Caterine Ibarguen, photo by PhotoRun.net
Two of our sports’ most enigmatic and exciting athletes, Caterine Ibarguen andr Tianna Bartroletta, will be competing in Doha, the opening of the 2019 Diamond League.
Tianna Bartoletta, photo by PhotoRun.net
Six global champions
among initial names confirmed for Doha Diamond League
Doha, 3 April 2019
Exactly one month remains before Doha once again welcomes the world’s best athletes – including IAAF Female Athlete of the Year Caterine Ibarguen from Colombia – for the first stage of the 2019 IAAF Diamond League which takes place at the state-of-the-art Khalifa International Stadium on 3 May.
Ibarguen is one of six reigning world outdoor and Olympic champions to be confirmed across the first three events – long jump, pole vault and 100m hurdles – with more top names to be unveiled in the weeks leading up to the one-day spectacle which will be held under the lights next month.
The Khalifa International Stadium will launch the outdoor season in earnest and will also draw the curtain on the year when the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 are held at the same iconic sports venue from 28 September to 6 October, the first time the IAAF World Championships will be staged in the Middle East.
The Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) President and Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Dr. Thani Al Kuwari said: “It gives us great pleasure to announce that some of the leading names in the track and field world will be seen in action on May 3 2019. Qatar feels proud to host the names that matter in the track and field world.”
He added: “This year’s IAAF Diamond League opener will be the tenth time that Qatar will host this prestigious one-day event. Also, this year’s IAAF Diamond League opener will be held at Qatar’s iconic sports venue – the Khalifa International Stadium. The same venue will host the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 later this year.”
The QAF President said: “We welcome all sports fans to come to Doha enjoy the best of athletics in what will be a memorable year for us. Qatar is the sports hub of the region and we can’t wait for the action to begin at our special sports venue – the Khalifa International Stadium.”
One of the standout clashes of the meeting will be the long jump which features two reigning Olympic champions: Caterine Ibarguen and Tianna Bartoletta from the United States. Ibarguen is the reigning Olympic champion in the triple jump but the Colombian had the beating of the long jump specialists at both the IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels last year and the IAAF Continental Cup in Ostrava. Ibarguen will be looking to begin the new season in the form she concluded her 2018 campaign.
“I am thrilled to launch my season in Qatar,” said Ibarguen. “It is a country where athletics is popular and I am confident I can perform to the best of my abilities at the start of the season.”
