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The Diamond League Meeting in London will be the last before the Olympic Games and athletes will be in the hunt for confidence boosting with wins. This article provides five things to look out for when the athletes descend on the stadium.
The world’s top athletes will be heading to the Diamond League Meeting in London on Saturday with high hopes to gauge their form ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The diamond league is the final on before the Olympics and the stars will descend on the track, praying for better outcomes to boost their confidence ahead of the do-or-die assignment.
Some of the stars that will be in action include home talents Keely Hodgkinson, Daryl Neita and Zharnel Hughes. Triple world champion Noah Lyles, Botswanan wunderkind Letsile Tebogo, Akani Simbine and Yohan Blake will also be in the mix.
Quality fields have been assembled and it will be inevitable not to witness world leads and fast times being posted.
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Here are 5 things to look out for at the London Diamond League Meeting
1) Historic men’s 100m clash
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The men’s 100m will be one for the books as a formidable field has been assembled, with Lyles headlining the field. The three-time world champion will be racing his fifth 100m of the season.
The Olympic Games 200m bronze medallist has only been beaten once in the 100m so far this season, finishing second behind Oblique Seville. He will build up on the U.S. Olympic trials form to impress at the stadium.
However, home talent Hughes has also been confirmed and racing before his home crowd, the Briton will have much needed confidence to shine. Tebogo and Simbine are looking to continue African dominance at the Diamond League and they will also be ones to watch. The men’s 100m wil certainly be one to watch.
2) Keely Hodgkinson to race the women’s 800m against tough opponents
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Hodgkinson, competing on home soil, will be out to ooze class one more time, after going unbeaten in the 800m. The world 800m bronze medallist has been in great shape but Saturday will be a tough outing for her.
The former world 800m silver medallist will race against compatriot Jemma Reekie and Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin, who is also one to watch. The women’s 800m race will surely be an exciting affair.
3) Julien Alfred chasing history in London
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Alfred will be out against a formidable cast once again as she seeks to emerge on top of the chart. She started her season on a great note, winning the world indoor title.
Alfred is in the hunt for that Olympic gold medal and in order to attain that, she will have to shake tough opposition from home talents Dina Asher-Smith and Daryl Neita before heading to Paris.
Others included in the 200m mix include on form Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke and Tamara Clark of the United States.
4) Alison Dos Santos seeking redemption
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Brazilian Dos Santos was a favourite to win the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco but he could only afford a third-place finish. Rai Benjamin took top honours in the race, with world record holder Karsten Warholm finishing second.
However, unsatisfied Dos Santos will be out to pull off something magical at the Meeting in London before a date with destiny at the Olympic Games. She will be up against CJ Allen, Kyron McMaster and Roshawn Clarke.
5) Femke Bol out to prove a point
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Bol made headlines after she became the second woman after Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to run under 51 seconds. She clocked a stunning 50.95 to threaten McLaughlin-Levrone’s record and she heads to London to continue firing warning shots.
Last season, one of her most outstanding performances was at the Diamond League Meeting in London and she has no doubts of performing well. She clocked a Diamond League record of 51.45 at last year’s London meet.
She won the Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm in 53.07 and she might pull off something similar or even better in London.
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