<h2>Women's 100m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;countryCode=&amp;disciplineCode=100&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/100m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
Despite all she has achieved in the sport, Jamaican sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is still working through her to-do list. She continues to tick things off in sensational style.
One of her goals was to break 10.70 for 100m, a feat she accomplished in Kingston on 5 June when she ran 10.63 to become the second-fastest 100m sprinter of all time. &ldquo;I have never run 10.6 before, and what a time for that to happen," she said the following month.
What a time, indeed.
One of the sport&rsquo;s greats, Fraser-Pryce claimed her first global gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and has gone on to become a nine-time world champion, winning her most recent title in Doha in 2019. Coincidentally, the reason she missed the 2017 World Championships was because she was having her first child, son Zyon, with whom she went into labour while watching the women&rsquo;s 100m final.
The 34-year-old is now running faster than ever and the next target on her list will be to become the first woman to win a single individual Olympic athletics event three times, to add to her 100m victories claimed in 2008 and 2012. Valerie Adams in the shot put, Sandra Perkovic in the discus, Barbora Spotakova in the javelin and Anita Wlodarczyk in the hammer are all in a similar position, currently possessing two golds each in their events, but the women's 100m final takes place before all of those throws event finals, so Fraser-Pryce will be the first to attempt claiming a record third gold.
She faces a strong challenge, however, and is one of an impressive eight women to have gone sub-10.90 in 2021.
"I'm excited about women's sprinting,"&nbsp;Fraser-Pryce said. "I've been competing for a good while! And I have seen so many sprinters that have come along in the sport and have done so much work and accomplishment and I think it raises the game. Female sprinting has never been 'off', it's always 'on', and I'm glad that this year is one of those years that they have taken it to another level. I'm excited to see what Tokyo brings for female sprinting and females overall."
Second-quickest this year is Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah, the defending champion in both the 100m and 200m who was third at the Jamaican Championships and is just 0.01 off her 10.70 PB from 2016 so far this season. That 10.71 was achieved in&nbsp;Szekesfehervar where she finished top in a strong field.
Splitting them at the Jamaican Championships was Olympic and world 400m medallist Shericka Jackson, who is concentrating on the shorter sprints this year and ran a PB of 10.77 in her semifinal in Kingston. All three are entered for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m in Tokyo.
The 100m entries joining them in having dipped under 10.90 in 2021 are multiple world medallists Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast, who won at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Oslo and ran&nbsp;10.86 in Szekesfehervar, and Blessing Okagbare, who ran a wind-assisted 10.63 (2.7m/s) to win the Nigerian trials and also clocked 10.89 in&nbsp;Szekesfehervar. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/0c8fabc1-d177-4101-bd70-894926ca1035.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="659" />
 Two years ago in Doha, Britain&rsquo;s Dina Asher-Smith won the world 200m title and also claimed silver in the 100m and 4x100m. Entered for all three events in Tokyo, she will again have her mind on a medal treble. Unbeaten this year, her first 100m race since the 2019 World Athletics Championships was the Diamond League meeting in Gateshead on 23 May, which she won in 11.45 (-4.4m/s) in horrendous weather conditions. Since then she has improved to 10.91, while her PB is 10.83 from that 2019 world final. While the British athletics team captain will be hoping to lead by example, she&nbsp;is keeping an open mind as to what she might be able to achieve.
"When we started 2019 you might not have necessarily pegged me for a gold and a silver in Qatar when I started running in May," she said. "In terms of where your chances are, always just wait and see. Even though I am relatively young I have enough experience to know that championships are very unpredictable, so who knows where your chances are, you have just got to stay in shape and stay focused and perform well on the day. I want to put together a good performance in the Olympic Games."
The US trio includes Javianne Oliver, who ran a PB of 10.96 in June, Teahna Daniels and 2015 world 4x100m silver medallist Jenna Prandini, while Dutch two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers is entered for both the 100m and her specialist event.
European indoor 60m champion Ajla Del Ponte has improved to 11.07 this season and joins world 200m bronze medallist Mujinga Kambundji on the Swiss team, while Germany&rsquo;s Alexandra Burghardt makes her Olympic debut in a season in which she has set a PB of 11.01. Pan American Games 200m bronze medallist Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas is also just outside 11 seconds this year, with a PB of 11.02 run in Florida in April.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 100m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;countryCode=&amp;disciplineCode=100&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/100m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
After a historic run of dominance by a certain Jamaican sprinter, the time has come to hail a new Olympic men&rsquo;s 100m champion.&nbsp;
For the first time since 2004, the gold medal in the marquee event will be won by an athlete other than Usain Bolt, who swept three consecutive 100m titles in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro, as well as three straight 200m crowns.
With Bolt now in retirement, US sprinter Trayvon Bromell has emerged as the man to take up the mantle in Tokyo and succeed Bolt at the top of the 100m podium. The 26-year-old clocked a world-leading 9.77 in June in Florida, the seventh-fastest time in history. He then sealed his spot in Tokyo by winning the 100m at the US Olympic Trials in 9.80 ahead of Ronnie Baker (9.85) and Fred Kerley (9.86).
It&rsquo;s been a remarkable comeback for Bromell, who was carried off the track in a wheelchair after rupturing his achilles during the 4x100m relay at the 2016 Rio Games, where he had earlier finished eighth in the 100m final. The injury threatened to end the career of the 2016 world indoor 60m champion and world 100m bronze medallist. Bromell thought he might never run again and he went into a deep depression as he suffered a series of setbacks during an extended period away from the track.
&ldquo;In 2018, I didn&rsquo;t feel any reason to even still live,&rdquo; Bromell said. &ldquo;I came into a sport that I felt saved my life and I lost it all. I felt like I was in a dark environment. I felt like I was a shadow to the world.&rdquo;
Bromell credits friends and coaches with dragging him back from the wilderness. And, over the past two years, he has surged to the top of the sport and now stands poised to claim the biggest prize of all.
Bromell has won 15 of his last 16 races over 100m, running under 10 seconds in 10 of those events. He was riding a 14-race winning streak until he finished fifth in Monaco in June in 10.01, his first race in Europe since 2016. Bromell bounced back four days later with a victory at the Diamond League meet in Gateshead in 9.98.
&ldquo;Coming back to where I am is a lot to think about,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Just trying to stay stable and humble as possible, not to count anybody out. I don&rsquo;t want to get complacent.&rdquo;
The soft-spoken Bromell doesn&rsquo;t like to talk about being the Olympic favourite. Nor does he want to predict what time will be needed to win in Tokyo. &ldquo;The time doesn&rsquo;t matter,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the medal, the opportunity, the race itself. At the end of the day, if you win with 10.0, it&rsquo;s still a gold medal regardless if you go that fast or go 9.7 or 9.6. I&rsquo;m going into the race just wanting to be the first person to the line.&rdquo;
Bromell, who emphasizes his spiritual faith, said he is not chasing fame, glory or riches. He said he wants to use the spotlight to be a role model spreading a message of hope and resilience.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m motivated for something bigger than just a medal,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s beyond the material side of it. There&rsquo;s a bigger purpose behind all this. The message is going to shake the world. My biggest thing is being able to be a voice. Obviously if I win that gold medal, that&rsquo;s going to give me that opportunity.&rdquo;
Bromell will face a stern test in Tokyo from several other top contenders, including his USA teammates.
Baker has also battled back from injuries in impressive fashion to post eight victories this season, including Diamond League wins in July in Stockholm (10.03) and Monaco (9.91). His only defeats came in the semifinal and final at the US trials.
Kerley, the former US champion at 400m, surprised many when he dropped down to race the 100m and 200m but showed his talent with his third-place finish in the 100m at the trials.
Akani Simbine of South Africa clocked the second-fastest time of the year with an African record 9.84 in&nbsp;Szekesfehervar. The 27-year-old, who finished fifth in Rio (9.94) and fourth in Doha (9.93), is aiming to become the first African to win the Olympic 100m title since South Africa&rsquo;s Reggie Walker at the 1908 London Games.
Simbine, who won gold in the 4x100m relay at the World Relays in Poland this year, was undefeated in 18 races over 100m going back to 2020 until a third-place finish in Monaco in 9.98.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had quite the journey, I've made it to the finals of the Olympics and the World Championships, but now it feels like everything is coming together," Simbine said. 
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 Canada&rsquo;s multiple world and Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse is always a threat. He won the 100m bronze in 9.91, silver in the 200m and bronze in the sprint relay in Rio and followed with bronze in the 100m (9.90) and silver in 200m in Doha.
De Grasse ran a season's best 9.92 in May in Jacksonville, but has run under 10 seconds only twice in seven races this year.
Also in the mix is Jamaica&rsquo;s 31-year-old Yohan Blake, the 2011 world 100m champion who won silver at the 2012 Olympics and finished fourth in Rio. The two-time Olympic relay gold medallist has won 10 out of 13 races over 100m this year, including a fastest time of 9.95.
The field includes local favourite Ryota Yamagata, who clocked a Japanese record 9.95 on 6 June in Tottori, becoming the fourth Japanese sprinter to go sub-10 seconds. Yamagata, a member of the Japanese team that claimed the 4x100m relay silver medal in Rio, will be running in his third Olympics.
Steve Wilson for World Athletics

