Xiamen Diamond League: Sha’carri Richardson Suffers Defeat, Mondo Duplantis Sets World Record

• The 2024 Diamond League season is up and running
• The season kicked off in Xiamen, China, on Saturday, April 20
• Sha'Carri Richardson lost, while Mondo Duplantis set a world record

The 2023 Diamond League season got underway on Saturday, April 20, in Xiamen, China.

The event started with a bang, with world records falling and surprising defeats.

World champions Sha'Carri Richardson, Mondo Duplantis, Christian Coleman, and Marco Arop were in action.

Track and field athletes are using the Diamond League to intensify their preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics later this year.

There were superb performances at the event. Duplantis stole the show by setting a new world record in the men's pole vault while Richardson suffered defeat. Here's a recap of the event.

Xiamen Diamond League

Women's 200m

Top 200m runners like world champion, Jamaican Shericka Jackson and Gabby Thomas were not present, so an opportunity presented itself to Richardaon to get her first win of the season.

Tobi Amusan's bio: parents, age, coach, height, cash prize, WORLD RECORD

Athletics

However, the world 100m champion was stunned by Australian Torrie Lewis, who crossed the finish line in 22.96 seconds. Richardson finished second in 22.99, while her compatriot Tamara Clark was third in 23.01.

Richardson will have a chance to redeem herself in Shanghai next Saturday, April 27. Will she get her first win of the season?

Men's 100m

The men's 100m pitted Americans, Fred Kerley and Chrisitan Coleman against each other. Both Kerley and Coleman are former 100m world champions.

Kerley had a forgettable 2023 season, while Coleman started 2024 with the 60m world indoor title.

At the Xiamen Diamond League, Coleman finished first in 10.13 seconds. Kerley finished second in 10.17 seconds while Jamaican, Ackeem Blake was third after clocking 10.20 seconds. The second fastest man ever, Yohan Blake, finished 9th.

Coleman and Kerley will face off at the Suzhou Diamond League in the 100m next Saturday.

Kaka's net worth, achievements, house, cars, religion, what is he doing now?

Football

Men's pole vault

It is not a surprise what pole vault king Mondo Duplantis continues to do. The Swedish star has been shattering world records in the last few years, which has set him apart from the competition. He finished the 2023 Diamond League season with a world record in Eugene and began the 2024 season with a world record.

The world indoor and outdoor champion set a world record of 6.23m in Eugene last year, his seventh world record, before breaking that record on Saturday.

In Xiamen, he soared to 6.24m, months before the 2024 Paris Olympics, per World Athletics.

Women's 1,500m

Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay won the women's 1,500m, clocking the third-fastest time in the distance. The two-time world champion clocked 3:50.30, leading a sweep of the first five positions by Ethiopians. Kenya's Faith Kipyegon set the world record (3:49.11) last year.

Birke Birke Haylom (3:53.22) and Worknesh Mesele (3:57.61) finished second and third, respectively.

Who is Xavi Hernandez? All the details and facts on one of the greatest midfielders ever

Football

Tsegay also broke Kipyegon's 5,000m world record last year.

Women's 100m hurdles

This race had Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, world record holder Tobi Amusan, and world indoor record holder Devynne Charlton.

The Olympic champion won the race in 12.45 seconds ahead of Charlton (12.49) and Cyrena Samba-Mayela (12.55), who finished second and third, respectively. Amusan finished distant 5th.

Beatrice Chepkoech won the women's 3,000 steeplechase, setting a world lead of 8:55.40. Marco Arop won the men's 800m

All statistics courtesy of Diamond League.

Richardson wins world title

Sports Brief earlier reported on Richardson winning the women's 100m world title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

The American clocked a championship record of 10.65 seconds, denying defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and favourite Shericka Jackson.

The race was also the first women's 100m world championship victory by an American athlete since 2017, when the late Tori Bowie won.