions on French soil in Clermont Ferrand in 2017 with 4.75m and in Liévin in 2020 with 4.83m. 

The full podium of last year’s World Championships will be completed by Australia’s Nina Kennedy, who won the bronze medal in Eugene with 4.80m and won the Diamond League Final in Zurich 4.81m. Kennedy placed third in Florence with 4.61m. 

This year’s European indoor bronze medallist Tina Sutej is looking to continue her consistent season after finishing second in Doha with 4.76m and Florence with 4.71m losing to Moon on countback. 

The other pole vaulters in the line-up are Wilma Murto from Finland, reigning European indoor and outdoor gold medallist, Ekaterini Stefanidi from Greece, gold medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games, 2017 World Championships and 2018 European Championships, Roberta Bruni, Italian record holder with 4.72m and fourth at the Golden Gala in Florence with her seasonal best of 4.61m, Emily Grove, second at the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque with 4.66m, French vaulters Ninon Chapelle (PB 4.75m) and Margot Chevrier (PB 4.70m). 

The women’s pole vault will make its return in the Paris meeting after four of absence. 

Women’s high jump: 

Anna Hall will line up in the high jump before competing in the 400 metres. The US combined events star recently improved her high jump PB to 1.92m at the Hypo meeting in Goetzis. 

Hall will be joined by Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers, Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo and winner at the Paris meeting in 2021 with 1.98m, 2016 world indoor champion Vashti Cunningham, Elena Vallortigara from Italy, world bronze medallist in Eugene with 2.00m, Serbian rising star Angelina Topic, European under 18 gold medallist in Jerusalem and European senior bronze medallist in Munich last year. 

Men’s long jump: 

Long jumpers will start their Road to Diamond League final in Paris. Reigning Olympic and European champion Miltiadis Tentoglou completed an almost perfect Diamond League season in 2022 with five wins out of a possible six competitions, including the victory in the final in Zurich with 8.42m. He continued his dominance with his third European Indoor gold medal in Istanbul last March with 8.30m. 

The Greek jumper will face combined events specialist Simon Ehammer, third in Eugene in the long jump and European silver medallist in the decathlon in Munich. Ehammer set the Swiss record and the world all-time best performance for the long jump in a combined events competition with 8.45m at the Hypo meeting in Goetzis. 

The line-up also features India’s Sreeshankar, silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and seventh at the World Championships in Eugene, Thobias Montler from Sweden, winner at the Diamond League final in Zurich in 2021 and silver medallist at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul behind Teltoglou, Maykel Massò from Cuba, Olympic bronze medallist in Erwan Konate from France, double world under 20 champion in Nairobi 2021 and Cali 2022, and USA’s Will Williams, US Indoor champion with 8.20m last February. 

Men’s 400 metres hurdles: 

US Trevor Bassitt will face his compatriots CJ Allen and Khallifah Rosser and Frenchman Wilfried Happio, Abderrahmane Samba from Qatar in the men’s 400 metres hurdles. 

Bassitt won the world bronze medal in Eugene in 47.39 and the world indoor silver medal in the 400 metres in 45.05 in Belgrade last year. 

Allen won four of his five competitions this year and dipped under the 48 seconds barrier twice in Doha (47.93) and Los Angeles (47.91). The US hurdler won in Hengelo with 48.24 last Sunday. 

Rosser finished fifth in the final of the World Championships in Eugene in 47.88 and second in the Diamond League final in Zurich with 47.76. 

Happio placed fourth in the World Championships in Eugene in 47.41 missing Stephane Diagana’s French record by two hundredths of a second and won the European silver medal in Munich behind Karsten Warholm. 

Samba won at the Paris meeting in 2018 setting the Asian record of 46.98. The Qatar hurdler won the world bronze medal on home soil in Doha 2019 and finished fifth in the Olympic final in 47.12. He made his comeback from a 2022 season ravaged by an injury problem with a win at the Memorial Giulio Ottolia in Savona in 48.56. 

Women’s 800 metres: 

This year’s European Indoor champion Keely Hodgkinson will run her first Diamond League race of the season. 

