Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim celebrates after winning in this file photo.
DOHA: Qatar’s world high jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim and javelin thrower Ahmed Bader Magour will aim high at the 44th Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, USA today.
The 2017 IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Barshim, is no stranger to Eugene, where he reached the 2.40-metre height for the first time in his career five years ago.
Barshim who enjoyed a perfect 2017, was the top star of the previous Diamond League season, and continued his dominance in his pet event in Doha during the opening leg earlier this month.
The champion athlete crossed the 2.40-metre mark for the 12th time in his career at a packed Qatar Sports Club Stadium.
Out of a steller line-up of high jumpers who will be in action at the Hayward Field, the second day of the meet, Ukrainian star Andriy Protsenko is the only athlete who has ever crossed the 2.40-mark. However, Barshim, who has a personal best of 2.43 metres and a season’s best of 2.40 metres, will be the one to watch.
Meanwhile, Aspire Academy graduate and World Championship finalist Bader will line up in what promises to be a thrilling javelin throw final today.
The event will feature the reigning Olympic Champion, Thomas Rohler of Germany, reigning World Champion Johannes Vetter, also of Germany, reigning World silver medallist and 2018 Diamond League Champion, Yakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic.
In the Men’s 100 metres, world 60m indoor champion Christian Coleman will be the favourite in the absence of sprint star Justin Gatlin who withdrew due to an injury scare after the Shanghai leg of the Diamond League.
This could have been their first face-off after both outraced third-placed Usain Bolt in the Jamaican star’s last individual race at last year’s World Championships.
In the 200 metres, the world junior champion Noah Lyles is the Diamond League leader after his win in Doha in a personal best of 19.83 seconds. He will face a tough contest against the reigning world champion Ramil Guliyev of Turkey, reigning US champion Ameer Webb, last month’s Commonwealth Games winner Isaac Makwala of Botswana and 2017 world third-place finisher Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago.
Rio Olympic 100m women’s champion Elaine Thompson of Jamaica, chasing her third Diamond League crown, faces reigning world champion Tori Bowie of the United States in the women’s sprint. The women’s 400 metres will also see a stellar line-up, including the current world champion Phyllis Francis of the United States, Olympic champion Shaunae-Miller Uibo of the Bahamas and Rio Olympic runner-up and former world champion Allyson Felix.
Controversial South African world champion Caster Semenya will also eye her third consecutive Diamond league crown in the women’s 800m.
