Lyles, Kerley, Knighton and Hughes in London 200m clash

World medallists Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley and Erriyon Knighton will join the already announced Zharnel Hughes in a top men’s 200m line-up at the London Athletics Meet, a Wanda Diamond League event, on 23 July. 

Two-time world champion Lyles leads the 2023 top lists in the 200m after running 19.67 in Jamaica last month and has already won in the Diamond League this year with victory over 100m in Paris. 

The 25-year-old is a four-time Diamond League Final winner in the 200m, and he also earned a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

World 100m champion Kerley has excelled over the shorter sprint in recent times, following silver success at the Olympics in Tokyo with his first individual world title at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. There he added the 100m crown to his 400m bronze from Doha. 

Kerley opened the Diamond League season with a victory over 200m in Doha.

World 200m bronze medallist Knighton is the youngest of the US trio in the line-up, and at just 19 years old he has already achieved global success. After a fourth-place finish over 200m at the Tokyo Olympic Games, he reached the podium in Oregon last summer to gain world bronze.

So far in 2023, Knighton has won at two stops in the Diamond League: in Florence and Oslo, both in his favoured 200m. 

The US athletes will join the new British 100m record-holder Hughes, who ran 9.83 in New York last month, when they race at the London Stadium.

"The line-up for this race is world-class and I am really looking forward to putting on a show for the fans. We have all had a strong start to the season so this will be a close and very entertaining race," said Lyles, who is so far unbeaten when it comes to his clashes against Kerley, Knighton and Hughes in finals over 200m.

"This will be my first time racing in the London Stadium so I am very excited about competing there. I have heard a lot of good things about the atmosphere generated in the stadium, so I look forward to performing in front of the 45,000 crowd later this month."

Organisers have also announced that world heptathlon gold medallists Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium and Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain have been added to the women’s long jump field.

Two of the all-time greats in the combined events will add further star power to the competition as they join European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers in the line-up.

"I am looking forward to competing in the long jump in the London Stadium. It has been a few years since I have competed in London, but I have great memories from the World Championships," said Thiam.

"The meeting will be important in my preparations for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, so it will be great to compete as part of a strong field."

Organisers for World Athletics