The Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, the Kenyan middle distance runner Faith Kipyegonthe Puerto Rican sprinter Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and the Dominican Marileidy Paulino are some of the first athletes confirmed for the season premiere of Diamond League in Xiamen (China) on April 20.
Kipyegon, a double Olympic champion and four-time world champion, has not lost at 1,500 meters since 2021. That will be the goal of her rivals in Xiamen, where she will meet ten women who have run under four minutes, including Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay, the reigning 10,000m world champion who holds the 5,000m world record and the 1,500m indoor world record.
The men’s pole vault will be led by world record holder Armand Duplantis, who will meet in the Chinese city with the three winners for victory, the three Americans Christopher Nilsen, Sam Kendricks and KC Lightfoot.
After closing last season with a record (6.23 meters), the Swede aims to start the Diamond League season with another victory, although it seems unlikely that he will attempt a new world record as this is the first event on the outdoor calendar.
The women’s 100 meters hurdles will feature a showdown between the reigning Olympic champion, Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, and two recent world champions, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan of Nigeria and Danielle Williams of Jamaica. That list includes Bahamian Devynne Charlton, who is eager to continue her good performance in Xiamen on the indoor track, where she set a new indoor world record in the 60 hurdles with a 7.65.
The women’s 400 meters is a great chance for revenge between the three medalists from last year’s world final, with Dominican Marileidy Paulino facing Polish Natalia Kaczmarek and Barbadian athlete Sada Williams.
The men’s 100 meters will feature a rivalry between the two main speed powers, the United States and Jamaica. The American team will be led by former world champions Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman, who will look to overcome Jamaican rivals like Yohan Blake, Ackeem Blake and Rohan Watson.
Source: La Verdad
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