19th July 2018

BRITISH QUARTET READY TO TACKLE MONACO IN LATEST DIAMOND LEAGUE LEG

Four British athletes will head to Monaco for the next instalment of the IAAF Diamond League schedule, before it rolls into London this weekend.

Holly Bradshaw (coach: Scott Simpson, club: Blackburn), who starred at the Athletics World Cup where she cleared 4.72m in the pole vault to take victory, is back in action in Monaco looking to cement her spot in the finals next month.

She is currently sixth in the overall standings on 12 points, and will face off against eight of the top ten athletes in the standings (excluding herself). Runaway Diamond League leader Sandi Morris (USA) and Katie Nageotte (USA), who is second in the rankings on 17 points will be the favourites, but new world leader Eliza McCartney (AUS)’s 4.94m effort in Jockrim has outlined her intentions.

Bradshaw cleared a new season’s best of 4.80m earlier this week in Jockrim, Germany, just one centimetre shy of matching her 4.81m personal best. She finished second in Doha Diamond League meet earlier in the season with a best height of 4.64m.

British 3000m steeplechase champion Rosie Clarke (David Harmer, Epsom & Ewell Harriers) returns to the track for the first time since winning the British title, looking to scoop her first points of the season.

After a hard race in Rome saw her place 12th in 9:36.02 and a mix-up with the barrier height in Oslo saw her finish ninth in 9:42.80, Clarke will hope it’s third time lucky as she bids to get points on the board in the principality.

She will be in a world-class field with 11 athletes who have accumulated Diamond League points this season, led by Hyvin Kiyeng (KEN), who has two victories on the circuit from her three races this season. Only Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN) has managed to topple her in a 3000m steeplechase this season.

Also on the hunt for points in the men’s 1500m are Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman, Edinburgh AC), and Chris O’Hare (Terrence Mahon, Edinburgh AC). O’Hare won in Oslo earlier this season in the non-Diamond League race but is looking to pick up another win on the circuit.

The newly crowned British champion ran a season’s best of 3:35.96 in Oslo and will require a maximum point haul to have any hope of making it into the finals next month.

Wightman finished second at the trials and won the men’s 1500m at the indoor championships in February to secure him a first British title of any capacity. He claimed his only Diamond League points to date with third place finish in the men’s 1000m in Stockholm, having finished ninth in Oslo in the mile.

His season’s best of 3:35.97 came as he claimed bronze at the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in the 1500m for Scotland and like O’Hare, will be hoping to lower that in a fast-paced race.

Current Diamond League leader Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN) is going for a fourth consecutive victory on the circuit and Ayanleh Souleiman (DJI) will join him in the field on the hunt for his first win.

Coverage begins on Eurosport 2 and Eurosport Player from 7pm. Highlights will be shown from midday on BBC One.

Full start lists for the event can be found here.