'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Xiamen Diamond League 2024 is the first Diamond League event of the year, and will also prove to be the outdoor season opener for plenty of big names. Amidst 13 different track and field events, fans will witness plenty of action.
The competition takes place on Saturday, April 20, at the Xiamen Olympic Sports Center, Egret Stadium, and with the Paris Games fast approaching, the pressure on the athletes will be high.
With that, here's a list of the top 10 competitors you need to keep an eye on at the Xiamen Diamond League.
#10 Chase Jackson
Chase Jackson will be headlining the women's shot put events in China. The American has won the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, as well as the Diamond League titles for both those years.
Trending
She will start as a heavy favorite with a personal best of 20.51m.
#9 Devynne Charlton
Devynne Charlton is the current world record holder for the women's 60m hurdles and is expected to be a fierce competitor in the 110m event. After the Bahamian lowered the previous 60m hurdles world record twice in three weeks, she was confident she could go faster.
Fans will be eager to see if she can deliver on that promise at the Xiamen Diamond League.
#8 KC Lightfoot
KC Lightfoot is the upcoming American pole vault star, and all eyes will be on him in China to see what he has up his sleeve.
In 2023, the youngster vaulted right past the national record, clearing 6.07m on home ground. This performance also puts him fourth on the all-time list.
#7 Mondo Duplantis
Another star to watch out for in the pole vault will be Sweden's Mondo Duplantis. The 24-year-old holds the world record in the event and is the defending Olympic and World Champion.
Duplantis has claimed the Diamond League title in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and will be hoping to continue that streak. The Swede has already set a world lead for 2024, and can only get better from here.
#6 Faith Kipyegon
Faith Kipyegon is another world record holder competing at the Xiamen Diamond League. She will participate in the 1500m, where her personal best of 3:49.11 is a feat no one else has achieved.
The Kenyan has won back-to-back Olympic golds in the event and already has four Diamond League titles to her name.
#5 Lynna Irby-Jackson
Headlining the women's 400m sprint in China will be American Lynna Irby-Jackson. The 25-year-old boasts a time of 49.80 in the distance and has claimed an Olympic silver and bronze in the relay events.
So far, Jackson has missed out on individual medals at major international competitions and will be looking to rectify that this year.
#4 Twanisha Terry
Another sprinting star to watch out for at the Xiamen Diamond League will be Twanisha Terry. The American is competing in the 200ms, where she has a personal best of 22.21.
Terry won gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships and has proven to be a true force on the track.
#3 Fred Kerley
Previously a specialist in the 400m, Fred Kerley had now shifted hai focus to shorter distances. In China, he will compete in the 100m, where he is the 2020 Olympic silver medalist and the 2022 World Champion.
The American is one of only three men in history to have clocked a sub-10 seconds in 100 m, a sub-20 seconds in 200 m, and a sub-44 seconds in 400 m.
#2 Christian Coleman
Making Kerley work for his win in the 100m will be his compatriot Christian Coleman.
Coleman has already had a great start to his season, winning yet another 60m gold while competing at the Glasgow World Indoor Championships.
#1 Sha'Carri Richardson
Perhaps the biggest star of the field at the Xiamen Diamond League will be Sha'Carri Richardson. The reigning 100m World Champion will compete in the 200m distance in China and currently looks like a favorite for the win.
Despite topping the trials, Richardson missed out on making it to the Tokyo Olympics due to her marijuana controversy, and fans will be waiting to see the American get her due this time around.
