World record-holders Karsten Warholm, Mondo Duplantis, and Yaroslava Mahuchikh are among the 14 Xiamen champions aiming for back-to-back victories at the Wanda Diamond League in Shanghai/Keqiao this Saturday April 3.
The Diamond League kicked off in spectacular fashion last week, and now the world’s top athletes will traveled 900km north from Xiamen to Keqiao for the season’s second leg.
Warholm eyes another dominant performance
Karsten Warholm stole the spotlight in Xiamen by smashing his own 300m hurdles world best with a blistering 33.05. The Norwegian superstar had previously set the record at 33.26 in 2021 before going on to break the 400m hurdles world record (46.70) shortly after.
This weekend, the world champion will make his season debut in the 400m hurdles, facing stiff competition from world silver medalist Kyron McMaster and rising Brazilian star Matheus Lima.
Duplantis targets meeting record
Though Mondo Duplantis didn’t open his outdoor season with a record-breaking jump like last year, the Swedish pole vault king is never far from another six-meter clearance. After winning in Xiamen with 5.92m, the Olympic and world champion will now aim to surpass his own Shanghai meeting record of 6.00m.
Challengers Emmanouil Karalis, Kurtis Marschall, and Sam Kendricks will push him to his limits in what promises to be an electrifying contest.
Mahuchikh seeks revenge
World and Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh had a point to prove in Xiamen after a surprising bronze finish at the World Indoor Championships in March. The Ukrainian high jumper bounced back by defeating Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson—the same rivals who topped her in Nanjing.
This Saturday, the world record-holder will face the Australian duo again in what’s expected to be another fierce battle for supremacy.
