Rabat Diamond League Preview: Olympic and World Champions Clash
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The Wanda Diamond League returns to Morocco on Sunday, May 31, as the Meeting International Mohammed VI brings together Olympic champions, world medallists, Diamond League winners and national record holders at the newly inaugurated Rabat Olympic Stadium within the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah. From Soufiane El Bakkali’s bid to extend his unbeaten streak on home soil to Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s quest for redemption in the 800 metres and Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s Diamond League season debut, the third stop of the 2026 Diamond League campaign promises a packed programme of world-class competition across track and field disciplines.
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
The men’s 3000m steeplechase will close the meeting and is expected to be one of the most anticipated events for local fans. Moroccan star Soufiane El Bakkali, a two-time Olympic champion in Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 and a two-time world champion in Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023, has remained unbeaten at the Rabat Diamond League for four consecutive editions since 2022. He set the meeting record of 7:56.68 in 2023.
El Bakkali will be aiming to gain revenge against New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish, who captured the world title in Tokyo 2025 ahead of the Moroccan star. Beamish also won the world indoor 1500m title in Nanjing during the 2025 season.
The entire podium from the 2025 World Championships will reunite in Rabat. Kenya’s Edmund Serem won the world bronze medal in Tokyo at just 17 years of age, becoming the youngest male athlete ever to win an individual medal at the World Championships. Serem also claimed the world U20 title in Lima 2024.
Germany’s Frederick Ruppert returns to Rabat with fond memories after producing one of the breakthrough performances of his career at last year’s meeting. Ruppert slashed 14 seconds from his previous personal best to finish second in 8:01.49, setting a German record and moving to third on the European all-time list. He later held off Serem to win the Diamond League Final in 8:09.22 and secure the Diamond Trophy.
Abraham Kibiwot arrives as a two-time global bronze medallist, having finished third at the World Championships in Budapest 2023 in 8:11.98 and at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in 8:06.47.
The field also includes Simon Kiprop Koech, winner of the 2023 Eugene Diamond League, Tunisia’s Mohamed Jhinaoui, fourth at the Paris Olympics, and Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu, a two-time Diamond League winner in Doha in 2024 (8:07.25) and Xiamen in 2025 (8:05.91).
Men’s 800 metres:
Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi will be looking to avenge his surprising defeat at last year’s edition of the Rabat Diamond League meeting, when he finished third behind Tshepiso Maselela and Max Burgin.
Wanyonyi is aiming to win his fourth consecutive Diamond League title this year. The Kenyan 800m star won three times in a row in Rabat in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Wanyonyi won the Olympic gold medal in Paris in 2024 in 1:41.19 and improved his PB to 1:41.11 at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne equalling the second fastest time in history.
Donovan Brazier won the world gold medal in Doha 2019 setting a North American record of 1:42.34. He missed the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 due to a tibia fracture. He made his come-back at the US outdoor Championships in Eugene, where he won in 1:42.16 setting a PB and the third fastest US time in history.
Elliot Crestan won three consecutive world indoor medals (bronze in Glasgow 2024, silver in Nanjing 2025 and Torun 2026) and two European indoor medals (bronze in Istanbul 2023 and silver in Apeldoorn 2025).
Two-time European silver medallist Mark English from Ireland won his second Diamond League race in Keqiao in 1:43.85 edging Kethobogile Haingura from Botswana by four hundredths of a second. English and Haingura will renew their rivalry in Rabat.
Yanis Meziane, European under 23 champion in Espoo 2023, will also return to the track after finishing fifth in Keqiao in 1:44.17.
Gabriel Tual from France will make his seasonal debut. Tual won the European gold medal in Rome and finished sixth at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 in 1:42.14. He set the French record of 1:41.61 at the 2024 Diamond League in Paris in 2024 moving to second on the European all-time list.
Max Burgin from Great Britain finished sixth in the final of the World Championships in Tokyo 2025 in a lifetime best of 1:42.29 and became the first British man to reach the Olympic 800m final since London 2012. He finished second in Rabat and in the Diamond League final in Zurich in 1:42.42 last year.
