The world’s biggest stars return to Wanda Diamond League action this weekend as the Road to the Final heads into the final straight in Lausanne.
The Swiss meeting is the 12th leg of the 2026 season, and one of three remaining chances for athletes to win points and qualify for the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 4-5.
Here are five things to look out for at Athletissima.
Duplantis at the lake
While the main action takes place at the Stade de la Pontaise on Friday evening, the meeting will officially begin a day before with the men’s pole vault city event at the Place de la Navigation on the shores of Lake Geneva on Thursday. All eyes will be on world record holder Mondo Duplantis, who will be looking to bounce back after suffering a second surprise defeat of the season in London last month. The Swedish superstar, who won a fourth successive European Championship gold in Birmingham last week, will be out to return to winning ways as he sets his sights on the Diamond League Final.
Jackson and Hunt eye final
A place in the final will be on the line in the women’s 200m, where in-form British star Amy Hunt takes on Jamaican legend Shericka Jackson. Both Hunt and Jackson need just a few more points to book their tickets to Brussels, and both will be hoping to qualify with a victory in Lausanne. Hunt heads to Switzerland in particularly formidable form, after sweeping to a stunning quadruple gold medal at the European Championships on home soil last week.
Werro on home soil
Hunt is one of 14 European champions in action in Lausanne, but few can expect as warm a welcome as Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, who returns to action home soil just a week after clinching gold in Birmingham. The third-fastest woman in history following her back-to-back Diamond League records in Stockholm and Paris, Werro could secure qualification for the final with a win in Lausanne as she looks to defend the Diamond League title she won in Zurich last season.
Russell’s record hunt
Werro is not the only Swiss star in action at Athletissima. In the women’s 100m hurdles, world champion Ditaji Kambundji will be hoping home advantage can propel her to a first Diamond League win of the season. Kambundji faces the toughest test imaginable, however in the form of world number one Masai Russell. The American is in extraordinary form this season, and has her sights firmly set on the world record of 12.12 after jump-starting her campaign with a brilliant 12.14 in Xiamen in May.
Chopra v Pathirage
South Asia’s two biggest stars will go head to head in the men’s javelin, as India’s Neeraj Chopra takes on Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage. The Sri Lankan’s 92.62m world lead in Rome in June has helped propel him to the top of the world rankings this season, and he has already booked his place in the final in Brussels. Former Olympic and Diamond League champion Chopra, by contrast, is lagging behind in the standings and needs a big performance in Lausanne.
