World champions Noah Lyles and Femke Bol will headline Saturday’s London Diamond League meeting, with both athletes looking to continue their impressive form at the British venue.
The men’s 100m promises to be the highlight of the day as Lyles takes on Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo for the third straight year in London. Their recent battle in Monaco saw the American win over 200m with a time of 19.88, edging out Tebogo’s 19.97.
Lyles enters the race as the Olympic 100m champion, while Tebogo brings momentum as the current world athlete of the year. The pair have produced memorable clashes in London before, with Lyles winning their 100m encounter last year in 9.81 to Tebogo’s 9.88 – both personal bests at the time.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine will join the star duo after finishing between them in last year’s London race. The field also features world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu, world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes, and Jamaican sprinters Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake.
Jamaican champion Kishane Thompson currently holds the world’s fastest time this season with 9.75, but he will not lineup in London.
Women’s Sprint Field
Olympic champion Julien Alfred switches from her usual 100m distance to compete in the 200m. The sprinter has run under 10.80 in her last three Diamond League 100m races and holds the world’s best 200m time this year at 21.88.
Alfred will face a strong field including 2019 world champion Dina Asher-Smith, Olympic finalist Daryll Neita, Spanish record-holder Jael Bestue, and Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke.
Femke Bol Sets For Another Dominant Performance
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Dutch star Femke Bol returns to a track where she has made history twice. She first broke 52 seconds in London during 2023, setting a Diamond League record of 51.45. Last year, she improved that mark to 51.30 at the same venue.
Bol arrives fresh from her world-leading performance in Monaco, where she clocked 51.95. She will face challenges from USA’s Jasmine Jones and Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight in what promises to be another fast race.
The men’s 400m features world leader Zakithi Nene, who has run 43.76 this season. He will compete against Matthew Hudson-Smith and Muzala Samukonga, who claimed Olympic silver and bronze medals respectively.
