Silesia: Five things to look out for

Following her gold medal victory in Paris, the USA's Masai Russell will make her first appearance as Olympic champion in Silesia on Sunday, and she will be keen to mark the moment with another career milestone. The 24-year-old is still yet to claim her first Diamond League win despite numerous appearances on the circuit, and will want to change that when she goes up against the likes of Cyréna Samba-Mayela, Danielle Williams and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in Poland. A win would propel Russell - currently sixth - up the rankings, but it is by no means a foregone conclusion. Camacho-Quinn in particular looks to be in ominous post-Olympic form after her impressive 12.35 in Lausanne, and she and others will be out for revenge as they lock horns with the new Olympic champion once again.

Few disciplines have been as exhilarating to watch this year as the men's 800m. The event has seen dramatic photo finishes, brilliant duels and jaw-dropping times as a handful of athletes at the top of the tree have pushed each other to ever new heights over the course of the season. Four of the ten fastest times ever have now been posted in 2024, and the trend doesn't look like stopping any time soon. Only last Thursday in Lausanne, Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi delivered a breathtaking world lead of 1:41.11, becoming the second fastest man of all time and moving to within a fifth of a second of David Rudisha's world record. The reigning Olympic and Diamond League champion, Wanyonyi goes up against Paris silver medallist Marco Arop, Kenyan rival Wycliffe Kinyamal and European champion Gabriel Tual in Silesia, as he bids to secure qualification for the final and defend his Diamond Trophy next month. 

With just three more chances to earn points before the series final in Brussels on September 13th-14th, Wanyonyi is not the only one hoping to wrap up his qualification bid in Silesia. Botswana's Letsile Tebogo and the Netherlands' Femke Bol are also on the brink of qualification, having secured crucial victories in Lausanne last weekend. Tebogo's win at Athletissima put him into second in the 200m standings, while Bol's brilliant meeting record of 52.25 meant she now has 24 points to her name in the 400m hurdles. Both of them now only need one more win to book their ticket to Brussels. 

One of the more eye-catching performances in Lausanne was Dina Asher-Smith's electric 10.88 in the women's 100m. After some ups and downs in recent years, the 2019 Diamond League champion was back to her brilliant best at Athletissima, motoring past a field which included fellow Brit Daryll Neita, Ivorian legend Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith and the USA's Tamari Davis. It was her first Diamond League win in two years, and her first outside of her home country since 2021. She will be hoping not to wait so long for the next one, as she prepares to go up against an almost identical field in the 100m in Silesia on Sunday. 

It's not been the easiest of seasons for Ryan Crouser. After injury problems at the start of the year, the American suffered a surprise defeat to Leonardo Fabbri at his only Diamond League appearance so far and looked far from certain to defend his Olympic title in Paris. Just like all the greatest champions, however, Crouser delivered when it mattered most, and he returns to Diamond League action this Sunday as a double Olympic gold medallist. Having won his second Olympic title, he can now set his sights on a second Diamond Trophy, a prize which has often eluded him in season's gone by. Only once, in 2021, has Crouser been crowned Diamond League champion. A win in Silesia would send him to Brussels and give him a shot at title number two.