Rabat Diamond League: Preview, schedule and stars to watch
Elaine Thompson-Herah and Karsten Warholm are two of the stars in action as the Diamond League moves to the capital of Morocco. Find out everything you need to know about the Rabat meet below.
Athletics
The Diamond League season is in full swing after exciting meets in Doha, Birmingham and Eugene. This weekend’s action takes place in Rabat, Morocco, as the world’s top track & field stars aim to make their mark ahead of next month’s World Athletics Championships, which take place between 15 and 24 July.
Discover everything that’s in store for you at the Rabat Diamond League below.
When and where is the Rabat Diamond League?
The next instalment of the Diamond League takes place on Saturday 5 June in Rabat, Morocco, in the 46,000 seater Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. The action begins at 17:50 local time with the women’s high jump and concludes at 20:46 with the men’s 3000m steeplechase.
Stars to watch at the Rabat Diamond League
Fresh from winning the Eugene Diamond League women’s 100m in 10.79 seconds, Jamaica’s Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 100m and 200m gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah will be aiming for more of the same in Rabat.
Last time out at the Prefontaine Classic, Thompson-Herah beat an all-star field that included the USA’s Sha'Carri Richardson, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith. In Rabat, her closest rivals on paper are Côte d'Ivoire’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, whose PB of 10.78 is over two-hundredths of a second slower than Thompson-Herah’s best of 10.54, Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye and fellow Jamaican Natasha Morrison.
Another Olympic champion who will be present in Rabat is Norway’s 400m hurdles champ Karsten Warholm. After winning gold and breaking the world record at Tokyo 2020, the 26-year-old will be aiming to get his season off to a flying start with a strong showing in Morocco. The two-time and reigning world champion will have his sights set on a third consecutive world title in Oregon this July, and Rabat will represent a vital stop on that journey.
Sweden’s Daniel Stahl will take his place in the discus competition, less than a year after his own gold medal triumph at Tokyo 2020. The 29-year-old will face off against Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh, whose personal best throw of 71.27m is just over half a metre less than Stahl’s best of 71.86. Joining them on the field will be Great Britain’s Lawrence Okoye - a British record holder who has also played elite-level rugby union.
The women’s pole vault also features an Olympic champion, as the USA’s Tokyo gold medallist Katie Nageotte faces up against teammate and American record holder Sandi Morris, who won silver at Rio 2016. In what should be a thrilling event, Great Britain’s Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw - herself the British record holder - is also in the lineup.
Other athletes to keep a close eye on include GB’s Jake Whiteman and Kenya’s Abel Kipsang in the 1500m, Morocco's Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Soufiane El-Bakkali - racing at home for the first time since the Olympics - and Ethiopia’s silver medallist Lamecha Girma in the 3000m steeplechase, and Team GB’s Alexandra Bell in the women’s 1500m.
Rabat Diamond League schedule
All times are local time in Rabat (UTC+1)
17:50: High Jump Women
18:16: Long Jump Men
18:45: Pole Vault Women
19:04: 400m Women
19:15: 1500m Men
19:27: 100m Women
19:32: Discus Throw Men
19:37: 800m Men
19:43: Triple Jump Women
19:45: 1500m Women
19:58: 200m Men
20:07: 3000m Women
20:27: 400mH Men
20:35: 800M Women
20:46: 3000m SC Men