Francesco Pernici from Italy set his PB of 1:43.84 in the semifinal of the World Championshios in Tokyo 2025, finishing just 14 hundredths of a second away from the Italian record held by Marcello Fiasconaro and Andrea Longo. He set a championships record of 1:44.06 in the heats of the European under 23 Championships in Bergen 2025 with his front runner tactic before finishing fourth in the final.
Women’s pole vault:
The women’s pole vault will bring together the winners of every global title from 2020, including he entire podium of the World Championships in Tokyo 2025 including Katie Moon, Sandi Morris and Tina Sutej.
Katie Moon won her second Diamond League title in the past three years in Zurich last year with 4.82m. Moon collected a total of 12 wins at Diamond League meetings during her career, including the Rabat meeting in 2025 with 4.73m.
Moon claimed the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo with 4.90m (five cm off her PB) and three consecutive titles in Eugene 2022 with 4.85m, Budapest 2023 with 4.90m and Tokyo 2025 with 4.90m.
Moon will go head to head against her compatriot Sandi Morris, who claimed two wins in her previous appearances at the Rabat Diamond League meetings in 2019 with 4.82m and 2022 with 4.65m. Morris won four world outdoor silver medals in London 2017, Doha 2019, Eugene 2022 and Tokyo 2025, the Olympic silver medal in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and two world indoor titles in Birmingham 2018 and Belgrade 2022. She won the Diamond League Trophy in 2022 and collected eleven individual Diamond League wins throughout her career.
Molly Caudery claimed two consecutive world indoor gold medals in Glasgow 2024 with 4.80m and Torun 2026 with 4.85m and set the British outdoor record with 4.92m in 2024. The British pole vaulter claimed two consecutive wins at the Diamond League meeting in Doha in 2024 with 4.73m and in 2025 with 4.75m.
Tina Sutej claimed her first global outdoor medal by winning the bronze medal at the World Championships in Tokyo 2025 clearing 4.80m. Last March the Slovenian pole vaulter won the world indoor silver medal in Torun 2026 and three consectivce European indoor silver medals in Torun 2021, Istanbul 2023 and Apeldoorn 2025.
Angelica Moser returns to Morocco where she claimed her first Diamond League win in Marrakesh with 4.73m in 2024. The Swiss pole vaulter improved her national record to 4.88m at the Monaco Diamond League, won the European outdoor gold medal in Rome with 4.78m and just missed out on an Olympic medal when she finished fourth with 4.80m at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. She shared the world indoor bronze medal with Amalie Svabikova and Imogen Ayris with 4.70m in Torun 2026.
Nina Kennedy will make her first Diamond League appearance since September 2024 after a season ruined by injury issues. The Australian vaulter shared the world gold medal with Katie Moon in Budapest 2023 with 4.90m. The Australian poke vaulter 4.90m to become the first Australian woman in history to win the Olympic gold medal in a field event. She won the Diamond League Trophy twice in 2022 and 2024 and set a PB of 4.91m at the Diamond League in Zurich in 2023.
The field features Marie Julie Bonnin from France, who won the world indoor gold medal in Nanjing 2025 with 4.75m and improved her PB to 4.76m in Clermont Ferrand in 2026, Imogen Ayris, world indoor silver medallist in Torun with 4.70m, Oliva McTaggart from New Zealand, winner at the Diamond League meeting in London 2025 with a lifetime best of 4.73m, amd Emily Grove, winner at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene 2024 with 4.63m.
Men’s shot put:
Ryan Crouser will make his second appearance at this year’s Diamond League after finishing third in Xiamen with 21.41m in his come-back to the circuit after he missed most of last season due to injury. He recovered just in time to win his third consecutive world outdoor title in Tokyo with 22.34m. Crouser finished second to Leonardo Fabbri at the 2024 Diamond League final in Brussels in September 2024 one month after claiming his third consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024 with 22.90m. Crouser holds the four longest throws in history and is the world record holder with 23.56m
Crouser will compete for the second time in his career in Rabat nine years after winning in 2017 with 22.47m. He claimed 13 wins at Diamond League meetings and one Diamond Trophy in Zurich in 2021.
