Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The 2026 Wanda Diamond League season opens in Shanghai/Keqiao on Saturday, featuring several Olympic and world champions aiming for strong early-season performances. The series includes 14 meetings culminating in a two-day final in Brussels in September. Leading athletes such as world record-holders Faith Kipyegon, Mondo Duplantis, and Karsten Warholm will compete alongside other global gold medallists, including Shericka Jackson, Cordell Tinch, Letsile Tebogo, Ditaji Kambundji, and Daniel Ståhl.
The women’s 200m is set to be highly competitive, with Jamaica’s two-time world champion Shericka Jackson and USA’s Sha'Carri Richardson making their first half-lap appearances of the year. They will be joined by world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt, two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, last year’s winner Anavia Battle, and Jenna Prandini, who has posted strong times in both the 100m and 200m this season. Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo will contest the 100m, having recently contributed to Botswana’s winning 4x400m team at the World Athletics Relays.
The men’s sprints feature multiple sub-10.00 runners, including two-time Olympic and world 200m medallist Kenny Bednarek, two-time world 100m bronze medallist Trayvon Bromell, South African record-holder Akani Simbine, and Lachlan Kennedy, who recently won the Australian title in 9.96. The women’s 100m hurdles gathers the last four global outdoor champions—Ditaji Kambundji, Masai Russell, Danielle Williams, and world record-holder Tobi Amusan—as well as Devynne Charlton, a three-time world indoor 60m hurdles winner.
World champion and Diamond League titleholder Cordell Tinch returns to the 110m hurdles, after last year's 12.87 run for the fourth-best mark ever. He will face Olympic silver medallist Orlando Bennett and Japanese record-holder Rachid Muratake, who clocked 12.92 in 2025.
Karsten Warholm, a three-time world gold medallist, will compete in the 300m hurdles — an event where he holds the world best of 32.67. This will be Warholm’s first race since placing fifth at the World Championships in Tokyo. He will compete against 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos, 2023 world silver medallist Kyron McMaster, and 2022 world bronze medallist Trevor Bassitt.
Swedish pole vault star Mondo Duplantis and Faith Kipyegon make their season debuts following indoor competitions, with Duplantis recently setting a world indoor record of 6.31m.