Tokyo Olympics preview: 100m

Candace Hill very much believes that everything happens for a reason. That just like on the track, everyone&rsquo;s path is different and that it&rsquo;s important to stay in your own lane.
It took a little while for the 22-year-old to reach that realisation. To understand that in this journey we call life, her route may not be the same as for those in the lanes alongside her. And that&rsquo;s okay.
In 2015, the US sprinter really blasted ahead on her path, becoming the youngest woman to ever break 11 seconds for 100m with a world U18 best of 10.98. Later that year she achieved a sprint double at the World U18 Championships, before 100m and 4x100m gold followed at the 2016 World U20 Championships.
She decided to go pro and fully focused on her sport <a href="https://spikes.worldathletics.org/post/candace-hill-numbers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">after finding the transition from high school to college a challenge</a>. But Hill now knows she needed that balance and that is something she has restored, putting her back on track.
Now based in Los Angeles where she is guided by coach Caryl Smith Gilbert out of the University of Southern California, Hill feels that everything is coming together &ndash; physically, mentally and spiritually.
&ldquo;The difference between this year and last year is like night and day, in a positive way,&rdquo; says Hill, who did not compete in 2020 but so far this year has set a 60m PB of 7.16 and ran 11.13 &ndash; her fastest time since 2016 &ndash; in her 100m season debut. 
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 &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of a relief, things are finally coming together. I&rsquo;m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I like to look at it as a part of my journey and part of my process. The things that happened were meant to be, because they shaped me, they were learning experiences and they helped me to become the person I am today. If it wasn&rsquo;t for those moments, and if it wasn&rsquo;t for those trials and tribulations, I wouldn&rsquo;t be as strong and empowered as I am now.&rdquo;
On following her own path, the ASICS sprinter adds: &ldquo;Everyone&rsquo;s life is different. People say &lsquo;you shouldn&rsquo;t have gone pro so early&rsquo; and &lsquo;you should have done this, you should have done that&rsquo;. I&rsquo;m just like, no. It was my path, it was meant to be. We&rsquo;re all different, our purpose in life is different. There are different ways to reach that.
&ldquo;It took a while for me to understand that because I had so many people constantly in my ear saying: &lsquo;you made the wrong decision&rsquo;. It had me second-guessing myself. But I reminded myself every day: your path is different and this is specific to you and what you need.&rdquo;
Hill talks passionately about mental health and her own journey, in the hope of helping others.
&ldquo;If your mind is not in a great space, your body quickly follows suit,&rdquo; Hill explains. &ldquo;I feel like the thoughts in my head translated to pain in my body. My therapist told me that some of your emotional issues can form into physical pain, and that&rsquo;s true.
&ldquo;Mental health should be at the forefront and a lot of people should take the time to see how they are feeling emotionally before they work on what is hurting them physically, because a lot of it can be hand in hand. The mental side can control and trigger physical pain.&rdquo;
<h3>Be a friend, to yourself and others</h3>
&ldquo;Treat yourself as a friend and talk to yourself as if you&rsquo;re talking to a friend, because that really helps,&rdquo; Hill advises. &ldquo;A lot of people go to self-sabotage. They are unfair with themselves. They compare their worst stages of life to people&rsquo;s best stages of life and it&rsquo;s an unfair comparison.
&ldquo;To sit there and say okay, I&rsquo;m doing the best I can &ndash; I&rsquo;m waking up every day, I am doing what&rsquo;s right, I&rsquo;m doing my part, I&rsquo;m handling the things I can control. It&rsquo;s okay to feel bad, scared or angry &ndash; those are all emotions and a lot of people quickly associate negative emotions with the thought that &lsquo;I need to supress them, or I need to get rid of them&rsquo;. No, it&rsquo;s a part of being human. Just like feeling happy is an emotion, feeling sad is an emotion too. Let it flow.&rdquo;
Having support is key, Hill adds. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s okay to feel sad but when it starts to prolong and affect your daily life, that&rsquo;s when you need to start reaching out.
&ldquo;Become educated in mental health. A lot could be done there, especially in the developmental stages like in schools. I feel like they should teach classes with how to be acceptant of yourself and know that everyone&rsquo;s path is different.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60b253a1151cb94aa48e4cb1.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="635" />
 When it comes to the next steps on Hill&rsquo;s own path, they are likely to include a return to study later this year, with psychology among her options, and a continued focus on balance.
&ldquo;School was like my escape from track, and track was my escape from school, so I had a healthy balance,&rdquo; she reflects. &ldquo;When I took those two years off from school, I put more and more attention on track, which was unhealthy for me because I needed that escape. It seemed so overwhelming.
&ldquo;I have been doing other things like calligraphy and reading. I have a healthy training environment and a really inspiring coach &ndash; she has had so much success. I have always wanted to train under her, even when I was in high school, so for it to come full circle like that, it&rsquo;s like see &ndash; it happens for a reason.&rdquo;
As well as her training group, family and friends, Hill&rsquo;s support network includes her sponsor ASICS, whose &lsquo;Sound Mind, Sound Body&rsquo; approach perfectly aligns with the sprinter&rsquo;s own beliefs.
During Mental Health Awareness Month, ASICS also joined forces with US middle-distance runner <a href="https://raceroster.com/events/2021/46978/asics-blue-jean-mile" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Johnny Gregorek to raise awareness and funds for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of NYC through the Blue Jean Mile</a>.
&ldquo;When they first approached me and I heard of their slogan &lsquo;Sound Mind, Sound Body&rsquo;, I was like &lsquo;wow&rsquo;,&rdquo; says Hill. &ldquo;For them to be doing the ASICS Blue Jean Mile and for them to donate to the National Alliance on Mental Illness of NYC, it shows me that they really do care.
&ldquo;They have been supportive of me throughout my whole journey, knowing that &lsquo;okay she&rsquo;s young &ndash; we&rsquo;re going to give her more time to develop, we&rsquo;re not going to hurry it and put all these pressures and expectations on her, we&rsquo;re going to let her gradually grow into the runner that we believe that she is&rsquo;. They have been helpful and supportive 100% of the way.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
<a href="https://raceroster.com/events/2021/46978/asics-blue-jean-mile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60a8243be52e28addc6386b7.png" alt="" width="1600" height="420" /></a>

Candace Hill very much believes that everything happens for a reason. That just like on the track, everyone’s path is different and that it’s important to stay in your own lane.

