Gateshead: Five Things To Look Out For

Bol v Little

Dutch 400m hurdles star Femke Bol cruised to her third win in three Wanda Diamond League meetings in Stockholm earlier this month, running the fourth fastest time in history as she did so. Just two hundredths of a second behind her was the USA’s Shamier Little, who is on equally blistering form this season and looks to be Bol’s main rival in the battle for the Diamond Trophy. The two go head to head again in Gateshead, with the likes of Janieve Russell and Lea Sprunger making up the rest of a big-name field.

Vetter in form

German javelin star Johannes Vetter looks to be in fine form ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games, and can lock down a place in the Wanda Diamond League final with victory in Gateshead. Yet that may not be all he is after, for Vetter has also been sniffing around Jan Zelezny’s world record for around a year now. Zelezny’s 98.48m has remained unbeaten for a quarter of a century, but Vetter came within a metre of it in Poland last year, and is throwing consistently over 90 metres this season. A first Diamond League win in two years seems likely on Tuesday, but could it be even more for the 2017 world champion?

Bromell to bounce back?

He is the fastest man in the world this year, yet Trayvon Bromell managed only fifth place in his first Wanda Diamond League appearance of 2021 in Monaco last weekend, as compatriot Ronnie Baker stole the show in the men’s 100m. Bromell will be hoping to bounce back in Gateshead, where he takes on another stacked field which includes Andre De Grasse, Fred Kerley and local hero and 2017 Diamond League champion CJ Ujah.

Katir returns

One of the most memorable images of the 2021 season opener in Gateshead two months ago was Mohamed Katir’s enormous grin as he crossed the line with a winning personal best of 13:08.52 in the men’s 5000m. Katir returns to Gateshead in search of more valuable Diamond League points on Tuesday, and he remains in fine form in the build-up to the Olympics. A barnstorming run in the 1500m in Monaco last Friday saw him finish second only to the great Timothy Cheruiyot and set a new Spanish record of 3:28.76.

Brits meet Mihambo

Malaika Mihambo had a comparativelycomfortable ride to the Diamond Trophy in 2019, as she twice cleared seven metres during the season before pulling out a winning performance in the final. This year has been tougher, with the German’s one win so far in Oslo flanked by two defeats to Serbian rival Ivana Spanovic in Florence and Stockholm. On Tuesday, she takes on an array of British stars including Katharina Johnson-Thompson and Jazmin Sawyers, as she bids to pick up an all-important second victory and secure her place in the Wanda Diamond League Final before heading to Tokyo.