Olympic Games Paris 2024

Xiamen Diamond League 2024: Gudaf Tsegay, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, and Pedro Pichardo shine at season-opener

By Evelyn Watta
3 min|
Tsegay shouts for joy with her arms above her head after winning the 1500m.

Picture by REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

The opening Diamond League event of 2024 in Xiamen on Saturday (20 April), saw a world record in the men’s pole vault and six track and field meeting bests.

Ten gold medallists from last year's World Championships achieved wins with two others, Sha’Carri Richardson and Hugues Fabrice Zango, beaten into second place in the women’s 200m and men’s triple jump respectively.

Christian Coleman took the men’s 100m, and Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay showed why she will be one of the athletes to watch this Olympic year with the third-fastest time ever in the women’s 1500m.

In the field, Mondo Duplantis set his eighth world record in the pole vault. Pedro Pichardo returned from injury with victory in the men’s triple jump as another Olympic champion, Valarie Allman, took the women’s discus.

Read on to find out what happened at the Xiamen Diamond League 2024.

Olympic and world champions shine in Xiamen

In the day’s first Diamond League track event, reigning world women’s 400m champion Marileidy Paulino kicked off her Paris 2024 Olympic year with a comfortable win in 50.08.

The first meet record of the Xiamen Diamond League 2024 went to Olympic 100m hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.

The Puerto Rican star won in 12.45, just ahead of world indoor champion Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas (12.49), with Cyrena Samba-Mayela sprinting to a French record of 12.55.

Olympic 100m hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn held off world indoor champion Devynne Charlton at the 2024 Xiamen Diamond League

Picture by REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

There were loud cheers from the crowds inside the Egret Stadium as reigning Olympic champion Gong Lijiao of the People's Republic of China repeated her Xiamen Diamond League win from last year. Gong took victory with her second-round throw of 19.72.

Reigning Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman was the only woman to exceed 69 metres with her winning throw of 69.80m a new meeting record.

Fresh from his World Indoor Athletics championships silver last month, American Shelby McEwen won the high jump with 2.27m. Qatar’s Olympic gold medallist Mutaz Essa Barshim was second, with Hamish Kerr of New Zealand, who beat McEwen to gold in Glasgow, taking third.

Canada’s reigning world champion Marco Arop just held off Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyamal in the men's 800m, clocking 1:43.61 for the fastest time in the world this year.

Steeplechase world record holder Lamecha Girma of Ethopia kicked off his outdoor season with a comfortable win in the 5000m in 12:58.96.

Portugal's Pedro Pichardo, who missed the defence of his world title due to a back injury, announced his return with a meeting record of 17.51m in the men’s triple jump.

Burkina Faso’s reigning world champion Hugues Fabrice Zango was the only other man to jump beyond 17 metres with his 17.12m securing him second place.

Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech was in a class of her own in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, winning in a world lead 8:55.40.

Her compatriot Faith Cherotich (9:05.49) was second with Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai (9:12.99) some way back in third.

After a slow start, Olympic champion Hansle Parchment could only manage sixth in the men’s 110m hurdles as Daniel Roberts won in 13.11 from fellow American Cordell Tinch.

Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay, the world record holder in the 5000m, rounded off the distance track action with an explosive performance. The reigning 10,000m world champion showed her versatility with the third-fastest 1500m in history, stopping the clock in 3:50.30. Tsegay was almost three seconds clear of 18-year-old Birke Haylom with Worknesh Mesele making it an Ethiopian 1-2-3.

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