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Renaud Lavillenie, Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter are the most successful athletes in the history of the Diamond Race, the season-long points scoring battle in 32 event disciplines, which is at the core of the annual IAAF Diamond League.
The IAAF Diamond League, which starts its 2013 season in Doha, Qatar this Friday 10 May, may only be a youngster in the realm of international sports tours, but in its first three seasons the IAAF’s top-tier invitational circuit has quickly and clearly established itself in the minds of sports fans everywhere as the very best of international track and field competition outside the IAAF World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Every discipline takes place seven times each season as a Diamond Race event within the IAAF Diamond League, presenting athletes with points scoring opportunities – click here – as they compete for a slice of 8 million dollars in prize money across the series.
All-time, Lavillenie, Felix and Jeter standout as the athletes with the greatest number of Diamond Race wins, a total of 13 victories each, across the 14-meeting series during the three seasons (2010 to 2012).
Lavillenie also holds the distinction of having accumulated the most points (64) by a male athlete, with Jamaica’s Kaliese Spencer holding that honour for the women (72).
The 32 overall winners of the annual Diamond Race each receive a 40,000 USD cash prize and a spectacular Diamond Trophy created by Beyer, one of the oldest and most respected jewellers in the world, but more importantly, by showing season-long consistency they earn the unchallenged honour of being the World Number 1.
Lavillenie, the ever consistent French pole vaulting ace who is the reigning Olympic champion, is the only ever winner of the Diamond Trophy for his specialist event. Four other athletes have also won their event’s Diamond Race in all three seasons of the IAAF Diamond League: Paul Kipsiele Koech (3000m Steeplechase), Vivian Cheruiyot (5000m), Milcah Chemos Cheywa (3000m Steeplechase), and Kaliese Spencer (400m Hurdles).
Incidentally, Jeter (three – 100m in 2011 and 2012; 200m in 2012) and Felix (two – 200m & 400m in 2011) have respectively won five trophies between them.
So, get set for the start of the IAAF Diamond League in Doha, where Felix will be aiming to triumph in the 400m and move ahead of Lavillenie and Jeter who won’t begin their 2013 Diamond Race campaigns until later in the series.
You can view more of the all-time statistics of the Diamond Race in the 2013 IAAF Diamond League Media Information Guide (pdf).
Chris Turner for the IAAF
