History Awaits in Florence | Diamond League Preview

On what looms as a historic night at the Florence Diamond League, Rohan Browning continues his sub-10 second chase and Nina Kennedy returns, while middle-distance records have been placed on high alert by the world’s best.

Tune in live and free via the Diamond League YouTube channel from 4:00am AEST, Saturday June 3. Full start lists can be found HERE.

Women’s Pole Vault – 3:43am AEST:

Reigning Diamond League champion Nina Kennedy (Paul Burgess and James Fitzpatrick) is set to make her second appearance on the series circuit for the year, once again reuniting the 2022 World Championships podium with Katie Moon (USA) and Sandi Morris (USA).

Kennedy leapt to a seemingly slow start in Doha after her 4.45m clearance saw her finish in seventh place, jumping off a restricted run up in her first competition back from a major stress fracture in her back. The Australian record holder at 4.82m will be eager to return to near her best when taking on the American duo who occupy two of the top-five clearances this year, along with the in-form Slovenian Tina Sutej who has a 4.76m clearance to her name.

Kennedy’s four Diamond League appearances in 2022 reaped two wins and two second place finishes.

Men’s 5000m – 5:06am AEST:

With a personal best of 12:56.50 as the second fastest Australian in history, Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) finds himself ranked 11^th in a 5000m bout featuring the true heavyweights of the modern middle-distance scene.

World record holder at 12:35.36, Joshua Cheptegei (12:35.36, Uganda) spearheads the race which features East African counterparts in the form of reigning 10,000m Olympic champion Selemon Berega (12:43.02, Ethiopia) and World Championships silver medallist over 5000m Jacob Krop (12:45.71, Kenya). American record holder Grant Fisher (12:46.96) and Canadian record holder Mohammed Ahmed (12:47.20) add further depth, but McSweyn will be out to outperform his ranking in true Australian fashion.

The King Island product bounced back from the hamstring injury that saw him fail to finish the 3000m at the Doha Diamond League, returning to the streets of Manchester to take bronze in the Great Manchester 10km in 28:35 with a confidence-boosting performance. Fellow Australian Jack Rayner will pace the race. 

Men’s 100m – 5:39am AEST:

With a 10.02-second run in still conditions at the Australian Track and Field Championships, Rohan Browning (Andrew Murphy) reignited the rage around the nation’s next sub-10 second sprinter.

Racing at Yokohama’s Seiko Golden Grand Prix last month, Browning solidified his form with runs of 10.11 (+1.5) and 10.10 (+0.4) to claim second place behind reigning world champion Fred Kerley (9.84, USA) who remains undefeated in 2023 from six showings – two of which came during the 2023 Chemist Warehouse Summer Series.

Finding a star-studded field in Florence, Browning will face off against some of the fastest names of today including Yohan Blake (9.69, Jamaica) and Ferdinand Omanyala (9.77, Kenya), along with Trayvon Bromell (9.76, USA) and Akani Simbine (9.84, South Africa).

All indications point to this being the year for Browning who teased the nation with a 10.01-second run to advance to the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympic Games, with the 25-year-old speaking confidently in becoming the second Australian man to shatter 10-seconds after Patrick Johnson in 2003.

With little doubt left as to if Browning can do it, it is all about ensuring that you are watching when the moment comes.  

Women’s 1500m – 5:49am AEST:

It’s official, Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) wants her world record back.

All eyes will be on the front of the race as the reigning Olympic and world champion attempts to become the first woman in history to shatter 3:50 over 1500m, but somewhere on the train of world-class athletes will be the Australian trio of Jessica Hull (Self-coached), Abbey Caldwell (Gavin Burren) and Linden Hall (Ned Brophy-Williams).

More friendly than fiery, the Hull-Caldwell rivalry proved one of the drawcards of the domestic season which now extends to the world stage, with Hall adding further Olympic final credentials in the field of 15. All three have raced featured in the 2023 Diamond League to date, with Hull and Caldwell finishing in fourth and fifth placings respectively in Doha, and Hall finishing sixth in Rabat.

Hull’s national record of 3:58.81 from the Tokyo Olympic Games is always on notice with the hot form of Australia’s middle-distance scene, with Caldwell aiming to become the third Australian woman to shatter four-minutes in company of those who have done it before her – fresh off a 1:58.92 British Milers Club record over 800m.

Seven athletes in the field possess personal bests between 3:56-4:00, setting up an enticing battle for the minor placings outside of Kipyegon and Laura Muir (Great Britain).

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 1/6/2023