Sha'Carri Richardson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson and Dina Asher-Smith (© Getty Images)
Sha'Carri Richardson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Dina Asher-Smith have been announced as part of a top 100m field for the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Gateshead on Sunday 23 May.
The world-class four-way clash is set to see Jamaica's multiple global gold medallist Fraser-Pryce and double Olympic champion Thompson-Herah take on Britain's world 200m champion Asher-Smith and the USA's in-form Richardson for the first time, with the four athletes having never previously lined up against each other.
It is sure to provide a sizzling start to the 2021 Diamond League series, with Gateshead having replaced Rabat as the first host for this season's action due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the Gateshead International Stadium will be staging its first Diamond League meeting since the series' inaugural year in 2010.
"I’m so excited to be running at the Müller Grand Prix Gateshead," said British record-holder Asher-Smith. "It’s going to be my first Diamond League of 2021 and my first Diamond League since 2019 and I can’t wait. It’s been a long time coming!"
While Asher-Smith claimed 200m gold at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Fraser-Pryce secured her fourth world 100m title there ahead of the Briton, with Rio 2016 100m and 200m champion Thompson-Herah finishing fourth.
Richardson, meanwhile, stormed to a superb 10.72 in Florida earlier this month – a time which places her sixth on the world all-time rankings.
The event is set to see heats of the women's 100m take place at the start of the programme before a final later in the evening, with the line-up also including Britain's world under-18 200m record-holder Amy Hunt.
The meeting – which looks forward to welcoming back fans in some capacity – will be broadcast live internationally from 19:00-21:00 BST, but the action will get under way at 18:00 with a series of para athletics events, as well as some of the Wanda Diamond League field competitions.
Organisers for World Athletics
