Favour Ofili, Britton Wilson and Julien Alfred were among the stand-out performers on a busy weekend of collegiate conference championship action.
Ofili, competing at the SEC Championships in Oxford, Missouri, came close to her lifetime bests when winning the sprint double. The Nigerian teenager, who represents Louisiana State University, took the 100m title in 10.93 (-0.7m/s) ahead of collegiate rival Abby Steiner (11.02). The 200m was even closer between the pair, but Ofili once again came out on top, running 22.04 to Steiner&rsquo;s 22.07.
Ofili added a third title to her collection when LSU won the 4x100m in 42.59. Steiner, representing Kentucky University, once again finished runner-up in 42.63, but she gained redemption at the end of the championships after running a storming 48.78 split on her way to winning the 4x400m in a collegiate record of 3:21.93.
In a thrilling finish with sensational anchor legs from Charokee Young (48.90) and Britton Wilson (48.60) respectively, Texas A&amp;M finished a close second in 3:22.01 with Arkansas third in 3:22.55.
Wilson had already established herself as one of the stars of the event after winning the one-lap double. She took the 400m flat title in a PB of 50.05 and followed it with another lifetime best to win the 400m hurdles in a world-leading 53.75.
US heptathlon champion Anna Hall was second in the 400m hurdles in 55.36 after clocking a PB of 54.91 in the heats.
Elsewhere in Oxford, Champion Allison won the men&rsquo;s 400m in 44.74 from Elija Godwin (44.81).
Women&rsquo;s sprints also produced the headlines at the Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas.
St Lucia&rsquo;s Julian Alfred, a student at the University of Texas, made another big improvement on what is turning out to be a superb breakthrough year for the 20-year-old. She won her 100m heat in a national record of 10.81 (1.7m/s) to smash the meeting record that had stood for 14 years.
The other heats were similarly fast with Kevona Davis setting a PB of 10.95 to win her heat and Rosemary Chukwuma take one of the other races in a wind-assisted 10.94. Most of the track finals in Lubbock will take place on Sunday (15).
Alfred later won her 200m heat in 22.46 (1.2m/s), once again setting a national record. Davis (22.49) and Kynnedy Flannel (22.54) were among the other heat winners.
In other action in Lubbock, Monae Nichols won the long jump with a PB of 6.97m (1.0m/s), backing it up with a 6.80m leap in the fifth round. Ruth Usoro was second with 6.78m. Stacey Ann Williams won her 400m heat in 50.29.

10.93 / 22.04 sprint double from Favour Ofili, 10.81 national 100m record from Julien Alfred

Ofili, Wilson and Alfred shine at collegiate conference championships

The oldest national cross country championships in the world, whose 146-year history was recognised with the World Athletics Heritage Plaque in March 2019, was presented with its honour during the Night of the 10,000m PBs in Highgate, London, on Saturday (14).
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Heritage Plaque</a> is a location-based recognition, awarded for 'an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field athletics and of out-of-stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking'.
The official presentation of the plaque to the English National Cross Country Championships, which had been on hold due to the pandemic, took place at Parliament Hill Fields Athletics Track on the edge of Hampstead Heath, where the plaque will be permanently displayed. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6280a5f52e77fa7e1caa4578.jpg" alt="Aerial view of the Night of the 10,000m PBs at Parliament Hill Athletics Track" />
Aerial view of the Night of the 10,000m PBs at Parliament Hill Athletics Track (&copy; Getty Images)
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Ian Beattie, the chair of UK Athletics, which is the national member federation of World Athletics, presented the plaque to John Temperton and Ian Byett, respectively the chair and secretary of the English Cross Country Association, the custodians of a cross country tradition which dates back to 1876. 
<h2>'Null and void'</h2>
The history of the championships did not begin auspiciously. The first English Cross Country Championships was staged in 1876 in Buckhurst Hill, Epping Forest. However, the result was declared null and void. Over the decades a variety of reasons have been blamed, including a bad storm delaying the runners or more fundamentally the trail not being set properly, as reported at the time by the <a href="http://www.national.crosscountrychampionship.uk/html/reportCC18763S.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">London and Sporting Chronicle</a>.
As such, the 1877 edition is most commonly acknowledged as that start of the championships, staged in Roehampton near Wimbledon Common, England.
That race was won by P H Stenning of Thames Hare &amp; Hounds, London, which in 1868 was established as the world&rsquo;s first adult harrier club. The championships became formalised following the foundation of the English National Cross Country Union in 1883. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/58eac972-f12e-405b-973f-d317140241aa.jpg" alt="March 1913: Competitors in the English National Cross Country Championships climbing over a gate on the route" />
March 1913: Competitors in the English National Cross Country Championships climbing over a gate on the route (&copy; Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
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<h2>A French victory</h2>
The English Cross Country Association (ECCA), which today organises the championships, was established in 1992 following the amalgamation of the former men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s bodies: the English Cross Country Union and the Women&rsquo;s Cross Country and Road Running Association.
Parliament Hill Fields as a venue for the championships is a relative newcomer. It first hosted 'The National', as the event is affectionally known, in 1957. This corner of Hampstead Heath has since been the venue for the championships on another dozen occasions. It is regarded by many as the modern spiritual home of the event.
The individual winners of the championships &ndash; whose names include Jack Holden, Sydney Wooderson, Gordon Pirie, Diane Leather, Basil Heatley, Dave Bedford, Brendan Foster, Joyce Smith, Mike McLeod, Tim Hutchings, Paula Fudge and Paula Radcliffe, to name but a very few &ndash; read like a who&rsquo;s who of English distance running.
If you add France&rsquo;s Joseph Guillemot, the 1920 Olympic 5000m champion who won that same year,&nbsp;to that pantheon of local greats then 'The National' is unquestionably a living distance running legend.
Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage
<a href="http://www.national.crosscountrychampionship.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a> for history and results since 1876

The oldest national cross country championships in the world was presented with its honour during the Night of the 10,000m PBs.