Hill: Everyone's path is different – all you can do is stay in your lane

It just so happens that the last piece of international track and field action at the International Stadium in Gateshead was a 1.98m clearance that secured a personal best and a victory in the final event to be decided at the 2013 European Team Championships for the emerging young high jumper Mariya Kuchina.
Eight years on from that breakthrough senior performance &ndash; which came indoors after thunder, lightning and flash flooding rendered the outdoor field section too dangerous &ndash; the global queen of the high jump, now three-time world outdoor champion Mariya Lasitskene, takes part in the first event on the programme of the 2021 Wanda Diamond League opener at Gateshead on Sunday (23).
An uncertain mixed picture of sunshine and showers is forecast for the Muller Grand Prix Gateshead but the famous arena in the north-east of England will be flooded with stellar talent, with a cast featuring 10 reigning world or Olympic champions and a combined cache of more than 100 global medals.
Top billing, undoubtedly, has to go to the not so much loaded as overflowing women&rsquo;s 100m. Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson, the trailblazing 21-year-old US sprint phenomenon who scorched to a 10.72 clocking in Florida in April, tests her rapidly rising pedigree against all three medal winners from the 2019 World Championships final in Doha. 
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Sha'Carri Richardson wins the 100m at the USATF Golden Games at Mt SAC</div>
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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the Jamaican Peter Pan Pocket Rocket of the women&rsquo;s sprint game, was within 0.01 of her lifetime best with a 10.71 clocking that secured her fourth world 100m title in the Qatari capital. Silver medal winning Briton Dina Asher-Smith, who went on to take 200m gold, and bronze medallist Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou are also on the start list for the heats, although Jamaica&rsquo;s Olympic 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah has withdrawn because of injury.
Two weeks on from her heat and final sub-10.80 clockings in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Walnut, and on the back of her winning European circuit debut over 200m in Ostrava on Wednesday, Richardson has the chance that was denied her in 2019 when she failed to qualify for the US team for Doha. Since her eighth-placed finish at the US Championships final in Des Moines, the world U20 record-holder has won 10 successive 100m races (heats and finals).
Fraser-Pryce, now 34, is on a winning streak of seven 100m races, dating back to the Diamond League final in Brussels which preceded the 2019 World Athletics Championships, when she finished runner-up to Asher-Smith. Both Fraser-Pryce and Asher-Smith have yet to race over 100m in 2021, but have posted 200m times of 22.60 and 22.56 respectively.
Something will have to give.
Richardson proclaimed after her 10.74 and 10.77 clockings on the Mt SAC track in Walnut: &ldquo;Every time I step on the track I want to make history.&rdquo; She might need to run the fastest women&rsquo;s 100m in Gateshead history to maintain her winning run. Weather permitting, the 10.93 stadium record could well be eclipsed.
For Richardson, a comfortable 200m winner in 22.35 in Ostrava, it will be a first Diamond League test outside the United States. In 2019 she finished fourth in the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in Stanford, clocking 11.15 in a race won by Ta Lou in 11.02, with Fraser-Pryce a distant eighth in 11.39. She also placed third in a high school girls&rsquo; 200m that preceded the Diamond League programme in Eugene in 2017.
At 21, Mondo Duplantis already seems like a Diamond League veteran, with eight meet victories to his name. The Swede extended his unbeaten record to a 23rd competition with his 5.90m clearance in Ostrava, confessing to feeling rusty in his season&rsquo;s opener.
The 6.18m world record-holder will be seeking to return to six-metre-plus form in Gateshead, where he will again be up against Sam Kendricks, the US rival who inflicted his last defeat, in the 2019 world final. Bronze medal winning Pole Piotr Lisek completes a rematch of the podium trio from Doha.
Lasitskene is another star performer on a long-term winning streak. The 28-year-old is unbeaten in 14 competitions dating back to September 2019 and her third-placed finish in the Europe v USA match in Minsk. 
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Mariya Lasitskene tops 2.04m in London</div>
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In her first outdoor test of 2021, however, she faces Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the 19-year-old Ukrainian who cleared a world U20 record of 2.04m in losing to her on countback in the epic 2019 world final. The fourth and fifth placers from Doha are also in the field: Mahuchikh&rsquo;s compatriot Yulia Levchenko and Kamila Licwinko of Poland.
European record-holder Jakob Ingebritsen faces the rising Australian duo Ollie Hoare and Stewart McSweyn in a 1500m race that also includes Adam Ali Musab, the Qatari who ran a world-leading 3:32.41 in Doha back in February.
Fresh from a 19.93 (-0.6m/s) victory in Ostrava, Kenny Bednarek lines up against four of the first six finishers from the world 200m final two years ago. Canada&rsquo;s Andre de Grasse (third in Ostrava) and Ecuador&rsquo;s Alex Quinonez picked up silver and bronze behind Bednarek&rsquo;s US rival Noah Lyles in Doha, while Briton Adam Gemili and Canada&rsquo;s Aaron Brown placed fourth and sixth.
The 3000m steeplechase features the three fastest men on the 2020 world list. Soufiane El Bakkali, the Moroccan who took bronze and silver in the last two world finals, Kenyan Leonard Bett and France&rsquo;s Djilali Bedrani will all be making their 2021 debuts over the barriers.
Nicholas Kimeli, one of the fastest men in the world last year over 5000m and 10,000m, will take on fellow Kenyans Jacob Krop and Michael Kibet in the 5000m. If the race is tactical, watch out too for in-form Spaniard Mohamed Katir. Australia&rsquo;s David McNeil, Spain&rsquo;s Adel Mechaal and Britain&rsquo;s Andy Butchart should also be in contention.
Four weeks on from her solo 4:01.54 victory at the USATF Grand Prix in Eugene, European champion Laura Muir returns to British soil for her second 1500m of the season. The world indoor silver medallist ended her US training and racing spell looking sharp, with a 1:58.71 victory over 800m at the Track Meet in Irvine last weekend. 
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Laura Muir takes another 1500m win in London</div>
&nbsp;
Fellow Briton Katie Snowden advanced her PB to 4:02.98 with a win in the 1500m in the same Californian event and will be seeking to back up that breakthrough win in a face that also features sub-four performers in 2014 world indoor silver medallist Axumawit Embaye of Ethiopia and Rababe Arafi of Morocco. Uganda&rsquo;s 800m specialist Winnie Nanyondo and, at the other end of the spectrum, Britain&rsquo;s European 5000m silver medallist Eilish McColgan are also in the field.
In the field, in addition to Lasitskene, there will be two other world champions seeking to crank their Olympic season into gear.
Tajay Gayle, the Jamaican long jumper who stunned the world with his 8.69m gold medal leap in Doha, already has a 8.27m mark to his name this year. Grenadine javelin man Anderson Peters will be looking to build on the 83.39m he threw for second place behind Johannes Vetter&rsquo;s monster 94.20m in Ostrava. 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, third in the Czech Republic with 82.75m, is also in the field. 
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Tajay Gayle in action at the Diamond League meeting in London</div>
&nbsp;
Gayle&rsquo;s Jamaican teammate Kimberly Williams will be looking to reproduce her winning form from Mt SAC earlier this month where she won with 14.62m. But US record-holder Keturah Orji, who finished second on that occasion, will be out for revenge.
Danniel Thomas-Dodd, who took 2019 world silver, meets 2015 world champion Christina Schwanitz of Germany in the shot, while fellow Jamaicans Shericka Jackson and Stephenie Ann McPherson square up over 400m.
The 100m hurdles promises to be a domestic sisterly affair, with Cindy Sember lining up against Tiffany Porter, whose British record she missed by a mere 0.02 with a 12.53 clocking at Mt SAC.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics

The Muller Grand Prix Gateshead will be flooded with stellar talent, with a cast featuring 10 reigning world or Olympic champions and a combined cache of more than 100 global medals.

World stars raring to go as Wanda Diamond League action returns to Gateshead

A lot has happened during the four years since Wayde van Niekerk last competed at the adidas Boost Boston Games. One world title and a few years of injury later, the Olympic 400m champion returns to the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold street meeting on Sunday (23) ready and raring to go.
The South African sprinter won over 200m at the 2017 edition of this meeting, clocking 19.84 on the straight track. Having recovered from a persistent injury sustained while playing rugby back in 2018, Van Niekerk has returned to winning ways this year and heads to Boston with a season&rsquo;s best of 20.38, set when winning the South African 200m title last month.
Victory won&rsquo;t come easy, though, as he&rsquo;ll be joined in Boston by European 100m champion Zharnel Hughes. The Briton has the fastest 200m season&rsquo;s best of the field, having clocked 20.14 and a wind-assisted 19.93 last month.
As with the men&rsquo;s race, the women&rsquo;s 200m in Boston also features the reigning Olympic 400m champion. Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas will look to extend her unbeaten run at this meeting, having won over 150m in 2018 and 2019, and at 200m in 2017 &ndash; clocking 21.76, a world best for the 200m straight.
USA&rsquo;s Wadeline Jonathas, who finished fourth over 400m at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, could be Miller-Uibo&rsquo;s toughest opponent.
<h3>High-quality hurdles</h3>
World record-holder Kendra Harrison makes her Boston Games debut in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles. The world indoor champion has been in impressive form this year, clocking a wind-assisted 12.38 and two wind-legal 12.48 performances.
In what appears to be the highest-quality line-up of the meet, Harrison will take on Sharika Nelvis, winner in Boston in 2018 and 2019, world indoor silver medallist Christina Clemons, 2015 world champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica and African champion Tobi Amusan of Nigeria.
The men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles, meanwhile, brings together the world indoor record-holder and the outdoor world record-holder in the form of Grant Holloway and Aries Merritt.
Since breaking the world indoor record with 7.29 in February, Holloway has continued his unbeaten run outdoors, winning all three of his competitions so far, topped by his world-leading 13.07 in Gainesville. Merritt, whose last full season was back in 2018, will be looking to improve on his season&rsquo;s best of 13.90.
Shamier Little heads to Boston in the hope of achieving a third victory in the 200m hurdles. The 2015 world 400m hurdles silver medallist has been in sensational form this year, recording PBs for 400m indoors and out, 200m indoors and 800m outdoors, all of which suggests she&rsquo;ll improve on her 25.88 PB for the rarely run 200m hurdles.
But Ebony Morrison, who beat Little in Boston in 2018 with a meeting record of 25.80, also returns. Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Spencer, also proficient at a range of events, is also in the line-up.
The men&rsquo;s race is similarly tough to call. Brazil&rsquo;s Alison Dos Santos is fresh from a 400m hurdles best of 47.68, but his strength lies in the latter stages of the 400m distance. TJ Holmes, who finished ahead of Dos Santos at the 2019 World Championships, should certainly be in contention, as should Amere Lattin, who has the best form over the shorter hurdles events.
<h3>Lyles leads 100m line-up</h3>
World 200m champion Noah Lyles will step down in distance to the 100m where he&rsquo;ll take on younger brother Josephus Lyles and 2017 world 200m finalist Isiah Young, who has already broken 10 seconds for 100m this year.
World indoor champion Murielle Ahoure makes her 2021 outdoor debut in the women&rsquo;s 100m in Boston, and it won&rsquo;t be an easy one. The Ivorian sprinter takes on two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and 2018 US champion Aleia Hobbs.
In the men&rsquo;s 150m, 2011 world 100m champion Yohan Blake lines up against 2017 world 200m bronze medallist Jereem Richards and USA&rsquo;s Kyree King, who last month set a 100m PB of 9.97.
World 200m silver medallist Brittany Brown takes on US compatriot Lynna Irby in the women&rsquo;s 150m.
Having set PBs at 400m, 1000m and 1500m so far this year, Bryce Hoppel has every right to feel confident ahead of the 600m in Boston. But Kenya&rsquo;s Michael Saruni, who formerly held the world indoor best for the 600m distance, is also in the field, as are Canada&rsquo;s Marco Arop and Britain&rsquo;s Jamie Webb.
US 800m record-holder Ajee Wilson contests the women&rsquo;s 600m, lining up alongside Jamaican record-holder Natoya Goule.
World 1500m bronze medallist Marcin Lewandowski will defend his title in the road mile, taking on a field that includes Olympic 800m bronze medallist Clayton Murphy and USA&rsquo;s Robby Andrews. Pan-American 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz leads the women&rsquo;s line-up.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

A lot has happened during the four years since Wayde van Niekerk last competed at the adidas Boost Boston Games.

