The women’s 200m will be the showpiece event at the Diamond League opener of the 2026 season.
The 2026 Diamond League kicks off on Saturday (May 16), with Shanghai/Keqiao the first of 15 cities to host matches this year.
Doha was supposed to open this year’s season, but it It was postponed from May 8 to June 19 due to geopolitical tensions in the region.
Some of the world’s best track and field athletes, many of whom will be opening their outdoor campaign, will descend on Shanghai aiming to lay down early markers.
Without the Olympics or World Athletics Championships, the Diamond League is likely to gain more prominence this season, with the inaugural World Championships in Budapest.
You can watch the full coverage on BBC Two from 12:00.
Here are some key things to look out for in Shanghai/Keqiao:
Exciting women’s 200 m
The highlight of the entire meet has to be the women’s 200m. Amy Hunt, fresh off her World 200m silver medal in Tokyo, will be looking to break the 22-second barrier for the first time this season.
The Briton set a personal best of 22.08 in the world semi-finals last September, moving second on the UK all-time list and ahead of Katie Cook. Now standing on the world podium, there’s no doubt Hunt will aim to use Tokyo as a platform, so more Commonwealth and European medals will be on his mind.
She will first have to navigate an incredibly strong 200m field in Shanghai/Keqiao, which includes two-time world 200m champion Sherika Jackson and 2023 world 100m champion Sha Kari Richardson. Jackson, who has a personal best of 21.41 in the 200m from three years ago, returned last season when a small tear in his Achilles tendon kept the Jamaican out of the 2024 Paris Olympics. She secured the world 200m bronze medal in Tokyo behind the Hunt-Wolden Jeffersons.
As well as topping the world 100m podium in Budapest, Richardson won bronze in the 200m. He has a personal best of 21.92 over the half lap. McKenzie Long (21.83), Jenna Prandini (21.89) and Anavia Battle (21.95) are the three other Americans in the field who have gone under 22 seconds.
Two-time Olympic 400m champion Shauna Miller-Whibaugh will also be on the starting line and has a 200m best of 21.74 from 2019.
Mondo Duplantis v Emmanouil Karalis
With the emergence of Emmanuel Karalis as a potential contender for top honors this season, there will be an increased focus on the men’s pole vault. Mondo Duplantis has dominated the discipline since the turn of the decade, but as Karalis cleared 6.17m at the Greek Indoor Championships back in March, improving on his personal best of 6.08m, he proved he can get close to the Swede.
Duplantis responded to Karalis’ elimination by improving his own world record to 6.31m, the 15th of his illustrious career, at his own event, The Mondo Classic. He then secured his fourth consecutive world title in Torun with a championship record of 6.25m. However, the two-time Olympic and three-time world champion was pushed by Karalis, who himself had two unsuccessful attempts at 6.25m.
There are six men who have cleared 6.00m this year and the event boasts the largest strength in its history.
Faith Kipyegon is back in the 5000m
Although the women’s 5000m in Shanghai/Keqiao is not an official Diamond League event, it is still full of star names, the biggest of which is Faith Kipyegon. This will be the Kenyan’s first race of the 12.5-lap event since winning the world silver medal behind compatriot Beatrice Chebet in Tokyo.
Three years ago, Kipyegon held both the 1500m and 5000m records, with the latter set at the 2023 Paris Diamond League. His mark of 14:05.20 stood for three months before Gudaf Tsegai clocked 14:00.21 at that year’s Prefontaine Classic. Chebet then became the first woman in history to run under 14 seconds for the 5000m with a 13:58.06 in Oregon last year.
Kipeigon is China’s fastest athlete, but in a field dominated by East Africans, could face a tough test from Ethiopian duo Medina Eisa (14:16.54) and Aynadis Mebratu (14:22.76). British interest comes from Melissa Courtney-Bryant and Rave Walcott-Nolan.
Karsten Warholm vs Alison dos Santos
Karsten Warholm will open his season in Shanghai/Keqiao and aim to make a mark in the rare 300m hurdles. The Norwegian is the world record holder in this event, having clocked 32.67 at the Bislet Games last year. Rye Benjamin and Alison dos Santos ran 33.22 and 33.38 respectively in Oslo.
Although the American is not in China, dos Santos hopes to get much closer to Warholm this time around. Since World Athletics announced that the 300m hurdles could set world records early last year, the discipline has taken on greater importance.
If there are no Olympics or World Athletics Championships this season, Warholm will see it as an opportunity to approach his 400m hurdles world record of 45.94 from the Tokyo Olympics.
100 m hurdles
Devin Charlton travels to China confident after his third consecutive 60m hurdles world title in Toruń ahead of a high-quality 100m hurdles. He will have his work cut out for him, however, as world record holder Tobi Amusan, Olympic champion Masai Russell and the last two world champions, Ditaji Kambundji and Daniel Williams, are all in the field.
Five of the athletes on the starting line have run under 12.30 in the discipline, so expect a fast time in Shanghai/Keqiao.
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