American hurdle sensation Kendra Harrison is amongst the names competing in the women’s 100m hurdles at Sunday’s Birmingham Diamond League. Continuing her preparations for the Olympic Games in Rio, Harrison (USA) will take on the current Olympic champion Sally Pearson (AUS), as well as Britain’s European champion Tiffany Porter.
Harrison hit the headlines last Saturday as she raced to a new personal best of 12.24 at the Eugene Diamond League, the second fastest time ever for 100m hurdles. In doing so, she came agonisingly close to a new world record, with the time just 0.03 slower than the current record, set by Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova in 1988.
Hot on the heels of Harrison and Pearson will be the youngest ever 100m hurdles world champion, as Brianna Rollins (USA) looks to replicate the type of form that saw her recently take silver in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Portland
Having missed out on Diamond Race points at the Eugene meeting, 2013 world bronze medallist Tiffany Porter (GBR) will hope for a strong performance on home-soil prior to July’s British Championships at the end of June.
Appearing alongside Porter will be London 2012 silver-medallist Dawn Harper-Nelson (USA). With aspirations of reaching the podium in a third consecutive Olympic games, Harper-Nelson must overcome competition from fellow USA team-mate Nia Ali (USA), who recently made an impressive return to the sport after giving birth to her son Titus to defend her World Indoor 60m hurdles title in Portland.
Completing a talent-stacked 100m hurdles field will be Kristi Castlin (USA).
For tickets to the Birmingham Diamond League please visit britishathletics.org.uk