The women’s 100m clash at Sunday’s (23 May) Gateshead Diamond League, featuring Jamaicans Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, American Sha’Carri Richardson and Dina Asher-Smith, will be a stella showdown.
Richardson, base on early season form, is the one to beat. In four races, heats and finals, Richardson ran 11.00 (heats) and 10.72 (final) in Miramar, Florida, on 10 April. A month later, she ran 10.74 (heats) and 10.77 (final) in Walnut, California.
Richardson’s 10.72 makes her the 6th best all-time world performer and No. 4 on the all-time U.S. performer list. Only world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner, Carmelita Jeter and Marion Jones have ever run faster as Americans.
Jamaicans Fraser-Pryce and Thompson Herah, both with 10.70, are the only two non-American to run fastest than 10.72.
Olympic sprint double champion Thompson-Herah has a season-best of 10.78 in Clermont, Florida. It shows she is also in good shape this season. She also ran 10.76 in the heats in Clermont, but a +2.4m/s wind-aided this performance.
World 100m champion Fraser-Pryce is a championship athlete. Despite being the older of the four, she is also dangerous. She, however, is yet to run a 100m this season.
Fraser-Pryce’s only two runs came in 23.19 and 22.66 a month apart in Kingston.
In the men’s 200m, Canadian Andre De Grasse, who won 200m silver at the Rio Olympics behind Usain Bolt, is down to face a strong field.
The Canadian will take on Canada takes on Britain’s Adam Gemili (Rana Reider; Blackheath & Bromley) and in-form American Kenny Bednarek.
Mariya Lasitskene competes internationally for the first time since the 2019 World Championships in the women’s high jump. She will face Ukrainians Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Yuliya Levchenko.
In a repeat of the 2019 World Championships, Sam Kendricks, Armand Duplantis, and Piotr Lisek are all due to compete in the pole vault.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen faces surprise world leader Adam Ali Musaab from Qatar in the men’s 1500m. The programme closes with the women’s 1500m featuring Laura Muir and Jenny Simpson.
