Watch the IAAF Diamond League live: Shanghai 2019

The Diamond Trophy in Shanghai. Photo: Matthew Quine
The Diamond Trophy in Shanghai. Photo: Matthew Quine

The Road to the Final continues in China on Saturday with the second IAAF Diamond League meeting of the season in Shanghai. With the likes of Christian Coleman, Abderrahman Samba and others set to grace the track.

Watch below from 12:30 IST on 18 May 2019.

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Here are five questions that need answering in Shanghai.

1. Can anyone beat Omar McLeod?

Shanghai is a favourite stomping ground for the 110m hurdle Olympic champion Omar McLeod. The Jamaican has won three times here in the last three years, and is aiming to make it four out of four on Saturday.

“The appreciation and respect they have for hurdlers here is really special to me,” said McLeod last year.

He faces tough competition this weekend, as Diamond Trophy holder Sergey Shubenkov looks to launch his title defence with a bang, and 2016 Diamond Trophy winner Orlando Ortega also in the running.

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2. China vs USA: Who will triumph in the 100m?

There is a star-studded line-up in the men's 100m, with Diamond Trophy holder Christian Coleman and fellow American Noah Lyles lining up against Chinese local hero Bingtian Su.

All eyes will be on Coleman and Su in particular. Similar in style and build, the two men went head to head at the IAAF World Indoor Championships last year, where Coleman smashed the world record over 60m.

"We both get out of the blocks really well, and we both have the same weaknesses trying to finish out races," said Coleman on Friday.

3. Will it be another gong for Gong?

Lijiao Gong has been the undisputed number one in the women's shot put in recent years, claiming gold at the IAAF World Championships in London in 2017, and winning the Diamond Trophy in both of the last two seasons.

Her title campaigns invariably get off to a winning start on home soil in Shanghai, where she has won four times.

"I've lost count of the amount of times I have competed here," said Gong on Friday, adding that she was targeting the 19-metre mark on Saturday.

4. Better start for Stefanidi?

Greek star Katerina Stefanidi has dominated the women's pole vault in recent years, and has not relinquished her grip on the Diamond Trophy since she first won it in 2016.

She had to launch an impressive comeback to defend her crown last year though, as she struggled for form and fitness in the first few weeks of the season and didn't pick up a Diamond League win until July.

Stefanidi showed her champion spirit yet again in the second half of 2018, and ultimately won in Zürich to ensure a third successive Diamond Trophy.

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She will nonetheless be hoping for a better start on the Road to the Final in 2019. On Friday, she said she was confident after fighting off illness during the indoor season.

5. Can Chespol & Co. chase down Chepkoech?

Beatrice Chepkoech finished a respectable fourth in the 3000m flat in Doha, but in Shanghai, she will launch her title defence in the women's 3000m steeplechase.

The Kenyan star broke the world record in Monaco before securing the Diamond Trophy in Brussels last year, and is the woman to beat in the steeplechase in 2019.

Yet there are a number of competitors who will be looking to chase down Chepkoech in China, 20-year-old Celliphine Chespol chief among them. The youngster set an African record in Eugene two years ago, and is the latest Kenyan to be making waves in the steeplechase.

As she launches her title defence, Chepkoech may yet find herself looking over her shoulder.

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Edited by sam.abraham