Major Credentials Land in Paris | Diamond League Preview

The box office acts of Australian athletics are set to bring major credentials to the Paris Diamond League, led by Olympic bronze medallist and back-to-back world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber, Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers and World Championship bronze medallist Nina Kennedy.

Australian viewers can tune in live and free from 4:00am AEST, Saturday June 10 via the Diamond League YouTube Channel. Full start lists and more information can be found HERE.

3:35am AEST – Women’s High Jump

Coming out firing with a season opener of 1.98m in January, Nicola Olyslagers (Matt Horsnell) is holding strong as the equal second highest jumper in the world this year – despite having not competed in over two months.

The Olympic silver medallist has been building strongly towards her European opener after winning her fourth consecutive Australian title with a leap of 1.95m in April, now encountering a classy line-up in Paris where she will feature as one of six two-metre jumpers in the field.

The equal Australian record holder and the USA’s Vashti Cunningham are the only two women in the field to have soared over 1.95m in 2023, with much to be revealed on the high jump scene as global contenders grapple for the top spot in Paris in the absence of world-leader Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine).

4:20am AEST – Women’s Pole Vault

Global medallist Nina Kennedy (Paul Burgess & James Fitzpatrick) is quietly constructing a classy resume on the Diamond League circuit, finishing on the podium in five of her last six showings – including winning the 2022 Diamond League Final.

Fresh off a 4.61m clearance to clinch third place at the Florence Diamond League, the 26-year-old’s season is back on track as she sets her eyes on the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest with hopes of emulating the form that carried her to bronze in 2022.

The established US duo of Katie Moon and Sandi Morris have staked their claim for another year at the top of women’s pole vaulting, while Slovenia’s Tina Sutej is enjoying a resurgence to the top level at 34-years-old. The Australian record holder’s seasons best of 4.61m sees her sit in a three-way tie for the fourth best seed mark in the field, but history suggests she will outperform that ranking.  

4:42am AEST – Men’s 2 Mile

A unique distance with a symbolic barrier, Kenya’s Daniel Komen remains the only man in history to shatter eight-minutes for two miles, but the Paris Diamond League could see his revolutionary 1997 achievement joined and even eclipsed.

Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) will fly the flag for Australia in a field of 13 headed by rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway), who is out to rewrite history with his eyes fixed firmly on Komen’s 7:58.61 world record. McSweyn will be eager to bounce back into form after an uncharacteristic 16^th place finish over 5000m in Florence, with Craig Mottram’s 8:03.50 two mile win at the 2007 Prefontaine Classic etched in the memory of long-time Australian athletics fans.

The national record holder over 3000m at 7:28.02m, McSweyn is expected to race prominently in the field which features Kenya’ Ishmael Kipkurui, who beat McSweyn home over 3000m at February’s Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne.

5:15am AEST – Women’s 800m

With 16 sub-two minute performances to her name, Catriona Bisset (Ned Brophy-Williams) is shifting her attention away from the clock and onto racing.

The Australian record holder is yet to hit the headlines with a major breakthrough in 2023, but bubbling away in the background is a tidy campaign that is now progressing on international soil. Registering her highest Diamond League finish with second place in Rabat, Bisset is poised for a battle with reigning Olympic and World Championship silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson (Great Britain) in Paris.

The Australian holds a 0-8 record against her 21-year-old rival, but is only closing the gap after teaming up with Hodgkinson herself earlier this year – gaining first-hand insights from one of the sport’s biggest stars:

“I’ve been focussing on lactic capacity. When I went overseas for indoors, I spent a lot of time with Keely. I’ve become good mates with her and her coach, and have seen how she trains. It’s high intensity and low volume,” Bisset said.

“It suits her and actually it suits me too. We got a little bit inspired by what she was doing, how she was operating and what she was integrating.”

Bisset’s time of 1:58.32 to win the Australian Championships in April remains the second fastest in the world this year, serving as the fastest seed time in the race.

5:42am AEST – Women’s Javelin

Australia’s two-pronged javelin attack of Kelsey-Lee Barber (Mike Barber) and Mackenzie Little (Angus McEntyre) continues to deliver on the world stage, now arriving in Paris where they will meet world-leader Sigrid Borge (Norway).

Little has already come within centimetres of her personal best in 2023 with the 64.10m effort that saw her reign supreme at the Yokohama Seiko Golden Grand Prix in May, where back-to-back world champion Barber finished third with 61.95m.

Seven of the women in the field have 60m-plus efforts to their name this season, led by Borge’s 66.50m effort last month and a 64.50m throw from Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi. Barber has a long history of featuring prominently in the world’s premier athletics series, while for Little it is only her second career Diamond League appearance after finishing third in Monaco last year.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 8/6/2023