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The Shanghai Diamond League 2024 is scheduled to kick off on April 27, 2024, at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre in China.
The upcoming event is the second meeting of the Wanda Diamond League 2024 series and will be crucial for athletes, considering that the Paris Olympics are approaching. Many top athletes will also be making their outdoor season debut at the Shanghai/Suzhou meet.
One of the most anticipated clashes at the Shanghai Diamond League 2024 will be between Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley in the men’s 100m. In the last meeting between the two American sprinters, the reigning indoor world champion Coleman emerged on top with a season-best performance of 10.13s against Kerley’s 10.17s, who finished second.
In the women’s 200m, Sha'Carri Richardson, who won the World Championships 2023 bronze medal, is expected to face a challenge from her last year’s Worlds 4x100m women’s relay gold-medal winning teammate Tamara Clark who has a season-best of 22.21s. Clark has also been picked for the World Athletics Relays 2024 where Richardson will not be competing.
At the Xiamen Diamond League 2024, where Richardson began her season, she was narrowly defeated by 19-year-old Torrie Lewis (22.96s) by a margin of 0.03s as she clocked 22.99s.
Richardson will aim for a victory in her second meet of the season to boost her confidence for upcoming competitions but might also face competition from Mujinga Kambundji, Daryll Neita, and Twanisha Terry.
Another event to look out for is the women’s 100m hurdles where Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn will be up against the reigning 60m hurdles world indoor champion Devynne Charlton. In their last meeting in Xiamen, Camacho-Quinn (12.45s) defeated Charlton (12.49s) by a margin of 0.04s.
However, other athletes who can win in this discipline at the Shanghai Diamond League are world record holder Tobi Amusan and two-time World Championships gold medalist Danielle Williams.
In the men’s high jump, the Xiamen Diamond League’s top two athletes Shelby McEwen and Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barsham will again face each other in Shanghai. However, the world indoor champion Hamish Kerr might also pose a threat to the aforementioned high jumpers.
Another discipline to watch out for is the women’s shot put where local favorite Gong Lijiao will take on two-time world champion Chase Jackson. Other athletes in this event who can claim the top position are Maggie Ewen of the USA and Canada’s Sarah Mitton.
Mondo Duplantis eyes ninth world record at the Shanghai Diamond League 2024
Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis will be aiming for his ninth world record at the Shanghai Diamond League 2024. Duplantis scripted history once again after vaulting 6.24m in the Xiamen meet, breaking the world record for the eighth time.
Ahead of competing at the Shanghai Diamond League 2024, the reigning Olympic and world champion stated in an interview about his meets in China:
“I always wanted to compete in China and now it will finally happen. I really look forward to it and hope to see a big crowd!”
Duplantis has so far won three Diamond League titles in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and will be eyeing his fourth crown this season, with the finale taking place in Brussels on September 13 and 14, 2024.
