Stockholm Diamond League 2014Aug 20, 2014 by Meg Bellino
Stockholm syndrome: True will be fast, not victorious
Stockholm syndrome: True will be fast, not victorious
Can you believe that it’s been one month since the last Diamond League meet?
We’re jonesing so much for the return of the circuit that we’re shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.
Thankfully, the DL is back in Stockholm, Sweden. Here are five events guaranteed to give you the fix you’ve been missing.
Men’s 5000m
So much hype before the Paris DL centered on Galen Rupp breaking the 13:00 barrier.
Didn’t happen.
Since May, we’ve been waiting for Ben True and Hassan Mead to come close to their Payton Jordan times (13:02.74 and 13:02.80, respectively).
Hasn’t happened.
So, we ask will the world lead of 12:59.82 be broken?
With good rabbiting and a field that should be refreshed from this Commonwealth Games/European Championships break, it seems possible.
Leading candidates include Kenya’s Edwin Soi, the keeper of that soft world lead, and the three others in the field holding sub 12:50 PRs: Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet (12:47.53), and Kenyans Isiah Koech (12:48.64) and Thomas Longosiwa (12:49.04). None of the three have come close to those times in 2014, but figure to be the ones the Americans will be chasing.
Verdict: True will finally get his sub 13:00 race, but not the win. Sit back and watch Soi and Rupp battle for the victory.
Women’s 3000m steeplechase
The last time we saw Emma Coburn, she was breaking records and racking up Diamond League points like it was her job.
Wait. It is!
Hurray for someone who isn’t afraid of mixing it up with the East Africans and is getting better with every race. She’s finished runner-up in her previous two Diamond Leagues, and her American record of 9:11.42 almost matches Ethiopians Sofia Assefa (9:11.39) and Hiwot Ayalew (9:10.64), the favorites in this Stockholm field. American Ashley Higginson will be looking to improve upon her 9:27.59 PR that she set at USAs in June, and Australian Genevieve Lacaze will return to the track after showing off her dance moves during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.
Verdict: Coburn will give the people what they want - her first Diamond League victory since Shanghai in May.
Men’s Shot Put
Finally, an event where the U.S. doesn’t have to worry about East African dominance.
But there are European threats.
Americans Ryan Whiting, Joe Kovacs, Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa will go against German David Storl. While an American sweep is very possible, considering Cantwell, Hoffa and Whiting have the three best PBs and Kovacs owns the best throw of the 2014 season, Storl is the two-time reigning world champion and is coming off a victory at Europeans.
American men have dominated the shot this year, registering seven of the top 10 throws in the world with Whiting also taking home a World Indoor title. If Cantwell can beat Storl, he would break a tie in the Diamond League standings and give the U.S. a 1-2-3.
Verdict: Storl is the two-time reigning World Champ and fresh off a Euro Championship. He’ll take the title here in Stockholm.
Men’s 800m
No David Rudisha?!
No Mo Aman?!
The absence of the last two world champions leaves world leading Nijel Amos to challenge Frenchman Pierre-Ambroise Bosse in this depleted field. Amos recently won gold at the African Championships. Bosse disappointed at Euros after leading through 600m before falling back to 8th place.
Lone Kenyan Timothy Kitum figures to be a contender, along with Bram Som and Yeimer Lopez. Watch for Swedish 19-year-old Andreas Almgreen to improve upon his 1:45.65 third place finish at World Juniors.
Verdict: Bosse will learn from his poor racing strategy at Euros and claim the victory over Amos.
Women’s 1500m
All the major players will line up for this heavyweight middle-distance battle. World leader Sifan Hassan (3:57.00) is fresh off a victory in the 1500m and runner-up finish in the 5000m at the European Championships. She’ll be challenged by Jenny Simpson (3:57.22), Abeba Aregawi (3:57.57) and of course, Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba, who ran the world’s fastest time (3:55.17) indoors in February.
Don’t count out Americans Shannon Rowbury and Brenda Martinez. Rowbury dipped under the 4:00 mark this season and could drop more time with the right race. Martinez hasn’t come close to her 4:00.94 best this year and was a disappointing fifth in the 800m at the USA Championships. Her 800m bronze medal in Moscow last year cannot be discounted, but she’ll need to come close to her PR to be competitive.
Meraf Bahta of Sweden could really mix things up. She took home the gold medal in the 5K at the European Championships after a 61.8 second last lap. If she competes with the front group, her season best and PR of 4:03.16 could go down along with this field.
