European athletes of the year Armand Duplantis and Yaroslava Mahuchikh will make their first appearances of the outdoor season at this Saturday’s (26) Xiamen Diamond League in China.
For Mondo, it comes fresh off being awarded the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award in Madrid on Monday (21) and marks a return to the scene of his eighth world record of 6.24m last year. He has since improved the record three more times. For now, it is 6.27m which he set indoors in Clermont-Ferrand, France in February.
In a stellar field, the Swede will be joined by Olympic bronze and European silver medallist Emmanouil Karalis of Greece.
Mahuchikh seeking return to winning ways
Ukrainian Mahuchikh is returning to action after an ankle issue impacted her indoor season, where she still emerged with European indoor gold and world indoor bronze.
The Olympic champion and world record holder will be looking to get the better of Australian Nicola Olyslagers, who won gold at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China in March.
The Netherlands’ Jessica Schilder, who enjoyed a brilliant indoor season winning gold in front of her home fans at the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships and silver in the World Indoor Championships, is entered for the women’s shot put. Twice world champion Chase Jackson (USA) is also in the field.
Seven-times European champion Sandra Elkasevic is ready to launch another big season in the women’s discus. Another high quality field brings the Croatian together with another twice Olympic champion Valarie Allman (USA).
Azu and Kambundji seeking to take indoor form outdoors
Evergreen Swiss sprinter Mujinga Kambundji won 60m gold at the World Indoor Championships in March and will race over 200m in Xiamen, the distance over which she has won successive golds at the European Athletics Championships in Munich 2022 and Roma 2024. Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, twice 200m world champion is also in the line-up.
Jeremiah Azu, who enjoyed a brilliant indoor season, winning the men’s 60m at Apeldoorn 2025 and then adding world indoor gold in Nanjing, will take on Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in the men’s 200m.
Tokyo Olympic and European 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm runs in the rarely contested men's 300m hurdles, where he is the current world record holder with 33.26 set in 2021.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics