With the conclusion of National and Continental Championships around the world, attention has been shifted to the ninth leg of the IAAF Diamond League series in Monaco, where Nigeria’s sprint queen Blessing Okagbare is expected to test her Rio Olympics credentials.
Several other African and European champions are set to light up the Hercules Meeting which begins in the French municipality today.
Africa’s fastest woman, Okagbare and current national men’s 100m champion Seye Ogunlewe were recently named among the 35 athletes for next month’s Games in Brazil. She will compete in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and long jump at the Olympics, taking part in this event will afford her the chance to try herself against the world’s best ahead of Rio.
Top on the list of participants at the IAAF event is European 100m Champion Dafne Schippers, who clocked an impressive 10.90s on her way to retaining her title in her home city of Amsterdam. Also included in the exciting line-up is Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown, who will be aiming for a win after failing to finish in the Top 3 at the Jamaican Trials. USA’s Morolake Akinosun (10.95s) will also be hoping to make her first Diamond League berth a remarkable one.