Omanyala, Cherotich lead Kenyan charge at Xiamen Diamond League
Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 23.05.26. | 08:30
World silver medalist Dorcus Ewoi will meanwhile line up in a stacked 1500m field
Kenyan stars will once again be under the spotlight when the 2026 Diamond League heads to Xiamen, China, for its second stop of the season on Saturday, 23 May.
The meeting is expected to produce another thrilling round of elite track and field action, following an explosive opener in Shanghai/Keqiao, where seven world leads were set, as athletes launched their campaigns towards the Diamond League final in Brussels in September.
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Kenya’s attention will largely be on sprint sensation Ferdinand Omanyala and the women’s steeplechase stars, led by Faith Cherotich.
Omanyala heads into the men’s 100m in impressive form, having already clocked sub-10-second times three times this season.
The African record holder will face a stacked field featuring reigning Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, four-time global 200m medallist Kenny Bednarek, 2019 world champion Christian Coleman, two-time world medallist Trayvon Bromell, and last year’s Xiamen winner Akani Simbine.
Tebogo will be particularly motivated to respond, after a disappointing seventh-place finish in Shanghai last weekend.
The women’s 3000m steeplechase is also shaping up to be one of the standout races of the meeting.
Cherotich will renew her rivalry with Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai after their dramatic clash in Shanghai, where Chemutai narrowly edged the Kenyan in a race that saw the top three athletes dip below the nine-minute mark.
The event becomes even more competitive with Olympic champion Winfred Yavi opening her season, while 2022 world champion Norah Jeruto adds further firepower to the field.
Too close for comfort 🫣#DiamondLeague #ShanghaiDL pic.twitter.com/6dbyRaOCda
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 17, 2026
Elsewhere, the women’s 200m is expected to headline the track programme, as two-time world champion Shericka Jackson takes on 2023 world 100m champion Sha'Carri Richardson once again.
Jackson dominated their previous meeting in Shanghai, clocking 22.07 seconds for victory, while Richardson finished fourth. The race will also feature world silver medallist Amy Hunt, Anavia Battle, Jenna Prandini, and Australian teenage sensation Torrie Lewis.
In the men’s 400m, Botswana’s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi will continue his rivalry with South Africa’s Zakithi Nene after dominating their recent meetings, including at the 2025 World Championships, where he set a national record on his way to gold.
Field event fans will also get to witness the season debut of three-time Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser, who renews his rivalry with fellow American Joe Kovacs.
The women’s sprint hurdles will feature another heavyweight battle between reigning Olympic champion Masai Russell and reigning world champion Ditaji Kambundji.
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Meanwhile, the men’s 400m hurdles promises fireworks, as Norwegian star Karsten Warholm renews his rivalry with Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, after the Brazilian got the better of him in the 300m hurdles in Shanghai.
Also entered in the race are Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba, and American trio Trevor Bassitt, Caleb Dean, and CJ Allen.
With some of the world’s biggest athletics stars already showing strong early-season form, the Xiamen Diamond League promises another high-quality showdown, as athletes continue building momentum towards the major championships later in the year.