Rajindra Campbell from Jamaica claimed his first Diamond League win in Xiamen improving his first Diamond League to 22.34m. at the Chinese meeting Campbell beat US shot putters Jordan Geist and Ryan Crouser. Campbell won the Olympic bronze medal in Paris 2024 with 22.29m.
Two-time world champion Joe Kovacs will defend his Diamond League title this year. Kovacs claimed four Diamond Trophies in 2015, 2022, 2024 and 2025 and set the Diamond League record of 23.23m in Zurich in 2022.
Two-time Olympic bronze medallist Tom Walsh claimed his fourth world indoor gold medal in Torun last March with 21.82m following his titles in Portland 2016, Birmingham 2018 and Nanjing 2025. He opened his Diamond League season with a sixth place in Xiamen with 21.13m.
Jordan Geist won the world indoor silver medal in Torun with 21.62m and improved his PB to 22.04m at the World Indoor Tour meeting in Ostrava and finished third at this year’s Diamond League meeting in Xiamen with 21.41m ahead of Crouser.
The other top US putters in the field are Adrian Piperi, world indoor bronze medal in Nanjing 2025 with 21.48m and third at the US Championships with 22.29m last year, and Payton Otterdahl, fourth at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 with 22.03m.
Leonardo Fabbri will be looking to bounce back from his opening Diamond League competition in Xiamen, where he made three fouls. Fabbri set the world outdoor lead with 22.50m in Stellenbosch and started his season in Italy with two wins in Florence with 21.43m and Savona with 21.88. The Italian shot putter won the Diamond League Final in Brussels in 2024 improving his PB to 22.98m, the European gold medal in Rome 2024 with 22.45m and two world outdoor medals (silver in Budapest 2023 with 22.34m and Tokyo 2025 with 21.94m).
Men’s 200 metres:
Letsile Tebogo returns to Rabat with the goal of becoming the first sprinter to break the 20 seconds barrier on Moroccan soil. Tebogo finished fourth in his previous appearance in the 100 metres in 10.09 in Rabat.
Tebogo won the gold medal in the 200 metres improving his African record to 19.46 and the silver medal in the 4x400 relay in 2:54.43. At the World Championships the Botswanan sprinter completed a full set of medals winning gold in the 4x100 relay in 2:57.76 in Tokyo 2025, silver In the 100m in 9.88 and bronze in the 200m in 19.81 in Budapest 2023.
Tebogo will renew his rivalry with US sprinter Kenny Bednarek, who won back-to-back Olympic silver medals in Tokyo 2021 in 19.68 and Paris 2024 in 19.62 in the 200m, two world silver medals in the 200m in Eugene 2025 in 19.77 and Tokyo 2025 in 19.58 and the world gold medal in the 4x100 relay in Tokyo 2025 in 37.38. He claimed two Diamond League titles in 2021 in 19.70 and in 2024 in 19.67. He set a PB of 19.57 at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich in 2024 when he was beaten by Tebogo by 2 hundredths of a second. Bednarek set a seasonal best of 9.97 in the 100m in Keqiao. Tebogo leads 5-1 in his head-to-head races against Bednarek in the 200 metres, but the US sprinter beat his Botswanan rival at the Diamond League Final in Brussels in 2024 in 19.67.
André De Grasse won two Olympic gold medals in the 200 metres in Tokyo 2021 in a national record of 19.62 and anchored the Canadian 4x100 relay to the Olympic title in 37.50. He set a seasonal best of 19.84 in the 200m at the Botswana Grand Prix in Gaborone last April, his fastest time since 2023, when he won the Diamond League Final in Eugene in 2023. He won the 200m twice in 2017 (20.03) and 2019 (20.19) in his previous appearances at the Rabat Diamond League meeting.
Brian Levell from Jamaica made his breakthrough in 2025 when he won the 200m in 19.69 at the Continental Tour meeting in Budapest and claimed the world bronze medal in a PB of 19.64 becoming the first Jamaican sprinter to reach the podium in the 200m at the World Championships since Usain Bolt in Beijing 2015.
