5 Events to Watch at the Lausanne Diamond League Meet

5 Events to Watch at the Lausanne Diamond League Meet

Just when you think the Olympic buzz is coming to an end, the Diamond League swoops in to give track and field fans several Rio rematches in Lausanne, Switz

Aug 24, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
5 Events to Watch at the Lausanne Diamond League Meet
Just when you think the Olympic buzz is coming to an end, the Diamond League swoops in to give track and field fans several Rio rematches in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The meet will begin on Thursday, August 25, at 1:12 PM CST, and FloTrack will provide LIVE updates and LIVE results so you can follow along with the action! 

Here are just a few of the events you can't miss.

Men's 1000m

Olympic 1500m gold medalist Matt Centrowitz will return to the track to take on a shorter distance alongside several Rio finalists looking for redemption. Centrowitz made history on Saturday when he led from start to finish to claim the United States' first Olympic gold medal in the 1500m since 1908

Watch the FloTrack crew react to Centrowitz's winning performance:


Tomorrow, Centrowitz will once again compete against the best in the world, including 2008 Olympic 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop, who finished a shocking sixth in the event in Rio. Kiprop's famous kick was nonexistent on Saturday when Centrowitz, Taofik Makhloufi, Nick Willis, Ayanleh Souleiman, and Abdelaati Iguider outpaced him down the homestretch. World indoor champion Souleiman will also attempt a comeback after missing out on an Olympic podium finish. 


Women's 3K
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After fading to second in the Olympic 1500m final, Genzebe Dibaba will attempt a comeback at the 3K distance. The Ethiopian world champion set the world record in the 1500m last year, but has since suffered from on-and-off injuries during the 2016 season.

Although her silver medal is her first ever on the Olympic stage, Dibaba's loss to Faith Kipyegon was an upset. Tomorrow, she look to reassert herself as the world's greatest among a stacked field that includes 2013 world silver medalist Mercy Cherono and 2015 world silver medalist Gelete Burka. Cherono most recently finished a devastating fourth in the 5K in Rio. Burka finished eighth in the 10K, where Almaz Ayana broke the world record. Burka closed for 30:26, a new personal best. 

American Alexa Efraimson will also toe the line against the competitive field after finishing fifth in the 1500m at the world junior championships. 


Men's 110m Hurdles

The race will be a near-identical Rio rematch for the Olympic finalists. 

Jamaican Omar McLeod will return to the track after a dominant Olympic victory. The former Arkansas standout beat the field handily in a winning time of 13.05, which was .12 seconds ahead of silver medalist Orlando Ortega. McLeod's performance capped an standout year that included a world indoor title in the 60m hurdles. Ortega will also be back in the mix after earning his first international championship medal for Spain. 

The French duo of Dimitri Bascou and Pascal Martinot-Lagarde will also return after finishing third and fourth, respectively, in the Olympic final. 


Women's 100m

The breakout star of the Olympics, Elaine Thompson, will return to the track after winning two sprint titles in Rio. The Jamaican beat two-time defending champion and countrywoman Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for gold in the 100m, and went on to beat defending world champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands in the 200m final.  
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Olympic finalist Marie Josee Ta Lou and three-time Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown will also toe the line alongside Americans Morolake Akinosun and Jenna Prandini. Akinosun was part of the United States' 4x100m semifinal team that qualified for the final. 


Women's 400m Hurdles

All three of the medalists, highlighted by Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad of the United States, will face off in Lausanne. Amid rainy conditions, Muhammad put on a hurdle clinic in Rio with a time of 53.13 to finish ahead of runner-up Sara Slott Petersen of Denmark and bronze medalist Ashley Spencer of the United States. 

Muhammad's performance was her second international championship after earning silver at the 2013 world championships. The 2016 season has been a major comeback for the 26-year-old, who battled injury for the past several years. 

RELATED: Dalilah Muhammad Overcomes Adversity One Hurdle at a Time

Spencer's finish was a big pay-off for returning to her signature event this year. As a junior athlete, Spencer excelled in the 400m hurdles, but switched her focus to the 400m while competing at Texas and as an elite. The decision to return to the hurdles in April paid off with the first Olympic medal of her career. 

Catch all of the live updates and live results from Lausanne starting Thursday at 1:12 PM CT on FloTrack.