Six Aussies to Light Up Lausanne | Diamond League Preview

Off the back of the most successful Olympic Games since 1956, six Australians including Paris 2024 medalists Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson will carry the flag as the world’s premier track and field series recommences with the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League.

Australian viewers can tune in live and free from 4am AEST on Friday morning for the second day of the meet via the Diamond League YouTube Channel. Full entry lists can be found here.

Men’s Pole Vault
August 22, 2am AEST

Opening up the Lausanne Diamond League proceedings will be some of the most watched athletes on the international circuit, with the very best of men’s pole vault set to soar sky high.

Australian Kurtis Marschall (Paul Burgess and James Fitzpatrick) arrives in the Swiss city ready to continue building his form after finishing sixth at the Olympic Games – an impressive achievement after suffering a serious ankle injury at the Australian Athletics Championships in April.

With a season’s best of 5.85m, Marschall was just 10-centimetres away from his maiden Olympic medal when bowing out of competition but will be out to reclaim his place on the podium as he takes on the likes of Olympic gold medallist Mondo Duplantis (SWE) and and his podium pals Sam Kendricks (USA) and Emmanouill Karalis (GRE).

Women’s High Jump
August 23, 4.10am AEST

For the first time in history, Australia had two medallists in the same field event at the Olympic Games thanks to the high flying duo of Nicola Olyslagers (Matt Horsnell) and Eleanor Patterson (Alex Stewart), who both claimed their fourth global medals in Paris.

The dynamic duo will be back in action in Lausanne, with the pair set to display the country’s dominance in the discipline.

Two-time Olympic silver medallist Olyslagers is one of only two athletes alongside Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) to clear heights of 2.00m+ this year. Patterson, however, is building to an impressive crescendo having soared to a season’s best of 1.95m in Paris to take bronze, highlighting that there is still more to come from the 2022 world champion.

Also making an appearance will be Ukraine’s Olympic medallist Iryna Gerashenko, who shared bronze with Patterson in Paris , as well as Finland’s Ella Junnila and Jamaica’s Lamara Diston, who both hold a lifetime best of 1.97m.

Men’s 1500m
August 23, 4.33am

A stacked Men’s 1500m field will feature Australia’s two fastest metric milers, with Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) and Olli Hoare (Dathan Ritzenhein) returning to the track to seek redemption after being knocked out of the Olympic Games in the repechage rounds.

A race of strategy, the Australian men chose to push hard from the front across their respective heats and repechage rounds, with each of them unlucky to be overtaken in the closing laps of their races. Both big stage performers, McSweyn and Hoare have spent time regrouping and are ready to show off the strength of Australian middle distance as the season continues. 

A season’s best of 3:31.07 and a first-place finish in the Mile at the London Diamond League hints at what Hoare is capable of in this race, while McSweyn’s progress this season over longer distances highlights his fitness.

Middle distance fans will be on the edge of their seats in this race, as world number one Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) meets Olympic gold medallist Cole Hocker (USA), in a bid to seek his own redemption for missing the 1500m podium in Paris. 

Women’s 3000m
August 23, 4.52am

After an injury-marred 2023, this year is Georgia Griffith’s (Nic Bideau) year, with the Olympic semi finalist back in action for the 3000m.

Traditionally an 800m and 1500m runner, the Victorian stepped up in distance earlier this year to test her strength, and in only her second attempt over 3000m, she demolished the Australian and Oceania record with a time of 8:24.20 at the Oslo Diamond League.

While Griffith took charge of the Oslo race alongside Jessica Hull, the 27-year-old will be challenged by the might of East Africa, with no less than seven Ethiopians going for the title including Olympic finalist and global medallist Ejgayehu Taye who poses as Griffith’s main threat with a best of 8:19.52.

The race will be paced by rising middle distance star Sarah Billings (Nic Bideau).