'The National' receives Heritage Plaque at its modern spiritual home

Some of the world&rsquo;s best race walkers will compete in Madrid on Monday (16) when the first Gran Premio Internacional Madrid Marcha LaLiga takes place in the Spanish capital.
One of the most iconic streets of Madrid, Gran V&iacute;a, will be the venue for the World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold event, where Massimo Stano, Perseus Karlstrom and Qieyang Shijie are among the entries.
There will be a mixed 10km race featuring 45 men and 37 women on a kilometre circuit. Before the start, Spain&rsquo;s eight-time Olympian and 1993 world 50km champion Jesus Angel Garcia will receive a warm tribute.
The driving force behind Monday's competition is Spain's European 20km silver medallist Diego Garcia.
"I come from Madrid. There wasn't a first-class competition here and I was eager to perform in my home town, so I decided to take a step forward,&rdquo; said the 26-year-old, who finished sixth at the Tokyo Olympics. &ldquo;After talking to so many people over the past few years, the event will finally become a reality on Monday.&rdquo;
Garcia himself has acted as the elite athlete coordinator and the line-up assembled is of a high calibre. 
<h2>Tough challenge for Stano</h2>
Italy's Olympic 20km champion Stano should be one of the athletes to beat. After his Olympic success, the 30-year-old competed twice in the short space of eight days and remains unbeaten following a fine 2:29:09 35km win in Dudince and another 1:21:21 victory at the Italian 20km Championships a fortnight ago. Stano looks set to contest the 35km event at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, before returning to his 20km speciality for the European Championships in Munich.
Yet Stano will face stiff opposition from a number of world-class walkers, led by world bronze medallist Karlstrom. The 28-year-old Swede proved to be in top form at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Muscat in March, when he took a 40-second win in the 35km event with a 2:36:14 clocking. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/624c24b7275bdccf724cdb9d.jpg" alt="Perseus Karlstrom celebrates his win at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22" />
Perseus Karlstrom celebrates his win at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 (&copy; Getty Images)
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He had to settle for the runner-up spot the following month in Podebrady, where he was beaten by Brazil's Caio Bonfim &ndash; 1:18:54 to 1:19:42. The 31-year-old 2017 world bronze medallist, one of the most consistent walkers over the past decade, will also be in contention on Monday and is fresh from a second-place finish last Saturday in Rio Maior, where he was outclassed by Pan-American champion Brian Pintado, who achieved his first victory in a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold race.
The Ecuadorian continues his busy campaign, as he will be contesting his seventh competition in 2022 in Madrid, topped by his success last weekend and respective fourth places in Muscat and Podebrady, where he managed a 20km PB of 1:19:47.
There will also be several dangerous outsiders. Britain's Tom Bosworth holds the world indoor 3000m race walk best and is an accomplished specialist over shorter distances. He will line up alongside Canada's Olympic 50km bronze medallist Evan Dunfee and the Indian pair of Sandeep Kumar and Amit Khatri, the world U20 10,000m race walk silver medallist. Wang Kaihua, holder of the third-quickest ever 20km performance at 1:16:54, leads the Chinese challenge.
Local hopes rest on Garcia, fifth-place finisher in Muscat just behind Pintado. The Spaniard's final week has been frantic, having to combine his roles as organiser and athlete, but he's confident of performing well in front of his home crowd.
Garcia will be joined by his compatriots Marc Tur, who just missed an Olympic 50km medal in the closing stages, plus Podebrady fifth-place finisher Luis Alberto Amezcua and Paul McGrath, the world U20 bronze and European gold 10,000m race walk medallist. 
<h2>Qieyang aims to prevail</h2>
On the women's side, the leading athlete is China&rsquo;s Qieyang, who claimed 2012 Olympic 20km silver but is expected to be awarded gold following the disqualification of the winning Russian athlete. Qieyang is also the world 20km silver medallist and showed great shape in Dudince, where she captured a convincing victory over 35km in 2:43:06. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/626454c5a02a6969615cd34f.jpg" alt="Qieyang Shijie celebrates her 35km race walk win at the Dudinska 50" />
Qieyang Shijie celebrates her 35km race walk win at the Dudinska 50 (&copy; Milan Duroch)
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She will be accompanied by her compatriot Li Maocuo, the world 50km silver medallist.
Trying to avoid a 1-2 for the Asian squad will be Peru's Kimberly Garcia, the recent victor in Rio Maior ahead of Portugal's Ana Cabecinha, who also competes on Monday. Garcia seems to be in the form of her life having achieved podium spots in Muscat, where she finished third, and Dudince, the venue of her 35km debut at which she clocked 2:43:19 and finished second.
Watch out too for the emerging Czech athlete Eliska Martinkova, silver medallist at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi last year over this distance. The 20-year-old finished a fine fifth in Podebrady in a PB of 1:30.53.
The line-up also includes France's Clemence Beretta, Britain's Heather Lewis and some top Spaniards such as national 10,000m record-holder with 42:24.12 Raquel Gonzalez and Laura Garcia Caro, a 1:28:07 20km race walker who placed fourth in Muscat over 35km.
Weather forecasters predict a pleasant sunny day, with the thermometer reaching 22&deg;C by the time of the event.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics

The first Gran Premio Internacional Madrid Marcha LaLiga takes place in the Spanish capital on Monday.

Thrilling 10km race walk contests set for Madrid

More than 50 Member Federations and other organisations from all six regional areas celebrated Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day, making the inaugural edition on 7 May a truly global occasion.
Held to mark the launch of the new Kids' Athletics programme, Kids' Athletics Day has been created as an annual day to encourage all relevant groups to organise activities that give children the chance to participate in athletics, be active and learn new skills.
Some 30,000 children were involved in the inaugural year. Bolivia, China, Costa Rica and Turkey welcomed the highest attendances and Japan linked their events to the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series of meetings. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/627f7829c42fc4098398a466.jpg" alt="Celebrating Kids' Athletics Day in Japan" />
Celebrating Kids' Athletics Day in Japan
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Bolivia used the occasion as an opportunity to upskill 2500 coaches and deliver events to 12,000 children across the country. China held four in-person events, attended by 2500 children, while a social media campaign also encouraged kids to engage and get moving at home. Costa Rica, meanwhile, ran coach seminars in the week leading up to a national event, which was streamed live on YouTube and had more than 2000 participants. Turkey also held several events across the country involving thousands of kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;The event was incredible, with the children eager to discover further activities,&rdquo; said Marco Brenes, Kids&rsquo; Athletics lead for Costa Rica. &ldquo;During the previous week we held webinars for coaches and teachers of PE, as well as judges and support staff of the federation, and we continue working to update the whole country on the new Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme. The experience has been rewarding, and I want to continue to offer joy and skill development options to children in our country and beyond.&rdquo;
In Africa, Guinea, Mozambique and Senegal participated as part of their Olympic Solidarity projects, while Algeria, Angola, Kenya and Liberia also took part, organising various activities.
In Asia, as well as the in-person and virtual events in China and Japan, activities were organised in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Tajikistan.
Countries involved in Europe included Albania, Azerbaijan, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Monaco, Poland, Serbia, Turkey and the United Kingdom. In Hungary, the national relay championships included children&rsquo;s activities, while the Warsaw Kids Championships in Poland welcomed 400 children. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/627f7706c42fc4098398a463.jpg" alt="Celebrating Kids' Athletics Day in Turkey" />
Celebrating Kids' Athletics Day in Turkey
</div>
Joining Costa Rica among the countries involved in the North American, Central American and Caribbean area were El Salvador, Mexico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. In Oceania, activities were arranged by organisations in Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji and New Zealand. In Australia, Kids&rsquo; Athletics is delivered through Athletics Australia&rsquo;s Sporting Schools programme, and Olympian Brooke Stratton visited a school in Melbourne to inspire kids to be more physically active and get involved in athletics.
As well as Bolivia, other participants in South America included Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela.
A number of other Member Federations have also indicated that they will participate in Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day on other dates throughout the month, with World Athletics encouraging everyone to get involved.&nbsp;
The vision behind Kids' Athletics is the belief that every child is born to move, to play and to explore. No matter where they are in the world, no matter their individual circumstances, it&rsquo;s their fundamental right to have access to sport.
All activities and resources, designed for use by Member Federations, schools and clubs, are available online for free at <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/kids-athletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kids-athletics.org</a>.
World Athletics also marked the new programme by inviting young people aged between four and 14 from all around the world to design the Kids&rsquo; Athletics mascot.
For information about how to enter and what makes a good mascot, please visit the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/kids-athletics/mascot-competition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mascot competition page</a>.
World Athletics

More than 50 Member Federations and other organisations from all six regional areas celebrated Kids’ Athletics Day, making the inaugural edition on 7 May a truly global occasion.

