15 April, 2023

WDL 2023 season preview: Part I

Photo: Matthew Quine

From new meetings to long-awaited returns, the 14th season of the Wanda Diamond League promises plenty of spills, thrills and historic moments.

The 2023 Wanda Diamond League season will kick off in Doha on May 5th, with the world's best athletes beginning their season-long battle to be crowned Diamond League Champion in the sport's most prestigious one-day series.

With just under three weeks to go, the 14th Diamond League season is already shaping up to be a classic, with records set to tumble, new stars set to emerge and new meetings making their very first appearance on the circuit. In part one of our 2023 season preview, we look at what is in store from the season opener in Doha to the halfway point in Stockholm.

As per tradition, the 2023 season will launch at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha. From Thomas Röhler's huge 93.90m throw in the javelin in 2017 to Daniel Ståhl's discus Diamond League record in 2019, the meeting has played host to some memorable moments in the series 13-year history and promises to do so again in 2023.

Three-time Diamond Trophy winner Mutaz Essa Barshim and his fellow Qatari Abderrahman Samba will lead the charge for the home nation in the high jump and 400m hurdles respectively, while a whole host of reigning Diamond League champions are looking to get their title defence off to a winning start in Qatar. Australia's Nina Kennedy is up against Olympic champion Katie Moon in the pole vault, Kenyan legend Faith Kipyegon headlines the women's 1500m and Soufiane El Bakkali will be hoping to take his electric 2022 form into the new season. Having become the first Indian ever to win the Diamond Trophy last year, Neeraj Chopra will also be out for more Diamond League success in the men's javelin.

Tuscan sun

On May 28th, the series heads west to Rabat for the Meeting International Mohammed VI. The Moroccan capital will be the first chance for athletes to earn points in the men's 100m, women's 200m and women's 400m hurdles among other events, and if last season's edition is anything to go by, it should provide high drama. As well as Karsten Warholm's season-defining injury, Rabat also saw meeting records from the likes of El Bakkali, Khalifah Rosser and Elaine Thompson-Herah.

With the Stadio Olimpico in Rome out of action this summer, the third meeting of the season will see the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala return to Florence for the second time in three years on June 2nd. When the Diamond League was last in Tuscany in 2021, we saw a European record from Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men's 5000m and meeting records from the likes of Sifan Hassan, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Dina Asher-Smith. This year, the Golden Gala has already confirmed one major star, with two-time Diamond League champion and 400m world indoor record holder Femke Bol set to begin her 400m hurdles title defence in the Stadio Luigi Ridolfi.

Van Niekerk returns

There should be more high-class hurdles action a week later in Paris, as reigning 110m hurdles Diamond League champion Grant Holloway lines up in the Stade Charléty, the venue where he made his series debut back in 2019. French fans will also have plenty of local talent to cheer, with 800m European Championships silver medallist Rénelle Lamote and Olympic decathlon silver medallist Kevin Mayer also on the entry lists for Meeting de Paris.

The fifth leg of the series will see a Diamond League legend make his long-awaited return to the series after years of injury struggles. In Oslo on June 15th, South African 400m star Wayde Van Niekerk will make his first Diamond League appearance since 2017. The world record holder has been making a steady recovery in recent years, and his 44.17 in South Africa this year was his fastest time since breaking the world record back in 2016. Having lost his Diamond League record to Michael Norman last year, he will no doubt be chomping at the bit to make his mark on the series once again.

Oslo will also see reigning champion Valarie Allman take on her long-time Croatian rival Sandra Perkovic in the women's discus. While Allman has won the Diamond Trophy in each of the last two seasons, six-time champion Perkovic is still just one title away from equalling Renaud Lavillenie and Christian Taylor's record and becoming the most successful female athlete in Diamond League history. Expect fireworks when the two slug it out at the Bislett Games.

More Mondo magic?

The first of two Swiss meetings, at Athletissima in Lausanne on June 30th, is already looking decidedly star-studded, with local heroes such as Simon Ehammer and Mujinga Kambundji joined by a wealth of international superstars. Having won his first Diamond Trophy last season, Jakob Ingebrigtsen will be out for more glory in the men's 1500m, while Bol's record of 11 Diamond League wins from a possible 15 since 2021 speaks for itself. 5000m world record holder and 2019 Diamond League champion Joshua Cheptegei will also return to action on the shores of Lake Geneva.

One of the enduring images of last season's Wanda Diamond League was of Armand "Mondo" Duplantis tearing at his vest in delight after setting a new Diamond League record and world outdoor best of 6.16m in front of his home crowd in the men's pole vault in Stockholm. The Swedish sensation will be expected to return to BAUHAUS-Galan on July 2nd this year and, as ever with Duplantis, the expectations are only getting bigger. Since last year's meeting, the 23-year-old has twice rebroken the world record, most recently with a jaw-dropping 6.22m in Belgrade earlier this year.