1. Rudisha returns to China
After winning the first two Diamond Races in 2010 and 2011, Kenya’s 800m legend David Rudisha has struggled to assert himself on the Diamond Race, falling behind both Mohammad Aman and Nijel Amos in the last four years. He missed much of 2013, including the world championships, through injury, but bounced back to regain his title in Beijing last year. Though he lost out to Amos again in the 2015 Diamond Race, Rudisha will be hoping that a return to China is a good omen as he bids to win a first Diamond Trophy for five years.
2. McLeod hoping for second lightning strike
Omar McLeod staked his claim for a first Diamond Trophy with an impressive win at the season opener in Doha last week. The men’s 110m Hurdles is the only Diamond Race event which will be two rounds in after Shanghai, and we should have a strong idea of the direction this year’s competition will take. Another victory for McLeod would see him move onto 20 points and establish an already strong lead over the likes of Aries Merritt, Orlando Ortega and reigning champion David Oliver.
3. Lavillenie a season away from magnificent seven
Renaud Lavillenie, the most successful athlete in Diamond League history, will launch his campaign for a seventh Diamond Trophy in Shanghai. The French pole vaulter has won the Diamond Race in every single year since the competition’s inauguration. Last season was one of his toughest campaigns yet, as the Lavillenie couldn’t pull away from Konstantino Filippidis until the Brussels final. Filippidis will also be in Shanghai, as will world champion Shawn Barber: a tough field for the Frenchman at the start of what could be a tough year in the Diamond Race.
Aéroport ✈️ to Shanghai for Diamond League avec @stanleyjoseph45