Who will be Crowned - Prefontaine Classic Diamond League Final - Eugene

After five months of world-class action across four continents, it all comes down to the season finale at Hayward Field, where all 32 of the 2023 Wanda Diamond League champions will be crowned over the course of a two-day bumper programme. For some, such as US sprint star Noah Lyles or Kenyan distance ace Faith Kipyegon, it is the chance to crown an already historic season with one more global title. Others, such as Norwegian superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen, are out to bounce back from disappointment at the World Athletics Championships, while big names such as Sha'Carri Richardson are aiming for a first ever Diamond Trophy. With a winner-takes-all format, the Diamond League Final takes place from 16-17 September in the same Hayward Field stadium where last year’s World Athletics Championships were hosted in Eugene, Oregon. The victor in each of the 32 events (16 for men and 16 for women) will be named 2023 champion and take home the bragging rights less than a year before the Olympic Games Paris 2024. This year has seen Richardson rise to become one of the biggest stars in the sport, claiming a stunning 100 meter victory at the Worlds in Budapest in a championship record time of 10.65 seconds. The run made her the joint-fifth fastest female of all time over the distance but also cemented her position as one of the most exciting runners today as she overcame the competition of two pre-race favorites, Shericka Jackson and Marie-Josee Ta Lou. In the men’s 100 meter, newly-crowned world champion Noah Lyles will look to add the 2023 Diamond League title to the three golds he won in Budapest in August. The 26-year-old has been in stellar form this year but had originally indicated his season was over before posting on social media: "You know what... I might have another 100 meter in me for the year.” Shericka Jackson’s battle for Flo-Jo’s 200 meter world record continues. Talking about world records, nobody in recent history has come as close to breaking Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 35-year-old women’s 200 meter record, than Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson this season. Jackson was just 0.07 seconds away from the mark when she blazed to victory in the final of the 200 meter at this year’s Worlds, setting the second-fastest time in history (21.41 seconds) in the process. Then on 8 September, the two-time half-lap world champion achieved the fourth-fastest time ever when she came home in 21.48 seconds to become the Diamond League record holder in Brussels. The 29-year-old has made it clear that she wants to break Flo-Jo’s legendary mark of 21.34 seconds, stating prior to racing in Brussels that: "Coach and I have spoken and we are going after (the record) this year. I hope to get it.” Elaine Thompson-Herah’s first race after the disappointment of not running in an individual event in Budapest, sped to a new Season’s best of 11.00 seconds to finish third behind newly crowned world champion Richardson with time of 10.88 seconds and countrywoman Natasha Morrison with time of 11.00 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League. Despite not winning, she set a bold claim on gradually getting back to her best and still in the conversation of the world's best female sprinters. She proved this in her next race at the Galà dei Castelli meet in Switzerland, where she ran her first sub-11 of the season in 10.92 seconds to win the 100 meter event. However, her best performance of the season announcing her total comeback for the year was at the Brussels Diamond League, winning in a blistering 10.84 seconds. This race threw down the gauntlet of setting up a final clash with Richardson at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in Eugene, and many believe she may be in top shape to stun the world champion to a memorable win in her home country. The Jamaican five-time Olympic champion had an injury-plagued early season that saw her almost give up racing for the rest of the year. Thompson-Herah is the fastest woman alive, having a lifetime best of 10.54 seconds. If anyone is to threaten Richardson's first Diamond League trophy in Eugene, the multiple Olympic champion tops the list as she hardly ever loses a race when fully fit. Source: Olympics Diamond League NBC Sports Dragon Slayer by Makai Symphony | https://soundcloud.com/makai-symphony Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ *Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS

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