Diamond Race: Pre Stockholm Update

Only three-time European champion Renaud Lavillenie, in the pole vault, will compete at the DN Galan safe in the knowledge that regardless of what happens in the Swedish capital, the Diamond Trophy will be his, provided he competes in the season finale in Brussels.


For three other athletes, the wait to win the Diamond Race could be over at the Olympic stadium. Sandra Perkovic suffered a shock defeat by the USA’s Gia Lewis-Smallwood in Glasgow last month, but her confidence will be high following the European Championships in Zurich, where she threw a national record and even a second place finish will be enough to give her an unassailable lead in the Diamond Race.


All four contenders for the men’s 5000m will line up on Thursday evening, but Ethiopia’s Yenew Alamirew is the Diamond Race leader by eight points and victory will ensure that he takes home the trophy. Kenya’s Caleb Ndiku and Edwin Soi and Alamirew’s teammate Hagos Gebrhiwet are his closest challengers.


Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills has a tougher task, despite leading the 400m standings by eight points. Following three successive four point hauls at the start of the season, the 32-year-old has finished third on her last two IAAF Diamond League outings and the presence of Sanya Richards-Ross and Francena McCorory in the Stockholm line-up could see her lead cut further.


Elsewhere in the programme, nine Diamond Race leaders will look to consolidate their positions at the top of the standings in the run up to the season’s end. Some events feature multiple athletes vying for the title, while others are more likely to see closer battles between a smaller number of competitors.


In the latter category, the men’s 400m hurdles currently sees Javier Culson and Michael Tinsley tied on 13 points and they race in Stockholm knowing that whoever finishes ahead will lead the Diamond Race going into the final meeting.


The men’s long jump features the in-form Jeff Henderson and China’s Li Jinzhe, the former leading the latter by three points, while the women’s 100m hurdles could see another close race between current leader Queen Harrison and her USA teammate Dawn Harper-Nelson, with the winners topping their respective standings. Abeba Aregawi, on home soil, leads the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan by three points in the 1500m, so second place would be enough for the Swede to retain her overall lead.


The other Diamond Race leaders in action in Stockholm face opposition from a larger number of close challengers.


Tianna Bartoletta currently enjoys a narrow long jump lead over Ivana Spanovic and Eloyse Lesueur and all three will harbor hopes of heading the race come Friday morning. The men’s shot put is equally competitive, with six of the seven men to have scored points in 2014 throwing in Sweden, with Reese Hoffa currently enjoying a three point advantage over Joe Kovacs.


Egypt’s breakthrough performer in the javelin this year, Ihab Abdelrahman El-Sayed, leads the Diamond Race despite having the same number of points, eight, as Vitezslav Vesely, but, depending on results on the night, Tero Pitkamaki and Thomas Rohler could overhaul both of them.


In the women’s 3000m steeplechase joint leaders Sofia Assefa and Hiwot Ayalew will look to edge ahead, but Shanghai winner Emma Coburn can also move top if her Ethiopian rivals under perform.


Mike Rodgers is the other Diamond Race leader in action in Stockholm and, in the absence of Justin Gatlin, he can increase his lead to five points, while Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade could move second with a win.


Finally, the Diamond Race leader is missing from three events on the schedule, meaning there are opportunities for new leaders to emerge. Blanka Vlasic (high jump), Blessing Okagbare (200m) and David Rudisha (800m) could each be replaced in their absence, with Ana Simic, Allyson Felix and Nijel Amos favoured to take their positions.


Full Diamond Race standings can be found <link http: diamondleague.com diamond-race overview-disciplines _blank>here.



Dean Hardman for the IAAF Diamond League