Ingebrigtsen's return, a blockbuster 100m and world record-holders galore – Silesia has it all - Athletics Weekly
Athletics Weekly · Athletics Weekly · 2026-08-22T11:30:28+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Jakob Ingebrigtsen makes his first Diamond League appearance in almost two years against Olympic champion Cole Hocker, while Julien Alfred, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha'Carri Richardson collide in the 100m at Sunday's Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzów.
The Diamond League returns to Poland on Sunday (Aug 23) for the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzów, a meeting stacked with rivalries renewed and world record-holders in almost every discipline.
The headline act is the men's 1500m, where Jakob Ingebrigtsen returns to Diamond League competition for the first time since September 2024. The two-time Olympic champion has barely raced over the distance since injury problems set in, though he showed he remains a threat with victory in the 5000m at the European Championships in Birmingham earlier this month.
He faces a stacked field including Olympic champion Cole Hocker, world champion Isaac Nader and 2022 world champion Jake Wightman. Ingebrigtsen holds an 8-1 lifetime record over Hocker in 1500m and mile races, with the American's only win coming in the 2024 Olympic final, but Hocker arrives in good form after describing a recent training block in Blacksburg as among the best of his career. The field also includes Jake Heyward of Britain as he continues his fine comeback year.
There is intrigue in the women's 100m too, with Olympic champion Julien Alfred facing world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden for the first time since last year's World Championships final. Alfred is unbeaten this season, while Jefferson-Wooden's only defeat came against the Saint Lucian over 200m in Rome.
The pair are joined by 2023 world champion Sha'Carri Richardson, two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson (although the Jamaican is surely a doubt after pulling up injured in Lausanne on Friday), world silver medallist Tina Clayton, last year's Silesia runner-up Tia Clayton and home favourite Ewa Swoboda – with Jefferson-Wooden the reigning champion here after equalling the meeting record of 10.66 last year.
The women's 1500m is wide open following Faith Kipyegon's decision to end her season with a hamstring injury. World No.1 Georgia Hunter Bell is not in the Silesia field, leaving the race to be contested by world leader Birke Haylom, world silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi, Olympic silver medallist Jess Hull, Olympic 800m silver medallist Tsige Duguma, Nikki Hiltz and home favourite Klaudia Kazimierska.
World record-holders feature across the field events. Karsten Warholm takes on Brazil's Alison dos Santos in the 400m hurdles, with Dos Santos the world leader this year at 46.48 and unbeaten against the Norwegian across three meetings in 2026, though Warholm won their most recent clash in London.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the world record-holder and Olympic high jump champion, faces world champion Nicola Olyslagers, Commonwealth champion Eleanor Patterson, Angelina Topić and Yuliia Levchenko.
Mykolas Alekna is in discus action against world leader Commonwealth champion Matt Denny, European champion Kristjan Čeh, Daniel Ståhl and Olympic champion Rojé Stona.
Mondo Duplantis and Emmanouil Karalis meet again in the non-Diamond League pole vault having gone 6.21m and 6.16m respectively in Lausanne on Thursday. Silesia holds particular significance for Duplantis – it's where he set the tenth of his 15 world records, clearing 6.26m in 2024.
Elsewhere, Rai Benjamin steps down from the 400m hurdles to face world champion Collen Kebinatshipi in the flat 400m, while Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino headlines the women's race against home star Natalia Bukowiecka.
World champion Oblique Seville goes for a second Diamond League win of the season in the men's 100m against Kayinsola Ajayi, Emmanuel Eseme, Akani Simbine, Jordan Anthony and Kenny Bednarek.
In the 110m hurdles, world record-holder Ja'Kobe Tharp faces world champion Cordell Tinch, while two-time Olympic and world steeplechase champion Soufiane El Bakkali will look to extend his winning run to four Diamond League races this season against world bronze medallist Edmund Serem.
Field events in Chorzów on Saturday, ahead of the main meeting, include a high jump contest between Gianmarco Tamberi, Mutaz Barshim, Oleh Doroshchuk, JuVaughn Harrison and Woo Sanghyeok, plus a women's long jump field led by Malaika Mihambo, Alyssa Jones and Agate de Sousa.
BBC is covering the event for UK viewers on Sunday with iPlayer and online coverage, plus BBC2 from 4.10-5.00pm.