Verdict: Dibaba did just lose to Almaz Ayana at the African Championships, so maybe she isn’t unbreakable. Jenny Simpson will win her first DL contest of 2014 and finally set the American record.
We’re jonesing so much for the return of the circuit that we’re shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.
Thankfully, the DL is back in Stockholm, Sweden. Here are five events guaranteed to give you the fix you’ve been missing.
Men’s 5000m
So much hype before the Paris DL centered on Galen Rupp breaking the 13:00 barrier.
Didn’t happen.
Since May, we’ve been waiting for Ben True and Hassan Mead to come close to their Payton Jordan times (13:02.74 and 13:02.80, respectively).
Hasn’t happened.
So, we ask will the world lead of 12:59.82 be broken?
With good rabbiting and a field that should be refreshed from this Commonwealth Games/European Championships break, it seems possible.
Leading candidates include Kenya’s Edwin Soi, the keeper of that soft world lead, and the three others in the field holding sub 12:50 PRs: Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet (12:47.53), and Kenyans Isiah Koech (12:48.64) and Thomas Longosiwa (12:49.04). None of the three have come close to those times in 2014, but figure to be the ones the Americans will be chasing.
Verdict: True will finally get his sub 13:00 race, but not the win. Sit back and watch Soi and Rupp battle for the victory.
Women’s 3000m steeplechase
The last time we saw Emma Coburn, she was breaking records and racking up Diamond League points like it was her job.
Wait. It is!
Hurray for someone who isn’t afraid of mixing it up with the East Africans and is getting better with every race. She’s finished runner-up in her previous two Diamond Leagues, and her American record of 9:11.42 almost matches Ethiopians Sofia Assefa (9:11.39) and Hiwot Ayalew (9:10.64), the favorites in this Stockholm field. American Ashley Higginson will be looking to improve upon her 9:27.59 PR that she set at USAs in June, and Australian Genevieve Lacaze will return to the track after showing off her dance moves during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.
Verdict: Coburn will give the people what they want - her first Diamond League victory since Shanghai in May.
Men’s Shot Put
Finally, an event where the U.S. doesn’t have to worry about East African dominance.
But there are European threats.
Americans Ryan Whiting, Joe Kovacs, Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa will go against German David Storl. While an American sweep is very possible, considering Cantwell, Hoffa and Whiting have the three best PBs and Kovacs owns the best throw of the 2014 season, Storl is the two-time reigning world champion and is coming off a victory at Europeans.
American men have dominated the shot this year, registering seven of the top 10 throws in the world with Whiting also taking home a World Indoor title. If Cantwell can beat Storl, he would break a tie in the Diamond League standings and give the U.S. a 1-2-3.
Verdict: Storl is the two-time reigning World Champ and fresh off a Euro Championship. He’ll take the title here in Stockholm.
Men’s 800m
No David Rudisha?!
No Mo Aman?!
The absence of the last two world champions leaves world leading Nijel Amos to challenge Frenchman Pierre-Ambroise Bosse in this depleted field. Amos recently won gold at the African Championships. Bosse disappointed at Euros after leading through 600m before falling back to 8th place.
Lone Kenyan Timothy Kitum figures to be a contender, along with Bram Som and Yeimer Lopez. Watch for Swedish 19-year-old Andreas Almgreen to improve upon his 1:45.65 third place finish at World Juniors.
Verdict: Bosse will learn from his poor racing strategy at Euros and claim the victory over Amos.
Women’s 1500m
All the major players will line up for this heavyweight middle-distance battle. World leader Sifan Hassan (3:57.00) is fresh off a victory in the 1500m and runner-up finish in the 5000m at the European Championships. She’ll be challenged by Jenny Simpson (3:57.22), Abeba Aregawi (3:57.57) and of course, Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba, who ran the world’s fastest time (3:55.17) indoors in February.
Don’t count out Americans Shannon Rowbury and Brenda Martinez. Rowbury dipped under the 4:00 mark this season and could drop more time with the right race. Martinez hasn’t come close to her 4:00.94 best this year and was a disappointing fifth in the 800m at the USA Championships. Her 800m bronze medal in Moscow last year cannot be discounted, but she’ll need to come close to her PR to be competitive.
Meraf Bahta of Sweden could really mix things up. She took home the gold medal in the 5K at the European Championships after a 61.8 second last lap. If she competes with the front group, her season best and PR of 4:03.16 could go down along with this field.
Verdict: Dibaba did just lose to Almaz Ayana at the African Championships, so maybe she isn’t unbreakable. Jenny Simpson will win her first DL contest of 2014 and finally set the American record.