European Diamond League Season Gets Underway in Stockholm

By Adam Kopet

The Stockholm Diamond League meeting gets underway Thursday, the first of the European Diamond League meetings.

ENTRIES

Michael Norman might be the biggest star of the meet as he runs his first 400-meter race since he ran a world-leading 43.45 seconds in his season debut at the Mt. SAC Relays last month. He will once again be racing training partner Rai Benjamin, the third-fastest 400-meter hurdler of all-time.

In addition to his fast 400 meters, Norman equaled his personal best over 200 meters recently in Osaka, Japan. Running into a slight headwind, he won the race in 19.84. That ranks him third on the world list this year.

The men's long jump also features star power with the reigning Olympic champion, Jeff Henderson, the reigning world outdoor champion, Luvo Manyonga of South Africa, and reigning world indoor champion, Juan Miguel Echevarria of Cuba, all set to compete. Echevarria is one to watch, as he jumped a wind-assisted 29-3.25 (8.92m). That is less than three inches off the farthest all-conditions jump ever recorded.

The women's 200 meters features Jenna Prandini as she takes on some of the world's best sprinters. The race includes Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, the Netherlands' Dafne Schippers and Jamaica's Elaine Thompson.

In the women's 800 meters, there is no Caster Semenya or Francine Niyonsaba, who finished first and second in Doha. But that leaves an interesting race between Ajee' Wilson, Raevyn Rogers and Kenya's Nelly Jepkosgei. All three have already broken two minutes this year.

The men's 800 meters, a non-Diamond League event, features Erik Sowinski and Harun Abda. They face Poland's Marcin Lewandowski and Amel Tuka of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In another non-Diamond League event, we will see Paul Chelimo, Kirubel Erassa, Shadrack Kipchirchir and Leonard Korir race in the 10,000 meters. They will face Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet in his 10,000-meter debut and Kenya's Rhonex Kipruto. For Chelimo, this will be his first 10,000-meter track race since he won the NAIA National Championships in 2011.

Other American athletes of note competing in Stockholm include Keni Harrison and Sharika Nelvis in the 100-meter hurdles, TJ Holmes and Kenneth Selmon in the 400-meter hurdles and Sam Kendricks in the pole vault.

Other athletes of note competing are Hellen Obiri of Kenya in the 5,000 meters and the Ingebrigtsen brothers from Norway in the 1,500 meters. All three, Henrik, Filip and Jakob, are set to race against the Kenyan duo of Timothy Cheruiyot and Elijah Manangoi and Ethiopia's Samuel Tefera.