The Wanda Diamond League continues at the Meeting de Paris this Friday with a returning world record holder in the high jump, a heavyweight rematch in the javelin and a season debut in the 400m. Here are five things to look out for at the Stade Charléty.
Mahuchikh returns
Just under a year ago, Yaroslava Mahuchikh made athletics history at the Meeting de Paris, becoming the first woman ever to jump 2.10m and breaking one of the sport’s longest standing world records in the process. It proved to be a sign of things to come, as the Ukrainian went on to win Olympic gold in the same city a few weeks later and secure a third straight Diamond League title in Brussels at the end of the season. Mahuchikh is back in Paris this Friday, and will be wanting to bounce back after her narrow defeat to Nicola Olyslagers in Stockholm last weekend. Another world record may be too much to ask for, but Mahuchikh certainly believes she has it in her some day. “A lot of people had said that no woman could ever jump higher than 2.09m, but now I have opened that door,” she said in an interview with diamondleague.com at the start of the season.
Holloway hunting first win
Like Mahuchikh, US sprint hurdler Grant Holloway enjoyed a career-defining year in 2024 as he swept to another 60m hurdles world record and a first ever Olympic gold medal. Many were expecting the American to attack the 110m hurdles world record this season, but his Diamond League campaign has proven bumpier than expected so far. A niggling knee injury saw him finish tenth at the season opener in Xiamen and scuppered his hopes of bouncing back quickly in Keqiao. He returns to action in Paris with some work to do if he is to qualify for the Wanda Diamond League Final and get back to title-winning form by the time the World Athletics Championships roll around in September.
Paulino launches title defence
While Holloway has been hit by injury, 400m Olympic and Diamond League champion Marileidy Paulino has made the conscious choice to start this season slowly as she prepares her bid for a third world title in Tokyo later this year. The Dominican star, who has dominated the women’s 400m in recent years, will make her first appearance of the season in Paris, launching her title defence and hoping to take a first step towards a fourth Diamond Trophy. She has never lost in Paris, taking victories here in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Chopra vs Weber: The Rematch
One of the most stunning competitions in this Wanda Diamond League season so far came in the men’s javelin in Doha, when India’s Neeraj Chopra and Germany’s Julian Weber delivered a drama worthy of Shakespeare himself. Chopra initially made the headlines when he landed a 90.23m effort in the third round, finally ending his long quest to break the 90-metre barrier. Yet his joy was cut short when Weber pulled out a breathtaking 91.06m with the final throw of the competition, snatching victory away from his Indian rival. The two men celebrated together afterwards in Doha, but they will be back at each other’s throats in a sporting sense in Paris, with Chopra hoping to avenge his narrow defeat and Weber looking to consolidate his place at the top of the standings.
Tual takes on the best
There are plenty of French stars for the home crowd to get behind at the Stade Charléty, with Marie-Julie Bonnin lining up in the pole vault and Wilhem Belocian taking on Holloway in the 110m hurdles. The biggest home hero of all will be European 800m champion Gabriel Tual, who finished third behind Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Djamel Sedjati in one of the fastest 800m races in history at this meeting last season. He faces equally tough competition this year, with Algeria’s Slimane Moula, Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyamal and Botswana’s Tshepiso Mashalela – the current Diamond League standings leader – all on the startlist.
