Road to the Final 2023: Sprints and hurdles

Reigning Diamond League champion Fred Kerley got his title defence off to a flying start with wins in Doha and Florence, before South African stalwart Akani Simbine secured his place in the final with mid-season victories in Stockholm and Silesia. Ferdinand Omanyala became the first Kenyan to win a Diamond League sprint race with his triumph in Monaco and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo improved his Diamond League finishes steadily throughout the season before claiming the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. The favourite, though, is Noah Lyles, who manoeuvred himself into a qualifying position with a win in Paris and will be aiming for a sixth career Diamond Trophy on home soil in Eugene. 

Ivorian star Marie-Josée Ta Lou was the most consistent winner in the women's 100m, picking up four victories in Florence, Oslo, Lausanne and London. Shericka Jackson also grabbed several podium finished in the 100m, but is likely to focus on the 200m in Eugene. But it was world champion Sha'Carri Richardson who really stole the show in the 100m this year. Her explosive opening night win in Doha back in May set the tone for a season in which she would go on to claim wins in Silesia and Zurich either side of her historic performance in Budapest.

Jamaica's Shericka Jackson kickstarted her 200m Diamond League title defence with a win in Rabat, storming to a meeting record of 21.91. After allowing the likes of Gabrielle Thomas and Daryll Neita chance to exhibit in Paris and Stockholm, the Jamaican was back to winning ways in the second half of the season. Her gold medal in Budapest was flanked by two Diamond League wins in Monaco and Zurich, the latter coming with a Diamond League record of 21.48. It wasn't quite the world record Jackson had been flirting with in the build-up, but then there is still Eugene for that. 

After claiming the first Diamond League win of his career in Brussels at the end of last season, Erriyon Knighton picked up where he had left off this year with early-season wins in Florence and Oslo, even breaking Usain Bolt's meeting record in the Norwegian capital. Alongside Noah Lyles, the young American will be among the favourites for the Diamond Trophy if and when he starts in Eugene. Yet it is no foregone conclusion: Britain's Zharnel Hughes is also in fine fettle this season, while 2021 Diamond League champion Kenny Bednarek will be hoping to build on his win in Zurich last week. 

Last year's winner Marileidy Paulino lived up to her new role as defending champion with comfortable wins in Doha, Paris and Xiamen. She faced tough competition throughout the year from Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek, however, who will head to Eugene in high spirits after topping the standings thanks to victories in Florence, Silesia and Monaco. 400m hurdle world record holder Sydney McLaughlin's foray into the flat yielded a second-place finish in Paris, but that wasn't quite enough to book a ticket to Eugene.

In the men's event, world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk returned Diamond League action after six years out with injury in 2023, and he did so in some style with victories in Oslo, Silesia and London. Fellow South African Zakithi Nene claimed his first ever Diamond League win in Stockholm, but it was Vernon Norwood who topped the standings thanks to consistent top-three finishes throughout the season. 

It is difficult to see past Grant Holloway in the men's sprint hurdles, after the world and Diamond League champion raced to victories in Florence, Paris and London before his gold medal in Budapest. Yet two men have shown themselves capable of beating the American this year: Rasheed Broadbell did so at the season opener in Doha, and his fellow Jamaican Hansle Parchment managed it in Xiamen. 

The women's 100m hurdles, meanwhile, hasn't been this unpredictable for several years. After narrowly missing out on the title last year, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn exploded into the early season with wins in Doha and Lausanne. Reigning champion Tobi Amusan hit back with two victories in mid-season before Nia Ali grabbed a win in Monaco. Newly crowned world champion Danielle Williams' win in Zurich was not enough to guaranteee her direct qualification. 

Femke Bol has dominated the 400m hurdles ever since 2020 in the Wanda Diamond League, and this year was no exception as the Dutch star went from strength to strength in the course of the season. After meeting records in Florence, Oslo and Lausanne, Bol peaked with a Diamond League and European record of 51.45 in London. Gold at the world championships followed by another comfortable win on her debut in Brussels only confirmed what everyone already know: it will take something special to stop Bol from claiming a third successive title in Eugene. 

CJ Allen's win in Paris and string of podium finishes elsewhere may have seen him top the standings, but this year was all about Karsten Warholm in the men's 400m hurdles. After an injury setback saw him lose his title last year, the Norwegian was determined to return with a bang in 2023. He started with a Diamond League record of 46.52 on home soil in Oslo before going even faster with 46.51 in Monaco a month later. Three wins and a world championships gold medal later, it was quite the shock when the Scandi superstar slumped to a surprise defeat at the hands of Kyron McMaster in Zurich.