World Athletics celebrates global impact of inaugural Kids' Athletics Day

On an evening where strong winds hampered proceedings, some athletes at the Ooredoo Doha Meeting excelled on their Wanda Diamond League debut.
The date &ndash; Friday 13th &ndash; proved somewhat unlucky for the pole vaulters, whose event had to be cancelled due to the conditions and rescheduled as an indoor competition on Saturday.
But others appeared almost unaffected by the stiff breeze at the Qatar Sports Club, not least Anderson Peters who prevailed in a thrilling javelin contest with a sensational 93.07m winning throw. 
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rZBcBDJP_cc" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 Returning to the city where he won the world title in 2019, the Grenadian made his intention known from the outset, opening his series with a national record of 88.96m, then following it with 87.30m and 88.51m.
Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch then took the lead in round four with a lifetime best of 89.87m, but Peters responded in the next round with 90.19m, another Grenadian record. Just moments later, Vadlejch hit back with an almighty leading 90.88m effort.
Vadlejch was up first to throw in the final round and closed out his series with an 85.50m effort. Peters then took to the runway and launched his spear high into the Doha night air. Instead of stalling, as many high throws tend to do, it simply continued to fly before piercing the ground farther than any other attempt this evening.
The distance &ndash; 93.07m &ndash; came up on the scoreboard and Peters burst into an impromptu dance, celebrating the fact he had become the fifth-best thrower of all time, breaking the North &amp; Central American and Caribbean record in the process.
Germany&rsquo;s Julian Weber finished third with 86.09m and Leandro Ramos set a Portuguese record of 84.78m in fourth, one centimetre ahead of Moldova&rsquo;s Andrian Mardare. 
<h2>Dos Santos, Thomas, Lyles and Harrison triumph in close finishes</h2>
The javelin was one of several highly competitive events in the Qatari capital.
Despite the late withdrawal of world bronze medallist Abderrahman Alsaleck (formerly known as &lsquo;Samba&rsquo;), the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles still served up an exciting clash between USA&rsquo;s Rai Benjamin and Brazil&rsquo;s Alison Dos Santos, the Olympic silver and bronze medallists respectively, and the second- and third-fastest men of all time.
Dos Santos got out strongly but then allowed Benjamin to take the lead down the back straight. Benjamin held pole position into the home straight but Dos Santos, looking ominously comfortable, drew level with the US sprinter over the final barrier and then charged for the line, crossing in 47.24. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/627e8de1bf13efcaa3d66f9a.JPG" alt="Alison dos Santos pips Rai Benjamin in the Doha Diamond League 400m hurdles" />
Alison dos Santos pips Rai Benjamin in the Doha Diamond League 400m hurdles (&copy; Christel Saneh)
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It was the 21-year-old&rsquo;s second-fastest time of his career, behind the 46.72 he clocked to earn bronze in Tokyo. It also erased the 47.38 meeting record that Benjamin set last year &ndash; which, at the time, was a revision of the 47.42 Qatari all-comers&rsquo; record set by Karsten Warholm at the 2019 World Championships.
&ldquo;We prepared well and we started the season fast,&rdquo; said Dos Santos, who last month set a 400m flat PB of 44.54. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m always trying to improve and be better.&rdquo;
Benjamin finished second in a season&rsquo;s best of 47.49 while Ireland&rsquo;s Thomas Barr was a distant third in 49.67.
The strong winds finally died down in time for the women&rsquo;s 200m &ndash; the only sprint event to register a legal wind reading &ndash; and it resulted in Gabby Thomas equalling Allyson Felix&rsquo;s meeting record of 21.98.
The Olympic silver medallist was level with world champion Dina Asher-Smith and Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson for most of the bend, but began to edge ahead as she entered the straight. Jackson didn&rsquo;t give up without a fight, but Thomas proved to be stronger at the end and crossed the line in 21.98 to hold off Jackson (22.07). Asher-Smith, making her seasonal debut at this distance, was third in 22.37.
&ldquo;I was nervous, but I feel great now,&rdquo; said Thomas. &ldquo;It is such a great feeling to interact with the crowd here; it gives me good energy.&rdquo;
The men&rsquo;s 200m was even closer in a race where three global champions clashed.
Noah Lyles &ndash; like Peters, back in the city where he won world gold in 2019 &ndash; kept US compatriot Fred Kerley at bay, prevailing in 19.72. His time would have broken the meeting record had it not been for the marginally illegal wind reading of 2.1m/s. Kerley finished just 0.03 in arrears, while world indoor 400m champion Jereem Richards took third place in 20.15, just ahead of Olympic champion Andre De Grasse, who clocked the same time in fourth.
&ldquo;I perform better under pressure,&rdquo; said Lyles, &ldquo;and the crowd makes me excited. I feel good and satisfied about where I&rsquo;m at right now.&rdquo;
Strong tailwinds are often more of a hindrance than a help in the sprint hurdles, and it nearly cost Kendra Harrison the victory as she hit the final barrier. But the world record-holder held on to win &ndash; just &ndash; in 12.43 (3.8m/s). 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/627e919f312fb860b8ad1812.JPG" alt=" Kendra Harrison on her way to a 100m hurdles win at the Wanda Diamond League in Doha" />
Kendra Harrison on her way to a 100m hurdles win at the Wanda Diamond League in Doha (&copy; Christel Saneh)
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Nigeria&rsquo;s Tobi Amusan and Britany Anderson finished equal second in 12.44.
In their first clash since the Tokyo Games, Olympic silver medallist Marileidy Paulino got the better of two-time Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the 400m.
Miller-Uibo took an early lead, but Paulino gained a slight advantage over the Bahamian at half way. Paulino continued to pull away in the second half and Jamaica&rsquo;s Stephenie Ann McPherson closed on Miller-Uibo. Paulino eventually reached the finish line a clear winner in 51.20 from McPherson (51.69) and Miller-Uibo (51.84).
It was Miller-Uibo&rsquo;s first loss at 400m since her last run in Doha, which was at the 2019 World Championships. 
<h2>World leads for El Bakkali and Niyonsaba</h2>
Olympic steeplechase champion Soufiane El Bakkali opened his 2022 campaign with victory in a world-leading time, though Lamecha Girma ensured the Moroccan had to work hard for it. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/627e9e39100a43041b2e315f.JPG" alt="Soufiane El Bakkali and Lamecha Girma battle in the Doha Diamond League 3000m steeplechase" />
Soufiane El Bakkali and Lamecha Girma battle in the Doha Diamond League 3000m steeplechase (&copy; Christel Saneh)
</div>
The field was paced through the first kilometre in 2:43.41 and they reached 2000m just inside 5:30. Kenya&rsquo;s Abraham Kibiwott led for most of the final kilometre with El Bakkali and Girma tucked in close behind. El Bakkali then hit the front on the final lap, but Ethiopia&rsquo;s world and Olympic silver medallist Girma drew level with 200 metres to go. The Moroccan had the edge at the end, though, and won by 0.01 in 8:09.66. Kibiwott was some way behind in third in 8:16.40.
The finish in the women&rsquo;s 3000m &ndash; a meet-in-the-middle clash between Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Diamond League 5000m champion Francine Niyonsaba &ndash; was similarly exciting.
In a race with no pacemakers, Niyonsaba dictated the pace for most of the way, the Burundian passing through 1000m in 2:56.1. World 5000m leader Girmawit Gebrzihair took a brief stint at the front, as did Kipyegon, but Niyonsaba hit the lead again with 600 metres to go. Kipyegon pulled level with Niyonsaba again with half a lap left, but Niyonsaba responded and kicked away to win in a world-leading 8:37.70.
Kipyegon was second in 8:38.05 and Australia&rsquo;s Jessica Hull placed third in 8:40.97.
Kenya&rsquo;s world champion Timothy Cheruiyot, competing with strapping on the back of his legs, was beaten by younger compatriot Asbel Kipsang in the men&rsquo;s 1500m.
The breezy conditions meant that fast times were out of the question, but it also possibly resulted in a more competitive outcome. Once the last of the pacemakers stepped off the track, Kipsang led from Cheruiyot in the closing stages. At one point on the home straight it appeared as though Cheruiyot would kick back, but Kipsang dug in and held on for victory in 3:35.70. Cheruiyot was second in 3:36.16.
In other middle-distance events, young Kenyan Noah Kibet, the world indoor silver medallist, upstaged an experienced and high-quality 800m field to prevail in 1:49.08 from Australia&rsquo;s Peter Bol (1:49.35). 
<h2>Woo secures first Diamond League win</h2>
On his Wanda Diamond League debut, world indoor champion Woo Sanghyeok overcame a mid-competition scare to win the high jump, beating both Olympic champions in the process.
The Korean jumper needed three attempts to get over 2.24m, but then went on to scale 2.27m on his second try and 2.30m on his first. World and Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim also cleared 2.30m on his first attempt, giving him the lead at that point. But Woo went on to scale 2.33m &ndash; which ended up being the best mark of the night.
Canada&rsquo;s Django Lovett was third with 2.27m and world indoor bronze medallist Hamish Kerr fourth with 2.24m.
World indoor silver medallist Chase Ealey led a US 1-2-3 in the women&rsquo;s shot put. She opened with 18.84m but was overtaken by compatriot Maggie Ewen, who threw 19.32m in round two. Ealey responded with 19.51m, the eventual winning mark. Jessica Ramsey was third with 18.99m. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/627e8cc0bf13efcaa3d66f94.JPG" alt="Triple jump winner Shanieka Ricketts in action at the Doha Diamond League" />
Triple jump winner Shanieka Ricketts in action at the Doha Diamond League (&copy; Christel Saneh)
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In a triple jump competition with strong tailwinds, Jamaica&rsquo;s world silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts dealt best with the conditions and won with a wind-assisted 14.82m (6.5m/s). World indoor silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk was second with 14.73m (6.3m/s). 
<h2>Duplantis soars 6.02m</h2>
The men&rsquo;s pole vault might have taken place a day later than planned, but for Mondo Duplantis it was worth waiting for.
In his first competition since improving his own world record to 6.20m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade on 20 March, Sweden&rsquo;s Olympic champion set a Qatari all-comers&rsquo; record in Doha with a first-time clearance of 6.02m to get his season off to a winning start.
Although the wind might have won on Friday, in Saturday&rsquo;s competition indoors at the Aspire Academy it was Duplantis who dominated. He cleared his opening height of 5.61m on his first attempt and went on to pass at 5.71m before clearing 5.81m, also on his first go.
The 22-year-old had the competition won at that point as USA&rsquo;s KC Lightfoot and Chris Nilsen, Belgium&rsquo;s Ben Broeders and Valentin Lavillenie of France also cleared 5.71m but could go no higher.
Duplantis then had the bar moved to 6.02m and his first-time clearance broke the Qatari all-comers&rsquo; record.
He then had three attempts at 6.12m but it wasn't to be and he ended his competition with a best of 6.02m - the 32nd competition in which he has cleared six metres or higher.
Lightfoot finished second on countback thanks to his first-time clearances of 5.41m, 5.61m and 5.71m, while Broeders was third.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

