ZURICH, Switzerland — Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson will take on a loaded field over 200m at the Zurich IAAF Diamond League on Thursday.
Among the sprinters ready to challenge the Jamaican superstar are two-time world champion Dafne Schippers, Ivorian Marie-Josée Ta Lou, the silver medallist at the recent world championships and Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who won the bronze in London.
Thompson managed to shake off her illness from the London 2017 IAAF World Championships to win the women’s 100m at the Birmingham Diamond League over the weekend.
In that race, the Jamaica sprint star eased away from Schippers, the bronze medallist in London over the distance.
Thursday’s outing will be the first 200m for Thompson since she finished third at the 2017 Prefontaine Classic behind American Tori Bowie and Miller-Uibo.
Meanwhile, Schippers ran unchallenged to defend her 200m world title at London 2017 earlier this month and she will be hoping to repeat that performance against one of her most intense rivals in the sprints.
Since the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, Thompson holds a 4-0 record against the Dutch sprinter in the 200m, including two wins this season on the circuit.
Also in the event is double world silver medallist Ta Lou, who has also been in great form this season.
The Ivory Coast star set a national record of 22.08 seconds to finish second in London behind Schippers and will be one of the athletes to watch.
Bahamas’ quarter-miler Miller-Uibo, who posted a personal best and national record of 21.91 seconds in Eugene, Oregon, earlier this year, is also expected to be a threat.
The 23-year-old had looked well set to grab gold in the final of the women’s 400m, but suffered stumbled in the closing metres and finished fourth.
She did, however, managed to bounce back to grab a bronze medal in the 200m.
Miller-Uibo also recently set a personal best of 11.19 secs in the 100m at the Birmingham Diamond League.
Making up the rest of the field are American Kyra Jefferson, who has a seasonal and personal best time of 22.02secs, Swiss star Mujinga Kambundji, Simone Facey of Jamaica and Canada’s Crystal Emmanuel.
