by Alfonz JuckThe Shanghai DL is the second stop on the 2017 Diamond League circuit. Some monster rivalries coming tomorrow! Check out the preview from EME News on Shanghai!
Thompson vs Bowie, McLeod, Rudisha, Barshim and much more
SHANGHAI (CHN): Second leg of IAAF Diamond League 2017 on Saturday in huge Shanghai Stadium is promising some spectacular highlights. Great fields in men 110 m hurdles, pole vault, discus, top duels Manyonga-Henderson, Thompson-Bowie along with anticipated season debuts of Rudisha, Miller-Uibo, Kipyegon are special. First fast races of the year in women 1500 m and 5000 m. Chinese fans will mainly watch shot put, high jump and long jump. It was wet in Shanghai on Friday but the good news is on competition day, temperatures will reach a maximum of 27c with no rain predicted, informs the IAAF.
Event by event
Men
100m (non-DL) – Yoshihide Kiryu is the fastest in the line-up with 10.04 but Su Bingtian has run a wind-aided 9.98 and could challenge on home soil.
200m – Youngster Noah Lyles has already posted 20.16 this year and could challenge on his Diamond League debut. Other names include sub-20 runners such as Ameer Webb and LaShawn Merritt and top Europeans Adam Gemili and Churandy Martina.
800m – Two-time Olympic champion David Rudisha makes his season’s debut. Pace: 50.00 at 400m. MR 1:44.63 of Bungei under threat.
110m hurdles – Superb line-up to conclude the programme including Rio gold and silver medallists Omar McLeod and Orlando Ortega, world record-holder Aries Merritt and 2013 world champion David Oliver. World champion Sergey Shubenkov will compete internationally for the first time since 2015. First sub 13 of the year?
400m hurdles – Line-up includes Olympic champion Kerron Clement and world champion Nicholas Bett but the fastest on paper this season is Bershawn Jackson with 49.25. Dark horse Kariem Hussein.
Long jump – Olympic silver medallist Luvo Manyonga leads the rankings with an excellent 8.65m and is tipped to beat Olympic champion Jeff Henderson. Can he better MR 844 by Watt from 2011?
High jump – Mutaz Essa Barshim is looking for back-to-back wins after 2.36m in Doha but faces stronger competition this time, including Olympic champion Derek Drouin.
Pole vault – Full Rio podium in action (Braz, Lavillenie, Kendricks) along with reigning world champion Shawn Barber and former world champion Raphael Holzdeppe.
Discus – Innovative concept with the men and women going head-to-head. Olympic champion Christoph Harting and world champion Piotr Malachowski will both make their season’s debut.
Women
100m – Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson arrives fresh from a win over 200m in Doha and will go head-to-head with Tori Bowie. Thompson and Bowie have already posted wind-aided marks of 10.75 and 10.80 respectively in 2017.
400m – Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo will race over her specialist distance for the first time in 2017. First sub 50 of the year possible.
1500m – Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon starts as the big favourite on her season’s debut. Pace: 2:08 800m, 2:40 1km. WL for sure.
5000m – Olympic silver medallist Hellen Obiri and world silver medallist Senbere Teferi are top names with Almaz Ayana absent. Leading European Sifan Hassan could improve her 14:59.23 PB. Pace: 2:52 1km, 5:45 2km. That should bring first sub 15 of the year.
3000m steeplechase (non-DL) – Another head-to-head between world champion Hyvin Kiyeng and Olympic champion Ruth Jebet is anticipated. Pace: 3:05 1km, 6:10 2km.
Discus – Olympic and European champion Sandra Perkovic surpassed the 70m-barrier in February and in Shanghai twelve months ago. She is predicted to beat the men in the innovative head-to-head format.
Shot put – Anita Marton has been in good form with a 19.63m world-lead but Gong Lijiao (20.43m PB) could challenge on her season’s debut.
