The Paris Prelude | Diamond League Preview

Olympic fever is taking over Paris and with athletics serving as the heartbeat of any Olympic Games, the Paris Diamond League featuring world champions Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson is set to serve as a prelude to the main event.

Australian viewers can tune in live and free from 11:59pm AEST this Sunday night via the Diamond League YouTube channel. Full start lists and more information can be found HERE.

Women’s High Jump (10:35pm AEST, July 7):

Two very different paths have led Nicola Olyslagers (Matt Horsnell) and Eleanor Patterson (Alex Stewart) to Paris, but rest assured Australia’s dynamic duo will be ready to fly come crunch time.

Olyslagers started the year hot when crowned World Indoor champion before returning over the two-metre barrier to claim the Australian title with 2.01m clearance, but one month away from competitions in June has allowed her to build back towards full health ahead of the Olympic Games.

Patterson holds a 1.95m seasons best but is a proven performer on the big stage, with the looming Olympic Games spurring her towards top form, having cleared two metres twice in her career – once to win the 2022 world title and another for 2022 World Indoor silver.

Meeting 2.05m jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) in a field of 14 athletes, the 2023 World Championships podium pairing will look to capitalise on the competitive environment as the high jump appears for the taking in Paris.

Men’s Pole Vault (11:07pm AEST, July 7):

Unseen since the Australian Athletics Championships in April, Kurtis Marschall (Paul Burgess & James Fitzpatrick) is back.

Marking his return in Paris against world record holder Armand Duplantis (SWE) among seven six-metre vaulters, the World Championships bronze medallist is out to bolster his confidence ahead of what looms as a third Olympic campaign at the age of 27.

Marschall showed strong early-season form with clearances of 5.85m and 5.87m on both Australian and international soil before coming unstuck with an ankle injury at the Australian Championships, leaving that in his wake as he looks to build back over the 5.90m barrier to assert his presence as a podium contender.

Men’s 3000m (1:06am AEST, July 8):

It may not be a Diamond League event but it means much the same for Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) who races in Paris to live up to his number one seeding.

The King Island product finds the sweet spot between the 1500m and 5000m endeavours which dominate his calendar, holding the Australian record over 3000m at 7:28.02 and set to take on the likes of back-to-back World Championships 5000m medallist Jacob Krop (KEN).

Expect the Australian to have his rivals chasing at some point in the race with his usual relentless pressure.

Women’s 1500m (1:50am AEST, July 8):

The two fastest Australian women in history over 1500m, Jessica Hull (Simon Hull) and Linden Hall (Ned Brophy-Williams) are locked in for the final event of the night in Paris.

A star-studded lineup is headed by world record holder Faith Kipyegon (KEN) and 10 other sub-four minute women, with Hull’s recent Australian record of 3:55.97 making her one of four women in the field to have clocked times faster than 3:56.

Hall’s last appearance on the track witnessed the best performance of her 2024 campaign to date, blazing her way to a 3:58.96 showing to edge closer towards her 3:56.92 personal best and former national record – ready to take it up a notch in Paris.

There are few women in global athletics that Hull is yet to defeat which makes her a genuine contender in any race, with the Australian not one to die wondering in contests of this calibre.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 5/07/2024