From Noah Lyles' explosive victory in Shanghai in 2017 to Tia Clayton's triumph in Silesia last season, the Diamond League has always been a place for emerging stars to make their breakthrough on the global stage. This year will be no different, with several of the sport's most exciting talents already confirmed for Diamond League appearances in 2025. So two weeks before the start of the season in Xiamen, here are some names to keep an eye on in the season ahead.
Jeremiah Azu - 100m
23-year-old Jeremiah Azu is one of the latest in a long line of British sprinters to have broken into the global elite in recent years, following in the footsteps of the likes of Dina Asher-Smith, Zharnel Hughes and Daryll Neita. Azu established himself as a Diamond League title contender when he won 60m gold in Nanjing in March, and will test himself against the best in the world at the season opener in Xiamen, where he goes up against former world champion Christian Coleman and 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo.
Mattia Furlani - Long Jump
Bronze medallist at the Olympic Games in Paris and silver medallist at his home European Championships in Rome alst summer, 20-year-old long jumper Furlani claimed his first global title when he won gold at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March. This season, the Italian will be hoping to claim a first Diamond League win, most notably when he returns to the Stadio Olimpico to face Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou on home turf at the Pietro mennea Golden Gala in June.
Jasmine Moore - Long Jump
Another long jump star who may make waves in the Diamond League this season is 23-year-old US star Jasmine Moore. Like Furlani, Moore is an Olympic bronze medallsit, having leapt to third place in both the women's long jump and women's triple jump in Paris last summer. She will be reunited with her fellow medallists Tara Davis-Woodhall and Malaika Mihambo in Eugene, in one of several Olympic podium rematches at the Prefontaine Classic. But could she also become the first woman since Caterine Ibargüen to win both the long jump and triple jump titles in the Diamond League?
Prudence Sekgodiso - 800m
South African star Prudence Sekgodiso was on cloud nine after her claiming her first ever Diamond League victory in the 800m in Marrakech last season, yet that win proved to be just the beginning, as she went on to claim another win in Oslo a few weeks later and reach the Olympic final in Paris. In Nanjing, the 23-year-old clocked a world lead of 1:58.40 to claim the gold medal, meaning she heads into this Diamond League season already in title-winning form.
Cyrena Samba-Mayela - 100m hurdles
French sprint hurdler Cyrena Samba-Mayela also claimed her first Diamond League win last season, racing to an impressive 12.52 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. It proved to be a sign of things to come, as the 24-year-old delighted the home crowd with a sensational silver medal at the Olympics in Paris a few months later. She will return to Paris for the first time since the Olympics for the Diamond League meeting at Stade Charléty in June, and will do so as a title favourite in one of the most competitive disciplines on the circuit.
Marie-Julie Bonnin - Pole Vault
"These are the biggest meetings in the world," declared French pole vault talent Marie-Julie Bonnin when she appeared at the press conference alongside world champions Nina Kennedy and Katie Moon ahead of the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco last season. If she was starstruck then, she may be less so this season. Bonnin heads into the 2025 campaign as the reigning world indoor champion after a stunning performance in Nanjing.
