All eyes on Duplantis, Tebogo

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) — Armand Duplantis and Letsile Tebogo headline a raft of Olympic champions who will descend on Lausanne for the first Diamond League meeting since the end of the Paris Games.

Some 18 current Olympic or world champions will be present in the Swiss city for Thursday’s meet, coming just 12 days after the last of the track and field action at the Stade de France.

Duplantis defended his gold in France’s national stadium and improved his own world record to 6.25 meters.

In Lausanne, the Swede will take part in a City Event held on an esplanade bordering Lac Leman — better known in English as Lake Geneva — on Wednesday, 24 hours before the main fare at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise.

Duplantis will be up against American Sam Kendricks, the silver medallist in Paris, and also Renaud Lavillenie, the 2012 Olympic champion and former world record holder who failed to qualify for what would have been his home Games.

“It’s the only pole vault event next to a lake,” Duplantis said.

“I love to have it scenic, fun, more like a show. It suits us well. I jumped 6.10m in Lausanne last time and have felt well rested since Paris.”

“I think there are still some good jumps in my legs,” said the US-born Swede, who left Paris the day after the event for a “much-needed vacation with my girlfriend to chill as much as I could.”

Botswana’s Tebogo will race the 200-meter on Thursday, the event he won in Paris when he outstripped a Covid-hit Noah Lyles.

The American, a three-time world champion in the distance and the 100m winner in the French capital, has called time on his season.

Tebogo will be up against Fred Kerley, the triple world champion (100m and relay) and 100m bronze medallist in Paris, and his US teammate Erriyon Knighton.

The 21-year-old Botswanan raced to victory in an African record of 19.46 seconds, a time that took him to fifth on the all-time list.

He also became the first African to win the Olympic 200m meters. The men’s 800m race in this 11th stage of the Diamond League circuit also promises to be a thriller.

Four men in the Olympic final dipped under the one minute and 42-second mark for the first time ever.

And four of the top five finishers from the Games will run in Lausanne: Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya, the third fastest man in history, Olympic silver medallist and world champion Marco Arop of Canada, and the fourth and fifth-placed finishers in Paris, American Bryce Hoppel and Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen will bid to put the disappointment of his 1500m outing at the Paris Games behind him when takes on a strong field in Switzerland.

American Cole Hocker stormed to an upset victory in Paris, outsprinting world champion Josh Kerr of Britain, American Yared Nuguse and Ingebrigtsen.