Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred in 100m clash, Ingebrigtsen returns in Silesia

Julien Alfred meeting Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in the 100m, Karsten Warholm racing Alison dos Santos in the 400m hurdles, and Nicola Olyslagers facing Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the high jump are among the many top-class clashes expected at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Silesia on Sunday (23).

Numerous world record-holders are in action at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, Warholm and Mahuchikh joined by Mondo Duplantis, Ja'Kobe Tharp and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who returns to Diamond League action for the first time in almost two years.

With places at the Diamond League Final in Brussels on the line, and spots at the inaugural Ultimate Championship up for grabs for the winners of those events in Brussels, athletes will want to make their mark when they return to the Silesian Stadium.

The women’s 100m stars the Olympic champion against the world champion as Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden clash over the distance for the first time since last year’s world final.

Saint Lucia’s Olympic champion Alfred is unbeaten this season, while USA’s treble 2025 world champion Jefferson-Wooden has lost only once – to Alfred over 200m in Rome. Jefferson-Wooden won last year in Silesia, equalling the meeting record of 10.66.

But it may not be just a two-way battle as they form part of a formidable field along with 2023 world champion Sha'Carri Richardson, two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson, world silver medallist Tina Clayton, last year’s runner-up Tia Clayton and home favourite Ewa Swoboda.

The men’s race also features the world champion as Jamaica’s Oblique Seville goes for his second Diamond League win of the season. He was second to Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi in both London and Eugene and Ajayi is also among the entries for an event that features heats before the final. They will be joined by the in-form Emmanuel Eseme, Akani Simbine, Jordan Anthony and Kenny Bednarek.

With Olympic and world 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin racing the flat 400m in Silesia, up against world champion Collen Kebinatshipi, the hurdles offers another head-to-head battle between Norway’s world record-holder Warholm and Brazil’s 2022 world champion Dos Santos. Dos Santos is the world leader with 46.48 and has beaten Warholm in their three clashes so far this season but Warholm won in London in 46.61. In the 400m, Kebinatshipi will be looking to put down another strong marker after his Diamond League records in Paris and Monaco, 43.44 at the latter.

Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino leads the entries for the women’s 400m in which she will face home star Natalia Bukowiecka. Paulino is unbeaten this year, her wins including at the Diamond League meetings in Doha, Monaco, London and Paris – the latter in a Diamond League record and PB of 48.48.

Tharp, who improved the world record to 12.75 in Eugene in June, stars in the 110m hurdles against world champion Cordell Tinch and their US compatriots Jamal Britt and Trey Cunningham. The 100m hurdles is not a Diamond discipline but it still offers a strong field as home favourite Pia Skrzyszowska races Alaysha Johnson, Danielle Williams and Megan Simmonds.

Ingebrigtsen back at scene of world record

Norway’s two-time Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen heads back to the track on which he broke the world 3000m record in 2024, returning to Diamond League competition for the first time since September of that year following injury.

He contests the 1500m this time, a couple of weeks on from his European 5000m title win in Birmingham – his first race since the world final in Tokyo last year. This time his rivals include Olympic champion Cole Hocker, world champion Isaac Nader and 2022 world champion Jake Wightman.

Also in 1500m action, world silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi takes on world leader Birke Haylom, Olympic silver medallist Jess Hull, Olympic 800m silver medallist Tsige Duguma, Nikki Hiltz and Klaudia Kazimierska.

World leader Likina Amebaw, who won in Rome in a PB of 14:18.41, will renew her rivalry with her Ethiopian compatriot Medina Eisa, who beat her in Doha, in a 5000m that features double world medallist Nadia Battocletti, fresh off a European double title win.

Two-time world and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali goes in the 3000m steeplechase against world bronze medallist Edmund Serem, El Bakkali looking to extend his win streak this season to four Diamond League races.

Duplantis aims high, Mahuchikh faces Olyslagers

Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece had a brilliant pole vault battle in Lausanne on Thursday, respectively clearing 6.21m and 6.16m, and they meet again in the non-Diamond League contest in Silesia. The Kamila Skolimowska Memorial is where Duplantis set the 10th of his now 15 world records – 6.26m in 2024.

The leading eight high jumpers in the world this year feature in an entry list topped by Ukraine’s world record-holder and Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Australia’s world champion Nicola Olyslagers. They face Eleanor Patterson, who beat Olyslagers to the Commonwealth title, plus Angelina Topić and Yuliia Levchenko.

Another world record-holder is in action in the discus as Mykolas Alekna takes on world leader Matthew Denny, who sits second on the world all-time list, as well as global gold medallists Kristjan Čeh, Daniel Ståhl and Rojé Stona.

In the triple jump, world leader and Olympic champion Thea LaFond, who has jumped 15.25m this year, competes against Davisleydi Velazco, who has jumped 15.13m, as well as world champion Leyanis Pérez Hernández, another 15-metre-plus athlete this year.

The world leaders in the shot put and hammer all compete in the non-Diamond League contests in Silesia. Leonardo Fabbri goes up against Tom Walsh and Joe Kovacs in the men’s shot put, while the hammer battles star Olympic and world champion Camryn Rogers against DeAnna Price and Bence Halász against Ethan Katzberg.

A series of field events kick off the action on the eve of the main meeting. On Saturday, Gianmarco Tamberi faces Oleh Doroshchuk, JuVaughn Harrison, Woo Sanghyeok and Mutaz Barshim in the high jump.

Alyssa Jones, Malaika Mihambo and Agate de Sousa, who have all jumped seven metres this year, meet in the long jump, while the non-Diamond League women’s shot put stars the three top-ranked athletes in the world: Jessica Schilder, Chase Jackson and Sarah Mitton.