Katerina Stefanidi secures another Diamond Trophy in Brussels (© Giancarlo Colombo)
All three 2019 women’s world pole vault medallists – Sandi Morris, Anzhelika Sidorova and Katerina Stefanidi – will compete again in Doha for the Wanda Diamond League meeting on Friday 28 May.
The competition will mark the launch of Stefanidi’s Diamond Trophy defence, with the Greek Olympic champion having won the series four times between 2016 and 2019.
She claimed bronze behind winner Sidorova and silver medallist Morris at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, with Morris also having the world indoor title to her name and Sidorova having claimed two world indoor silver medals.
"The last year has been hard for athletes at all levels of the sport,” said Stefanidi, who cleared 4.80m at the USATF Golden Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, last weekend as she continues her comeback after injury.
“We all thrive through competition and starting this year with the Doha Diamond League – the location of our last major championship back in 2019 – bodes well, and looking ahead to the Olympic Games makes it special.
“Competing against my toughest competitors is exactly what I need to bring out the best in myself and just thinking about it makes me excited."
Morris has also cleared 4.80m so far this season and said: “I can’t wait to get back to international competition. In spite of the pandemic I’ve been fortunate to enjoy a number of competitive opportunities in the US, but the prospect of lining up with these girls in Doha is what makes us tick, especially going into an Olympic summer.”
Sidorova, who won the world title with a PB clearance of 4.95m, added: “I’ve made some good progress throughout the indoor season and I’m looking forward to building on that form when I open my Wanda Diamond League season in Doha.”
Joining the trio in the Qatari capital will be Canadian record-holder and Commonwealth champion Alysha Newman, European indoor champion Angelica Moser and British record-holder Holly Bradshaw.
The 2021 Wanda Diamond League comprises 14 meetings – starting with Gateshead (replacing Rabat as the first host city on this year’s circuit) on Sunday 23 May – leading to a single final across two days in Zurich at the end of the season. Each meeting will be broadcast globally in a live two-hour programme.
The 2021 calendar remains subject to change depending on the global health situation in the coming months.
Organisers for World Athletics
