Dina Asher-Smith, Shericka Jackson and Sha’Carri Richardson are among those in a red-hot women’s 100m field in Qatar on Friday
The 2023 Wanda Diamond League season is ready to start with a bang on Friday (May 5) with strong line-ups at Doha, Qatar. These include a mouth-watering clash in the women’s 100m.
Shericka Jackson, the world 200m champion from Jamaica, takes on former world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith of Britain, plus Americans Sha’Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, Abby Steiner, Teahna Daniels and Twanisha Terry, while New Zealand record-holder Zoe Hobbs completes the field.
“After starting my season with a few 400m races, I’m excited to drop down in distance to race over 100m in Doha,” said Jackson. “I know I’m in good shape after running my quickest 400m since 2019 this year, but now it’s time to sharpen up and run really fast.”
Shericka Jackson (Getty)
Doha is the first of 14 Diamond League events this summer with the final over two days in Eugene on September 16-17.
Also in Doha the men’s 200m sees Olympic champion Andre De Grasse of Canada taking on world 400m gold medallist Michael Norman plus fellow Americans Fred Kerley, the world 100m champion, and Kenny Bednarek, the Olympic and world 200m silver medallist.
Andre De Grasse wins gold (Getty)
In addition, the men’s 200m includes Joseph Fahnbulleh, the NCAA champion over 100m and 200m and Liberian record-holder who finished fourth over 200m at the World Championships, together with Andrew Hudson of Jamaica, the NACAC champion.
There will be plenty of home interest in Doha, too, as three-time Diamond Trophy winner Mutaz Essa Barshim competes in the high jump.
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Mark Shearman)
Australia’s Nina Kennedy, the 2022 Diamond Trophy winner, is up against Olympic champion Katie Moon and fellow American Sandi Morris plus Britain’s Holly Bradshaw in the pole vault, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon headlines the women’s 1500m and Moroccan steeplechaser Soufiane El Bakkali will be hoping to take his superb 2022 form into the new season.
El Bakkali isn’t tackling the barriers in Doha, though. Instead he takes on a tough 3000m flat field that includes Ethiopians Berihu Aregawi, Lamecha Girma and Selemon Barega, plus former world 1500m champion Tim Cheruiyot of Kenya.
Lamecha Girma (Getty)
Having become the first Indian ever to win the Diamond Trophy last year, Neeraj Chopra will also be out for more Diamond League success in the men’s javelin as he…
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