On an evening where strong winds hampered proceedings, some athletes at the Ooredoo Doha Meeting excelled on their Wanda Diamond League debut.

Peters prevails in javelin thriller at windy Diamond League debut in Doha

World record-holder and Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser threw a world-leading 22.75m at the Puerto Rico International Athletics Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, at the Francisco Montaner Stadium in Ponce on Thursday (12).
And although local star Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, the Olympic champion, was surprisingly beaten in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, the crowd was treated to several world-class performances in a meet that assembled 37 global medallists from more than 20 countries.
Crouser unleashed his shot out to 22.75m in the first round and added two more throws beyond 22 metres to cement his lead in what was his second outdoor appearance since earning silver at the World Indoor Championships.
High expectations were centred on Camacho-Quinn&rsquo;s Puerto Rican debut over her specialty event, in the last race of the evening. But after getting off to a shaky start, the world leader played catch-up and tried her best to overtake early leader Alaysha Johnson, who prevailed at the end in a big PB 12.50, 0.02 ahead of Camacho-Quinn. Jamaica&rsquo;s 2015 world champion Danielle Williams finished third in 12.67.
Composed after the upset, Camacho-Quinn smiled and thanked the crowd for their support and promised to make them proud as she carried two Puerto Rican flags.
Four other individual gold medallists from Tokyo lived up to their billing. Like Crouser and Johnson, three of them set Puerto Rican all-comers&rsquo; records.
Elaine Thompson-Herah delighted the crowd with the first ever sub-11-second 100m clocking in Puerto Rico. The Jamaican crossed the finish line in 10.93 and held off the challenge of Trinidad &amp; Tobago&rsquo;s Michelle-Lee Ahye (11.06), USA&rsquo;s Shania Collins (11.08) and Tamari Davis (11.08).
Back to Puerto Rico for the second time this season, Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas tried the 300m and moved into the top 10 on the all-time world list with his 31.52-second run, followed by USA&rsquo;s Vernon Norwood (31.81) and Jamaica&rsquo;s Nathon Allen (32.04).
USA&rsquo;s Athing Mu, the 800m winner in Tokyo, opted for the one-lap race and produced a season&rsquo;s best and Puerto Rican all-comers&rsquo; record of 50.42. She waved to the crowd with runner-up Gabby Scott (51.42), who came within 0.03 of the Puerto Rican record.
The men&rsquo;s event was dominated easily by another Olympic champion, 2012 winner Kirani James of Grenada, who won in 44.70.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Hansle Parchment was in control from the start and did not relinquish his lead to take the 110m hurdles in a season&rsquo;s best of 13.15, closely challenged by USA&rsquo;s two-time Olympic finalist Devon Allen. &ldquo;I love competing in the Caribbean, the atmosphere and the fact that is warm,&rdquo; said Parchment.
Mu&rsquo;s US compatriot and 800m specialist, 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Clayton Murphy, denied a home win for 2019 Pan American Games bronze medallist Ryan Sanchez. Pushed by the pacers, Sanchez hit the bell in just over 50 seconds and held the lead with 100 metres to go, but Murphy&rsquo;s late charge found no answer and crossed the finish line in 1:45.54. Sanchez, tiring towards the end, was also overtaken by Kenya&rsquo;s Michael Saruni (1:46.14) on the home stretch and had to settle for third in 1:46.42.
After a slightly wind-aided season&rsquo;s debut of 9.75, 2016 world indoor champion Trayvon Bromell confirmed his fine form and pleased the crowd with a comfortable 9.92-second win, the first sub-10-second time ever produced in Puerto Rico.
His fellow US sprinters Brandon Carnes (10.02) and Kyree King (10.11) followed him home. World indoor bronze medallist Marvin Bracy, who ran 10.11 in the heats, did not run the final.
The Puerto Rican Classic also marked the return to competition for USA&rsquo;s four-time and two-time Olympic medallist Christian Taylor, who missed 2021 due to an achilles surgery. &ldquo;I love what I do, and I am back for the love of the sport,&rdquo; said Taylor, who had a best leap of 15.91m. &ldquo;I am healthy and ready to do a full campaign. As defending (world) champion, I can better prepare for Eugene.&rdquo;
US compatriot Donald Scott, the world indoor bronze medallist, won with 16.88m.
Elsewhere, two-time Olympic finalist Janieve Russell led a Jamaican sweep in the women's 400m hurdles with 54.09, the second-fastest time in the world this year.
Nigeria&rsquo;s world and Olympic medallist Ese Brume dominated the long jump with 6.90m (3.5m/s). Adelle Tracey of Great Britain ran a smart race to take the 1500m in 4:05.96. USA&rsquo;s two-time world indoor champion Sandi Morris took the pole vault in a jump off at 4.72m with Greece&rsquo;s 2016 Olympic winner Katerina Stefanidi, second with 4.62m.
The event, which drew athletes form 21 countries, paid tribute to Javier Culson, Puerto Rico&rsquo;s first Olympic medallist in athletics, thanks to his bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2012 Games in London.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for World Athletics