Another sub-20 performer in the line-up is South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile, who won the 200 metres in 19.77 beating Levell moving to second on the South African all-time list. He clocked his first 20 sub-time with 19.97 in the semifinal of the World Championships in Tokyo.
Women’s 200 metres:
Two-time world champion Shericka Jackson will target her third consecutive win at this year’s edition of the Diamond League after winning two back-to-back wins in Keqiao in 22.07 and Xiamen in a meeting record of 21.87, her fastest time since 2023, when she won the Diamond League Final in Eugene in 21.57. Jackson set the second fastest time in the world this year, missing Julien Alfred’s world seasonal lead by 0.01. Jackson won two world titles in Eugene 2022 in 21.45 and Budapest 2023 in 21.41 becoming the second fastest woman in history over this distance and won three Diamond League titles. Jackson won three times at the Moroccan leg of the Diamond League in Rabat in 2023 in the 200m in 21.98, in Marrakesh in 2024 in the 200m 22.82 and in Rabat in 2025 in the 100m in 11.04.
Jackson will renew her rivalry against two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller Uibo from the Bahamas, who finished second in Keqiao in 22.26 and Xiamen in 22.04. Miler Uibo won four Diamond League titles in her career (double in the 200m and 400m in 2017 and two wins in the 200m in 2018 and 2019).
Jackson and Miller Uibo will be joined by McKenzie Long, double NCAA champion in the 100m in 10.83 and in the 200m in 21.83 and seventh in the Olympic final in the 200m in Paris 2024, Cambrea Sturgis, who set of 21.93 in the 200 metres at the Continental Tour meeting in Nairobi last April, Kayla White, world champion in the 4x100 relay in Tokyo 2025, and Torrie Lewis from Australia, world under 20 silver medallist in Lima 2024 and winner in the 200m in Xiamen in 2025 on her debut in the Diamond League, and Audrey Leduc from Canada, sixth in the Olympic final in the 4x100 relay in Paris 2024.
Women’s 100 metres:
World outdoor silver medallist Tina Clayton from Jamaica will go head-to-head against world indoor champion Zaynab Dosso from Italy in the women’s 100 metres.
Clayton won her first individual senior global medal by finishing second in the 100m in a lifetime best of 10.76 at the World Championships in Tokyo 2025. She earned a second silver medal in the 4x100 relay in 41.79 at these championships. She won the 100m gold medal at two editions of the World under 20 Championships in Nairobi 2021 and Cali 2022.
Dosso won the world indoor gold medal in the 60 metres in Torun 2026 in 7.00 completing her full set of medals at these championships following bronze in Glasgow 2024 with 7.05 and silver in Nanjing 2025 in 7.06. The Italian sprinter won the European indoor gold medal in Apeldoorn 2025 in 7.01 and the European bronze medal in the 100 metres in Rome 2024 in 11.03 after improving her Italian outdoor record to 11.01 in the semifinal. Dosso set the Italian indoor record with 6.99 at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Torun last February becoming the fifth European sprinter to break the 7 seconds barrier. She opened her 2026 outdoor season with a win in Savona in 11.07.
Patrizia Van der Weken from Luxembourg won two bronze medals in the 60 metres at both the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn in 7.06 and at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in 7.07 in 2025. She won her first Diamond League race in the 100m in Paris in 2024 and improved her national indoor record to 7.01 in the 60m at the World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun.
Jonielle Smith anchored the Jamaican team to a world silver medal in the 4x100 relay in 41.79 in Tokyo 2025 and set her PBs with 10.99 in the 100m and 7.03 in the indoor 60 metres in 2026.
The line-up also features Zoe Hobbs from New Zealand, fourth at the World Indoor Championships in the 60 metres in Glasgow 2024, Lavanya Williams from Jamaica, who set a PB of 10.96 at the Velocity Fest meeting in Kingston beating Jonielle Smith, and Delphine Nkansa from Belgium, European under 23 champion in the 200 metres in Espoo 2023.
