Sandra Perkovic at the 2013 IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne (© Gladys von der Laage)
The 40th edition of Lausanne’s famous Athletissima meeting on 9 July, an IAAF Diamond League meeting, continues to add to its star-studded fields and the meeting organisers announced a host of top distance runners, sprint hurdlers and field event exponents on Thursday (21).
The men’s 5000m will feature the strong Ethiopian trio of Yomif Kejelcha, the winner in Rome in what is currently the world-leading time of 12:58.39, Hagos Gebrhiwet and Imane Merga, as well as Mo Farah, with the double Olympic, world and European champion running in Lausanne for the first time. Kenya’s Olympic bronze medallist Thomas Longosiwa will also be in the race.
In the women's 1500m, the in-form Jennifer Simpson, Sifan Hassan and Dawit Seyaum, who finished 1-2-3 in Rome, will be on the start line.
Sweden’s world champion Abeba Aregawi, a winner in Lausanne in 2013 when Hassan was second, completes a top-quality quartet of runners in this race.
The barriers are back
For just the third time in the meeting’s history, there will be a women’s 3000m steeplechase.
Kenya’s Virginia Nyambura and Ethiopia’s Hiwot Ayalew are the star names in that discipline, the latter taking the honours the last time Lausanne had a women’s steeplechase two years ago.
Early in the evening, the women's discus will be one of several exciting field events and Sandra Perkovic, unbeaten in her four IAAF Diamond League outings this year and just one win away from clinching the Diamond Race, will be looking for another victory to add to her one in Lausanne in 2013 when she threw 68.96m.
Perkovic will face Cuba’s much-improved Denia Caballero, who produced a world-leading throw of 70.65m in Bilbao on Saturday.
Tero Pitkamaki, who hurled his javelin to 89.09m in Turku on Thursday, and world champion Vitezslav Vezely will duel in their specialist event.
Regular rivals Jasmin Stowers and Sharika Nelvis will do battle again in the 100m hurdles while Tianna Bartoletta and Shara Proctor will again face each other in the long jump.
Organisers for the IAAF
2015 IAAF Diamond League calendar
Doha, QAT – 15 May
Shanghai, CHN – 17 May
Eugene, USA – 30 May
Rome, ITA – 4 June
Birmingham, GBR – 7 June
Oslo, NOR – 11 June
New York, USA – 13 June
Paris, FRA – 4 July
Lausanne, SUI – 9 July
Monaco, MON – 17 July
London, GBR – 24-25 July
Stockholm, SWE – 30 July
Zurich, SUI – 3 September
Brussels, BEL – 11 September
