The City of Lights will host a powerful contingent of Australians once more, as the Diamond League rolls into Paris this weekend.
Olympic medallists Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson will join Stockholm Diamond League winner Linden Hall along with middle-distance stars Abbey Caldwell and Georgia Griffith in a stacked program where the performances may shape the final make-up of Australia’s team for the World Athletics Championships.
Australian audiences can tune in live and free on the Wanda Diamond League YouTube channel from 4:00am AEDT. Full start lists can be found here.
Women’s High Jump
5:06am AEST
All eyes will be on the women’s high jump, where Nicola Olyslagers (Matt Horsnell) returns in scintillating form after soaring to 2.01m to defeat reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) in Stockholm just five days prior.
Having now bested the favourite twice this year, Olyslagers is eyeing back-to-back wins and a return to her personal best of 2.03m, having only narrowly missed the height in the Swedish capital.
Joining her in the field is fellow Australian Olympic medallist and world champion Eleanor Patterson (Fuzz Caan and Marco Fassinotti), who continues her ascent back to the top. With a season’s best of 1.94m so far, Paris presents another crucial step in her preparation to win her sixth medal from six consecutive championships.
Women’s 1500m
6:50am AEST
The Women’s 1500m promises to be one of the races of the night, and a pivotal battle in the quest for selection for the Australian team.
With Jessica Hull’s record in a league if her own and Sarah Billings already selected, the battle for spots will come down to three athletes who have all dipped under the qualifying mark and who happen to go head-to-head in the early hours of Saturday morning. Enter Georgia Griffith (Nic Bideau, qual time of 3:58.40), Linden Hall (Ned Brophy Williams, qual time of 3:58.70) and Abbey Caldwell (Gavin Burren, qual time of 3:59.32).
Caldwell enters the race having already secured her Tokyo berth in the 800m but remains in the 1500m frame after breaking four-minutes in Rome this month. Hall, fresh off a commanding 3000m win and personal best in Stockholm continues to show strength and versatility in championship-style racing. Meanwhile, Griffith has shown consistency and grit this year and with the fastest qualifier in the books, will look to make a definitive statement in one of the most competitive 1500m fields this season.
The trio will be facing world-class opposition including Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Bell (GBR), Kenya’s Susan Ejore and Nelly Chepchirchir and Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom – all boasting sub 3:57 credentials.
Non-Diamond League events:
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
4:08am AEST
Ben Buckingham (Craig Mottram) will be the sole male athlete flying the Australian flag in Paris, lining up for the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase.
With a season’s best of 8:27.44 and a personal best of 8:19.79, Buckingham sits just outside the World Championships qualifying standard (8:15.00). Currently ranked 36th in the world and just outside the world rankings quota at present, he’ll be looking for a breakthrough performance to stay in the hunt for Tokyo.
He’ll be facing a world class field headlined by Ethiopian trio Lamecha Girma, Abraham Sime and Getnet Wale, all ranked inside the world’s top 20 and boasting bests under 8:06. It’s a stacked line up of Tokyo-bound talent and for Buckingham, a chance to prove he belongs on the global stage for a third World Athletics Championships.
By Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted: 19/6/2025