Olympic champion throws 22.75m, one of several Puerto Rican all-comers' records

Crouser crushes world lead and Johnson gets shock win in Ponce

The Wanda Diamond League returns on Friday (13) with the likes of <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/diamond-league/news/ooredoo-doha-meeting-duplantis-barshim-miller-uibo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mondo Duplantis, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Mutaz Essa Barshim set to compete at the Ooredoo Doha Meeting in Qatar</a>. The action begins at 18:10 local time (GMT+3) with the men's pole vault, and the main programme kicks off at 19:00 with the women's 400m. Here&rsquo;s how you can follow the action in Doha.
&nbsp;
<h2>Where to watch</h2>
<a href="https://doha.diamondleague.com/programme-results-doha/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results, programme and entry lists</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/627e0abda43dd8c4af2b848a.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media information sheets</a>
The meeting will be streamed in a number of territories on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/diamondleague/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wanda Diamond League YouTube page</a> from 18.00 local time (GMT +3) The livestream will not be available in all territories. To find out where the meeting may be broadcast in your country, check the list below. If your country does not appear on the list, please check local listings. The list is subject to change, and some broadcasters may only show highlights coverage, while others will show the meeting live. Please check your local listings to find out more information. 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #333333; border-style: solid; width: 100%;" border="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Territories</td>
<td>Broadcaster</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Africa: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Reunion, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Socotra, South Africa, St. Helena and Ascension, Swaziland, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Zanzibar, Algeria, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Mayotte, Morocco, Saint Helena, Somalia, Togo, Tunisia, Western Sahara</td>
<td>Supersport (English) / Canal+ (French)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Argentina</td>
<td>TeleRed</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Australia</td>
<td>Fox Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania</td>
<td>TV3 (SIA)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Balkans:&nbsp;Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia</td>
<td>Sportklub</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Belgium</td>
<td>VRT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Brazil</td>
<td>Globo / Newco - Band Sport</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bulgaria</td>
<td>A1 - Sport Max</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), Cayman Islands, Cuba, Cura&ccedil;ao, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Barth&eacute;lemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands</td>
<td>Flow Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>China</td>
<td>CCTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Czech Republic</td>
<td>Ceska Televize</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Denmark</td>
<td>NENT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Finland</td>
<td>MTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>France / Monaco</td>
<td>Sportall / L'Equipe</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Germany</td>
<td>Sky Deutschland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Greece / Cyprus</td>
<td>TAF / ERT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>India</td>
<td>Viacom 18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Israel</td>
<td>Charlton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Italy and the Vatican City</td>
<td>Sky / Rai</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hungary</td>
<td>MTVA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Macau</td>
<td>TDM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic</td>
<td>Sky Mexico</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Netherlands</td>
<td>Ziggo Sports / NOS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>New Zealand</td>
<td>Spark</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Norway</td>
<td>NRK</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Poland</td>
<td>Polsat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Portugal</td>
<td>Sport TV Portugal</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Singapore</td>
<td>Starhub</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>South Korea</td>
<td>KBS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Slovakia</td>
<td>RTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Spain</td>
<td>Movistar</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sweden</td>
<td>C More-TV4 / SVT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Switzerland</td>
<td>SRG</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Thailand</td>
<td>Cineplex / Mono</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Turkey</td>
<td>Ssport</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>United Kingdom, Guernsey, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man- audio BBC Service overseas</td>
<td>BBC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ukraine</td>
<td>Sentana</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>USA</td>
<td>NBC Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Vietnam</td>
<td>SCTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Bhutan, Bolivia, Chile, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Venezuela
</td>
<td>Wanda Diamond League YouTube / Facebook</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<h2>Social media</h2>
- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> - Wanda Diamond League: <a href="https://twitter.com/diamond_league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DiamondLeague/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diamondleagueathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> - Ooredoo Doha Meeting: <a href="https://doha.diamondleague.com/home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/dldoha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>&nbsp;| <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dldoha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> 
&nbsp;

Catch all the action from the Ooredoo Doha Meeting

How to follow and watch the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha

Seven stars &ndash; including world record-holders Anita Wlodarczyk, Mondo Duplantis and Ryan Crouser &ndash; have been announced for the Gyulai Istvan Memorial when the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting returns in Szekesfehervar on 8 August.
At least 10 Olympic champions are expected to compete, giving a taste of things to come when Budapest hosts the World Athletics Championships in 2023.
Poland&rsquo;s hammer throwing great Wlodarczyk is already a six-time winner at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial, having triumphed in 2021 as well as each year from 2014 to 2018.
Now she heads to Szekesfehervar as a three-time Olympic champion and will have the opportunity to add to her four world titles at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 in July, three weeks before the meeting in Hungary.
It was at that 2022 World Championships venue &ndash; Hayward Field &ndash; that Crouser broke the world shot put record with his 23.37m throw at the US Olympic Trials last year. He had already broken the world indoor record in the January and went on to retain his Olympic title in Tokyo.
Sweden&rsquo;s Duplantis, meanwhile, improved his own world pole vault record to 6.19m in Belgrade in March and then went even higher in the same city a couple of weeks later, soaring 6.20m to win the world indoor title. He too will be looking to put on a show in Szekesfehervar. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/28ea9d31-9501-4fe3-9891-c1672932d0e7.jpg" alt="Pole vault winner Mondo Duplantis at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm" />
Pole vault winner Mondo Duplantis at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm (&copy; Deca Text &amp; Bild)
</div>
Joining them will be another three Olympic champions and a world medallist.
Puerto Rico&rsquo;s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the 100m hurdles at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial last year and then became the Olympic champion in Tokyo, moving to joint fourth on the world all-time list with her Olympic record 12.26 in the semifinals.
Italy&rsquo;s Gianmarco Tamberi is one of the most colourful characters in the world of athletics. His joint high jump title win with Qatar&rsquo;s Muaz Barshim in Tokyo was one of the most memorable moments of the Games.
And Sweden&rsquo;s Daniel Stahl also descends on Szekesfehervar looking to add to his three discus wins at the meeting. After his 2019 World Championships triumph he was also undefeated at the Olympics in Tokyo.
Bence Halasz returns to compete on home soil in the men&rsquo;s hammer. The world bronze medallist has previously competed six times at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial, placing second in 2019 and 2020.
&ldquo;I am sure that a lot of people will be curious about this year's competition,&rdquo; said Peter Deutsch, chairman of the organising committee. &ldquo;Not only because of the world stars Mondo Duplantis or Ryan Crouser, but also because they can support the best Hungarian athletes preparing for the 2023 World Championships.&rdquo;
The Gyulai Istvan Memorial is the penultimate meeting in the 2022 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series and further athletes have also recently been announced for the Gold events in Ostrava and Hengelo.
The Ostrava Golden Spike on 31 May will welcome Kenya&rsquo;s world leader Ferdinand Omanyala, South Africa&rsquo;s Akani Simbine and Czech sprinters Jan Veleba, Zdenek Stromsik and Dominik Zalesky in the men's 100m.
In the men's 800m, Poland&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Patryk Dobek will go up against Botswana&rsquo;s Nijel Amos, Amel Tuka from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kenya&rsquo;s Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Britain&rsquo;s Elliot Giles and Max Burgin, who set a European U20 record last year with 1:44.14 at the Golden Spike.
At the FBK Games on 6 June, Dafne Schippers will return to run the 100m on home soil. The two-time world 200m champion has a PB of 10.81 and in 2015 ran 10.94 to win in Hengelo.
Organisers for World Athletics

Seven stars – including world record-holders Anita Wlodarczyk, Mondo Duplantis and Ryan Crouser – have been announced for the Gyulai Istvan Memorial.

