Photo credit: British Athletics/Getty Images

With three days to go until the Müller Birmingham Diamond League on Saturday 21 May, a host of global athletics stars – including several Olympic and Paralympic champions – are set to descend upon the newly renovated Alexander Stadium in Birmingham as start lists have gone live.

Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM), triple gold medallist in Tokyo, Jamaican national record holder over 100m and 200m and the second-fastest woman in the world of all time, headlines a stacked women’s 100m which also includes world and European champion Dina Asher-Smith, a two-time Olympic relay bronze medallist and British record holder over 100m and 200m. Prominent others are Jamaica’s multiple Olympic and world medallist Shericka Jackson (JAM); Olympic 200m bronze medallist Gabrielle Thomas (USA); Olympic relay bronze medallist Daryll Neita (GBR); Swiss national record holder and European indoor 60m champion Ajla Del Ponte (SUI); and Cambrea Sturgis (USA), the reigning NCAA champion over 100m and 200m and current world-leader.

In the pole vault, Olympic champion Katie Nageotte (USA) is joined by Olympic bronze medallist and British national record holder Holly Bradshaw (GBR), in addition to World Championships silver and bronze medallists Sandi Morris (USA) and Katerina Stefanidi (GRE). Meanwhile in the discus, Olympic champion and US national record holder Valarie Allman – the current world leader – takes on Sandra Perković (CRO), multiple Olympic and world discus champion and reigning European champion, in addition to 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jade Lally (GBR).

Malaika Mihambo (GER) – the Olympic, world and European champion – headlines an impressive long jump field that also features world indoor champion Ivana Vuleta (SRB), the Serbian record holder and three-time European indoor champion; Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR), world and European Championships silver medallist and world indoor triple jump silver medallist; Lorraine Ugen (GBR), the British national indoor record holder and world indoor championships long jump bronze medallist, and world heptathlon champion, Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR).

Elsewhere, Olympic silver medallist and British national record holder Laura Muir (GBR), the reigning European champion and world indoor medallist (2018), will open her season over 1500m alongside training partner and Olympic 800m fourth-place finisher Jemma Reekie (GBR), in addition to Katie Snowden (GBR), Olympian and European Indoor and Commonwealth finalist. The international contingent is led by Direbe Welteji (ETH), the world under-20 1500m silver medallist and current world leader.

Olympic 800m silver medallist and British record holder Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) – who broke Dame Kelly Holmes’ long-standing national record in Tokyo – will compete over 800m alongside fellow Brit and Olympic finalist Alex Bell (GBR).

The women’s 400m hurdles will feature five Olympic finalists including 2016 Olympic champion and Tokyo silver medallist Dalilah Muhammad (USA), the reigning world champion and current world leader. Olympians Jessie Knight and Jessica Turner, plus Lina Nielsen (all GBR), also feature.

Calli Thackery (GBR), UK lead for the year to date, is joined in the 5000m by fellow Brits Jess Judd (GBR) – Tokyo Olympian over 5000m and 10000m – and Verity Ockenden (GBR), European indoor 3000m bronze medallist. Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye (ETH), world 5km record holder on the road and sixth fastest of all time on the track, was fifth in the Olympic final and is the leading international name.

Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse (CAN), a multiple Olympic and world medallist, headlines a men’s 100m field that includes former Olympic and world relay champion Yohan Blake (JAM) – runner-up in the 100m and 200m in London 2012 – and former world indoor champion Trayvon Bromell (USA), the 2015 World Championships bronze medallist. Reigning European champion Zharnel Hughes (GBR) also joins the field, as does silver medallist, Reece Prescod (GBR).

Olympic 110m hurdles champion Hansle Parchment (JAM) and former Olympic champion Omar McLeod (JAM) headline the men’s 110m hurdles field which includes former world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi (GBR). In an incredibly strong line up, the trio are joined by Olympic finalist Aurel Manga (FRA), a former world and European indoor medallist; and Olympian David King (GBR) who was sixth in the 60m hurdles final at the 2022 World Indoor Championships.

The charismatic and popular Olympic high jump champion and Italian national record holder Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA) will star in the men’s high jump alongside joint world leaders Sanghyeok Woo (KOR) and Hamish Kerr (NZL), the world indoor champion and world indoor bronze medallist respectively. Tom Gale (GBR), Olympic finalist and the reigning British champion, is also in the field.

The loaded men’s discus competition will reunite the podium trio from Tokyo as Olympic and world discus champion Daniel Stahl (SWE), the Swedish national record holder and current world leader, goes up against fellow countryman and Olympic silver medallist Simon Pettersson (SWE) and Olympic and world bronze medallist Lukas Weißhaidinger (AUT) as well as British record holder Lawrence Okoye (GBR).

Elsewhere in the men’s events, Olympic 1500m bronze medallist and Scottish record holder Josh Kerr (GBR) will go up against world indoor champion Samuel Tefera (ETH) and current world leader Abel Kipsang (KEN) in the 1500m. The strong British contingent also includes Piers Copeland (GBR), the British indoor champion and Welsh indoor record holder, and George Mills (GBR), the 2016 European under-18 champion. International stars already announced include Stewart McSweyn (AUS), Olympic 1500m finalist and Australian national record holder (outdoors), and Ollie Hoare (AUS), Olympic 1500m finalist and the Australian national record holder (indoors).

The men’s 800m includes Olympic silver and bronze medallists Ferguson Rotich (KEN) and Patryk Dobek (POL), while in the 400m, European champion Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR), a local athlete and member of Birchfield Harriers, will take on Vernon Norwood (USA), a member of the USA’s Olympic bronze medal-winning 4 x 400m relay quartet and the sixth-fastest in the world this year to date.

Notable British names elsewhere (all GBR) on the programme include reigning Paralympic champions Sophie Hahn – the T38 world record holder in the 100m (12.38) and 200m (25.92) – and Thomas Young will line up in the women’s and men’s mixed ambulant 100m races, in addition to seven-time Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder Hannah Cockroft, a multiple world and European champion, in the women’s mixed wheelchair 400m. Paralympic silver medallist Nathan Maguire, and six-time Paralympic champion David Weir are in the field for the men’s mixed wheelchair 800m.

Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Olympic relay bronze medallist from 2020, goes in the women’s 100m B race; Nicole Yeargin, two-time Olympic Games relay finalist, in the women’s 400m ‘B’ race; while UK indoor champion Jenny Selman and multiple European age group champion Isabelle Boffey line up in the women’s 800m ‘B’ race.

World Indoor 60m finalist Adam Thomas lines up in the men’s 100m B race; while two-time European indoor medallist Jamie Webb and Commonwealth and European finalist Guy Learmonth – 2022 world indoor relay finalist – go in the men’s 800m ‘B’ race.

The Müller Birmingham Diamond League is the second meeting of the 2022 Wanda Diamond League series. The series now comprises 13 meetings in total, concluding with a single final across two days in Zurich (7-8 September). Each meeting will be broadcast globally in a live two-hour programme.

Book your tickets at: https://www2.theticketfactory.com/british-athletics/online/