Chorzów (Poland), August 15
(HS): Sprint fans are in for a blockbuster clash this Saturday as Olympic champion Noah Lyles once again lines up against Jamaica’s rising star Kishane Thompson in the 100m at the Silesia Diamond League — a race poised to rekindle the electrifying duel from the Paris Olympic final.
With the World Athletics Championships set for September in Tokyo, athletes are fine-tuning their form in this star-studded event in southwest Poland.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, the high-voltage sprint ended with Lyles edging past Thompson by a microscopic five-thousandths of a second to claim gold. Thompson, who had missed the 2023 World Championships, roared back this June at the Jamaican Trials with a sizzling 9.75 seconds, ranking sixth on the 2025 world list.
For Lyles, this meet is about redemption after being beaten by Jamaica’s Oblique Seville at the London Diamond League. But the path to victory is crowded — sprint heavyweights like Kenny Bednarek, Christian Coleman, Lindsey Courtney, Trayvon Bromell, and South Africa’s Akani Simbine are all set to challenge.
Lyles and Bednarek also share simmering on-track tension — their rivalry peaked during the U.S. Trials 200m, where Lyles clocked a world-leading 19.63 seconds and stared down Bednarek at the finish, prompting Bednarek to label the act “unsportsmanlike.”
Sha’Carri Richardson Eyes Comeback
In the women’s 100m, reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson looks to reclaim the spotlight after recent controversy. The American sprinter, partner of Christian Coleman, made headlines last month with a domestic dispute and subsequent arrest, later issuing a public apology and taking “full responsibility.”
She will face fierce competition from Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, and Jamaica’s Clayton twins — Tina and Tia.
Duplantis in Relentless Record-Breaking Form
Pole vault phenomenon Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis arrives in Silesia fresh from yet another global milestone — clearing a world-record 6.29m in Budapest on Tuesday, marking his 13th career world record. Last year, he set a meeting record here with a 6.26m jump.
Faith Kipyegon’s World Record Hunt — Chebet Targets 1500m
Kenyan superstar Faith Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic gold medalist over 1500m, will attempt to rewrite the record books in the 3000m. Already this year, she shattered the 1500m world record with a 3:48.68 run at the Eugene Diamond League.
Her compatriot Beatrice Chebet will contest the women’s 1500m against Britain’s Georgia Hunter-Bell and Ethiopian standouts Gudaf Tsegay and Diribe Welteji.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
