Photo: Dan Vernon
The Wanda Diamond League is back! This Friday, the world's best athletes will descend on Doha for the opening leg of athletics' premier one-day meeting series, as they bid to get early points on the board in the race to qualify for the series final in September.
So as the 14th Diamond League season limbers up and jams its spikes into the blocks, here are five things to look out for the at the Seashore Group Doha Meeting.
For the reigning Wanda Diamond League champions, Doha is the first opportunity to get points on the board and prove that they are still the athlete to beat in their discipline in 2023. There will be no fewer than six Diamond Trophy holders in action in Doha, including Olympic champions such as Kenyan legend Faith Kipyegon and Moroccan star Soufiane El Bakkali. While Kipyegon will be on familiar ground in the women's 1500m, steeplechase specialist El Bakkali will be branching out into the 3000m flat. Other reigning champions include Slovenian discus star Kristjan Ceh, who began his season with a series record in Birmingham last year before going on to win five out five competitions en route to the title.
From Thomas Röhler's 93.90m in 2017 to Anderson Peters' 93.07m last season, Doha has a rich history of record-breaking throws in the men's javelin, and Diamond Trophy holder Neeraj Chopra will be hoping to maintain the tradition when he launches his title defence on Friday. 2021 Olympic champion Chopra became the first Indian ever to be crowned Diamond League champion last September, but he is still yet to break the magical 90-metre mark. Could Doha, with all its 90-metre history, be the place to do it?
When Katie Moon (then Nageotte) soared to victory in the women's pole vault in Doha two years ago, it proved to be the first step on an astonishing journey to the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics later that summer. Now one of the undisputed greats of her generation in the pole vault, Moon still has a point to prove in the Diamond League after disappointment in both 2021 and 2022. In Doha, she will be up against current Diamond League champion Nina Kennedy and fellow American Sandi Morris.
Moon is not the only one looking to set the record straight in 2023. Doha's star-studded men's 200m line-up includes several global champions who will be out to regain the Diamond Trophy after missing out on silverware last year. 2021 champions Fred Kerley and Kenneth Bednarek lost their 100m and 200m titles respectively last season, while Diamond League record holder Michael Norman was denied a second Diamond Trophy by Kirani James in the 400m. Canada's Andre De Grasse, meanwhile, is still searching for his first ever series title despite 11 career Diamond League wins.
For a man who has won three Diamond Trophies, an Olympic gold medal and three World Championship titles, Qatari high jump legend Mutaz Essa Barshim has a surprisingly modest record at his home meeting in Doha. It wasn't until 2017 that the Doha-born star managed to win at the Qatar Sports Club, and his last victory there came a full five years ago in 2018. Last year saw another disappointment with defeat to South Korea's Woo Sang-hyeok, and Barshim will be out to set things straight and give the home crowd something to cheer once again on Friday.