Global champions take to the streets in Boston

Johannes Vetter produced the standout performance among an all-star cast of talent at the Golden Spike in Ostrava, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on Wednesday (19), the German unleashing a 94.20m effort in the opening round of the javelin competition.
That was the third longest throw of the 28-year-old&rsquo;s career, and gave him victory with 11 metres to spare over his nearest rival, world champion Anderson Peters, who threw 83.39m.
&ldquo;It was a great throw,&rdquo; said 2017 world gold medallist Vetter. &ldquo;But of course the world record would be even better. It was great training for me. I made only small mistakes and managed to hit the javelin very clean.&rdquo; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What a 🚀<a href="https://twitter.com/jojo_javelin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jojo_javelin</a> produces impressive 94.20m world lead with third biggest throw of his career. The only man to have ever thrown farther than the German is <a href="https://twitter.com/ZlataTretra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZlataTretra</a> meeting director and world record-holder Jan Zelezny.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ContinentalTourGold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ContinentalTourGold</a> <a href="https://t.co/FNYtb47c0d">pic.twitter.com/FNYtb47c0d</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1395078584730062852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script>

 The touted 3000m world record attempt by Joshua Cheptegei fell victim to the cold, windy conditions on the night, the Ugandan setting off on pace and passing 1000m in 2:26. He followed his second pacemaker Stewart McSweyn through the next two laps before being left alone to hit 2000m in 4:56.19. But with Daniel Komen&rsquo;s world record of 7:20.67 then slipping out of reach, Cheptegei didn&rsquo;t need to empty his tank thereafter but he maintained a decent pace to again stamp his supremacy over some world-class rivals.
His 7:33.24 was a world lead and personal best, with the USA&rsquo;s Paul Chelimo a distant second in 7:41.69.
&ldquo;It was kind of a speed test for me,&rdquo; said Cheptegei, who added that his next stop is the Golden Gala in Florence on 10 June, where he will race over 5000m. There, he will renew his rivalry with compatriot Jacob Kiplimo, who produced the performance of the meeting on the track four hours earlier. The world half marathon champion put on an exhibition in the 10,000m, moving to seventh on the all-time list with his time of 26:33.93.
The 20-year-old Ugandan coasted behind the pacemakers until 5000m, reached in 13:27.43, then shifted through the gears over the latter half, which he ran entirely alone in a blazing 13:06 to carve almost a minute off his previous best, which dated back to the 2016 World U20 Championships. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e7d54c29-4b60-44cf-9e4c-df3d89d889b7.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t expect to run that time, I was hoping to run under 27:00,&rdquo; said Kiplimo, who added that he will double over 5000m and 10,000m at the Olympics and that his goal in Tokyo is to &ldquo;be on the podium&rdquo;.
Back in second, Birhanu Balew set a Bahraini record of 27:07.49.
<h3>Burgin and Hodgkinson claim British 800m double</h3>
British teenagers Max Burgin and Keely Hodgkinson produced a pair of stunning performances in the 800m races, clocking respective European U20 records of 1:44.14 and 1:58.89.
Hodgkinson followed the pacemaker through the first lap in 58 seconds in the women&rsquo;s race and hit 600m in front in 1:28.39, then powered away from her rivals to record her first ever sub-1:59 clocking.
&ldquo;I knew I was in good shape but it&rsquo;s different getting it out on the day,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old. &ldquo;The pacemaker did an amazing job and it was a perfect race. I could not ask for more.&rdquo;
Burgin was rewarded for his bravery in going with the pacemaker &ndash; the only runner in the men&rsquo;s 800m to do so &ndash; and clocked a world lead and European U20 record of 1:44.14. He came home well clear of Dutch athlete Tony van Diepen (1:45.36) and Britain&rsquo;s Jake Wightman (1:45.47). The effort left him in some distress afterwards as he took several minutes to get to his feet in the mixed zone.
&ldquo;I saw the race of my good friend Keely who ran just before me and she ran so fast so I thought, &lsquo;I just have to match it at least,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Burgin, who only turns 19 on Thursday. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Britain's 19-year-old <a href="https://twitter.com/MaxBurgin3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaxBurgin3</a> breaks the <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroAthletics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroAthletics</a> U20 record with a world-leading 1:44.14 at <a href="https://twitter.com/ZlataTretra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZlataTretra</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ContinentalTourGold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ContinentalTourGold</a> <a href="https://t.co/SxfOq5kV8B">pic.twitter.com/SxfOq5kV8B</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1395064267754332165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script>

 Marcin Lewandowski showed all of his typical tactical nous to kick to victory in the men&rsquo;s 1500m in 3:35.57. &ldquo;Those who know me know I start slowly,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ll get better during the next weeks and months.&rdquo;
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Freweyni Hailu was a class apart in the women&rsquo;s 1500m, clocking 4:04.20 to win from Slovenia&rsquo;s Marusa Mismas-Zrimsek (4:07.50). World record-holder Genzebe Dibaba stepped off the track midway through the final lap when fading back through the field.
Getnet Wale coasted to victory in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, the Ethiopian running all alone for the latter half of the race and winning by 11 seconds in 8:09.47. Britain&rsquo;s Phil Norman was next best in 8:20.12. &ldquo;It was a good race, but the weather was a bit too cold and one pacemaker was not enough,&rdquo; said Wale.
<h3>Sprint wins for Richardson and Kerley</h3>
Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson continued her winning ways with a facile victory in the women&rsquo;s 200m, the 21-year-old US sprint sensation clocking 22.35 to beat Blessing Okagbare (22.59).
&ldquo;It was a good result for the conditions and the weather, the girls definitely gave me a good push,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I just continue to make a statement that nothing I do is a fluke, everything is legit, it comes from hard work for me and my coach. I wanted to shout out to world that my bark may be loud but my actions and my bite are even louder.&rdquo;
Richardson will return to the 100m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Gateshead on Sunday (23) where she faces Dina Asher-Smith and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
&ldquo;It definitely will be a race to make a statement, not just for myself,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Anyone that comes out on top will make a statement for the world to see.&rdquo; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Another statement from <a href="https://twitter.com/itskerrii?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@itskerrii</a> ‼️ 22.35 for the American sprint sensation at <a href="https://twitter.com/ZlataTretra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZlataTretra</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ContinentalTourGold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ContinentalTourGold</a> <a href="https://t.co/zHTTqdCFAX">pic.twitter.com/zHTTqdCFAX</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1395087951357415424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script>

 Kirani James was an impressive winner of the men&rsquo;s 400m, the 2012 Olympic champion clocking 44.74 ahead of runner-up Vernon Norwood (45.28). &ldquo;I still have some work to do, things we can improve,&rdquo; said James. &ldquo;The time was important but the main thing was to perform well and stay healthy.&rdquo;
Kenny Bednarek took victory in the men&rsquo;s 200m, clocking 19.93 (-0.6m/s) ahead of Fred Kerley, who was runner-up in 20.27 just 80 minutes after competing in the 100m. The shorter sprint ironically proved to be the better one for Kerley, a 400m specialist. He powered to victory in 9.96 (1.4m/s) ahead of Justin Gatlin (10.08) and Andre De Grasse (10.17).
&ldquo;I got two good runs here, I cannot complain,&rdquo; said Kerley. &ldquo;I can get ready for the 400 now. To run both was part of the training cycle.&rdquo;
<h3>Duplantis on top in rust-buster</h3>
Mondo Duplantis was off his best in the men&rsquo;s pole vault, but these days even that is typically good enough given his ability, and so it was tonight. The Swede&rsquo;s best clearance was his first-time effort at 5.90m, which ultimately gave him victory over Sam Kendricks who finished second with 5.85m. Duplantis went on to try 5.95m and 6.00m but was unsuccessful on a breezy night that was not ideal for vaulting.
&ldquo;It was my first meeting of the summer so I just needed to get the rust away,&rdquo; said world record-holder Duplantis. &ldquo;I had a bit of a problem with the running part and just could not feel my legs doing the job I needed. But it showed me I am in pretty good shape.&rdquo;
The touted head-to-head clash in the men&rsquo;s triple jump between Hugues Fabrice Zango and Christian Taylor never truly materialised, with Taylor exiting the competition after sustaining an injury in the fifth round. He had a best on the night of 16.36m. Zango took victory with his fourth-round effort of 17.20m.
Poland&rsquo;s Malwina Kopron produced a season&rsquo;s best to take victory in the women&rsquo;s hammer, throwing 74.74m in wet, windy conditions in the late afternoon.
&ldquo;The weather was great because the circle was faster after the rain and it suited me well,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I do not think I am in top shape yet but it should come just before the Olympics. I think it will be necessary to throw over 76 metres to get a medal in Tokyo.&rdquo;
France&rsquo;s Alexandra Tavernier was second with 73.30m, while two-time Olympic champion Anita Wlodarczyk was next best, the world record-holder throwing 72.72m.
Germany&rsquo;s Christin Hussong fared best in the women&rsquo;s javelin, her fourth-round effort of 66.56m carrying her to victory ahead of Czech Republic&rsquo;s Nikola Ogrodnikova (65.13m). World record-holder Barbora Spotakova finished fourth with a best of 59.49m.
Croatia&rsquo;s Filip Mihaljevic was best in the men&rsquo;s shot put, his 21.58m giving him victory over Poland&rsquo;s Michal Haratyk (21.30m). France&rsquo;s Augustin Bay took the long jump with 8.02m.
Turkey&rsquo;s Yasmani Copello was a comfortable winner of the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist clocking 49.21. Britain&rsquo;s Jessie Knight broke her PB for the second time in four days when clocking 54.74 in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, which handed her victory ahead of Ukraine&rsquo;s Anna Ryzhykova (55.09).
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

Johannes Vetter produced the standout performance among an all-star cast of talent at the Golden Spike in Ostrava, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on Wednesday (19).

