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≡ LONDON DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡
The Novuna London Athletics Meet will fill the Olympic Stadium on Saturday (19th), with a strong program in the 11th stage of the 2025 Wanda Diamond League, with the men’s 100 m sure to be the focus.
American star Noah Lyles, the 2023 World Champion and 2024 Olympic champ, turned away Paris Olympic winner Letsile Tebogo (BOT) in the men’s 200 m in Monaco last week. Now he has Tebogo and a lot of others to deal with in London:
● Oblique Seville (JAM): World no. 2 (9.83) in 2025
● Akani Simbine (RSA): Olympic fourth in 2024
● Letsile Tebogo (BOT): Olympic sixth in 2024
● Ackeem Blake (JAM): World no. 6 (9.88) in 2025
● Jeremiah Azu (GBR): 2025 World Indoor 60 m Champion
● Louie Hinchliffe (GBR): 2024 NCAA Champion
● Zharnel Hughes (GBR): 2023 Worlds bronze medalist
It’s Lyles’ season opener in the 100 m; he won in London in 2024 in a then-lifetime best of 9.81 before his 9.79 Olympic triumph in Paris.
Almost as compelling is the men’s 1,500 m at the end of the program, with home stars 2023 World Champion Josh Kerr and 2022 World Champion Jake Wightman. Norway’s Narve Nordas, the 2023 Worlds bronze winner, is in, as is 2025 world no. 3, George Mills (GBR: 3:28.36). But there will be a lot of focus on the newest wunderkind, Kenyan 18-year-old Phanuel Koech, who set the World Junior Record at the Paris Diamond League at 3:27.72, reportedly just his third time running the distance!
There is a lot more to check out, of course:
● Men/400 m: Olympic silver winner Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) will face off with world leader Zakithi Nene (RSA), American vet Vernon Norwood and Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori.
● Men/800 m: Another showdown with Paris Olympic champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi, 2023 World Champion Marco Arop (CAN), 2023 Worlds bronze winner Ben Pattison (GBR), American Record holder Bryce Hoppel, plus comebacking 2019 World Champion Donavan Brazier of the U.S.
● Men/Long Jump: The Paris podium is in: winner – and current world leader – Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE), runner-up Wayne Pinnock (JAM) and 2025 world no. 2 Mattia Furlani (ITA).
● Men/Discus: Terrific line-up with Paris winner Roje Stona (JAM), world-record holder Mykolas Alekna (LTU), 2022 World Champion Kristjian Ceh (SLO) and Tokyo Olympic champ Daniel Stahl (SWE).
● Women/200 m: Home favorite and 2019 World Champion Dina Asher-Smith will be challenging Olympic runner-up Julien Alfred (LCA), the 2025 world leader at 21.88.
● Women/800 m: British stars Georgia Hunter Bell (Paris 1,500 m bronze), Jemma Reekie (2024 World Indoor silver) and Tokyo 1,500 m runner-up Laura Muir are all in, facing 2019 World Champion Halimah Naakayi (UGA) and Addy Wiley of the U.S., among others.
● Women/Mile: Ethiopia’s two-time World Indoor 1,500 m winner Gudaf Tsegay once again faces Paris 1,500 m runner-up Jess Hull (AUS), fellow Ethiopian Birke Haylom, Rome Diamond League winner Sarah Healy (IRL) and Sinclaire Johnson of the U.S.
● Women/400 m hurdles: Paris bronzer Femke Bol, the 2025 world leader at 51.95, is the headliner, with Paris fourth-placer Jasmine Jones of the U.S. and world no. 7 Andrenette Knight (JAM).
● Women/High Jump: Ukraine’s Olympic champ, world record holder and world leader Yaroslava Mahuchikh faces 2022 World Champion and Paris bronzer Eleanor Patterson (AUS) will tangle again.
● Women/Long Jump: Another test for surprise World Indoor champ Claire Bryant of the U.S., against Tokyo Olympic winner Malaika Mihambo (GER), 2025 world no. 2 Larissa Iapichino (ITA) and British hep star Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Those are just some of the highlights. The main part of the meet is from 9-11 a.m. Eastern time, or from 2-4 p.m. London time; coverage is available in the U.S. only on FloTrack.
The circuit will retire for almost a month, for a national championships break, before returning on 16 August in Chorzow (POL) for the Skolimowska Memorial.
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