The first Diamond League of the season is soon upon us, with many of Europe’s top athletes set to compete in Shanghai on Saturday (16).
Amongst those competing is world record holder Mondo Duplantis, world champion Ditaji Kambundji, three-time world champion Daniel Stahl, and world silver medallist Amy Hunt.
Men’s pole vault
One of the most impressive line ups for the event comes from the men’s pole vault, with both the 2024 Olympic and 2025 world podium athletes all in attendance.
Sweden's Duplantis will be making his outdoor debut after taking yet another world indoor title and extending his world record once more in March.
He will be joined by one of his closest friends and rivals, Greece's Emmanouil Karalis who jumped to second on the all-time rankings with a jump of 6.17m in February.
Amongst them will also be Norway's former European indoor champion Sondre Guttormsen, the Netherlands' reigning European indoor champion Menno Vloon, and multiple world finalist Frenchman Thibaut Collet.
Men’s discus
In similar fashion, the men’s discus features a highly decorated Swede and some of the best athletes of all time also in the field.
Stahl, with three world and one Olympic title, will be continuing his season after opening with 64.20m on 3 May.
But also joining him in the circle is a group of athletes with season's bests from Ramona, including Germany’s Steven Richter with 74.00m, Great Britain's Lawrence Okoye with 71.88m, and former world and reigning European champion Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia with 72.61m.
The Alekna family will also be represented with Lithuania's Martynas Alekna, brother of world record holder Mykolas Alekna, who will be looking to improve on his season opener of 62.00m and reach the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships qualifying standard of 65.50m.
Women’s shot put
The European’s strength in the field events continues with women’s shot put as we see both the reigning world and Olympic champions take to the circle in Shanghai.
Germany’s Yemisi Ogunleye, the Olympic champion, will be opening her outdoor season where she looks to build towards topping a European podium for the first time.
While the world champion, Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands, will be looking to start her season strong before defending her European title for the second consecutive time this summer.
Joining the two athletes who have cleared 20m this year already, is Sweden’s Fanny Roos who threw 19.45m during the indoor season.
Men’s 800m
On the track the men’s 800m sees a strong European line up, including former European indoor champion, Spain's Adrian Ben, former world bronze medallist Ben Pattison from GB and two-time European bronze medallist Mark English of Ireland.
But also joining the start line is the French 2023 European U23 champion Yanis Meziane, who will also be making his 800m debut this year after clocking 46.85 in the 400m on 3 May.
Poland’s Patryk Sieradzki will also be opening his outdoor season after setting an indoor PB of 1:46.29 in February.
Out of those in Shanghai, English has the fastest seasons best of 1:44.23 with Ben second fastest, very narrowly followed by Bloudek.
Men’s 3000m
While in the men’s 3000m Sweden's Andreas Almgren, the world bronze medallist over 10,000m, will open his track season having set the European 10km record in January, which lasted just a month before being broke again.
However, his European competition includes Germany's 2021 European U23 5000m champion Mohamed Abdilaahi who’s 3000m PB is just six seconds behind Almgren’s.
Also joining them on the start line is Czechia’s 2017 European indoor bronze medallist, Filip Sasinek, and the Netherlands’ Tim Verbaandert.
Sprint hurdles
In the 110m hurdles, the back-to-back European U20 and U23 champion Enzo Diessl of Austria will be making his outdoor season debut as he looks to challenge on the senior stage at just 21-years-old.
While the 2024 European silver medallist, Enrique Llopis from Spain, will be heading to Shanghai confident after taking silver at the world indoors in March.
Switzerland's Jason Joseph, who joined Llopis on the podium in Rome with bronze, will be looking to edge closer once more to a sub 13 second run after running 13.07 twice last year.
In the women’s 100m hurdles, world champion, Ditaji Kambundji will be opening her outdoor season following a fourth place at the world indoors in March.
The Swiss star is looking to build towards completing the set of European medals, having previously taken bronze and silver.
Women’s long jump
In the women’s long jump, Larissa Iapichino leads the European entrants based on seasons bests having jumped 6.93m in January.
The Italian took second at the world indoor championships and will be opening her outdoor season in Shanghai.
However, her closest competition from the continent is Khaddi Sagnia of Sweden who took bronze in the 2021 European indoor championships and fourth at the recent world indoor championships.
Also joining them on the runway is the Netherlands’ Pauline Hondema who jumped a national record of 6.91m last year, and measured a best of 6.63m during the indoor season.
Women’s 3000m steeplechase
The reigning European champion, Alice Finot, will open her track season in Shanghai after running 32:57 in the Valencia 10k in January.
It will be the Frenchwoman’s first time contesting in the event since she won the French championships last August in 9:33.16.
She will be joined by a former European U20 and U23 champion, Olivia Gurth from Germany, and the Netherlands’’ Veerle Bakker.
Finot has the strongest PB of the three athletes, but all have already qualified for the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships so this will be just the first time they face one another this season.
Women’s 200m
In the women’s 200m, Amy Hunt, world silver medallist, takes on the world including Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, four of America’s top athletes including Sha’Carri Richardson and McKenzie Long, and Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller-Uibo.
The Briton opened her season in April with 11.12 and 22.63 in the 100m and 200m, marking her best season openers.
That 200m time is also faster than her PB in the event prior to the 2025 season, as the Brit continues to find additional speed.
Women’s 5000m
Melissa Courtney-Bryant, a three-time European indoor medallist, and Revee Walcott-Nolan, a 2025 European indoor bronze medallist, both from GB, are the only two Europeans to contest in the women’s 5000m where they will face a strong and large group of Ethiopian athletes.
It will be Walcott-Nolan’s debut in the 5000m, having usually contested the 1500m and 800m, with her 5k PB standing at 15:50 from 2021.
Whereas Courtney-Bryant set a new PB over the distance of 14:48.20 just last year before also competing in the 5000m in Tokyo at the world championships.
