London: Five things to look out for

As the Olympics loom ever larger, all eyes will be on the 100m this weekend, where American superstar Noah Lyles will be hoping to cement his status as the the undisputed favourite to take the gold medal in Paris. Double world champion last year and a five-time Wanda Diamond League champion in total, Lyles has been one of the sport's biggest stars in recent years. Yet amid fierce competition from the likes of Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley and Lamont Marcell Jacobs, it has not always been an easy ride for athletics' greatest showman. He is still yet to win the Olympic title, and last September he missed the chance to win a sixth Diamond Trophy when he lost to compatriot Coleman in Eugene. London will be Lyles' first Diamond League appearance of 2024, and the perfect launchpad for his bid to achieve track-and-field immortality this summer.

One of those hoping to be a thorn in Lyles' side is British sprinter Zharnel Hughes, who claimed bronze behind the American at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. As he targets a first Diamond League win since 2015, Hughes is one of several British athletes who will measure up against the best in the world in London this weekend. In the women's 200m, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita take on American star Gabby Thomas and Monaco Diamond League winner Julien Alfred. In the women's pole vault, world indoor champion Molly Caudery will faced joint world champions Nina Kennedy and Katie Moon in what could prove to be a test of her Olympic title chances. In the women's 800m, meanwhile, the British stars lead the line as two-time Diamond League champions Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir face off in an English-Scottish battle for supremacy. 

Femke Bol's Diamond League record of 51.45 was one of the standout performances of last year's London Diamond League meeting, and the British crowd will be crying out for more when the Dutch hurdles star returns to Stratford this weekend. After making a modest start to her Diamond League campaign with a winning 53.07 in Stockholm last month, Bol has now begun to turn the screws and show potentially world-record-breaking form ahead of the Olympics. Last Sunday in Switzerland, she clocked a European record of 50.95, the second-fastest time in history and just 0.3 seconds off Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's world record. A similar performance in London would put her in pole position ahead of Paris, and also be another step towards a fourth straight Diamond League title in 2024. 

England fans may have had enough of late drama after Euro 2024, but if there are any last-minute-adrenaline junkies in the crowd in London, they could do worse than keep an eye on the women's javelin. Reigning Diamond League champion Haruka Kitaguchi goes in as favourite having won both of the Diamond League competitions so far this season. Yet that only tells half the story, with the Japanese star claiming both victories in the most dramatic fashion. Both in Suzhou back in April and last weekend in Monaco, Kitaguchi trailed for the entire length of the competition before pulling out a brilliant winning throw in the final three to snatch victory away from her rivals. Expect similar antics if she trails after five rounds once again in London. 

Another major star set to make their first step on the Road to the Final in London is shot put world record holder Ryan Crouser. The 31-year-old began his 2024 with a championship record and gold medal at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow, but like many US athletes, his focus in the outdoor season has been largely on the nervewracking gauntlet of the US trials. London will therefore be his first Diamond League appearance of the season, and as well as an opportunity to get in shape ahead of Paris, it is also a crucial chance to get points on the board and secure his ticket to the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels in September.