World record-holders Wlodarczyk, Duplantis and Crouser set for Szekesfehervar

Seven individual gold medallists from last year&rsquo;s Olympics, along with several other world champions and Olympic relay winners, will descend on the Qatari capital for the Ooredoo Doha Meeting as the 2022 Wanda Diamond League series gets under way on Friday (13).
Pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis pieced together one of the greatest indoor campaigns in history earlier this year. The 22-year-old cleared six metres in all six of his competitions, improving with each meeting and breaking world records in Belgrade both before (6.19m) and during the World Indoor Championships (6.20m).
He hasn&rsquo;t competed since then, though. And although Duplantis can seemingly vault six metres on any given day, it might not necessarily be enough for victory &ndash; especially as USA&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Chris Nilsen has already achieved that benchmark this year, clearing 6.00m last weekend.
Three other six-metre performers &ndash; former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie, multiple global medallist Piotr Lisek and USA&rsquo;s KC Lightfoot &ndash; will make the event even more competitive. Duplantis cannot afford to have a day off in his outdoor season opener.
For the first time since their iconic joint victory at the Tokyo Games, Olympic champions Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi will compete against one another in the high jump.
Theirs is about as friendly a rivalry as you can get in sport, though once they step on to the infield, they will be determined to come out on top. Both men will be making their outdoor debut. Barshim, in fact, hasn&rsquo;t competed at all since the Tokyo Olympics. Tamberi, meanwhile, went on to win the Diamond League title last year and made a last-minute decision to compete at the World Indoor Championships two months ago, leaving Belgrade with a bronze medal. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/609533c2270d9b5e83f998cd.jpg" alt="Mutaz Barshim in action in the high jump" />
Mutaz Barshim in action in the high jump (&copy; Hasse Sjogren)
</div>
Barshim will have home crowd advantage, of course, but it&rsquo;s difficult to gauge the form of an athlete who hasn&rsquo;t competed for more than nine months. If recent form is anything to go by, then world indoor champion Woo Sanghyeok could start as the marginal favourite. The Korean was fourth at the Olympics last year, cleared a world-leading 2.36m earlier this year and then won the world indoor title. He opened his outdoor season last month with a 2.30m win in Daegu.
Other contenders include Commonwealth champion Brandon Starc, world indoor bronze medallist Hamish Kerr of New Zealand and US jumps talent JuVaughn Harrison.
The women&rsquo;s 400m in Doha sees the high jump&rsquo;s two Olympic gold medals and raises it by another two.
Not only does the line-up feature four of the top five women from the Tokyo Games &ndash; including Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo &ndash; but it also includes three women who earned gold medals in relay events in the Japanese capital.
Miller-Uibo, who won the world indoor title two months ago, will take on Olympic silver medallist Marileidy Paulino, Jamaican duo Stephenie Ann McPherson and Candice McLeod, US pair Lynna Irby and Kendell Ellis and Poland&rsquo;s Natalia Kaczmarek.
The men&rsquo;s 200m is similarly loaded as three individual reigning global champions clash. Olympic champion Andre De Grasse takes on world champion Noah Lyles and world indoor 400m champion Jereem Richards. Add in the likes of Olympic 100m silver medallist Fred Kerley, Olympic 4x100m champion Filippo Tortu, and Canadian duo Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake &ndash; winners at recent Continental Tour Gold meetings &ndash; and this could well end up producing the track highlight of the meeting.
When it comes to Olympic rematches, the men&rsquo;s steeplechase does a pretty good job as it reunites the top five finishers from the Tokyo final.
Gold medallist Soufiane El Bakkali renews his rivalry with world and Olympic silver medallist Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia, Olympic bronze medallist and Diamond League champion Benjamin Kigen, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getnet Wale, Eritrea&rsquo;s Yemane Haileselassie and Kenya&rsquo;s Abraham Kibiwot, winner at the recent Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi.
The women&rsquo;s 3000m will be an enthralling meet-in-the-middle clash between Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Diamond League 5000m champion Francine Niyonsaba. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60e8ad7a807eaebee2413f56.jpg" alt="Faith Kipyegon wins the 1500m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco" />
Faith Kipyegon wins the 1500m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
Kipyegon often runs well in Doha. She has won the 800m here for the past two years, she broke four minutes for 1500m for the first time here in 2013, set her 3000m PB of 8:23.55 in 2014 and earned world silver in 2019.
But Niyonsaba is one of the few runners who can match Kipyegon&rsquo;s versatility and finishing speed. The Burundian set a world 2000m best last year, clocked a world-leading 8:19.08 for 3000m, won the Diamond League 5000m title and finished fifth over 10,000m at the Olympic Games.
Beatrice Chebet, the surprise 3000m winner in Doha last year, is also in the field, as is world steeplechase champion Beatrice Chepkoech and current world 5000m leader Girmawit Gebrzihair.
<h2>Global medallists assemble</h2>
Even in events where the individual Olympic champion won&rsquo;t be present, most will feature clashes between numerous major championships medallists.
Five of the top six finishers from the iconic Olympic men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles final will be in the Qatari capital. World and Olympic silver medallist Rai Benjamin, the second-fastest man in history for the event, will face world bronze medallist Abderrahman Alsaleck (formerly known as &lsquo;Samba&rsquo;), Olympic bronze medallist Alison Dos Santos, Commonwealth champion Kyron McMaster and 2017 world silver medallist Yasmani Copello. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/dd51087f-530e-4a53-85c4-bbff057fb2cb.jpg" alt="Rai Benjamin wins the Wanda Diamond League 400m hurdles in Doha" />
Rai Benjamin wins the Wanda Diamond League 400m hurdles in Doha (&copy; Getty Images / AFP)
</div>
World champion Dina Asher-Smith will contest her first 200m of the year. The Briton has tested her form in some early low-key season races over 400m and 300m, clocking a PB of 36.41 in the latter. But this will be her biggest test of the season so far as she takes on Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson, Olympic 200m bronze medallist Gabby Thomas, sub-22-second performer Tamara Clark of the USA and in-form Bahamian Anthonique Strachan.
All three podium placers from the recent World Indoor Championships will take on two Olympic medallists in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles. World record-holder Kendra Harrison, Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper, world indoor champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela, world indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton and world indoor bronze medallist Gabbi Cunningham are all in the line-up, as is African champion Tobi Amusan and Olympic finalist Britany Anderson.
Timothy Cheruiyot will open his season over his specialist distance, the 1500m, in the city where he won the world title in 2019. The Kenyan will face Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yomif Kejelcha, world indoor bronze medallist Abel Kipsang, Australia&rsquo;s Stewart McSweyn and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Teddese Lemi.
Another world middle-distance champion, US 800m runner Donavan Brazier, also makes his 2022 Diamond League debut. He will face the likes of Olympic silver medallist Ferguson Rotich, Australia&rsquo;s Peter Bol and Canada&rsquo;s Marco Arop.
<h2>Loaded shot put, javelin and triple jump line-ups</h2>
The field events in Doha will be every bit as thrilling as the track action.
In a loaded women&rsquo;s shot put field, world indoor silver medallist Chase Ealey takes on world indoor bronze medallist Jessica Schilder, Olympic silver medallist Raven Saunders, world silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd, all-round throws talent Maggie Ewen and US Olympian Jessica Ramsey. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/8fd4c02d-df49-49c9-b1f9-7622d73dd42f.jpg" alt="Shot put winner Chase Ealey at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai" />
Shot put winner Chase Ealey at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai (&copy; Errol Anderson)
</div>
In the men&rsquo;s javelin, 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler of Germany and world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada take on the two Czech men who made it on to the Olympic podium last year: silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch and bronze medallist Vitezslav Vesely. Germany&rsquo;s Julian Weber and Moldova&rsquo;s Andrian Mardare, both highly consistent performers, are also in the line-up.
And the women&rsquo;s triple jump is essentially a clash of global silver medallists as Olympic runner-up Patricia Mamona faces world silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts, world indoor silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk and 2018 world indoor silver medallist Kimberly Williams.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Seven individual gold medallists from last year’s Olympics will light up the Ooredoo Doha Meeting.

