by Alfonz Juck
For thirteen years, the Doha Diamond League opened the Diamond League series. For the past two years, Diamond League has opened in China, first in Xiamen and then, in Shanghai. Doha is the third meeting of the season. RunBlogRun visited every year from 2010-2017, and again in 2019 and 2023. A superb event!
2025 was another example of the amazing event!
Weber 91.06 WL, Cherotich 9:05.08 WL, Masalela 1:43.11 WL, Tia Clayton 10.92 WL
DOHA (QAT, May 16): Five world leading performances (including two in men’s javelin) highlighted the Jetour Doha Meeting, third Wanda Diamond League meet of the season. Main highlights came at the end with a great men’s javelin competition crowned by two world leads and top 2 throwers over 90m, for the third time in Doha meet history. Also a thrilling finish in the women’s steeple with Faith Cherotich defeating Winfred Yavi. And not to miss the men’s 800m and first ever Diamond League win for Reynold Cheruiyot in his rare appearance over the 5000m.
Short event by event review
Women
100m: Twins take a 1-2. Tia Clayton sets a 10.92 (2.0) world lead to win from her twin sister Tina Clayton in 11.02. Amy Hunt pipped the legendary Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for third, 11.03 PB to 11.05.
400m: Salwa Eid Naser with a clear victory in 49.83 to equal Allyson Felix’s meeting record, winning by over one second from European champion Natalia Bukowiecka in 50.92.
1500m: Kenyan 1-2 for Nelly Chepchirchir (4:05.00) and Susan Ejore (4:06.27).
3000m steeple (Diamond+ event): Olympic bronze medallist Faith Cherotich outsprinted Olympic champion Winfred Yavi off the final barrier, 9:05.08 WL to 9:05.26. Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew was third in 9:09.27, NR for India by Chaudhary (9:13.39) in sixth.
Pole vault (D+): Molly Caudery cleared 4.75m to win by one clear height from Italy’s Roberta Bruni and joint world champion Katie Moon who were joint second at 4.63m.
Triple jump: Clear win for Shanieka Ricketts over Olympic champion Thea Lafond – 14.72w (3.2), also 14.30 (1.9), to 14.39 (1.9).
Men
200m (DL+): Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo eased past Courtney Lindsay in the last 30 metres, 20.10 (0.7) to 20.11.
800m: Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela with a world lead of 1:43.11, holding off a late surge from Bryce Hoppel (1:43.26) and Kenya’s Wyclife Kinyamal third (1:43.37).
5000m: In his first serious 5000m, Reynold Cheruiyot kicked to his premiere DL victory in a tactical race in 13:16.40 ahead of European 10,000m champion Dominic Lobalu (13:17.70) and Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew (13:17.70).
110m hurdles: 13.14 (1.1) for Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell to win by over one-tenth from Jamal Britt (13.26) and Enrique Llopis (13.27). Qatari record for Oumar Doudai Abakar with 13.46 in sixth.
400m hurdles: Italy’s European silver medallist Alessandro Sibilio won with his trademark fast finish in 49.32 ahead of Türkiye’s Ismail Nezir in 49.40.
High jump (DL+): 2.26m clearance for Olympic silver medallist Shelby McEwen for victory with Japan’s Ryoichi Akamatsu and Olympic champion Hamish Kerr equal second with 2.23m. Local hero Mutaz Essa Barshim was a DNS.
Discus: Matt Denny improved to 68.97m to extend his winning margin over Daniel Stahl (67.06m) and Kristjan Ceh (66.92m).
Javelin: What a competition! Neeraj Chopra broke the 90 metre-line with an Indian record of 90.23m. However, he was shunted down into second after Germany’s Julian Weber also broke the 90 metre-line for the first time ever with a 91.06m world lead in the sixth round.
