With just 10 days to go until the 2026 Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, entry lists have been published and it’s set to be a spectacular night of action at Xiamen Egret Stadium on May 23.
Here are some of the leading events to watch:
Warholm, Dos Santos and Samba clash in men’s 400m hurdles
Norwegian superstar and triple diamond league champion Karsten Warholm produced a magnificent run in Xiamen last year to smash the world best for 300m hurdles, clocking 33.05, and he will return to the one-lap distance at this year’s event, where he holds the world record with his 45.94-second run to win the Olympic title in Tokyo.
However, he will face a stiff challenge from 2022 world champion and two-time diamond league champion Alison dos Santos of Brazil and Abderrahman Samba of Qatar, who claimed bronze in last year’s world final. Also in the field are 2022 world bronze medallist Trevor Bassitt and his US compatriots Caleb Dean and CJ Allen, along with 2023 world silver medallist Kyron McMaster.
Stars set to collide in women’s 200m
Several of the biggest names in women’s sprinting will line up for the women’s 200m in Xiamen, including two-time world 200m champion and two-time Diamond League champion Shericka Jackson, 2023 world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson, two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and last year’s world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt.
Also in the field is Anavia Battle, who claimed 200m victory in Xiamen last year before finishing fourth in the world final, along with fellow US sprinters McKenzie Long – a 200m finalist at Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2025 – and Jenna Prandini, who recently showed strong form with a sub-11-second 100m. Meanwhile Australia’s rising star Torrie Lewis, the reigning world U20 200m champion, will be hoping for a repeat of her 2024 victory in Xiamen.
Clash of the champions in women’s 100m hurdles
The past four global champions in the women’s 100m hurdles will take to the track in a star-studded line-up. Reigning Olympic champion Masai Russell will take on reigning world champion Ditaji Kambundji along with two-time world champion Danielle Williams, while the world record holder and 2022 world champion and three-time Diamond League champion Tobi Amusan and three-time world indoor champion Devynne Charlton are also in the field, which features five of the 10 fastest women in history.
Completing the line-up are Ackera Nugent, the 2025 world indoor bronze medallist, and her fellow Jamaican Megan Simmonds, along with USA’s Tonea Marshall and leading Chinese athletes Yanni Wu and Jingyang Liu.
Sprint stars square off in loaded men’s 100m
The men’s 100m is sure to produce some fireworks as several stars of global sprinting take to the track. Reigning Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo will hope to reproduce the stellar 100m form that saw him win silver in the 2023 world final, but he’ll face a stiff task to claim victory in Xiamen.
Among the leading contenders is four-time global 200m medallist Kenny Bednarek, who ran 9.79 to win the US 100m title last year before going on to finish fourth in the world 100m final. Also in the field is 2019 world 100m champion and three-time Diamond League champion Christian Coleman, who has a best of 9.76, and two-time world 100m medallist Trayvon Bromell, who recently won bronze in the world indoor 60m final.
Akani Simbine will bid to repeat his 100m victory in Xiamen last year, when he dipped under 10 seconds, and he will be joined by fellow South African Gift Leotlela, who ran a 100m PB of 9.87 en route to a fifth-place finish in last year’s world final. Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala should also be in contention, having gone below 10 seconds three times already this season, while in-form Australian Lachlan Kennedy, who ran 9.96 to win their national title last month, is also in the field.
Crouser makes his comeback in men’s shot put
Three-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser has not competed since the world final in Tokyo last September, where the US superstar claimed his third consecutive world title. However, the 33-year-old will make his return to the shot put circle in Xiamen.
The world record holder will take on a slew of global medallists, including two-time world champion and three-time Diamond League Champion Joe Kovacs and 2017 world champion Tom Walsh, who recently won his fourth world indoor title.
Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri is also sure to be in contention, having thrown a world lead of 22.50m in South Africa earlier this year. His national record of 22.98m puts him fifth on the world all-time list. Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell, the 2024 Olympic bronze medallist, is also in the field along with US trio Roger Steen, Jordan Geist and Adrian Piperi, who have all thrown over 22 metres.
Cherotich and Yavi clash in women’s 3000m steeplechase
Reigning world champion and two-time Diamond League champion Faith Cherotich of Kenya will square off with reigning Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain in a highly anticipated women’s 3000m steeplechase in Xiamen. The field includes two other global champions: Peruth Chemutai of Uganda, who won Olympic gold in Tokyo, and Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan, the 2022 world champion.
Cherotich beat Yavi to gold in the world final in Tokyo last year, while in the 2024 Olympic final in Paris, Yavi proved the strongest, with Chemutai taking silver and Cherotich the bronze. They will renew their rivalry in Xiamen in a field that also includes Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani, who was fourth in last year’s world final, and France’s Alice Finot, the reigning European champion who was fourth in the 2024 Olympic final.
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