Global champions descend on Doha to kick off Diamond League season

Dozens of Olympic and world medallists are to star at the Puerto Rico International Athletics Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, at the&nbsp;Francisco Montaner Stadium&nbsp;in Ponce on Thursday (12).
Among them is Puerto Rico&rsquo;s own, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn. The Olympic 100m hurdles champion and world leader with 12.39 will not have an easy race on her hands as she faces this season's world No.2, Tonea Marshall, who has clocked 12.46 and also ran a slightly wind-assisted 12.36 last month.
Also challenging Camacho-Quinn will be her training partner Tia Jones, 2015 world champion Danielle Williams and US indoor record-holder Sharika Nelvis.
"I couldn&rsquo;t be more excited for this opportunity to race in front of my people," said Camacho-Quinn. "Victor Lopez and the American Track League have put together an Olympic calibre field right here in Puerto Rico and I can&rsquo;t wait to put on a show for the home crowd."
Her fellow Olympic champion, the Jamaican sprint great Elaine Thompson-Herah, will be leading the field in the 100m. The challenge for the five-time Olympic gold medallist will come from a deep field of sprinters including double 2021 NCAA champion Cambrea Sturgis, who ran a PB of 10.87 last month in North Carolina. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6115a23d2322fac4819e9c24.jpg" alt="Elaine Thompson-Herah in action at the Diamond League meeting in Paris" />
Elaine Thompson-Herah in action at the Diamond League meeting in Paris (&copy; Gladys Chai von der Laage)
</div>
The men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles is also expected to be a star-studded event, with a pair of Jamaican Olympic gold medallists battling in a strong field. Tokyo champion Hansle Parchment takes on Omar McLeod, the 2016 Olympic winner, as well as USA's Devon Allen. Allen, who is also an American football player, recently signed to play receiver in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he delays his entry to the NFL training camp to focus first on the track season.
Another event boasting an Olympic gold medallist is the women&rsquo;s pole vault, featuring 2016 champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece, who will take on USA's two-time world indoor champion Sandi Morris.&nbsp;
USA's two-time Olympic champion and world record-holder Ryan Crouser has been virtually unbeatable in the men's shot put since 2019, with his only defeat coming at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 in March. In 2021 he broke the world record both indoors and outdoors and he seeks another strong performance in Ponce. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6127e296b47f2a2f4185e096.jpg" alt="Ryan Crouser competes at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne" />
Ryan Crouser competes at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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The meeting also stages the comeback of USA's two-time Olympic triple jump champion and four-time world gold medallist Christian Taylor, who makes his return after 2021 achilles surgery. Taylor will face his compatriot and long-time competitor Will Claye.
World and Olympic 400m champion Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas will be dropping down to the 300m, while three-time Olympic 400m medallist Kirani James of Grenada will be contesting his primary event, where he expects to be challenged by another Olympic gold medallist, Tokyo 800m winner Emmanuel Korir. 
Another Olympic champion toes the line in the women's event as Athing Mu, the 800m winner in Tokyo, also steps down to the one-lap event to test her speed.
A fierce battle is expected in the men&rsquo;s 100m, with the fields featuring 11 men who have run under 10 seconds for the event, led by 2021&rsquo;s fastest man, USA's Trayvon Bromell. The biggest challenges to Bromell will come from his training partner Marvin Bracy and multiple Olympic medallist Yohan Blake.
Organisers for World Athletics

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It was the leap that affirmed his ambition.
Soaring 8.12m at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi last August, Erwan Konate surpassed the eight-metre mark for the first time in his career to get gold, roaring with delight when the French U20 record figures flashed up on the scoreboard.
That moment made the talented teenager certain that his future lay in the long jump. 
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 Winning at the age of 18, and with two editions of the global U20 event taking place in consecutive years due to the pandemic, means that Konate has the chance to defend his title at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 in August. That&rsquo;s one of many targets this season, with his win in Kenya acting as the catalyst.
&ldquo;After I jumped eight metres in Nairobi, I said 'okay, that is a good choice!'&rdquo; smiles Konate, who is also a business student and model. &ldquo;Last year was totally crazy. My performance was so crazy for my age &ndash; it was a world lead for U20, a French U20 record. Now it is a new time with new goals.&rdquo;
That jump in Kenya added 21cm to Konate&rsquo;s previous best, set when claiming European U20 bronze in Tallinn in July.
Opening with a leap of 7.75m, his consistent series also included jumps of 7.80m, 7.90m, 8.00m and 7.98m, as well as his fourth-round 8.12m. He won by 15cm ahead of Jhon Andres Berrio, whose 7.97m was a Colombian U20 record, while Jamaica&rsquo;s Kavian Kerr bagged bronze thanks to a 7.90m PB. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/611ffdf45344ec56169050d6.jpg" alt="Erwan Konate soars to world U20 long jump gold in Nairobi" />
Erwan Konate soars to world U20 long jump gold in Nairobi (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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After that competition, Konate went on to make his Diamond League debut in Brussels in September, the same month he teamed up with a new coach &ndash; 1987 world long jump silver medallist Robert Emmiyan.
That also gave Konate another target to shoot for &ndash; Emmiyan&rsquo;s European record of 8.86m, a mark that places him fourth on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s another level, another world!&rdquo; says Konate, who further proved his record-breaking ability earlier this year when he leapt 7.98m to finish second at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe in January. That added 5cm to the ratified European indoor U20 record that had been set by Emmiyan in 1984.
While a performance like Emmiyan&rsquo;s 8.86m is a long-term goal, Konate currently has two significant figures in mind &ndash; first the 8.22m qualifying standard for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, taking place the month before the U20 event in Cali, and also the world U20 record of 8.35m that has stood since 2012.
&ldquo;Those are my goals, but my first goal is to live my life and enjoy my life,&rdquo; Konate adds. Happy in his current set-up, the French rising star appears to be doing just that. 
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbA8Zq0M4zW/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
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 Born in Amiens in northern France in 2003, Konate has spent his whole life in athletics. His father Papa Ladji Konate is a former triple jumper while his mother Virginie Scribe Konate specialises in the hammer throw.
&ldquo;All the time, I have been in the stadium with my parents,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;After their wedding, my parents went to the stadium! It is our life.&rdquo;
Early on, he showed strength in the discus throw but was most passionate about the long jump. Konate gives great credit to his former coach Erwan Mouaddib but felt that joining Emmiyan and being based at France's National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP) in Paris was an important next step in his career.
From the three sessions per week training he did in the lead up to the European and World U20 Championships, Konate says he now trains &ldquo;like a professional athlete&rdquo;. He recently joined Emmiyan and his training partner Jules Pommery on a camp in Corsica to prepare for his busy outdoor campaign.
&ldquo;He is so talented,&rdquo; says Emmiyan, who is also president of the Armenian athletics federation. &ldquo;I was so happy that he won the World U20 Championships last year in Kenya and that this year he broke my European U20 record. Now this season is very important because he can become a two-time world U20 champion.
&ldquo;He also has the capacity to qualify for the senior world championships and has a lot of different invitations regarding international competitions.&rdquo; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/627aa1f9a7249c49e5d817d5.jpg" alt="Erwan Konate competes at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe" />
Erwan Konate competes at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe (&copy; Getty Images)
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During the camp, Konate was training twice a day, five times a week, with a focus on speed and transition.
&ldquo;Erwan comes from a wonderful athletic family,&rdquo; Emmiyan adds. &ldquo;They support at all times. His mother writes the power training programme. We cooperate very well. This is important.&rdquo;
And Konate&rsquo;s relationship with Emmiyan means they too have become like family.
&ldquo;Erwan is also speaking a little bit of Armenian!&rdquo; Emmiyan laughs. &ldquo;The relationship between coach and athletes is so important. We stay like family.
&ldquo;I trust him, I see his motivation, and he trusts me. We feel comfortable together and with the group.&rdquo;
Konate agrees. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very important for me. I live my life all the time with one guy &ndash; my coach and my partner. For me he is an inspiration.&rdquo;
With so much to aim for &ndash; including a home Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 &ndash; that support network will remain key as Konate prioritises his happiness.
&ldquo;I trained very hard on my mentality because it was tough after Nairobi, because I had a lot of pressure,&rdquo; he says.
&ldquo;I try, with my body and with my head, to jump far. I don&rsquo;t have a barrier in my mind, I just say jump. Maybe you win, maybe you lose, but you jump.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

World Athletics U20 Championships

8.12m – it was the leap that affirmed his ambition.

