The best of Track and Field athletes will now turn their attention to the IAAF Diamond League in Birmingham, following the conclusion of the illustrious IAAF World Championships at the London Olympic Stadium.
The Muller Grand Prix as it is known, is the 12th meeting in the Diamond League series, and it will take center stage at the Alexander Stadium. The stadium will welcome Mo Farah, who will be taking on his final track race in the United Kingdom when he competes in the men’s 3000m (a non-DL event).
The women’s 100m should provide for a tasty match up as three of Team Great Britain’s world Silver medal-winning 4x100m team members are in action.
The trio of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry and Dina Asher-Smith will take on two-time world 200m GOLD medallist Dafne Schippers, and double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson. Their compatriot Bianca Williams will also race in the event.
The impressive lineup also includes world 100m and 200m Silver medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou, world 200m Bronze medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo, and 100m Hurdles Champion Sally Pearson, as she switches competing over the barriers for the flat.
Moscow 2013 200m Bronze medallist, Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, who has so far gathered 17 points in her three 100m races in the DL this season, will also feature in the event.
World Silver medallist Dalilah Mohammed will have one final chance to make it into the final eight in the women’s 400m Hurdles.
She is currently placed ninth on the standings, having just accumulated four points from two races in this DL season. The field also includes former World Champion Zuzana Hejnova, and Olympic Silver medallist Sara Petersen.
In the women’s 1500m, World Silver medallist Jenny Simpson will compete again on UK soil as she lines up alongside other finalists in London – Angelika Cichocka (Diamond League Leader), Rababe Arafi, Meraf Bahta and Malika Akkaoui.
The women’s 400m will be the last Diamond League event of the day and it will feature the all three medallists at the just concluded IAAF World Championships.
Phyllis Francis (GOLD medallist), Nigerian-born Bahraini athlete Salwa Eid-Naser (Silver medallist) and Allyson Felix (Bronze medallist) will all renew hostilities alongside Diamond League leader Novlene Williams-Mills.
This will be Eid-Naser’s debut DL outing, and it goes without saying that the world will definitely see more of the talented teenager next season.
In the men’s 100m Hurdles, six of the eight world finalists, including medallists Sergey Shubenkov and Balazs Baji, will compete alongside World Record (WR) Holder Aries Merritt and Britain’s Andrew Pozzi.
Also, Isaac Makwala will be back in action in the 200m, having missed out on the chance to contest the 400m final in London, and then taking an unconventional route to the 200m final where he placed 6th after running a solo heat.
Surprise 200m Champion Ramil Guliyev also races alongside Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake who finished 4th. They will face stiff competition from the American duo of Ameer Webb and Isiah Young.
On the field, World Champion Mutaz Essa Barshim hopes to follow his success in London with another win as he takes on his fellow London 2012 Olympic Bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz, who will be looking to bounce back after his disappointment of finishing 6th in London.
Barshim has been so imperious in the DL this season that he is a massive 11 points ahead of his Great Britain rival on the standings. World Bronze medallist, Syria’s Majed Eddin Ghazal is also among those competing.
Olympic Champion and World Leader Ryan Crouser will be hoping to bounce back in the men’s Shot put after a disappointing outing in London where he failed to make it to the podium having finished a distant 6th. However, he will have to contend with GOLD medallist Tom Walsh who will be seeking for an extension of his dominance.
In the men’s Long Jump, Jeff Henderson, who had a forgettable outing at the World Championships, will be up against South Africa’s duo of Ruswahl Samaai and Godfrey Mokoena.
The Olympic GOLD medallist who still has an outside chance of making it into the final in Zurich, will also face stiff competition from his American counterpart and London 2017 Silver medallist Jarrion Lawson. Samaai who won a Bronze medal in London, is currently the DL race standing leader.
Also, Caterine Ibarguen and Yulimar Rojas will take their intense rivalry in the women’s Triple Jump to Birmingham.
Rojas, who ended Ibarguen’s unbeaten run for over a year at the Rome Diamond League earlier in the year and equally pipped her by 2cm in London, will be looking to land a psychological blow on her opponent, going into the finals in Zurich.
