Global stars head to London for final pre-Olympic tune-up

Dozens of the world’s greatest athletes will descend on the British capital on Saturday (20) for the London Athletics Meet, the final Wanda Diamond League fixture ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Given its close proximity to the biggest sporting event on the planet, the meeting doubles as an opportunity for a crucial final tune-up ahead of the Games. Any victory will provide athletes with a much-needed confidence boost and a psychological edge over their competitors leading into Paris.

World 100m and 200m champion Noah Lyles last raced at the US Olympic Trials, where he won the 100m and 200m double, equalling his PB of 9.83 in the shorter event and clocking a world-leading 19.53 in the half-lap sprint.

Lyles – one of the stars of new Netflix docuseries 'SPRINT' – withdrew from the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco last week, but remains on the entry lists for London where he is entered for the 100m. He will be up against Letsile Tebogo, the versatile sprinter from Botswana who finished second to Lyles over 100m at last year’s World Championships and over 200m at this meeting last year.

World bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes, world indoor bronze medallist Ackeem Blake, South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Britain’s Jeremiah Azu are also in the line-up for what will be the final event of the afternoon.

Just moments before, a similarly loaded line-up will take to the track for the women’s 200m.

World leader Gabby Thomas, who won the US Trials with 21.78, will take on world indoor 60m champion Julien Alfred, 2019 world champion Dina Asher-Smith, Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke, and European silver medallist Daryll Neita.

All four races held over one lap of the track will provide plenty of excitement.

Femke Bol produced one of the standout moments of this meeting last year when she sped to a European record of 51.45 in the 400m hurdles. The world champion recently reduced that record to 50.95 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and she’ll be looking for another confidence-boosting run in London before heading to the Olympic Games where she’ll face defending champion and world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Bol’s rivals in London include USA’s Shamier Little and Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton and Shiann Salmon.

In the men’s 400m hurdles, 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos faces world silver medallist Kyron McMaster and USA’s CJ Allen.

Two women who have broken 49 seconds this year will clash in the women’s 400m. Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce, who won the NCAA title in a national record of 48.89, will make her Diamond League debut in a race that also includes Poland’s European champion Natalia Kaczmarek, world indoor silver medallist Lieke Klaver and Britain’s Amber Anning.

Double world medallist and European record-holder Matt Hudson-Smith headlines the men’s 400m. Fellow Briton Charlie Dobson, who last month earned European silver, is also in the race, as is Kirani James – who won Olympic gold in this stadium 12 years ago – NCAA champion Christopher Morales-Williams and 2022 world indoor champion Jereem Richards.

Global gold medallists clash on the field

Each of the five field events in London feature at least one world or Olympic champion.

Ryan Crouser has had a limited competition programme this year as the world and Olympic shot put champion has been trying to keep niggling injuries at bay. He still managed to win the world indoor title in Glasgow, and he won the US title with 22.84m in what remains his only outdoor competition of 2024 so far.

The US shot putter won’t have it easy in London, though, as he takes on European champion Leonardo Fabbri, the Italian who has been undefeated outdoors this year and regularly threatening the 23-metre barrier. Two-time world champion Koe Kovacs, who holds the world-leading mark of 23.13m, is also in the line-up, as is US compatriot Payton Otterdahl.

The women’s pole vault features Olympic champion Katie Moon and Nina Kennedy, the Australian with whom Moon shares the world title. World indoor champion Molly Caudery will be well supported by the home crowd, while Angelica Moser is currently on a roll, having won the European title in Rome, and then set a Swiss record of 4.88m in Monaco last week.

Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim has competed sparingly this year, but has displayed consistent form. The Qatari high jumper heads to London with a season’s best of 2.31m, but may need to improve on that as he takes on world silver medallist JuVaughn Harrison, world indoor champion Hamish Kerr and Australian champion Yual Reath.

In the women’s javelin, world champion Haruka Kitaguchi takes on European champion Victoria Hudson, world bronze medallist Mackenzie Little, US champion Maggie Malone-Hardin and European silver medallist Adriana Vilagos.

Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo was recovering from illness when she competed at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris earlier this month, so she’ll hope to return to winning ways in the long jump. She’ll take on European silver medallist Larissa Iapichino, European bronze medallist Agate de Sousa and world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Hodgkinson aims to extend winning streak

World and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson has been undefeated in the 800m this year, albeit in a relatively limited competition schedule.

She clocked a world-leading 1:55.78 in Eugene in May, then successfully defended her European title in Rome last month. More recently, the Briton was a convincing winner at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Hengelo, finishing 1.39 seconds clear of her rivals.

In London, Hodgkinson will take on world indoor silver medallist Jemma Reekie, Olympic 1500m silver medallist Laura Muir, 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi and Jamaican record-holder Natoya Goule-Toppin.

Elsewhere in the longer events, European 10,000m champion Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu features in the men’s 3000m alongside USA’s Grant Fisher, African Games bronze medallist Cornelius Kemboi, and Ethiopia’s Telahun Haile Bekele.

The Emsley Carr Mile is dominated by European and Oceanian athletes. World bronze medallist Narve Gilje Nordas, Australia’s Stewart McSweyn and Britain’s Neil Gourley, George Mills and Elliot Giles are among the contenders.

Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics