Kipyegon and Duplantis set to star in Xiamen
12 Olympic gold medalists and 27 world champions, with seven among them winning both prestigious events, have confirmed their participation in April's World Athletics Diamond League in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, organizers announced at a press conference on Thursday.
Armand Duplantis of Sweden celebrates during the men's pole vault final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Aug. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
As the season-opening event of the Diamond League, the Xiamen stop will be held at the Egret Stadium on April 20.
The newly released list of participants included men's pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis, women's 1,500m Olympic and world champion Faith Kipyegon, men's 100m world champion Yohan Blake, women's shot put world champion Chase Ealey, and women's 100m hurdles Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.
Renowned Chinese athletes, including women's shot put Olympic champion Gong Lijiao, women's discus throw world champion Feng Bin, and men's triple jump Olympic silver medalist Zhu Yaming, will also compete.
Petr Stastny, CEO of Diamond League AG, said Xiamen has already become a trusted and respected member of worldwide athletics community after successfully staging the event last year.
"Last year, athletes set an extraordinary level and achieved incredible results at our event, helping us deliver the best season ever since the introduction of the Diamond League in 2010," said Stastny.
The Diamond League is one of the highest-level and most influential athletics series in the world.
Xiamen hosted its first ever Diamond League event in 2023. Featuring 151 athletes from nearly 40 countries and regions, the Xiamen competition witnessed four world-leading results.