Vetter dominates with 94.20m throw in Ostrava

The first Wanda Diamond League meeting of 2021 is set to take place in Gateshead on 23 May.
To mark the seven-day countdown to the first fixture in the series, we take a brief look at seven mouth-watering clashes that have been announced for the first three meetings of this season.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 100m &ndash; Gateshead, 23 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/8701b456-d14d-4e1f-b107-0f6c6cd1c261.jpg?cachebuster=99a10845-d9b1-4c02-a491-bf1589544a9d" align="right" />Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) 10.70 Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) 10.70 Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson (USA) 10.72 Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) 10.83
This sensational four-way clash is set to see Jamaica's multiple global gold medallist Fraser-Pryce and double Olympic champion Thompson-Herah take on Britain's world 200m champion Asher-Smith and USA's world leader Richardson for the first time, with the four athletes having never previously lined up against each other.
Fraser-Pryce, Thompson-Herah and Richardson occupy three of the top six places on the world all-time list, so if conditions in Gateshead are good, the meeting record of 10.93 could be broken.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s long jump &ndash; Florence, 10 June</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/1a189a41-e633-4831-bee8-1f80f90a6b90.jpg?cachebuster=3f9d279f-f8c6-4259-afa2-84b4f1933343" align="right" />Malaika Mihambo (GER) 7.30m Ivana Spanovic (SRB) 7.24m Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR) 6.96m Caterine Ibarguen (COL) 6.93m Khaddi Sagnia (SWE) 6.92m Larissa Iapichino (ITA) 6.91m
The world outdoor and indoor champions take on a handful of major championship medallists in what looks set to be the highest-quality long jump competition since the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
Malaika Mihambo, who won in Doha two years ago, will line up in Florence alongside world indoor champion Ivana Spanovic, world silver medallist and European indoor champion Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, 2018 Diamond League champion and Olympic triple jump champion Caterine Ibarguen, European indoor bronze medallist Khaddi Sagnia and rising Italian star Larissa Iapichino, who earlier this year set a world U20 indoor record of 6.91m.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 3000m &ndash; Doha, 28 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/60a0423c-0109-4c36-9d19-106c4c25d8d7.jpg?cachebuster=c50e5fef-9b7b-4f49-86f6-031d02e9957d" align="right" />Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) 8:20.27 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 8:20.68
World champion meets world record-holder in this highly anticipated Doha duel.
Hellen Obiri, the world 5000m and cross-country champion, set an African 3000m record of 8:20.68 in Doha in 2014, which was then broken in 2019 by Gidey, who ran 8:20.27.
Although Obiri leads their career head-to-head record at 9-5, world 5000m record-holder Gidey has finished ahead of Obiri twice in Doha: at the 2018 Diamond League meeting and at the 2019 World Championships over 10,000m.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s pole vault &ndash; Gateshead, 23 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/17aa63cb-2f5c-42c8-b7c8-ef48457fb350.jpg?cachebuster=5150313e-adb5-4cce-9690-bc9ceefd8243" align="right" />Mondo Duplantis (SWE) 6.18m Sam Kendricks (USA) 6.06m Piotr Lisek (POL) 6.02m Harry Coppell (GBR) 5.85m Charlie Myers (GBR) 5.71m
The three medallists from the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 will be reunited in Gateshead on 23 May.
It will be Mondo Duplantis&rsquo;s first competition in the UK since setting a world record of 6.18m in Glasgow during the 2020 indoor season. Since finishing second at the 2019 World Championships &ndash; behind Sam Kendricks and ahead of Piotr Lisek &ndash; the 21-year-old Swede has been undefeated since then, and in 2020 he earned the honour of Male World Athlete of the Year.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s pole vault &ndash; Doha, 28 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/1136e5cf-3a32-4ff2-a884-b1d417e1e3cc.png?cachebuster=9162c480-de15-4195-8188-b43190000429" align="right" />Sandi Morris (USA) 5.00m Anzhelika Sidorova (ANA) 4.95m Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) 4.91m Holly Bradshaw (GBR) 4.87m Alysha Newman (CAN) 4.82m Angelica Moser (SUI) 4.75m
As will be the case with the men&rsquo;s event in Gateshead, the women&rsquo;s 2019 world pole vault medallists &ndash; Anzhelika Sidorova, Sandi Morris and Katerine Stefanidi &ndash; will be reunited in Doha.
While Sidorova won at the World Championships in Doha, and Morris triumphed at the 2018 World Indoor Championships, Stefanidi has performed best on the Diamond League circuit in recent years, having won the Diamond Trophy four times between 2016 and 2019.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s shot put &ndash; Florence, 10 June</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/ae2f27f6-4640-4a90-a35e-23a37d0ecf6d.jpg?cachebuster=ff554095-aeae-4b2a-a044-4d1b76bd4576" align="right" />Tom Walsh (NZL) 22.90m Michal Haratyk (POL) 22.32m Konrad Bukowiecki (POL) 22.25m Tomas Stanek (CZE) 22.17m Leonardo Fabbri (ITA) 21.99m
New Zealand&rsquo;s 2017 world champion and 2019 Diamond League winner Tom Walsh takes on the Czech Republic's European indoor champion Tomas Stanek, Poland&rsquo;s European champion Michal Haratyk, Konrad Bukowiecki, who set the Golden Gala meeting record of 21.97m in 2019, and Italian indoor record-holder Leonardo Fabbri.
Given the quality of the line-up, Bukowiecki&rsquo;s meeting record may not survive.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 1500m &ndash; Gateshead, 23 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/971b6efc-8296-4021-92f4-ed650a240b19.jpg?cachebuster=c3f6fcfd-87e1-431a-8df5-759ea9271250" align="right" />Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:28.68 Stewart McSweyn (AUS) 3:30.51 Ryan Gregson (AUS) 3:31.06 Oliver Hoare (AUS) 3:32.35 Matthew Ramsden (AUS) 3:34.83 Piers Copeland (GBR) 3:35.32 George Mills (GBR) 3:36.72 Elliot Giles (GBR) 3:36.90i
A competitive field of leading Australians and Britons will take on Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen over 1500m in Gateshead.
Building on his incredible performances in recent years, the 20-year-old set a European 1500m record of 3:28.68 last year in Monaco before going on to win in Brussels and Ostrava. Australia&rsquo;s Stewart McSweyn, who finished close behind Ingebrigtsen in Stockholm, Ostrava and Rome last year, will be hoping to score his first victory over Ingebrigtsen in Gateshead, but compatriot Oliver Hoare and Britain&rsquo;s 800m specialist Elliot Giles, both of whom enjoyed superb indoor seasons, will also be big threats.
&nbsp;

The first Wanda Diamond League meeting of 2021 is set to take place in Gateshead on 23 May.

Seven Diamond League clashes to look forward to in 2021

Grenada&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic 400m champion Kirani James will continue his comeback at the Ostrava Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on 19 May.
The 28-year-old has raced sparingly over the past few years but opened his season with a 44.88 400m win at the Canyon Invitational in Phoenix last month.
Now he prepares to return to the Ostrava event for the first time since 2013, when he won in 44.49, while the Czech city is also where he claimed World Youth Championships silver in 2007.
Among those lining up alongside him will be home favourite Pavel Maslak, the three-time world indoor champion.
Another top 400m runner in action will be the USA&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Fred Kerley, who has focused on the 100m and 200m so far this season, with respective times of 9.91 and 20.24. That will continue in Ostrava, as he is set to take on the double.
In the 200m he will be joined by his compatriot Kenny Bednarek, who recently finished second at the USATF Golden Games with 19.94.
<h3>Dibaba set for 1500m</h3>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba is yet to race outdoors this season and will be targeting the 1500m meeting record of 3:59.05 set last year by Kenya&rsquo;s Faith Kipyegon when she takes to the Mestsky Stadion track.
Czech duo Diana Mezulianikova and Simona Vrzalova will be aiming for the Olympic standard.
Britain&rsquo;s world U20 indoor record-holder Keely Hodgkinson will race the 800m against sub-1:59 runners Lovisa Lindh, Hedda Hynne and Lore Hoffmann, while Bosnian world silver medalist Amel Tuka will contest the men&rsquo;s event against Hodgkinson&rsquo;s fellow British teenager Max Burgin plus Poland&rsquo;s Adam Kszczot, Patryk Dobek, Mateusz Borkowski and Michal Rozmys.
In the men&rsquo;s 1500m, current world-leader Adam Ali Musaab from Qatar will face Poland&rsquo;s Marcin Lewandowski and Czech trio Jakub Holusa, Filip Sasinek and Jan Fris.
Other athletes to have previously been confirmed for the meeting include world pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis, 2017 world javelin champion Johannes Vetter, world half marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo in the 10,000m and Joshua Cheptegei, who last year set world records over 5000m and 10,000m and this time will race over 3000m.
The Golden Spike was granted an exemption from the Czech Republic&rsquo;s ban on holding mass events, and the meeting is permitted to welcome 1500 fans into the stadium.
Organisers for World Athletics

Grenada’s 2012 Olympic 400m champion Kirani James will continue his comeback at the Ostrava Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on 19 May.

