Serial world record setter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis will be on hand to kick off this season’s Diamond League series when he takes to the pole vault runway at the Shanghai/Keqiao meet this weekend.

The US-born Swede will be joined by Kenya’s middle-distance queen Faith Kipyegon, Norway’s hurdles king Karsten Warholm, Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo and Nigerian 100m hurdler Tobi Amusan in what promises to be a high-octane start to the 15-meet series.

This year’s Diamond League crosses four continents and 15 cities en route to the two-day series final in Brussels on September 4-5.

With no Olympic Games or world championships in 2026, the Diamond League, which has a total prize-money pool of US$9.24 million, will also act as a perfect run-up to World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest on September 11-13.

“With competitors from around 100 countries and an ever-growing fanbase on all seven continents, the Wanda Diamond League is a truly global series which delivers reliable, championship-level track and field competitions to athletes and fans across the world,” Diamond League CEO Petr Stastny said.

“In the coming years, the series will remain on the cutting edge of innovation in athlete services and fan engagement, while continuing to provide a crucial foundation for the sustainable growth of the sport as a whole.”