Diamond League tension: Ukrainian Mahuchikh fights for gold, Levchenko battles for finals spot
Yaroslava Mahuchikh (photo: Getty Images)
The Diamond League season, the main commercial series in athletics, is approaching its conclusion. The 13th stage out of 15 planned will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland, and will be decisive for several season finalists in multiple disciplines, including the women's high jump.
Ukrainian athletes at the Lausanne stage
Two athletes will represent Ukraine at the Swiss tournament. Yaroslava Mahuchikh has already secured her place in the season final, while Yuliya Levchenko continues to fight for a spot in the top six, currently holding sixth place.
The Lausanne Diamond League stage will begin on Tuesday, August 19, with men's pole vault.
The main program will take place on Wednesday, August 20, featuring most of the disciplines for men and women.
Main favorites in the men's disciplines
In men's pole vault, Swedish athlete Armand Duplantis, who has won six stages this season and set a new world record of 6.29 m, will not compete.
As a result, the main contenders for victory will be American Sam Kendricks and Greek Emmanuel Karalis, the silver and bronze medalists of the 2024 Olympics.
All 2024 Olympic medalists will compete in the long jump in Lausanne: champion Miltiadis Tentoglou will face Wayne Pinnock and Mattia Furlani, and overall, seven of the ten highest-ranked athletes in the world.
Standings before Lausanne
After 12 Diamond League stages in women's high jump:
- Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) – 35 points
- Eleanor Patterson (Australia) – 31
- Nicola Olyslagers (Australia) – 29
- Morgan Lake (Great Britain) – 19
- Christina Honsel (Germany) – 15
- Yuliya Levchenko (Ukraine) – 15
- Vesty Cunningham (USA) – 10
- Imke Onnen (Germany) – 9
Levchenko is currently in last qualifying place, the sixth, with 15 points, five points ahead of seventh-ranked American Vesty Cunningham. To secure a place in the final, she only needs to finish at least sixth.
Women's disciplines and high jump intrigue
In the women's high jump, the main competition will be between Yaroslava Mahuchikh and the Australians Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson.
Meanwhile, the three contenders for the last two spots in the season final–Yuliya Levchenko, Christina Honsel, and Imke Onnen–continue to compete intensely.
In the javelin throw, all top six-ranked athletes in the world will compete for victory, with Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi being the main favorite.
In running events, attention is focused on Kelli Hodgkinson, who made a striking return after a year-long pause, and Jamaican world champion Shericka Jackson, who recorded the best result in two years at the previous stage.
Lausanne Diamond League schedule (Kyiv time)
Tuesday, August 19
- 7:00 PM – Men's pole vault (no live broadcast)
Wednesday, August 20
- 8:30 PM– Men's shot put
- 8:30 PM – Women's javelin throw
- 9:04 PM – Women's 400 m
- 9:11 PM – Women's 800 m
- 9:23 PM – Men's 110 m hurdles
- 9:25 PM – Women's high jump (live broadcast)
- 9:29 PM – Women's 3000 m steeplechase
- 9:49 PM – Women's 200 m
- 9:50 PM – Men's long jump (live broadcast)
- 9:55 PM – Men's 5000 m
- 10:14 PM – Women's 110 m hurdles
- 10:23 PM – Men's 800 m
- 10:40 PM – Men's 100 m
Earlier, we reported how Mahuchikh broke Levchenko's record and won the Diamond League stage in Silesia, Poland.
Previously, we shared what Mahuchikh said about her triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
