+ World Record, Olympic Gold and World's Best Athlete 2024
Armand Duplantis comes to the premiere of Diamond League (DL) with a fresh award in his baggage. Last week, the 25-year-old was named the world's top male athlete 2024 at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards. This after the pole vaulter took Olympic gold in Paris and broke his own world record three times last year.
The first record notation came in Xiamen, China, during the DL premiere a year ago. In February this year, the 25-year-old improved the record to 6.27 meters.
The starting field at Saturday's gala is high-class, but Duplantis has not "lost" a competition since the DL gala in Monaco in July 2023. Then he finished fourth with cramp in a leg.
+ Swedish and World Record Holder on Odd Distance
In Xiamen, the odd distance of 300 meters hurdles will be run. On the starting line are, for example, the Norwegian world star Karsten Warholm – who holds the world record at 33.26 (2021) – and Swede Carl Bengtström.
"It's going to be sickly exciting to go in and run 300 meters hurdles. I haven't done that since 2016, I think", says Bengtström to the Swedish Athletics Federation's website.
+ Total Five Swedes
Other Swedes: Fanny Roos will throw the shot put, Vanessa Kamga will throw the discus, and Leo Magnusson will run 3,000 meters steeplechase.
+ All DL Events in Xiamen
Diamond League events, men: Pole vault, long jump, 100 meters, 400 meters, 110 meters hurdles, 300 meters hurdles, and 3,000 meters steeplechase. Women: High jump, discus, shot put, 200 meters, 1,000 meters, 5,000 meters, and 100 meters hurdles.
The men will also compete in triple jump and the women in javelin, but these are not considered DL events.
+ Stockholm on the Program
After the premiere in Xiamen, it will continue with a DL gala in Chinese Shanghai on May 3 – also with the men's pole vault on the program. On June 16, Duplantis will compete at home in Sweden when the DL circus comes to Stockholm's stadium. The Diamond League final will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, on August 28.
+ Who is Broadcasting?
SVT is broadcasting the DL premiere on SVT Play from 12:30 pm – just in time for the pole vault competition to start. From 1:00 pm, the gala can also be seen on SVT1.
