Putting the sparkle in Shanghai Diamond
Thirteen Olympic champions, including sprint sensations Omar McLeod and Elaine Thompson, are among the galaxy of stars announced on Thursday for the 2017 Shanghai Diamond League.
The May 13 competition, the second stop on the IAAF’s global circuit of premier oneday meets, is a major tune-up for the August world championships in London.
The stellar lineup includes four gold medalists from the 2015 worlds in Beijing and nine overall event winners from last year’s Diamond Race.
The men’s 110m hurdles is always hugely popular in China, thanks to the exploits of retired Olympic and world champion Liu Xiang. And this year, all eyes will be on reigning Olympic gold medalist McLeod.
The Jamaican burst onto the scene in 2015 when he clocked 12.98 — the 15th fastest time in history.
After winning golds at the Rio Games and the world indoors last year, the 22-yearold will be aiming to set the standard in Shanghai as he gears up for his first world title tilt against the best of the rest in London.
McLeod can expect stiff competition from Rio silver medalist Orlando Ortega, of Spain, who edged McLeod in Lausanne and Brussels to claim the 2016 Diamond Race trophy.
Kenyan distance star David Rudisha is one of four Beijing 2015 world champions who will be looking to gain an early edge just three months ahead of their title defenses in London.
The world record holder at 800m, Rudisha made his Shanghai Diamond League debut last May before going on to retain his Olympic title in Rio.
The 28-year-old will no doubt tap into memories of his astonishing world-record victory at the 2012 London Olympics to spur him on the road to golden glory at the August worlds.
Elsewhere in the men’s track events, Rio champion and 2016’s fastest one-lap hurdler Kerron Clement begins his campaign to retain the Diamond Race 400m hurdles trophy, while reigning Diamond League 200m champ Alonso Edward tops a Shanghai field that includes China’s own national record holder and world relay silver medalist, Xie Zhenye.
The men’s field events also feature some intriguing matchups.
Canada’s world and Olympic champion Derek Drouin takes on China’s world silver medalist Zhang Guowei in the high jump, while the pole vault pitches Brazil’s Rio hero Thiago Braz against France’s world indoor record holder, Renaud Levillenie.
Germany’s Rio gold medalist Christoph Harting will make his Shanghai debut in the discus against Poland’s world champion and Olympic silver medalist Piotr Malachowski, while another Olympic champ, Jeff Henderson of the US, tops the long jump field.
The women’s events will be no less star-studded.
Jamaica’s double Olympic sprint champion, Elaine Thompson, will make her Shanghai debut in the 100m, while another Rio gold medalist, Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas, takes on last season’s Diamond Race winner, Jamaica’s Stephanie McPherson, in the 400m.
A further trio of Olympic champions will grace the women’s distance events: 1500m gold medalist Faith Kipyegon, who broke the Kenyan and meet records in Shanghai last May; Almaz Ayana, who smashed the meet’s 5,000m record two years ago when she clocked the third fastest time ever; and steeplechaser Ruth Jebet, who lowered the Asian and Bahraini record to place second in Shanghai in 2016.
Ayana went on to take the world 5,000m title in Beijing and last summer, then added Olympic 10,000m gold when she smashed the world record in Rio.
Jebet bettered her Shanghai performance three times over four months last summer as she claimed Olympic gold in Brazil and took the world record in Paris.
Croatia’s double Olympic discus champion Sandra Perkovic will be seeking her fourth victory at Shanghai Stadium, while China’s Gong Lijiao will hope to reproduce the form that saw her defeat a world-class field to win the shot put two years ago.