PREVIEW | Rabat Diamond League

Published Sun 05 Jun 2022

Leg four of the Diamond League arrives in Rabat tonight, with seven Australians headlined by Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers set to feature at the meet, continuing a strong Australian presence on the series in 2022.

Nina Kennedy and Matthew Denny will also take to the field, while Georgia Griffith, Linden Hall, and Rose Davies will fly the flag on the track – read our preview of all the action below.

Women’s High Jump (2:50am AEST):

Australian high jump duo Nicola Olyslagers (Matt Horsnell) and Eleanor Patterson (Alex Stewart) will jump together for the first time since September of 2021 tonight in Rabat, having established themselves as major contenders on the world scene.

With Olyslagers clinching silver at the Olympic Games and Patterson finishing second at this year’s World Athletics Indoor Championships, the only two women in Australian history to clear two-metres will take on a quality field which is headlined by Yaroslava Mahuckikh (Ukraine) – the World Indoor Champion who cleared 2.00m to win in Eugene.

In only her second competition of the year, Olyslagers finished in fifth place at last week’s Eugene Diamond League with a 1.90m clearance, while Patterson has not jumped competitively since her indoor success at Belgrade.

Women’s Pole Vault (3:45am AEST):

It has been a quiet year for Australian record holder Nina Kennedy (Paul Burgess), but a recent 4.65m clearance in training suggest the 25-year-old Olympian is ready to return to the international scene.

Kennedy claimed a low-key national title with a 4.35m clearance in April but will be out to build back to her best form in 2022, having put behind her a series of niggles and a recent bout of COVID-19. Launching straight into the deep end for the Rabat Diamond League, Kennedy will take on the likes of Sandi Morris (USA) who owns a 5.00m personal best and won leg two in Birmingham with a 4.73m clearance in challenging conditions, along with reigning Olympic champion Katie Nageotte (USA).

Men’s Discus (4:25am AEST):

It is career Diamond League number three for Matthew Denny (Ben Thomson) in Rabat, entering off 64.15m performance for fifth place at leg two in Birmingham.

Denny comes up against a world class field in Rabat that is worthy of an Olympic final, featuring Kristjan Ceh (Slovenia) who threw a Diamond League record of 71.27m in Birmingham, along with all three men who won medals at the Tokyo Games – lead by reigning Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl (Sweden).

Progress can be expected from Denny who has stated clear intentions to peak for the World Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games, with the Allora product no stranger to the big stage after delivering a 67.02m personal best to finish fourth in last year’s Olympic final.

Women’s 1500m (4:45am AEST):

Georgia Griffith (Nic Bideau) became the latest Australian to qualify for the World Athletics Championships with her run of 4:03.95 in Jessheim on Friday, breaking her personal best after four long years.

Most impressive is Griffith’s overseas record to date this season which stands at four wins from four starts, and while Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu holds the fastest seasons best in the field with 3:59.97 – a win is not out of the question for the in-form Australian.

Linden Hall (Ned Brophy-Williams) will join Griffith on the start line as she looks to get her international campaign underway, having not raced since claiming bronze at the Australian Championships. Hall boasts significant experience in international fields as shown by her sixth place finish at both the Tokyo Olympics and World Athletics Indoor Championships, a factor that is not to be discredited in an encounter of this nature.

With four Australian women already qualified for the World Athletics Championships and only three spots available, Griffith and Hall will be eager to strengthen their cases for selection with strong runs in Rabat.

Women's 3000m (5:07am AEST):

Dual 2022 Australian champion Rose Davies (Scott Westcott) will take to the Women’s 3000m in Rabat to refine her race craft against some of the world’s best, including Francine Niyonsaba (Burundi) and Mercy Cherono (Kenya).

Davies is sitting pretty in 2022 having already locked away both the 10,000m and 5000m world standards with runs of 31:18.54 and 15:07.49 respectively, with the 22-year-old building on the form that took her to the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Novocastrian’s personal best of 8:52.86 looks set to be lowered to a mark that is reflective of her true capabilities in a field that suits her on paper, with Davies unlikely to be isolated in the affair with close seeding times for the majority of the athletes.