The London Athletics Meet attracting an impressive field is nothing new, but this year’s event has truly excelled itself with the number of world-class athletes who will be in action in the London Stadium this afternoon.
The field in this, the eleventh Diamond League meet of the 2025 season, is as good as anything seen outwith the Olympic Games and World Championships, with Olympic, world and European champions aplenty in action.
From a Scottish perspective, it’s the men’s 1500m that’s the pick of the afternoon.
The race had been billed as the first head-to-head since the Paris Olympic final last summer between 2024 world champion Josh Kerr and his bitter rival, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but injury has thwarted what would have been their first meeting in almost twelve months, with the Norwegian withdrawing earlier this month citing the Achilles injury that’s plagued him all year.
Ingebrigtsen’s absence only marginally diminishes the quality of the race, however, with the Scots leading the list of favourites for victory. Kerr is tipped for his first Diamond League win of the season but his compatriots, 2022 world champion Jake Wightman and this year’s world indoor silver medallist Neil Gourley, will also likely be in contention.
Wightman has endured an injury nightmare since winning his world title three years ago but having regained full fitness, he now, encouragingly, appears to be approaching something close to his very best having run his fastest-ever time over the mile earlier this month.
Challenging the Scots for victory in this 1500m race will, most likely, be under-20 world record holder Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech from Kenya and Australian wunderkind, Cameron Myers, from Australia.
The women’s 800m also has considerable Scottish interest, with both Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie in the line-up.
Muir’s competitive appearances have been unusually scarce this season, with the 2020 Olympic 1500m silver medallist having raced only once outdoors this year - in an 800m race in Norway just over two weeks ago in which she clocked 2:03.41. However, having switched coaches to Laura Weightman and Steve Cram in the off-season, there’s considerable hope the 32-year-old can return to the consistent major medal-winning form that’s been her hallmark for so long.
Reekie, who suffered a surprising semi-final exit at the Olympic Games last summer, has been flying under the radar somewhat this year but that by no means suggests she’s lacking form.
The 2024 World Indoor medallist has already broken 2 minutes four times this summer, as well as setting a 1000m personal best just a week ago.
While Olympic 800m champion, Keely Hodgkinson, will be absent due to an ongoing hamstring injury, fellow Brit and Olympic 1500m medallist, Georgia Hunter Bell, will fancy her chances, as will former world champion, Halimah Nakaayi from Uganda.
Other Scots in action today are Erin Wallace in the 1 mile, in which marathon Olympic champion, Sifan Hassan is also in the field and is always worth watching, Nick Percy in the discus, Megan Keith, who has already secured her place in GB’s team for September’s World Championships, in the 5000m and Ben Sandilands and Owen Miller in the para 1500m.
The international names who are most eye-catching are Femke Bol in the 400m hurdles, Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the high jump, Matt Hudson-Smith in the 400m, Noah Lyles in the 100m and Julien Alfred in the 200m.