Women’s high jump:
Yaroslava Mahuchik will start her Diamond League campaign in Rabat. Mahuchik will make her third appearance at the Moroccan leg of the Diamond League following two back-to-back wins in 2022 with 1.96m and in 2023 with 2.01m.
The Ukrainian athlete has achieved everything an athlete can dream at the age of 24. She completed a “Grand Slam of major titles winning gold medals at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 with 2.00m, at the World Championships in Budapest 2023 with 2.01m, two European Championships in Munich 2022 with 1.95m and Rome 2024 with 2.01m. Mahuchik regained the world indoor title in Torun 2026 clearing 2.01m and claimed three European indoor titles in Torun 2021, Istanbul 2023 and Apeldoorn 2025. She won three consecutive Diamond League titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and improved Stefka Kostadinova’s world record to 2.10m at the Diamond League meeting in Paris in 2024.
Mahuchik will go head-to-head against her compatriot Yuliya Levchenko, Angelina Topic from Serbia, and Maria Zodzik from Poland.
Levchenko won the world indoor silver in Torun with 1.99m last March and claimed her first Diamond League competition since 2020 in Xiamen with 1.99m. The Ukrainian high jumper claimed the world silver medal with 2.02m in London 2017.
Topic won the world bronze medal in Tokyo 2025 with 1.97m and the world indoor bronze medal in Torun 2026 with 1.99m. The Serbian athlete won the second Diamond League meeting in Marrakesh in 2024 with a Serbian record and a meeting record.
Zodzik won the world silver medal in Tokyo 2025 with a PB of 2.00m and the World indoor Tour title in 2026 after claiming the win at the Copernicus Cup with 1.98m in Torun.
The other top names to watch are Eleanor Patterson, who won the world gold medal in Eugene 2022 with 2.02m and reached four top-three finishes in the Diamond League, Lamara Distin from Jamaica, the first athlete in NCAA history to clear the milestone 2.00m barrier indoors and third at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen with 1.94m this year, Imke Onnen from Germany, who holds a PB of 1.98m and finished third at the Diamond League in Chorzow in 2025, Charity Hufnagel, US indoor champion in 2026, Elena Kulichenko from Cyprus, double NCAA champion in 2024 and 2025 and seventh at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
Women’s discus throw:
Valerie Sion (née Allman) is aiming to win her sixth Diamond League title this season. With this achievement she would become the joint most successful female in Diamond League history, equalling Croatian discus thrower Sandra Elkasevic, New Zealand’s shot putter Valerie Adams and Colombian tiple jumper Catherine Ibarguen. The US thrower claimed 20 wins at Diamond League meetings during her career. She opened her Diamond League with a win in Xiamen with 68.45m.
Sion won two consecutive Olympic gold medals in Tokyo 2021 and completed a full set of medals at the World Championships by winning bronze in Eugene 2022, silver in Budapest 2023 and gold in Tokyo 2025. She holds the North American record with 73.52on in April 2025 in Ramona and set a seasonal best of 73.10m.
She is graduated in engineering at the Stanford University and married to her coach Zeb Sion in March 2026.
Sion will go head to head against Jorinde Van Klinken in a re-match of last week’s Diamond League competition in Xiamen. Van Klinken finished second for the second consecutive edition of the Chinese meeting behind Sion with 64.27m. The Dutch thrower won the world silver medal in Tokyo 2025 with 67.50m and finished second in the discus throw and in the shot put at the European Championships in Rome 2024. She broke the Dutch record with 70.99 in Ramona in 2026.
The other athletes to watch are Bin Feng from China, world champion in Eugene 2022 with 69.12m, Laulaga Tausaga from the USA, world champion in Budapest 2023 with a PB of 69.49m, German throwers Marike Steinacker, fourth at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 with 65.37m, Shanice Craft, three-time European bronze medallist in 2014, 2016 and 2018, Vanessa Kamgha fom Sweden, fourth at the World Championships in Tokyo 2025 with a PB of 66.61m, Cierra Jackson, NCAA champion in 2025.