James, Kerley and Dibaba added to Ostrava fields

Here&rsquo;s the thing about Olympic year, something Akani Simbine knows will always be true.
&ldquo;Everybody comes out fast,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Everybody runs fast, and we always talk about how everybody is just on form. Everyone is ready.&rdquo;
The outdoor season may only be in its drive phase, but early evidence suggests that whoever is crowned men&rsquo;s 100m champion in Tokyo on 1 August will need to ascend to a level he has never reached.
Thirteen different men have broken 10 seconds for 100m over the past seven weeks, and Simbine is one of them, running 9.99 into a stiff headwind (-3.0m/s) at altitude in Pretoria in late March before clocking a wind-aided 9.82 (+2.8m/s) at the South African Championships in April.
The race to the top of the world over 100m is as open as it&rsquo;s ever been, and Simbine knows the fun is only just beginning. The 27-year-old South African has come oh-so-close to global 100m medals before, finishing fifth at the 2016 Olympics and 2017 World Championships and fourth at the 2019 World Championships &ndash; 0.03, 0.06 and 0.03 away from the medals.
The margins are fine, the competition cutthroat, but what does Simbine feel it will take to get on the podium in Tokyo?
&ldquo;People are going to have to run their PBs, that&rsquo;s for sure,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll just speak for myself and say I&rsquo;ll be ready, I&rsquo;ll be at my best and making sure I run the best I can when it counts.&rdquo;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/609e6254c72024c7ff0b4fd0.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="649" /> Akani Simbine at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (&copy; Getty Images)
 Few events in world sport captivate the public quite like the Olympic 100m final, and in the first edition in 17 years not featuring Usain Bolt, a new name will be catapulted to global fame at the start of August. Simbine knows that back home in South Africa, millions will be tuning in, hoping it can be him.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t take it as pressure, something that weighs me down,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I take it more as motivation and belief. A lot of people believe in me and what I can do for the country, what I can do on the track.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s taken time to re-wire his thoughts like that. Back in 2016 Simbine went to his first Olympics in Rio but the dizzying lights of the five-ringed circus threatened to blind his focus. What did he learn from that experience?
&ldquo;To keep my head,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Keep my head on my shoulders and not to stress too much or put myself in a corner, thinking I&rsquo;m not free. When I&rsquo;m running, I should be running free and relaxed and that&rsquo;s the one thing I didn&rsquo;t do in Rio.&rdquo;
The intervening years have taught him the value of composure: how a loose muscle is a fast muscle, how a calm mind functions with superior clarity.
In his first race in Europe this year, Simbine was coolness personified, anchoring the South African men&rsquo;s 4x100m team to victory at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, clocking 38.71 on a wintry, windy night in Chorzow, Poland.
How was the race for him?
&ldquo;Cold, very cold,&rdquo; he laughs. &ldquo;But it was a great race, and I&rsquo;m really happy for the team, for the boys, for the country. We came with the goal of winning and I&rsquo;m just happy we got that.&rdquo;
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It had taken Simbine 30 hours, door to door, to make it to his hotel in Poland, and though South Africa was already qualified for the Olympics in the 4x100m he felt it was a trek worth making.
&ldquo;It was very important to come out here, put together a good relay, get the baton across and make sure that we get the confidence knowing we are running at international competitions with high-quality countries,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re so used to running for ourselves and not a team but here, we work together, we plan together and we make sure everything goes well and we can all win together.&rdquo;
At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, South Africa finished fifth in the 4x100m, clocking 37.73, and Simbine believes they can go a few places higher at the Olympics. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re hoping so,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;For us this win is good for confidence; it&rsquo;s so we are feeling good going into Tokyo.&rdquo;
The road to this point has not been smooth.
While every athlete had their training disrupted to some degree over the past year, few felt it as severely as South Africans, who dealt with one of the world&rsquo;s strictest lockdowns through much of 2020.
&ldquo;At the beginning we thought, &lsquo;okay, we&rsquo;re going to get a week of serious lockdown then we can get back to training,&rsquo;&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;A week went to three weeks which went to six weeks, eight weeks, and that&rsquo;s you stuck inside at home, not being able to get to the track or gym.
&ldquo;I was fortunate to get out of South Africa and race in the European season which was great to keep the legs going. It&rsquo;s been tough and right now, it&rsquo;s (still) tough. South Africa has been blocked off by a lot of countries so for us getting into Europe was a struggle, making sure our visas were approved, so it&rsquo;s going to be a long journey to Tokyo and I&rsquo;m hoping we can get over this really soon.&rdquo;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/609e623dc72024c7ff0b4fcd.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Akani Simbine and Clarence Munyai celebrate South Africa's 4x100m win at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21&nbsp;(&copy; Dan Vernon) 
 Simbine returned to Johannesburg following his Polish expedition and then relocated back to Italy where he will be based until the Olympics. He plans to try some 200m races early in the season to keep the door open for a sprint double in Tokyo. With 11 weeks until the Olympic 100m final, is there anything that still needs improving?
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The start, the middle of my running, the top end, the finish &ndash; the whole race. There&rsquo;s a lot of things we need to fix and work on and that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s exciting me even more, because I&rsquo;m running well now and we&rsquo;re not even at the point where we&rsquo;re supposed to be.&rdquo;
His wind-legal PB is the South African record of 9.89 he ran in Szekesfehervar a month before the 2016 Olympics, but Simbine knows that&rsquo;s not his true limit, and he knows he has what it takes to become an Olympic medallist.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a 100m sprinter and if I don&rsquo;t see myself being on a podium, then I shouldn&rsquo;t be doing it,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I just need to make sure I&rsquo;m able to get to Tokyo in the best shape I&rsquo;ve ever been in and we&rsquo;ll see what happens there.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited (with) the way I&rsquo;ve started, but I&rsquo;m keeping my head down and working. I have the confidence, I know what I can do and it&rsquo;s just making sure I do it in Tokyo.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

Here’s the thing about Olympic year, something Akani Simbine knows will always be true. “Everybody comes out fast,” he says. Everyone is ready.”

Boosted by World Relays, South Africa's Simbine is focused on the fast road to Tokyo

European indoor 60m champion Marcell Jacobs stole the show at the 10th edition of the Memorial Giulio Ottolia in Savona on Thursday (13), breaking the Italian 100m record with 9.95 (1.5m/s) in the heats on the fast blue track of the Fontanassa Sports Centre.
The time improves on Filippo Tortu&rsquo;s previous national best of 9.99 set in Madrid in 2018 and moves Jacobs to 10th on the European all-time list, with his previous PB being 10.03 set in Padua in 2019. It is also the fifth fastest time in the world so far this year.
Jacobs did not race the final later in the afternoon due to calf cramp. That race was won by 21-year-old Italian sprinter Lorenzo Patta who surprised with a PB of 10.13 (1.4m/s) to edge Yupun Abeykoon of Sri Lanka by 0.02. &nbsp;
"It has not sunk in, what happened," said Jacobs. "After the European Indoor Championships and the World Athletics Relays I knew that I was in very good form. My goal was to break the 10-second barrier and I am happy that I fulfilled it. 
"My partner and my children were watching me on television. They are very proud. I worked a lot on my start and I was a bit nervous at the start because I had high expectations. With the extra motivation of a strong rival I think that I can improve my Italian record again. I would have liked to have run the final, but I felt a small cramp during the warm-up."
<h3>Asher-Smith opens with&nbsp;22.56 200m</h3>
World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain set a meeting record of 22.56 (0.8m/s) in the women&rsquo;s 200m in what was her first race over the distance since her triumph in Doha in 2019. Beth Dobbin completed the British one-two, running 23.06 ahead of Italy&rsquo;s Dalia Kaddari, who improved her PB by 0.02 with 23.21.
"It&rsquo;s good to be back on track. It has been a year and a half since the World Championships in Qatar and it&rsquo;s nice to be back over that distance again," said Asher-Smith, who will race the 100m in Gateshead on 23 May.
"I am really excited about my first Diamond League competition of the season in Gateshead. We have not had so many competitions in Great Britain in the past year because of the pandemic."&nbsp;
World bronze medallist&nbsp;Marie-Josee Ta Lou made a winning debut to her season in the women&rsquo;s 100m in a wind-assisted 11.11 (3.4m/s) after clocking 11.17 (2.4m.s) in the heat. Great Britain's Imani Lansiquot finished second with 11.18 ahead of reigning European U20 champion Vittoria Fontana from Italy and Gloria Hooper, who shared the same time of 11.23.
"I am happy that I ran a fast race after some injury problems," said&nbsp;Ta Lou. "It was a good comeback. I will run in Castiglione della Pescaia and Gateshead. I hope to stay healthy and do my best at the Olympic Games."
Luca Kozak from Hungary took the win in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in a meeting record of 12.81 (1.7m.s), edging three-time Savona meeting winner Luminosa Bogliolo (12.84) and Elisa Maria Di Lazzaro, who smashed the 13-second barrier for the first time in her career with 12.90.
Great Britain's world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi won the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles in Savona for the second consecutive year with a wind-assisted 13.42 (2.8m/s).
World indoor U20 record-holder Larissa Iapichino was not able to repeat her magic performance of last year, when she jumped 6.80m, but she also took her second consecutive win in Savona with 6.56m on her second attempt, beating Laura Strati by 4cm on a cool afternoon.
Marileidy Paulino from Dominican Republic won the women&rsquo;s 400m in a meeting record of 50.71 ahead of Alice Mangione (52.54). Vladimir Aceti from Italy claimed the men&rsquo;s 400m win in 46.51. Yancarlos Martinez scored the second win of the day for the Dominican Republic in the 200m in 20.57.
Alessandro Sibilio pulled away in the final straight to win the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in a PB of 49.25 ahead Olympic bronze medallist Yasmani Copello (49.37).
Filippo Randazzo from Italy won the men&rsquo;s long jump for the second consecutive year with 8.05m (0.4m/s)&nbsp;in the first round. Randazzo backed up his winning mark with a second best jump of 8.02m.
Francisco Belo from Portugal, fourth at the European Indoor Championships in Torun in March, won the men&rsquo;s shot put with 20.67m. Italy&rsquo;s Zane Weir finished second with 20.05m, beating his training partner Leonardo Fabbri (19.74m).
World silver medallist Amel Tuka from Bosnia launched his kick in the final 200m to win the men&rsquo;s 800m in 1:47.86.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday night in Italy a world-leading 5000m was run by Kenya's Mark Owon Lomuket. Clocking a PB of 13:01.68, he beat Ethiopia's world silver medallist Selemon Berega (13:02.47) and Uganda's Oscar Chelimo (13:06.79).
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics

European indoor 60m champion Marcell Jacobs stole the show at the 10th edition of the Memorial Giulio Ottolia in Savona on Thursday (13), breaking the Italian 100m record with 9.95 (1.5m/s).

