World 200m champion and Olympic 800m silver medallist prepare for World Champs in Swedish capital

Dina Asher-Smith and Keely Hodgkinson will prepare for next month’s World Championships in Oregon by racing at the Stockholm Diamond League today (June 30).

The pair will be under huge pressure in the USA as Asher-Smith defends a world title while Hodgkinson challenges Athing Mu, who beat the Brit to Olympic gold over 800m in Tokyo last year.

Asher-Smith’s rivals in the women’s 200m in Stockholm include Mujinga Kambundji, who ran a Swiss record of 22.18 in Bern earlier this month.

Hodgkinson’s opposition in the women’s 800m, meanwhile, is led by Mary Moraa, the Kenyan trials winner with a best of 1:57.45 this season which is slightly faster than Hodgkinson’s season’s best of 1:57.71.

The final Diamond League meeting before the World Championships start in Eugene on July 15 also sees the appearance of Swedish star Mondo Duplantis on home soil as he goes for yet another pole vault victory as he faces, among others, Olympic silver medallist Chris Nilsen of the United States.

The 22-year-old has already cleared 6.00m twice this season – 6.01m at Hengelo and 6.02m at the Bislett Games – and is excited to be competing in front of a home crowd again. “It’s a really special feeling [to compete in Stockholm],” said Duplantis. “Obviously we’ve got the World Athletics Championships this year but it might be the second most important event of the year for me.

“You can have as many people as you want watching but when you’ve got the family watching, that’s a really fun thing. I’ve got a special tie to the stadium and it’s a place that you can jump really high.”

Another Olympic champion, Neeraj Chopra, opens his 2022 Diamond League campaign as the Indian takes on in-form Anderson Peters in the men’s javelin. Peters has a best of 93.07m this summer.

Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs was due to be going for his first ever Diamond League win. The Italian has been on the comeback trail from illness and injury and was set to face Britain’s Reece Prescod and Commonwealth champion Akani Simbine of South Africa, but he withdrew on the day of the meeting.

Other leading athletes in action include high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine, 400m hurdler Alison dos Santos of Brazil and shot putter Chase Ealey just days after she won the US title in Eugene.

Femke Bol goes in the women’s 400m hurdles against a line-up that includes British champion Jessie Knight.

Further Brits in Stockholm include Lorraine Ugen and Jazmin Sawyers in the long jump against world and Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany, plus Swedish home favourite Khaddi Sagnia.

Ben Pattison runs the 800m, Matt Stonier and Ellie Baker are in the 1500m races, Reynold Banigo is in the men’s long jump, Ama Pipi the women’s 400m, Lawrence Okoye the discus, while Chris McAlister and Jacob Paul race 400m hurdles.

For viewers in the UK the event is on BBC3 and BBC online and iPlayer from 7-9pm.