Men’s 1500 metres:
Isaac Nader claimed his first Diamond League race in the men’s mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo setting a Portuguese record with 3:48.25. Nader won a surprising world outdoor gold medal in Tokyo 2025 and the world silver medal in Torun 2026 in the 1500m. The Portuguese middle-distance runner set PBs of 3:29.37 in Ostrava and in Guadalajara in the 800 metres in 2025.
He will target the Rabat Diamond League meeting record of 3:31.43 set by USA’s Jonah Koech with 3:31.43 in 2025.
Nader will face another world medallist Reynold Cheruiyot, who won bronze in Tokyo 2025. Cheruiyot finished second in the 3000m in 7:26.11 at this year’s Diamond League meeting in Keqiao. The Kenyan athlete made his major breakthrough in 2022 when he won the world under 20 title in Cali. He improved the world under 20 in the mile in Eugene with 3:48.06 and set a PB in the 1500m in Zurich 2025.
USA’s Yared Nuguse won the Olympic bronze medal in the 1500m in Paris 2024 setting a PB of 3:27.80 and broke the world indoor record from the mile clocking 3:46.63 to win the Wanamaker Mile in New York. He broke a 16-year-old North American record by clocking 3:43.97 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene 2023.
France’s Azzedine Habz will make his fourth appearance at the Rabat Diamond League meeting after winning in 2024 in 3:32.86 and finishing fourth in 2023 and 2025. Habz won the 1500m at the Paris Diamond League in 3:27.49 in 2025 moving into sixth place on the world all-time list.
The line-up also features Andrew Coscoran from Ireland, who broke a 41-year-old national record by clocking 3:30.42 at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in 2023, and set the Irish indoor record for the mile at the Wanamaker Mile in New York with 3:49.26, Festus Lagat, third at the 2025 Rabat Diamond League meeting in 3:32.06, Narve Gilje Nordas from Norway, world bronze medallist in Bdapest 2023 in 3:29.68, Samuel Philstrom from Sweden, national record holder in the 1500m with 3:30.87 in Rome 2025, Tshepo Tshite from South Africa, national record holder with 3:31.35 at the Paris Diamond League meeting in 2025, Lamecha Girma from Ethiopia, world record holder in the 3000m steeplechase with 7:52.11 at the Paris Diamond League 2023, Vincent Ciattei from the USA, fourth at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene in a PB of 3:31.78, Ruben Verheyden from Belgium, national record holder with 3:30.99 at the Paris Diamond League meeting.
Men’s 400 metres:
Reigning Olympic champion Quincy Hall will make his come-back in the 400 metres in Rabat. Hall finished second in last year’s edition of the Rabat Diamond League meeting in 44.90 a few days before winning in Rome in 44.22 but he was forced to miss the 2025 US Championships due to a harmstring injury. Hall won the Olympic gold medal in the 400m in a PB of 43.40 moving to fifth on the world all-time list. Hall brought back the Olympic 400m title to the USA for the first time since 2008. He also won the bronze medal in 44.37 and a gold medal in the 4x400 relay at the World Championships in Budapest 2023.
Jacory Patterson won three Diamond League races in Rabat in 44.37, Brussels in 44.05 and in the Zurich in a PB of 43.85 claiming his first Diamond Trophy. He finished seventh in the 400m and won the silver medal in the 4x400 relay at the World Championips in Tokyo.
Muzala Samukonga from Zambia won the Olympic bronze medal in Paris 2024 in a national record of 43.74. Samukonga finished second at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen in a seasonal best of 44.04 and set a national record of 31.88 in the 300m this year.
Matthew Hudson Smith from Great Britain won the Olympic silver medal in the 400m in 43.44 and in the 4x400 relay with 2:55.83 setting European records in both finals. The British athlete won two world championships medals (bronze in Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023 and claimed six wins at Diamond League meetings.
Another sub-44 seconds performer is USA’s Khaleb McRae, who improved his PB to 43.91 last year. McRae won silver in the 400 metres and gold in the 4x400 relay at the World Indoor Championships in Torun 2026.
Zakhiti Nene from South Africa anchored South Africa to a second place in the 4x400 relay in a national record of 2:55.07 at he World Relays in Gaborone 2026. He finished in the top three at Diamond League meetings in Rabat, Rome and London in 2025.