Jacobs runs 9.95 Italian 100m record in Savona

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not done yet,&rdquo; exclaimed Sha'Carri Richardson, speaking trackside after the second of her sub-10.80 100m runs at the USATF Golden Games&nbsp;on Sunday (9). Seeing the path the 21-year-old has blazed so far, it&rsquo;s easy to believe her.
Blasting out of the blocks at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Walnut, California, all eight finalists were pretty evenly matched until suddenly, they weren&rsquo;t. Finding an extra gear in the second half of the race, Richardson&rsquo;s acceleration was mesmerising. Bright blue hair flowing behind her, she surged ahead, crossing the finish line in 10.77 despite running into a -1.2m/s wind. Less than two hours earlier, Richardson had run 10.74 (1.1m/s) to win her heat &ndash; the fastest ever wind-legal time recorded in the first round of a 100m competition.
"I definitely was expecting a different time, a different execution," she said after the final. &ldquo;But I executed a fine race and I walked away with the dub (win), so I&rsquo;m not disappointed.
&ldquo;Whenever it comes, it comes, but I&rsquo;m most definitely wanting to make history. Wanting to let everybody know that every time I step on the track, there&rsquo;s going to be history made.&rdquo; 
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 It was in 2019 that Richardson&rsquo;s history-making really started. Storming into the spotlight at the NCAA Championships in Austin, the Texas native broke both the world U20 100m and 200m records &ndash; her respective times of 10.75 and 22.17 making for the second-best ever women&rsquo;s one-day double behind Merlene Ottey&rsquo;s achievements at the 1990 Weltklasse Zurich meeting.
The Louisiana State University freshman turned pro a few days later. &ldquo;I thank my coaches, family, friends and fans for all the support while here at LSU,&rdquo; she wrote in a statement at the time. &ldquo;I would like to announce that I have decided to pursue my lifelong dream and become a professional athlete.&rdquo; She relocated to Clermont, Florida, and in 2020, despite the pandemic, she backed up the previous year&rsquo;s performances with runs of 10.95 and 22.00, times which ranked her third and second for 100m and 200m respectively on the season&rsquo;s global lists.
Having missed out on making the USA team for the 2019 World Athletics Championships, Richardson started the postponed Olympic season in sensational style. At the Miramar Invitational in Florida on 11 April, she won the 100m final in 10.72 to become the sixth fastest woman in 100m history.
&ldquo;My coach will be proud but he&rsquo;ll say I still have more work to do, and I agree,&rdquo; she said at the time. &ldquo;My season is going to be unbelievable.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/a74b5282-ed90-45a2-a690-01e2a17d7737.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="626" /> Sha'Carri Richardson wins the 100m at the NCAA Championships (&copy; Kirby Lee)
 That season continued with a 22.11 200m at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational before her pair of sub-10.80 100m runs in California. According to wind adjustment calculators, running 10.77 into a -1.2m/s wind is worth sub-10.7 in still conditions, or sub-10.6 with the maximum allowed 2.0m/s tailwind. So just how fast does she think she can go?
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t necessarily have a target time that I want to run (this year) &ndash; it&rsquo;s a range I would love to get into,&rdquo; said Richardson, who has been announced for the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Gateshead, UK, on 23 May. &ldquo;I definitely want to get into the sub-10.7 range and from there, just to continue to execute and get faster.&rdquo;
The world record, of course, is Florence Griffith-Joyner&rsquo;s 10.49 from 1988 and inevitably, also because of her style, comparisons have been made between Richardson and the three-time Olympic gold medallist, who is a source of inspiration.
&ldquo;If I do have a role model in the sport of track and field it would be the legendary and amazing, one and only, Flo-Jo,&rdquo; said Richardson who, in turn, will now be inspiring future track stars herself. &ldquo;It feels amazing to be able to be a role model and have people look up to me, but I always encourage them to be themselves because being yourself is what is going to make you who you actually are.&rdquo;
Although Richardson has enjoyed great success over the past few years, things have not always been easy and speaking on the eve of Mental Health Awareness Week, she explained: &ldquo;My mental health experience has definitely been a journey for me. At every level of track, or just different chapters of life, my mentality has been challenged to change or to grow. So being able to accept and acknowledge my mental health and not run away from it but embrace it and encourage myself to make sure my mental health is just as strong as my physical &ndash; that&rsquo;s a very key and important thing behind my success.&rdquo;
That balance, along with her hard work and determination, continues to see Richardson rise. After all, there&rsquo;s more history to be made.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
<a href="https://raceroster.com/events/2021/46978/asics-blue-jean-mile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60a8243be52e28addc6386b7.png" alt="" width="1600" height="420" /></a>

“We’re not done yet,” exclaimed Sha'Carri Richardson, speaking trackside after the second of her sub-10.80 100m runs at the USATF Golden Games on Sunday (9). Seeing the path the 21-year-old has blazed so far, it’s easy to believe her.

Sha'Carri Richardson, history maker

A pair of sub-10.80 runs from Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson in the 100m and a highly convincing 47.13 400m hurdles victory from Rai Benjamin were among the many highlights of the USATF Golden Games &ndash; a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting &ndash; held at Mt SAC in Walnut, California, on Sunday (9).
Richardson turned heads early in the programme with her run in the 100m heats. With her customary strong start, followed by her astonishing turnover in the closing stages, Richardson breezed through the line in 10.74 (1.1m/s) &ndash; the fastest wind-legal time ever recorded in the first round of a 100m competition.
She was back on track about 90 minutes later for the final. The wind had changed direction, which only became apparent after the race, but the outcome was almost identical. Once she hit top speed, she pulled away from the rest of the field with incredible ease and tore through the finishing tape, stopping the clock at 10.77 (-1.2m/s).
No one else has ever run so fast into a headwind of -1.0m/s or more. The 21-year-old also becomes just the third woman in history to better 10.80 twice in one day with legal wind.
&ldquo;I executed a fine race and I walked away with the win, so I&rsquo;m not disappointed,&rdquo; said Richardson, who last month clocked a world-leading PB of 10.72. &ldquo;I know I can do better, so I&rsquo;m just waiting for the next opportunity.&rdquo;
Javianne Oliver was second in the final in 11.08, having recorded a PB of 10.97 in the heats. World U20 champion Briana Williams was third in 11.15 and 2007 world champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, now 38, was fifth (11.31).
Benjamin, competing in his first 400m hurdles race since taking the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, looked anything but race rusty. 
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Rai Benjamin wins the 400m hurdles at the USATF Golden Games at Mt SAC</div>
&nbsp;
Commonwealth champion Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands matched Benjamin through the first half, but Benjamin started to pull ahead on the final bend and emerged with a clear lead at the start of the home straight. He continued to extend his lead and crossed the line in 47.13, the third-fastest time of his career and just 0.15 shy of his PB. It also smashed the previous facility record of 47.89, set by the legendary Edwin Moses back in 1979.
McMaster finished second in a national record of 47.50 and 20-year-old Alison Dos Santos was third in a Brazilian record of 47.68.
&ldquo;I was on a Zoom call with Edwin Moses a few weeks ago,&rdquo; said Benjamin. &ldquo;We were talking about technique and the rhythm of the race, so it&rsquo;s pretty cool to break one of his records.&rdquo; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Benjamin is back with a BANG💥 In his first 400m hurdles race since 2019, <a href="https://twitter.com/_Kingben_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_Kingben_</a> opens up with a world-leading 47.13, =14th fastest all-time. 📰:<a href="https://t.co/ITRdlaLhuT">https://t.co/ITRdlaLhuT</a> <a href="https://t.co/0aiV9vYSTl">pic.twitter.com/0aiV9vYSTl</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1391533818826346500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script>

