A total of 61 current global medallists and 25 global champions are set to compete at the Birmingham Diamond League on Sunday 5 June. The full start lists for the event are now live, and can be viewed <link http: birmingham.diamondleague.com list_results_bham>here.
Britain’s double Olympic, world and European champion Mo Farah (coach: Alberto Salazar) will headline the men’s 3000m following victory over 10,000m at the Eugene leg of the IAAF Diamond League last Friday night.
Farah said: “The Birmingham Diamond League will be my first big European track race of 2016 and a great platform to test myself on the road to the Olympic Games in Rio – the ultimate competition for every athlete. The meet has long been a key fixture in the season and I know that having the support of that passionate home crowd will be a great motivator for me on the day and going into The Games. The British Diamond League meetings always deliver high quality competition and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Fellow Brit Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff), who holds the Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth long jump titles, will also be using the event as the launchpad to the Olympics, which take place in August.
He said: “This is the best field of long-jumpers in the world at the Birmingham Diamond League and will be the real start of my road to the Rio Olympics. I’m really happy with the start I’ve made to my season and I’m hoping to keep it going at the Birmingham Diamond League on Sunday 5 June, I’m hoping to jump even further than last year.”
Other British stars competing on Sunday include British 100m record holder Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie), sub-10 men Adam Gemili (Steve Fudge) and Chijindu Ujah, 2014 World Indoor Champion Richard Kilty (Benke Blomkvist), European 100m hurdles champions Tiffany Porter (Rana Reider), Olympic high jump bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz (Fuzz Caan) and former European 800m champion Lynsey Sharp (Reider).
In addition to the best of British, some of the world’s best athletes will also descend on the West Midlands. Olympic champion and 800m world record holder David Rudisha will be one of the stars on show as he competes over the rarely run 600m distance.
Dutch world 200m champion Dafne Schippers will go head to head against Asher-Smith in the women’s 100m, whilst in the men’s 200m Trayvon Bromell will meet Andre de Grasse for the first time since they tied for the bronze medal in the 100m at last year’s world championships in Beijing.
Kendra Harrison ran the second fastest time ever in the 100m hurdles in Eugene last weekend and will be hoping to go one better in Birmingham against a field that includes Olympic champions Sally Pearson as well as Tiffany Porter.
The field events will be equally strong, Grabarz will take on Mutaz Essa Barshim and world indoor champion Gianmarco Tamberi in the high jump, whilst the throwing events will feature the likes of Robert Harting, Piotr Malachowski and Katharina Molitor.
For tickets to the Birmingham Diamond League please visit <link http: www.ticketmaster.co.uk event>