Thompson leads Caribbean Rio champions in Shanghai showdown

Diamond League

SHANGHAI, China, CMC – Reigning Olympic sprint queen Elaine Thompson will chase her second win of the new Diamond League series here when she lines up in a solid field in the women’s 100 metres here Saturday.

The Jamaican opened her season with a comfortable victory in Doha last week and will now headline the Grand Prix here in her first 100 metres.

Thompson will lock horns with Olympic 200m silver medallist, American Tori Bowie, in a race which also

Reigning Olympic sprint queen Elaine Thompson.

sees former World champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica and Trinidadian Michelle-Lee Ahye in action.

The 24-year-old Thompson, who dominated the 100 and 200m at last year’s Rio Olympics, clocked 22.19 seconds last week in Doha and is favourite to take the line first here.

Jamaican Omar McLeod, the reigning men’s Olympic sprint hurdles champion, will be the star attraction in that event, in his first appearance of the season.

He will take on countryman Hansle Parchment who missed out on the Rio Olympics due to injury but is now back to full fitness.

Former World champion, David Oliver and fellow American Aries Merritt will also both feature.

Another Caribbean Rio gold medallist, Shaunae Miller-Uibo will also be in action in the women’s 400 metres, when she takes on the likes of Jamaica’s Stephenie Ann McPherson, in what is also her season debut.

The 23-year-old Bahamian is the defending champion in Shanghai after narrowly beating McPherson last year. She went on to produce a dramatic finish to win Olympic gold, diving across the line to edge out American world champion Allyson Felix in 49.44.

Jamaicans Novlene Williams-Mills and Anneisha Mclaughlin-Whilby are also in the line-up