The Stockholm diamond league will be the last meeting before the World Athletics Championships can happen next month in Oregon, and the last chance for some big stars to gauge their form against some of the world’s best athletes in their respective events.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo will be the runner to watch in the men’s 3000m race. Kiplimo, who holds the world record for the half marathon event at 57:31, has been in great form this year having run comfortably well ahead of his competitors to win the Ras Al Khaimah half marathon in February. It will be a chance for him to test his prowess on the track ahead of the World Championships in Oregon where he will be representing his country in the men’s 10,000m event. Stewart Mcsweyn of Australia, known for his front running style, Cornelius Kemboi of Kenya, and Adel Mechaal of Spain will be some of the runners who will make sure that the race will not be easy for Kiplimo.
The women’s 3000m steeplechase event will see Germany’s two times world bronze medalist Gesa Felicitas Krause in action against Kenyan-born Daisy Jepkemei who now represents Kazakhstan –together with her sister Norah Jeruto- and Kenya’s Rosefline Chepngetich.
Having recently made the Kenyan team to Oregon in both the 800m and the 400m (having won the event at the Kenyan trials), Emmanuel Korir will be in action in the men’s 800m race. Some other big names in this race include Ferguson Rotich, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist who failed to make the Kenyan team at the national trials last weekend; Robert Benjamin of France with the fastest seasonal best time of 1:43.75; and Collins Kipruto.
While Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson has been dominating the women’s 800m event this year with victories in Birmingham, Eugene and Oslo Diamond League meetings, Kenya’s Mary Moraa has recently been in great form as well having just run 1:57.45 to win the Kenyan trials. It will be interesting to see who, between the two, will take the win here. Also, interesting to watch here will be the 2019 World Champion, Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda, and Prudence Sekgodiso of South Africa.
Olympic champion, Marcell Jacobs of Italy who has been having a year with some upsets in his past scheduled races will be hoping to make a statement in the men’s 100m race ahead of the World Championships as he lines up against South Africa’s Akani Simbine who recently won a silver medal at the African championships in Mauritius and German national champion and European silver medalist Reece Prescod.
Dina Asher-Smith will battle it out with Mijinga Kambudji in the women’s 200m. While Asher-Smith has the fastest personal best time of 21.88 on the start list, Kambudji on the other hand has the fastest seasonal best time of 22.18.
Alison Dos Santos of Brazil and Rasmus Magi of Great Britain are the only two runners with seasonal best times below 48.00 seconds in the men’s 400mH. It will be interesting to watch whether Dos Santos will extend his winning streak in this event having won it in Doha, Eugene and in Oslo.
Femke Bol seems to be in her own class in the women’s 400mH as she is the only one below 53 seconds in her seasonal best time of 52.61.
In the field events, the home crowd will be thrilled to watch Armand Duplantis, the world record holder, in action in the men’s Pole Vault event, especially competing against his longtime rival Renaud Lavillenie.
While the Stockholm Diamond League meeting could be the last chance for some athletes to check on their form, perhaps most other big stars would rather skip it and focus more on preparing well for the world championships which are about half a month away from now. But, whatever the case some results out of this meeting will be useful for fans in predicting the probable medal contenders in Oregon.