&nbsp;
<h3>World leads from Little, Purrier and Nelson</h3>
Benjamin&rsquo;s run was one of four world-leading marks set in Walnut.
The first came in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, courtesy of Shamier Little. Like Benjamin, the 2015 world silver medallist was contesting her first hurdles race of 2021, having focused on &ndash; and thrived in &ndash; flat events so far this year.
She bided her time for the first 300m, doing just enough to stay on equal terms with Panama&rsquo;s Gianna Woodruff. Coming off the final hurdle, Little produced incredible finishing speed to cross the line more than a second ahead of the rest of the field, winning in 53.65. Woodruff was rewarded with a national record of 54.70.
About 15 minutes later, Elle Purrier produced a dominant run in the women&rsquo;s 1500m to join the event&rsquo;s sub-four-minute club. Once the pacemaker stepped aside, Purrier dictated the pace and kept Canada&rsquo;s Gabriela DeBues-Stafford at bay before unleashing a strong finish down the home straight, winning in 3:58.36.
DeBues-Stafford was second in 4:00.69 and Shannon Osika was third in a PB of 4:00.73.
In the men&rsquo;s pole vault, Pan-American champion Chris Nilsen cleared 5.91m to knock Mondo Duplantis off the No.1 spot on this year&rsquo;s world list. He led from the outset and watched as his last two remaining opponents, Nate Richartz and Matt Ludwig, exited the competition with misses at 5.75m and 5.80m. Nilsen then vaulted 5.91m on his first try and ended his series with three misses at a would-be PB of 6.00m. 
<h3>Lyles and Thomas take 200m honours</h3>
It&rsquo;s no secret by now that Noah Lyles likes to leave it late to make his move, but even his most ardent of followers would have been biting their nails watching him in action in Walnut. 
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Noah Lyles wins the 200m at the USATF Golden Games</div>
&nbsp;
The world 200m champion, competing in his specialist event, had no response when Kenny Bednarek breezed past him on the bend, opening up a lead of two or three metres. Even as they entered the straight, Lyles seemed to be making up little ground on his US compatriot, but then in the last 10 metres or so, Lyles found an extra gear and just edged ahead to win in 19.90 to Bednarek&rsquo;s 19.94 (0.7m/s).
The women&rsquo;s 200m was of a similarly high quality, but played out slightly differently with four women in contention. With about 50 metres to go, little separated Gabby Thomas, Allyson Felix, Lynna Irby and Jenna Prandini. Thomas found a little extra at the end to pull clear and win in 22.12 with the wind just over the allowable limit (2.1m/s).
Felix held on for second in 22.26, her fastest 200m in any conditions since 2016. Irby was close behind (22.27) with Prandini fourth (22.30). 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gabby Thomas holds off <a href="https://twitter.com/allysonfelix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@allysonfelix</a> over 200m with 22.12 from 22.26, Felix's fastest time since 2016!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ContinentalTourGold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ContinentalTourGold</a> <a href="https://t.co/o29TkCUWZi">pic.twitter.com/o29TkCUWZi</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1391530918968442882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script>

 World record-holder Kendra Harrison equalled her season&rsquo;s best to win the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in 12.48 (2.0m/s). The world silver medallist finished ahead of Britain&rsquo;s Cindy Sember (12.53), Tobi Amusan (12.61) and Devynne Charlton, who set a Bahamian record of 12.61. Close behind, world 400m hurdles silver medallist Sydney McLaughlin clocked a PB and Olympic qualifying mark of 12.65.
Michael Norman dominated the men&rsquo;s 400m to win in 44.40, breaking the facility record set 29 years ago by 1988 Olympic champion Steve Lewis. Michael Cherry was second in 44.86.
Darrell Hill produced the highlight of the field events, winning the men&rsquo;s shot put with 22.34m. The 2017 Diamond League champion led from the opening round (21.13m) and improved with his next three throws: 21.69m, 22.19m and 22.34m. Josh Awotunde was second with a PB of 21.68m.
All-round throws talent Maggie Ewen threw a season&rsquo;s best of 19.32m to win the women&rsquo;s hammer, beating world silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd of Jamaica (18.91m).
Cravon Gillespie won a competitive men&rsquo;s 100m final in 9.96 (1.9m/s) with Isiah Young (9.99) and Chris Belcher (10.01) close behind. Most of the talk for this discipline, however, centred around the participation of NFL player DK Metcalf. The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver ran a respectable 10.37 to finish ninth in his heat. 
<h3>Outdoor PBs for Reekie and Hoare</h3>
Britain&rsquo;s Jemma Reekie produced an impressive finishing kick to overhaul Canada&rsquo;s Melissa Bishop-Nriagu in the finishing straight of the women&rsquo;s 800m. Reekie crossed the line in an outdoor PB of 1:58.27 while European 1500m champion Laura Muir came through to take second place (1:58.46). Bishop-Nriagu was third in 1:58.62, her fastest time for almost four years.
Australia&rsquo;s Oliver Hoare, one of the middle-distance sensations during this year&rsquo;s indoor season, stuck doggedly to the pacemaker in the men&rsquo;s 1500m and was rewarded with an outdoor PB of 3:33.19. Canada&rsquo;s Justin Knight shadowed Hoare the entire way, finishing in 3:33.41.
Bryce Hoppel &ndash; like Muir and Hoare, another strong indoor performer &ndash; took the men&rsquo;s 800m in 1:44.94.
Elsewhere, Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi cleared a season&rsquo;s best of 4.80m to win the women&rsquo;s pole vault from Katie Nageotte and Oliva Gruver (4.70m).
Jamaica&rsquo;s Kimberly Williams came within two centimetres of her PB to win the women&rsquo;s triple jump with 14.62m, while Will Claye won the men&rsquo;s event with 17.15m.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

A pair of sub-10.80 runs from Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m and a highly convincing 47.13 400m hurdles victory from Rai Benjamin were among the many highlights of the USATF Golden Games – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting – held at Mt SAC in Walnut, California, on Sunday (9).

Richardson and Benjamin impress with victories at Mt SAC

Switching focus from chasing times to making sure he is running his own best race has left Rai Benjamin excited for his 400m hurdles return at the USATF Golden Games, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, on Sunday (9).
The 23-year-old last competed over the barriers at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, where he secured silver for the USA behind Norway&rsquo;s Karsten Warholm. One month earlier Warholm and Benjamin had moved to second and joint third on the world all-time rankings with respective times of 46.92 and 46.98 at the Diamond League final in Zurich, with only Kevin Young having ever gone quicker courtesy of his 46.78 at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
While Warholm edged closer to that mark in 2020, running 46.87 in Stockholm, Benjamin instead decided to focus on his flat speed, with a 100m PB of 10.03 in Texas among his results. Two weeks ago he opened his season with a&nbsp;44.97 400m at the&nbsp;USATF Grand Prix in Eugene.
Now he&rsquo;s ready to put that speed, and lessons learned, into practice.
&ldquo;I feel like in 2019 I was chasing a time too much, trying to break the world record, and inevitably I obviously failed that year,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I lost the Diamond League final and lost in Doha, so this year I am just focused on running my best race and seeing what happens. If the clock demonstrates something else, then I will be happy with that.
&ldquo;I got to learn what it was like running the 100m,&rdquo;&nbsp;Benjamin adds, reflecting on 2020. &ldquo;I think it worked a lot to my advantage because now I can see how I can get out of the blocks faster, turn over faster if I need to, and turn the tempo up a little bit without really straining as much as I did before. It helped a lot to do that, that year. It&rsquo;s definitely a process.&rdquo;
It also gave him time to recover from a heel injury sustained a few weeks before the Doha World Championships.
&ldquo;I was nursing that injury leaving the World Championships, so I had to not hurdle for a while,&rdquo; he explains. &ldquo;Even when we started in the fall, I still had some of that lingering around in my heel. Having that time off during the year was great and it helped me step back and really look at the race from a different perspective &ndash; spot my mistakes and learn where I can be better in certain parts of the race.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to race everyone, to do well this season and run fast.&rdquo;
<h3>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a really telling spectacle&rdquo;</h3>
Another athlete looking to run fast at Mt SAC in Walnut, California, on Sunday will be NFL star DK Metcalf as he swaps the American football field for the track.
There has been much talk on social media around the speeds reached by American football players and now the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver is stepping up to test himself over 100m.
&ldquo;I feel like over the past couple of years or so, the track and field community has been going back and forth with the NFL community as to who is actually fast, who is not, and what does world-class speed look like,&rdquo; says Benjamin. &ldquo;By no means am I discounting DK, I think he is a phenomenal athlete, and it takes a lot of guts and heart to actually come out and line up against the guys that are going to be there this weekend.
&ldquo;I love it. I think it&rsquo;s really good for the sport right now &ndash; we should all be open-eyed towards advancing our sport and having it be more in the public light.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s going to bring an entirely new generation to the sport, and have them see okay, this is what real speed looks like. It&rsquo;s going to be a really telling spectacle this weekend as to what it&rsquo;s really like to compare track speed to the NFL.&rdquo;
Among those who could be lining up alongside&nbsp;Metcalf at Mt SAC is the USA&rsquo;s world relay champion Mike Rodgers, who has a 100m PB of 9.85 run in 2011.
&ldquo;I have been waiting on this day, for a football player to come and line up,&rdquo; says Rodgers. &ldquo;They really talk all this trash on Twitter but shout-out to DK for even coming out to experience this. I don&rsquo;t know his take on what he really thinks his performance is going to be, but this is May &shy;&ndash; this is the time that sprinters really get going because the (Olympic) trials is like a month away. So I&rsquo;m anxious to see how his so-called ESPN world-class speed measures up against the real world-class speed.&rdquo;
On his own performance hopes, he adds: &ldquo;Training is going pretty well. I have just started to incorporate some speed into my training.
&ldquo;I am expecting to run some good times this weekend and put on good performances, just to see where I really am with this speed incorporated in my training.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Switching focus from chasing times to making sure he is running his own best race has left Rai Benjamin excited for his 400m hurdles return at the USATF Golden Games, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, on Sunday (9).