Who, what and when guide: London Athletics Meet

07/15/2024 09:47 AM

Everything you need to know about Saturday's Diamond League meeting at the London Stadium

Two weeks before the track and field programme kicks off at the Olympics in Paris, many of the world's top athletes will fine-tune their preparations at the London Athletics Meet on Saturday (July 20).

Femke Bol, Noah Lyles and Ryan Crouser are among the international athletes at this Diamond League meeting. The biggest meeting in Britain this year includes domestic stars such as Keely Hodgkinson, Matt Hudson-Smith, Dina Asher-Smith and Molly Caudery. A complete day of entertainment also sees para athletes in action and young athletes' relays.

The stadium is expected to be full but for those who aren't lucky enough to have tickets you can watch it live on BBC1 from 1.15pm onwards.

So who should you look forward to watching?

Bol in record-breaking form

Twelve months ago at this meeting Bol set a European 400m hurdles record of 51.65. On Sunday in La Chaux-de-Fonds she improved that mark to 50.95. Clearly in the form of her life, can she go faster in London again?

Her rivals include Shamier Little of the United States and Jamaicans Andrenette Knight, Rushell Clayton and Shiann Salmon, plus Brits Lina Nielsen and Jessie Knight. But surely it will be Bol against the clock.

Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita face a tough test in the women's 100m in the shape of world indoor champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, Irish star Rhasidat Adeleke and Americans Jenna Prandini, Gabby Thomas and Tamara Clark.

After missing the Diamond League in Monaco to focus on training, world 100m champion Lyles of the United States takes on world silver medallist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, Akani Simbine of South Africa, Ackeem Blake of Jamaica plus British record-holder Zharnel Hughes, recently crowned British champion Louie Hinchliffe and Jeremiah Azu.

European record-holder Hudson-Smith faces European champion Alexander Doom of Belgium plus rising star Charlie Dobson in addition to London 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada, Bayapo Ndori of Botswana, Vernon Norwood of the United States and Christopher Morales Williams of Canada.

The 400m hurdles, meanwhile, sees 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos of Brazil in action together with British champion Alastair Chalmers.

European champion Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland leads the women's 400m entries with British champion Amber Anning and GB team-mates Laviai Nielsen and Victoria Ohuruogu also set to race.

Hodgkinson looks for pre-Paris win

Keely Hodgkinson was a last-minute drop-out 12 months ago due to illness but the crowd will hoping she starts this weekend in the women's 800m.

Jemma Reekie, who won the 800m in stirring style at the London Diamond League last year in Hodgkinson's absence, also runs along with Laura Muir and Georgia Bell, who steps down in distance following her UK 1500m win. Halima Nakaayi of Uganda, Natoya Goule-Toppin of Jamaica, Renelle Lamotte of France, Allie Wilson of the United States, Elena Bello of Italy and Catriona Bissett of Australia add to the quality.

Adam Fogg won the Emsley Carr Mile last year in low-key circumstances at a British Milers' Club meeting in Manchester. This time he will be in the London Stadium facing a world-class field that includes the recent one-two from the UK Championships – Neil Gourley and George Mills – plus Commonwealth champion Oli Hoare of Australia, Elliot Giles of Britain, Stewart McSweyn and Cameron Myers of Australia and Narve Gilje Nordas of Norway.

Grant Fisher, the US record-holder and recent trials winner at 5000m and 10,000m, takes on European 10,000m champion Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland and Edwin Kurgat of Kenya, plus a sizeable British contingent of Jack Rowe, James West, Scott Beattie, Rory Leonard, Ellis Cross and Will Barnicoat.

Caudery faces Olympic final standard line-up

Pole vaulter Caudery has enjoyed a brilliant year with a world indoor title and British record of 4.92m in Toulouse last month. But she was beaten last weekend in Monaco by Nina Kennedy of Australia and European champion Angelica Moser of Switzerland – and they are among her rivals again, in addition to world and Olympic champion Katie Moon and Sandi Morris of the United States, Alysha Newman of Canada and Eliza McCartney of New Zealand. A mouth-watering line-up.

World shot put record-holder Crouser goes into the competition ranked only third in the world behind fellow American Joe Kovacs (23.13m) and Italy's new European champion Leonardo Fabbri (22.95m). With Tom Walsh of New Zealand and Payton Otterdahl of the United States also in the mix, it should be a great contest.

Mutaz Essa Barshim has a long history of high jumping in London and recently announced that Paris would be his final Olympics. He faces Commonwealth champion Hamish Kerr of New Zealand, among others, with Britain's Will Grimsey also due to jump.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson stretches her legs in the long jump in London ahead of her heptathlon in Paris. She will be striving to get as close to seven metres as possible but it might take further than that to win with the field led by Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany. Look out for Larissa Iapichino of Italy, too, the daughter of British born two-time world champion Fiona May.

Haruka Kitaguchi, the world javelin champion from Japan, leads the entries from Mackenzie Little of Australia with Britain's Bekah Walton also throwing.

Para athletes in action

With the Paris Paralympics fast approaching, a number of para athletes are tuning up their preparations in London.

They include Hannah Cockroft, Kare Adenegan, Fabienne Andre, Sammi Kinghorn and Eden Rainbow-Cooper in the women's wheelchair 800m.

David Weir, Nathan Maguire and JohnBoy Smith take on Brent Lakatos of Canada among others in the men's wheelchair 1500m.

Zak Shaw, Zak Skinner and Thomas Young are in an ambulant men's 100m, while Ben Sandilands runs the ambulant men's 1500m.

Sophie Hahn and Olivia Breen are among the entries for the women's ambulant 100m.

That's not all

Watch out for plenty of sprint relays on Saturday with Azu, Hinchliffe, Reece Prescod and Richard Kilty set to line up in one of two GB teams in the men's race, while Asher-Smith, Neita, Amy Hunt and Imani Lansiquot form a strong British women's team.

The meeting also kicks off with several Club:Connect relays for youngsters at midday.

Finally, watch out for some domestic sprint races in the programme. They include a men's 100m with Prescod, Eugene Amo-Dadzie, CJ Ujah and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake. The men's 100m includes Alex Haydock-Wilson, Lewis Davies, Rio Mitcham and Toby Harries.

On the women's side, Lansiquot, Hunt, Desiree Henry, Joy Eze, Bianca Williams and Nia Wedderburn-Goodison are in the 100m with Jodie Williams, Nicole Yeargin and Yemi Mary John in the 400m.

» Timetable and entries here

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