Galaxy of stars to kick off Wanda Diamond League series in Xiamen

April 18, 2024

Yohan Blake ready for Zurich Diamond League final — Yohan Blake at Jamaica Trials 2019

The men’s 100m is poised to be a battle of the giants, with the USA and Jamaica vying for supremacy at Saturday’s (20 April) Xiamen Diamond League. The USA is strongly represented by former world 100m champions Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman, who are determined to assert their dominance over their Jamaican rivals.

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On the other hand, Yohan Blake, a former world 100m champion and Olympic silver medallist, Ackeem Blake, a recent world indoor 60m bronze winner, and Rohan Watson, the reigning Jamaican champion, are all set to prove their mettle.

Another marquee event is the women’s 100m hurdles, which is set to ignite the track with the presence of Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan and Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, the last two world outdoor champions. The inclusion of Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, the reigning Olympic champion from Puerto Rico, and Megan Tapper, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, will further intensify the contest. France’s Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas, the last two world indoor champions, will also add to the field, which also includes promising American stars Masai Russell and Alaysha Johnson, both of whom have clocked under 12.40.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, reigning Olympic champion Hansle Parchment of Jamaica will face world bronze medalist Daniel Roberts of the USA. Several other notable athletes are in the field, including Cordell Tinch from the USA, who has run 12.96; Shunsuke Izumiya from Japan, who has run 13.04; Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett (13.18); and Freddie Crittenden from the USA, who has run 13.00.

Sha’Carri Richardson Stars in the Women’s 200m Showdown

The presence of Sha’Carri Richardson makes the women’s 200m a headline attraction. Although the US superstar is more well-known as a 100m sprinter, she proved in Budapest last year that she can contend over the longer sprint. She won bronze in a personal best of 21.92 to back up her 100m gold. In Xiamen, she will compete against fellow sub-22-second athletes in compatriots Tamara Clark and Anavia Battle, who will pose the biggest threat, along with Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji.

Two other Americans, Caisja Chandler and Twanisha Terry, alongside Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas, are also in the line-up.

The women’s 400m features an intriguing rematch between the three medallists from last year’s world final: Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic will face Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland and Sada Williams of Barbados. The field includes three other sub-50-second athletes: USA’s Britton Wilson and Lynna Irby-Jackson.

Faith Kipyegon, a two-time Olympic and four-time world champion, has not lost a 1500m race since 2021. However, she will face a tough challenge over her specialist distance from Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia. Gudaf is the reigning world 10,000m champion and holds the world records for the 5000m and world indoor 1500m.