Kenyan distance legend Faith Kipyegon will kick off her 2026 season in the 5000m at the Wanda Diamond League season opener in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 16.
Kipyegon, who has broken a world in each of the past three Diamond League seasons, will headline the women’s 5000m in what will be her second appearance in China in two years.
In 2025, Kipyegon opened her season at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, falling just short of a world record in the women’s 1000m.
The 31-year-old has dominated the Diamond League in recent years and is now chasing a record sixth title in athletics’ premier one-day series.
Since 2023, she has set five new world records across three different disciplines in four different Diamond League cities.
The 5000m will be an additional event in Keqiao, meaning Kipyegon will not earn points for the Diamond League standings.
Yet it will still be a crucial test of form on the biggest stage, as the Kenyan star gears up for further Diamond League appearances in Eugene and Monaco later in the season.
Shanghai/Keqiao is the opening leg of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, which will cross four continents and 15 cities en route to the two-day series final in Brussels on September 4-5.
The series unites the biggest names in track and field in some of the world’s most iconic arenas, crossing four continents and 15 cities over the course of the season.