Hodgkinson won the silver medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 in a British record of 1:55.88 and at the World Championships in Eugene 2022 in 1:56.38, both times behind USA’s Athing Mu and the gold medal at the European outdoor Championships in Munich last August. Last March the criminology student at the Leeds University won her second consecutive European Indoor Championships in Istanbul two days after her 21st birthday in 1:58.66. The British star could attack the meeting record set by South Africa’s Caster Semenya in 2018 with 1:54.25. She will make her first appearance in the Paris Charlety meeting. 

Keely Hodgkinson: “This track is beautiful. It will be my comeback race. My last training sessions were good. We'll see how my legs feel tomorrow evening, but I hope it will be a good race. I've been working hard since my European indoor title. The aim is to run faster and faster throughout the season. Medals are my priority. I'm not the type to project myself too much. The important thing is to know where I'm going, to have goals in mind, and to do everything I can to achieve them.”

Hodgkinson will face last year’s world indoor champion Ajée Wilson, 2019 world champion Halima Nakaayi, Olympic bronze medallist Raevyn Rogers, Jamaica’s Natoya Goule and Oceanian record holder Catriona Bisset. 

Men’s 800 metres: 

Kenyan middle distance runners Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Wycliffe Kinyamal will carry the favourite role. 

Wanyonyi, world under 20 champion in Nairobi 2021, set the world fastest time this year with 1:43.32 in Nairobi and won his first Diamond League race of the season in Rabat in 1:44.36. 

Kinyamal set a seasonal best of 1:43.66 in Nairobi and won in Paris in 2021 in 1:43.94. 

The top five finishers from last year’s World Championships in Eugene will line up in Paris. The starting list includes the three medallists Emmanuel Korir from Kenya (gold), Djamel Sedjati from Algeria (silver) and Marco Arop from Canada (bronze). 

Sedjati showed his good form this year finishing third in the Diamond League meeting in Doha and first in Montreuil near Paris with a seasonal best of 1:44.27. 

Korir won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2021 in 1:45.06, the world title in 1:43.71 in Eugene and the past two editions of the Diamond League Final in Zurich in 2021 in 1:44.56 and in 2022 in 1:43.26. 

Arop set his PB of 1:43.26 in Monaco 2021 and won the world bronze medal in Eugene last year. 

Algeria’s Slimane Moula will chase his second Diamond League win of the season after finishing first in Doha last May.  

Frenchman Benjamin Robert will carry the hopes of the local fans. Robert won the 800 metres in a PB of 1:43.75 last year becoming the 12th French athlete to win a competition in the Paris Diamond League meeting since the start of the 21st century. Robert went on to win the European Indoor silver medal in Istanbul last March.

Benjamin Robert:  “I won here last year and hope to do so again tomorrow. When you win a race at this level, you realise that you can compete with the world's best athletes. I'm in better physical and mental shape than last year. My expectations have changed: I want to win medals and win every race I take part in. I'm going for the title at the world championships. I work every day to reach that goal.”

Women’s discus throw: 

Valarie Allman will target her second consecutive win in the women’s discus throw in Paris Charlety after finishing first last year with 68.88m ahead of Sandra Perkovic. The US thrower won two Diamond League titles in Zurich in 2021 (69.20m) and 2022 (67.77m). She is unbeaten in her five competitions this year and started her campaign at this year’s edition with a win at the Golden Gala in Florence with 65.96m. Allman produced six throws over the 70 metres and 18 competitions with throws of more than 68 metres. 

Allman will renew with her rivalry against Perkovic, who will open her season in Paris. The Croatian legend won two Olympic gold medals, two world titles, six European titles and seven Diamond Trophies. She finished first in Paris twice in 2018 and 2021. 

The line-up also Germany’s Kristin Pudenz, Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo, and 2016 Olympic silver medallist Melina Robert Michon from France, who set a seasonal best of 65.49m in Montreuil, Italian record holder and Olympic finalist Daisy Osakue from Italy. 

