2020 Wanda Doha Diamond League to Kick off Friday

Doha, September 24 (QNA) - The competitions of 2020 Wanda Doha Diamond League will start tomorrow, Friday, the fourth and final round of the Diamond League, with the participation of a large number of world and Olympic champions on Suheim bin Hamad Stadium track in Qatar Sports Club. 117 athletes and runners are participating in the championship, including 10 medalists from the last Olympic Games (Rio 2016) and 17 from the last IAAF World Athletics Championships (Doha 2019), competing in 12 races and competitions. Qatar's national team players Musab Abdul Rahman and Hamza Darwish will participate in the 1500-meter main race, while Mohammed al-Qarni and Yasser Baghrab will participate in the 1500-meter race (B). Abdulaziz Salem will participate in the 200-meter race and Jamal Hayran, the Asian champion, will take part in the 800-meter race. The tournament Director Khalid Al Marri said in a press conference organized today that the 2020 Wanda Doha Diamond League will be held this year without fans in stadium due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, stressing the arrival of all athletes and champions who were keen to attend and participate, which confirms their great confidence in the State of Qatar in these exceptional circumstances that the whole world is going through. Al Marri welcomed all athletes and champions, wishing them a good stay and to provide the best performance and level in the tournament, expressing sincere gratitude and praise for their participation in the 2020 Wanda Doha Diamond League. The tournament Director affirmed that the Organizing Committee of the championship, headed by HE President of Qatar Athletics Federation and Chairman of the Organizing Committee Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari, provided all facilities and support to ensure the organization of a distinguished tournament round. Al Marri thanked all sponsors and supporters of official and private bodies that provided support and assistance in order to achieve the desired success. Ten Olympic medalists from Rio 2016 and 17 World Championship medalists from Doha 2019 will compete Friday at the Wanda Doha Diamond League. Across a high-quality program, event highlights are expected to include the men's pole vault and 1500m, and the women's 100m and 3000m. In the mens pole vault, world record holder Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) - World Championships silver medalist in Doha 2019 - will again be the one to watch. Having set an outright world record of 6.18m at the World Indoor Tour meeting in Glasgow in February, he is now officially the best vaulter in history following his incredible 6.15m clearance at the Wanda Rome Diamond League on Sept. 17. His outdoor best exceeds Sergey Bubka's previous record of 6.14m which stood for a remarkable 26 years. Duplantis is joined in Doha by reigning world champion Sam Kendricks (USA), in addition to London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Renaud Lavillenie (France). The men's 1500m includes Olympic and world 3000mSC champion Conseslus Kipruto (Kenya), world silver medalists over 5000m (Selemon Barega) and 3000mSC (Lamecha Girma), both Ethiopia, and world 3000mSC bronze medalist Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco). Double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica) and multiple World Championships medalist Marie-Josee Ta Lou (Ivory Coast) will go head-to-head in the women's 100m. Thompson-Herah's 10.85 seasons best - set at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome - is the fastest time of the year to date. In the women’s 3000m, an exciting field brings together Kenyan quartet Hellen Obiri and Beatrice Chepkoech, 2019 world champions over 5000m and 3000mSC respectively, in addition to Olympic 3000mSC silver medalist Hyvin Kiyeng; world 5000m runner-up Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi; world 1500m bronze medalist Gudaf Tsegay (Ethiopia); and world 10,000m bronze medalist Agnes Jebet Tirop (Kenya). Obiri, Olympic 5000m silver medalist and 2019 World Cross Country champion, proved her recent good form with a world-leading 14:22.12 to win the 5000m at the Wanda Monaco Diamond League in August. In total, six reigning world champions and three reigning Olympic champions will return to Doha for the Wanda Doha Diamond League. (QNA)