Bayapo Ndori from Botswana won the Olympic silver medal in the 4x400 relay in the Afrian record of 2:54.53 in Paris 2024 and the world bronze medal in the 400m in 44.20 in Tokyo 2025. Ndori won the 4x400 relay at the World Relays in Gaborone in front of the home fans setting the second fastest time in history with 2:54.47.
Attila Molnar won the gold medal in the 400m at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn 2025 and improved the European record to 45.01 in Ostrava last February.
100 metres hurdles:
Ditaji Kambundji will headline a non-Diamond League scoring race women’s 100 metres hurdles in the 100 metres hurdles after finishing fifth in both Keqiao in 12.82 and Xiamen in 12.62.
Kambundji stormed to a world title in the 100 metres hurdles in a Swiss record of 12.24. The Swiss hurdler won the European indoor gold medal in Apeldoorn in a European record of 7.67, the world indoor silver medal in 7.73 in the 60 metres hurdles and finished second to Ackera Nugent in 12.40 in the 100 metres hurdles at the Diamond League Final in Zurich during a successful 2025 season. Kambundji finished fourth at the World Indoor Championships in Torun 2025.
Kambundji will renew her rivalry against Tobi Amusan, Nadine Visser and Devynne Charlton.
Amusan claimed the win at last year’s edition of the Rabat Diamond League meeting setting the meeting record of 12.45. The world record holder finished second in a seasonal best of 12.28 at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen.
Charlton won her third world indoor gold medal equalling her world indoor record with 7.65 in Torun 2026. The Bahamian hurdler improved her national record twice this year clocking 12.38 in Keqiao and 12.37 in Xiamen.
Visser won the world indoor silver in Torun in 7.73 last March finishing the indoor season co-ranked as the fastest woman in Europe.
The line-up also features Kendra Harrison, former world record holder with 12.20 and Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo 2021, Alaysha Johnson, seventh at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, Kerrica Hill from Jamaica, two-time world under 20 champion in 2022 and 2024, Marione Fourie from South Africa, national record holder with 12.55 and two-time world championshipps semifinalist and Sasha Alessanrini from France, who set PBs of 7.93 in the 60 metres hurdles and 12.70 in the 100 metres hurdles.
Men’s javelin throw:
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage from Sri Lanka will make his debut in the Diamond League in Rabat. Pathirage set the world lead of 89.37 in the men’s javelin throw in Diyagama and won his first Continental Tour Gold competition in Nairobi with 89.28m.
Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago won the world gold medal in Tokyo 2025 with 88.16m at the age of 32, 13 years after claiming the Olympic title in London when he was just 19 with 84.58m. Walcott also won the Olympic bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro 2016 with 85.38m. He set a national record of 90.16m in Lausanne in 2015.
Anderson Peters from Grenada claimed two world gold medals in Doha 2019 with 86.59m and Eugene 2022 with 90.54m. He set the fifth best performance in history with 93.07m at the Doha Diamond League meeting in 2022.
The other top names are Julius Yego from Kenya, world champion in Beijing 2015 and Olympic with the African record of 92.72m and African champion in 2026 in his farewell season, Jakub Vadlejch from Czech Republic, Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo 2021, three-time world medallist and three-time Diamond League champion. Curtis Thompson from the USA, world bronze medallist in Tokyo 2025, and Dawid Wegner from Poland, ninth in the World Championships in Tokyo 2025.
Women’s 400 metres hurdles:
Anna Cockrell leads the entry list in the women’s 400 metres hurdles. The US hurdler won the Olympic silver medal in Paris in a lifetime best of 51.87. The US hurdler won two Diamond League races in her career in Rome 2024 and Brussels 2025. She set the US record in the 300 metres hurdles with 37.60 at the Arkansas Twilight this year.
Emma Zapletalova from Slovakia won the world bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles in Tokyo 2025 setting a national record of 53.00 and finished second in the Diamond League final in Zurich in 53.18.
