Azu, Duplantis, Kipyegon In Action At Diamond League Opener

The 16th Diamond League play originates successful Xiamen, China connected Saturday arsenic athletics' Olympic stars statesman to build towards their changeable astatine world glory successful 2025, unrecorded connected nan BBC.

The bid will spot athletes compete for points successful 32 disciplines crossed 14 meetings successful a bid to suffice for nan winner-takes-all two-day finals successful Zurich successful August.

That takes spot conscionable complete 2 weeks earlier nan commencement of nan World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo, Japan successful September.

It is besides nan first twelvemonth successful which nan Diamond League must compete pinch Michael Johnson's caller Grand Slam Track for athletes' attention.

Of nan 3 remaining Grand Slam Track events, only 1 clashes straight pinch Diamond League title - pinch nan Miami Slam connected 2–4 May taking spot astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic nan meet successful Keqiao, China connected 3 May.

The Diamond League has accrued its prize money to nan highest level successful its history, pinch a full prize cookware of $9.24m (£6.95m) connected connection crossed nan series.

That includes $500,000 (£375,000) astatine each of nan 14 bid meetings, and $2.2m (£1.7m) astatine nan Diamond League final.

Watch nan Diamond League action connected nan BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and nan BBC Sport website and app from 12:00 to 14:00 BST connected Saturday.

After winning nan first world title of his profession pinch world indoor 60m golden successful March, Great Britain's Jeremiah Azu originates his push for outdoor success.

The 23-year-old will person Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, American Christian Coleman and South Africa's Akani Simbine for institution successful a stacked race.

Swedish rod vault prima Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis competes successful nan men's rod vault aft breaking nan men's world grounds for an 11th clip successful February.

In Xiamen 1 twelvemonth ago, Duplantis posted nan earliest world grounds successful a Diamond League play earlier going connected to triumph a 4th trophy.

Having announced this week that successful June she will effort to become nan first female to tally a sub-four infinitesimal mile, three-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon will title nan women's 1,000m successful Xiamen.

The Kenyan, whose individual champion is conscionable 0.17 seconds slower than nan world grounds of 2 minutes and 28.98 seconds, is joined successful that title by Olympic 800m metallic medallist Tsige Duguma and GB's Erin Wallace.

Elsewhere, Britain's Amy Hunt lines up successful nan women's 200m against Jamaica's two-time world champion successful nan arena Shericka Jackson, while Morgan Lake competes against Ukraine's Olympic precocious jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

The inaugural Diamond League men's 300m hurdles features nan event's world grounds holder Karsten Warholm, while four-time world champion Grant Holloway goes successful nan men's 110m hurdles.

Athletes will compete for points astatine nan 14 regular bid meetings from April to August.

Points are awarded connected a standard from 8 for first spot to 1 for eighth place.

After nan 14th gathering successful Brussels, nan apical six classed athletes successful nan section events, nan apical 8 successful way events from 100m up to 800m, and nan apical 10 successful nan distances from 1500m upwards suffice for nan final.

The two-day finals are a winner-takes-all title to beryllium crowned Diamond League champion successful each event.

26 April - Xiamen, China

03 May - Keqiao, China

16 May - Doha, Qatar

25 May - Rabat, Morocco

06 June - Rome, Italy

12 June - Oslo, Norway

15 June -Stockholm, Sweden

20 June - Paris, France

05 July - Eugene, USA

11 July - Monaco

19 July - London, England

16 August - Silesia, Poland

20 August - Lausanne, Switzerland

22 August - Brussels, Belgium

27-28 August - Zurich, Switzerland