News16 Jun 2017


26 world and Olympic champions line up for Lausanne – IAAF Diamond League

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Genzebe Dibaba leads the 3000m at the 2016 IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne (© Gladys von der Laage)

The Athletissima organisers have signed up 13 winners from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and 13 winners from the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 to compete at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on 6 July.

Four of the events – the men’s 400m, women’s 800m, 400m hurdles and high jump – will feature the full set of medallists from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz and three-time world champion Asbel Kiprop will line up for their first 1500m clash since Rio last year, while the 800m will reunite top trio from Rio: Caster Semenya, Francine Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui.

Twenty-five years after the discipline was last held at the Pontaise Stadium, the women’s mile features on the programme for this year with world 1500m champion Genzebe Dibaba headlining the field.

The Olympic champions will take on the European champions in the women’s long jump and javelin.

World and Olympic champion Tianna Bartoletta will face off against European indoor and outdoor champion Ivana Spanovic in the long jump, while Olympic javelin champion Sara Kolak will throw against Tatsiana Khaladovich.

Other recent additions to the Athletissima cast include Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser, Olympic high jump champion Ruth Beitia, world indoor 3000m champion Yomif Kejelcha and South African sprinter Akani Simbine.

They join the previously announced line-up containing Olympic champions Wayde van Niekerk, Christian Taylor and Dalilah Muhammad, plus world champions Dafne Schippers, Maria Lasitskene and Zuzana Hejnova.

Organisers for the IAAF

2017 IAAF Diamond League calendar:
5 May – Doha, QAT
13 May – Shanghai, CHN
27 May – Eugene, USA
8 Jun – Rome, ITA
15 Jun – Oslo, NOR
18 Jun – Stockholm, SWE
1 Jul – Paris, FRA
6 Jul – Lausanne, SUI
9 Jul – London, GBR
16 Jul – Rabat, MAR
21 Jul – Monaco, MON
20 Aug – Birmingham, GBR
24 Aug – Zurich, SUI
1 Sep – Brussels, BEL