Wanda Diamond League resumes with two meets in Lausanne and Silesia...
After an absence of a month due to the national and continental championships window around the world, the Wanda Diamond League returns to action with two meets this weekend, starting Friday with the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Sunday in Silesia, Poland with the Kamila Skowlimoska Memorial meeting.
LAUSANNE: MILLER PUTS WIN STREAK ON THE LINE IN 800...
Brandon Miller (Paul Merca photo) of the Brooks Beasts puts his five-meet winning streak on the line Friday in the men's 800 at the Athletissima Meeting.
The Lausanne meet is the twelfth of fifteen meets in the series. Flotrack ($) will stream the meet in the USA starting at 9:50 am Pacific.
Miller, who shocked the field in his last race over 800 meters at the Novuna London Diamond League meet last month, when he ran a personal best 1:42.19 to win, faces a field that includes reigning world and Olympic 800 meter champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya, who he beat in London, as well as former world champion Marco Arop of Canada.
Ironically, it was Arop's withdrawal from the London meet four days before the meet that opened the door for Miller to take his place on the starting line.
Miller is currently in sixth place in the Diamond League standings with 14 points.
Washington alum Gianna Woodruff, who is currently in third place in the Diamond League standings in the 400 hurdles with 19 points, races in her specialty in Lausanne.
She'll face Diamond League leader Emma Zapletalová of Slovenia, and Rushell Clayton of Jamaica, who stands second in the Diamond League standings. Both have already clinched their positions in the Diamond League finals in Brussels on September 4-5.
Former Pullman resident and defending world and Diamond League champion Katie Moon, along with Washington's NCAA indoor champion Hana Moll, are in a very stacked field in the women's pole vault.
They'll face fellow American's Sandi Morris and Emily Grove, along with Olympic champion Nina Kennedy of Australia, New Zealand's Imogen Ayris and Eliza McCartney, and Switzerland's Angelica Moser.
Kennedy is the Diamond League leader in the pole vault with 29 points, and is the only vaulter to clinch a spot in the finals in Brussels. Moser is second with 26 points.
Moon stands sixth with 10 points, while Hana is in 14th place with 2 points.
Hana's twin sister Amanda, the NCAA outdoor champion, elected to end her 2026 season after the Herculis meeting in Monaco, where she finished second.
SILESIA: UW ALUM NATHAN GREEN FACES STACKED FIELD IN 1500M...
Sunday, the Wanda Diamond League moves on to Silesia, Poland for the penultimate regular season meet in the series, the Kamila Skowlimoska Memorial meeting.
Flotrack ($) will stream the meet starting at 5 am Pacific Sunday.
Washington alum Nathan Green (Paul Merca photo), who is coming off a fifth place finish in the mile at the Novuna London Diamond League meet, is entered in the men's 1500.
Green, who is in twelfth place in the Diamond League standings with 4 points, will need a high finish in Silesia and another top finish in the final regular season meet in Zürich next week (assuming he is extended an invitation) to get a spot in the Diamond League finals in Brussels.
The Silesia field includes the last two Olympic champions in Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen and the USA's Cole Hocker; a former world champion in Great Britain's Jake Wightman; and fellow Americans Vince Ciattei, and Hobbs Kessler.
Notably absent from the Silesia field is world mile record holder Josh Kerr of Seattle's Brooks Beasts, who probably could have gotten a spot on the line if he chose to race.
The 1500 is being offered at next week's Weltklasse meet in Zürich, and Kerr basically has a spot on the line if he wants to race. Ditto for the Diamond League finals in Brussels if he chooses to accept a wild card entry. He's met two of the criteria for a wild card entry: he's a world record holder, and he's competed at a Diamond League meet (London) this season.
BRITISH MILERS CLUB--TOOTING BAC RECAP...
In London at the British Milers Club meet at Tooting Bac Athletics Track Wednesday night, John Rivera of the Brooks Beasts finished seventh in the top section of the men's 800.
Rivera, who was fourth on Saturday at the Stumptown Twilight meet in Portland, ran 1:47.94, a slight improvement over his performance last week, where he ran 1:48.87.
American Sean Dolan won the race in a time of 1:46.30.
In the men's top section of the 1500, Washington alum Aidan Ryan finished third in a season best 3:35.72, as Great Britain's Henry Jonas won in 3:35.31.
Washington alum India Weir, who raced last week for Great Britain at the European Championships in the 5000, dropped down to the 1500, where she finished eighth in 4:15.10.
Countrywoman Melissa Courtney-Bryant set a meet record, winning in 4:06.29.
NOTE: The Wanda Diamond League and the British Milers Club contributed to this report.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support this site and our sponsors by clicking on the links. You can also support the site by clicking the yellow "Buy Me A Coffee" link below or the blue icon on the lower right hand side.
Comments