World U20 title just the start for long jump talent Konate

Such is the significance of the moment, people remember precisely where they were and exactly how they felt when Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi united to share the Olympic high jump gold in Tokyo.
Nine months have passed since that distinguished display of friendship, respect and top-class competition, but the emotion has not diminished. If anything, it has intensified, as the duo turn the page to start the next chapter in their tale of tenacity and solidarity.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t go anywhere without someone stopping me and telling me where they were, how they felt and what their reaction was, exactly at the time it happened,&rdquo; Barshim says with a smile. &ldquo;Somebody said they cried, somebody said they broke the TV. I&rsquo;m really glad that we could inspire so many people.&rdquo;
So much so that Qatar&rsquo;s Barshim and Italy&rsquo;s Tamberi were named winners of the World Athletics Inspiration Award at the end of last year, receiving recognition for that superb show of sportsmanship between two great friends and rivals. 
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 Now, with just four days until the opening meeting of the 2022 Wanda Diamond League series, the pair are preparing to reunite on the runway for the first time since Tokyo &ndash; first in Doha on Friday (13) and then the following month in Rome as they once again welcome each other to their home countries.
&ldquo;I celebrated the best moment of my life so far with Mutaz in Tokyo, but it&rsquo;s important to move on from that and focus on the new goals I&rsquo;ve set myself for the World and European Championships this summer,&rdquo; says 2021 Wanda Diamond League champion Tamberi, who spent a spell training in Qatar in March and April.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve enjoyed learning more about this great country. Every time I come here it feels like home because of my friendship with Mutaz and the warm welcome I&rsquo;ve received, so it means a lot to me to open my Diamond League campaign and summer season in Doha.
&ldquo;How high will I jump? I don't know, we'll see. We will evaluate in the coming days whether to compete with a full run or with nine steps.&rdquo;
The Golden Gala Pietro Mennea then takes place in Rome on 9 June &ndash; just five weeks out from the World Athletics Championships Oregon 22.
"Rome is a beautiful stage to better prepare for the World Championships,&rdquo; Tamberi adds. &ldquo;Having the Golden Gala before Eugene is essential for me.&rdquo; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6256fc74c8759fb543082a43.jpg" alt="Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi" />
Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi (&copy; Getty Images / AFP)
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The outdoor head-to-head record between the two high jump stars currently stands at 10-4 in Barshim&rsquo;s favour, but the last time they met in Diamond League competition &ndash; at last year&rsquo;s Golden Gala &ndash; Tamberi had the upper hand, finishing third as Barshim was fifth.
They may not have things all their own way in Doha, either, as they will face joint world leaders Sanghyeok Woo and Hamish Kerr. Korea&rsquo;s Olympic fourth-place finisher Woo cleared 2.34m to win the world indoor title in Belgrade in March, while New Zealand&rsquo;s Kerr claimed joint bronze alongside Tamberi. 
<h2>Brothers in arms</h2>
The friendship between Barshim and Tamberi began over a decade ago, when their high jump talent took them to the 2010 World U20 Championships in Moncton, Canada. Barshim won that title and has gone on to claim five senior world medals &ndash; including three golds &ndash; along with his three Olympic medals. Tamberi, meanwhile, has become a world indoor and European champion, recently adding world indoor bronze to his CV at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62796854e37fa9aaed08c059.jpg" alt="Mutaz Barshim competes at the 2010 World U20 Championships in Moncton" />
Mutaz Barshim competes at the 2010 World U20 Championships in Moncton (&copy; Getty Images)
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But it has not all been plain sailing and central to their story is the support they have shown each other during the highs and &ndash; most significantly &ndash; the lows, particularly when it comes to their shared experience of career-threatening injury.
&ldquo;I think 99% of people thought it was impossible for me to achieve that gold medal in Tokyo,&rdquo; says Tamberi, the Italian record-holder with his best of 2.39m, who tore a ligament in his left ankle just weeks out from the Rio Olympics.
&ldquo;And now, if I saw that story from the outside, I would say that I agree! But it is a wonderful story with a magical ending. I always try to say that until the last day you have one chance, one opportunity &ndash; until the last day, it is not finished.&rdquo;
Barshim, who suffered the same injury in 2018, feels the same. &ldquo;When I got injured and I was laying in the hospital bed after surgery, you start thinking, &lsquo;am I ever going to be able to do what I love again?&rsquo;&rdquo; says the Qatari record-holder, whose PB of 2.43m puts him second on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;Something changed in me, and you start to appreciate things more and approach things differently. In that moment, that&rsquo;s what came to me.&rdquo;
In the highest-quality men's high jump competition in Olympic history, six athletes were still active when the bar went up to 2.39m inside Tokyo&rsquo;s National Stadium. Both Barshim and Tamberi had flawless performances up to 2.37m, but when neither were able to go two centimetres higher, the multiple Asian champion asked the judge a five-word question that electrified a global audience of millions.
&ldquo;Can we have two golds?&rdquo;
They barely waited for his reply as Tamberi leapt into his friend and rival&rsquo;s arms to celebrate. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/627968fc703d5c7696975c60.jpg" alt="Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi celebrate their joint Olympic high jump gold in Tokyo" />
Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi celebrate their joint Olympic high jump gold in Tokyo (&copy; Getty Images)
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&ldquo;It was such a genuine moment,&rdquo; explains Barshim. &ldquo;People love the fact that you can be so competitive and so selfish &ndash; because you have to have some selfishness in a positive way as we both want the best &ndash; but at the same time, we didn&rsquo;t forget the true spirit of sport.
&ldquo;That is what people really love. Winning Olympic gold, of course it is a great feeling, but that moment to share &ndash; it touched so many people&rsquo;s hearts.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We just looked into each other&rsquo;s eyes and in one tenth of a second, we decided,&rdquo; remembers Tamberi. &ldquo;After the Olympic Games, this big friendship became like family. He will forever be my brother.&rdquo;
Now the brothers in arms have a new target &ndash; the World Championships in Oregon in July.
&ldquo;We made history with our Olympic gold, but my focus is now entirely on defending my world title in Eugene later this summer,&rdquo; says Barshim. &ldquo;The men&rsquo;s high jump is currently at a very high standard. We must all continue to work hard if we&rsquo;re to push the boundaries of our sport.&rdquo;
The 30-year-old will be going for a third consecutive title after his wins in London in 2017 and on home soil in Doha in 2019, while Tamberi seeks the only major title missing from his collection.
But &ndash; as the Olympics in Tokyo proved &ndash; who says it has to be one or the other?
&ldquo;Of course, this year the main goal is the outdoor World Championships where I want to share the gold medal with Mutaz again,&rdquo; says 29-year-old Tamberi.
Whether or not history repeats in Oregon, the next chapter will be equally fascinating.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Nine months have passed since their joint Olympic triumph and now the friends and rivals are preparing to start their season in Doha.

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