Men’s hammer throw: 

Rudy Winkler leads the line-up with his national record of 82.71m set at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene. Winkler, who set his seasonal best of 80.88m this season in Tucson, will take on 2019 world bronze medallist Bence Halasz from Hungary and French thrower Yann Chaussinaud. 

Women’s hammer throw

Last year’s world champion Brooke Andersen headlines the women’s hammer throw. Andersen became the third thrower to surpass the 80 metres barrier with her PB of 80.17m and won at the Bydgoszcz Continental Tour Gold meeting last Tuesday with 78.79m. 

Andersen will be joined by world bronze medallist Janee Kassanavoid, Italy’s Sara Fantini, who placed fourth at the World Championships in Eugene and won the European bronze medal in Munich, and Maggie Ewen, who improved her PB to 75.10m in Tucson last May. 

Women’s shot put: 

Ewen will double up competing in the women’s shot put straight after the hammer throw. Ewen set the world seasonal lead with 20.45m in Los Angeles and won the Diamond League final in Zurich in 2021. 

The US all-round throwing talent will take on her compatriot Chase Ealey, who won the world gold medal in Eugene and set a seasonal best of 20.06m in Halle, world indoor Auriol Dongmo from Portugal, 2019 world silver medallist Danniel Thomas Dodd from Jamaica, last year’s Commonwealth champion Sarah Mitton from Canada and China’s Song Jiayuan. 

Women’s javelin throw: 

Two-time world champion Kelsey Lee Barber will face Olympic champion Liu Shiying in the women’s javelin throw for the first time since last year’s World Championships in Eugene. 

Last year’s world bronze medallist Haruka Kitaguchi from Japan will chase her second consecutive win in Paris after claiming the first Diamond League victory of her career in last year’s edition of this meeting. 

The other athletes to watch are Greece’s Elina Tzengko, European champion in Munich 2022 with her PB of 65.81m, and Norway’s Sigrid Borge, world seasonal leader with a throw of 66.50m in Halle. 

Men’s triathlon: 

World decathlon record holder and reigning world champion Kevin Mayer will be the crowd darling in the Charlety Stadium. Mayer will compete in the traditional triathlon, which will include the 110 metres hurdles, the long jump, and the shot put. The French Combined Events star set his shot put PB of 17.08m in the shot put during the triathlon in the 2019 edition of the Paris meeting. 

Mayer won two world outdoor titles in London 2017 (8768 punti) and Eugene 2022 (8816 punti), two Olympic silver medals in Rio de Janeiro 2016 (8834 punti) and Tokyo 2021 (8726 punti), the world indoor gold medal in Birmingham 2018 (6348 points) and three European Indoor titles in Belgrade 2017 (with the European record of 6479 points), in Torun 2021 (6392 points) and Istanbul 2023 (6348 points). 

Kevin Mayer: “The Paris Meeting has a special place in my schedule. I have enjoyed some great moments here, posting several personal best performances. Each time I feel like I transcend myself in what is a fantastic stadium for our sport, where spectators are close to us and I really feel like at home given the incredible home support. You know that I set great store by showcasing the combined events within the context of the major competitions. With this in mind, this competition gives me a fantastic opportunity to fly the flag for my sport and I will be giving my all to shine here with two months until the World Championships in Budapest. It's a great opportunity to compete in Paris. I'm very happy that the combined events will be in the spotlight. I'm here to enjoy myself while preparing for the rest of the season and, of course, the World Championships in Budapest. The decathlon is a discipline that needs visibility and I think it's important to be on the track tomorrow. Over the years, my experience has enabled me to target my competitions more effectively. Above all, they enable me to gain the confidence to arrive with ambition at the major championships. Physically, I'm much better than last year. I know that the public will push me to do my best tomorrow evening.”

Men’s 4x100 relay:

The men’s 4x100 relay will gather together home team France, Olympic champions from Italy, Great Britain, Canada, Germany and Belgium. 

Women’s 4x100 relay: 

France will take on Canada and Spain in the women’s 4x100 relay. 

The relays are not part of the Diamond League official program, but they will offer the entered teams the chance to qualify for the World Championships in Budapest.