Jamaica will be represented by Rushell Clayton, two-time world bronze medallist in Doha 2019 and Budapest 2023 and fifth at the Olympic final in Paris 2024 in a PB of 52.68, and Andrenette Knight, eighth in the final at the World Championships in 2023 following a PB of 53.26 earlier that season.
Gianna Woodruff from Panama finished fifth at the World Championships in Tokyo 2025 with 53.34 and seventh at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021.
The line-up also features Savannah Sutherland from Canada, who won the NCAA title in Eugene in 2025 in a national record of 52.46 breaking the previous collegiate record held by Sydney McLaughlin Levrone, Ayomide Folorunso from Italy, sixth in the World Championships final in Budapest 2023 and national record holder with 53.89, Amalie Iuel from Norway, national record holder with 54.12 at the Continental Tour meeting in Nairobi in 2026, Naomi Van de Broeck from Belgium, fourth with the 4x400 relay at the World Championships in Tokyo 2025 and national record holder with 53.65 in the 400m hurdles.
Women’s 800 metres:
Lillian Odira from Kenya won a surprising world outdoor gold medal in Tokyo last year with a PB of 1:54.62 ahead of Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson improving a 42-year Championships record.
Audrey Werro from Switzerland will start her Diamond League title defense. Werro won last year’s Final in Zurich improving her national record to 1:55.91. Werro finished sixth in the World Championships in Tokyo last September setting the second fastest of her career with 1:56.17 and won the European under 23 gold medal in 1:57.42. The Swiss athlete won the silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Torun in a national indoor record of 1:56.64 and two races at World Indoor Tour Gold in Madrid in 2:00.68 and Belgrade in 1:57.27.
Tsige Duguma from Ethiopia won three Diamond League races in 2025 in Keqiao in a PB of 1:56.64, in Rabat in 1:57.42 and in Eugene in 1:57.10 and stepped up to 1500m placing second in Keqiao in 3:55.71 on her outdoor debut over this distance. Duguma won the world indoor title in Glasgow and the Olympic silver medal in the 800 metres in 1:57.16 winning Ethiopia’s first ever medal over this distance.
Prudence Sekgodiso won the world indoor gold medal in Nanjing 2025 in 1:58.40 and two Diamond League races in Marrakesh in 1:57.26 and Oslo in 1:58.66 in 2024.
USA’s Addison Wiley won the world indoor bronze medal in 1:58.36 in Torun 2026 and set the US record in the 1000m at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco in 2:30.71.
The other athletes to look out for are Nigist Getachew, world indoor silver medal in Nanjing 2025, Eloisa Coiro, the third fastest Italian woman in the 800m with 1:58.64 at last year’s edition of the Rabat Diamond League, Sarah Billings from Australia, who finished second in the 800m in a PB of 1:57.83 at the Diamond League in Keqiao in 2025 and set a 1500m of 3:58.81 in Keqiao in 2026, and Anais Bourgoin from France, European bronze medallist in Rome 2024 and third in the Diamond League Final in Zurich in a PB of 1:56.97, and Oratile Nowe from Botswana, third at the Diamond League in Chorzow in 2025 in 1:56.76.
Women's 1500 meters:
Ethiopians Freweyni Hailu and Worknesh Melese will face French record-holder Agathe Guillemot and Laura Muir from Great Britain.
Hailu has won two world indoor titles: the 1500 meters at Glasgow 2024 and the 3000 meters at Nanjing 2025 in 8:37.21, just a few weeks after becoming the fourth-fastest woman of all time over this distance with 8:19.98 in Liévin. Hailu has won five Diamond League races in her career in the 1500m: Lausanne in 2021, Stockholm in 2023, Xiamen in 2023, and Doha in 2024.
Guillemot won the European indoor title in the 1500 meters at Apeldoorn 2025, the European bronze in Rome 2024, and set the French record with 3:56.69 during the Olympic final in Paris 2024.
Muir won two European Championship gold medals in the 1500 meters at Berlin 2018 and Munich 2022, as well as the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo 2021 and the World Championship bronze in Eugene 2022.
Melese improved her PB in the 1500m to 3:57.56 at the Keqiao Diamond League meeting.
