Diamond League Doha: How Fast Will Mo Farah and Justin Gatlin Go?

Diamond League Doha: How Fast Will Mo Farah and Justin Gatlin Go?

May 13, 2015 by Meg Bellino
Diamond League Doha: How Fast Will Mo Farah and Justin Gatlin Go?



Mo Farah will be making his 2015 track debut, while Justin Gatlin will be making his 2015 100m debut.

The Diamond League kicks off in Doha, Qatar on May 15th, 2015. With 16 Diamond Race events on the table, here are just a few to keep your eye on if you tune in Friday.

Men's 100m
33-year-old Justin Gatlin will be making his 100m season debut in this much anticipated race. After serving his four year doping ban that ended in 2010, Gatlin’s best 100m time (9.77, No. 5 world all-time) came at last year in September as a 32-year-old. Age apparently is not such a factor in the sprints, and call it whatever you want, but this guy is our best chance to beat Usain Bolt at the upcoming World Championships. Bolt’s teammate Nesta Carter will be sharp and going for the W, having already run 9.98 last weekend in Jamaica.

Women's 3000m Steeplechase
OTC Elite Aisha Praught debuted at the Payton Jordan Invite and got beat by two of NCAAs best, Courtney Frerichs and Colleen Quigley. Still, she came away with a 9:40 opener. What she did next has us wondering if she’s more of a lock to make the U.S. Team in August than we thought before. Praught opted to travel to Europe, competing in the 1500m at the IAAF World Challenge in Kawasaki. She finished third in 4:05.52, more than a three-second PB. Her time is under the IAAF “A” standard for 1500, and we think she’ll smash her 9:34.69 steeple best in Doha. She’s in great company with Ethiopians Sofia Assefa and Hiwott Ayelew, who are the eighth and tenth fastest world all-time.

Women's 100m Hurdles
This is by far the deepest field of the entire competition. Reigning Olympic Champion Sally Pearson of Australia will be on the line, as well as Dawn Harper-Nelson, the 2008 Olympic champion and reigning Diamond Race winner. But one young American will try and dethrone the veterans. Jasmin Stowers, who finished runner-up at last year’s NCAA Championships for LSU, is having the debut professional season anyone would wish for. She won the USATF Indoor 60mH Championships over the quiet field, but her outdoor victories at Drake Relays (12.40) and the Jamaican Invite (12.39) are startling. Her 12.39 is No. 10 world all-time and it’s only May. She’s also demolishing veterans after coming off a heavy indoor season (Which most U.S. ladies opted out of). Americans Kristin Castlin, Queen Harrison and Sharika Nelvis also highlight the field.

Men's 3000m
Mo Farah will make his outdoor track debut in his Doha debut. After setting the two mile world record (8:03.40) indoors in February, Mo ran his first sub-1:00 half marathon, winning the Lisbon Half in 59.32, a new European record. His speed will surely be tested in this field. Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet (7:30.36) won this race in 2013 before winning the silver medal in the 5k at the World Championships. Yenaw Alamirew, only 24-years-old, has the Doha record from 2011, his 7:27.26 personal best. But Alamirew isn’t even the youngest in this field, as 17-year-old Yomif Kejelcha boasts PRs of 7:36.28 and 13:25.19 and will be in the mix. The young star won the 5k at the World Junior Championships in Eugene, Ore., in July and the Youth Olympic Games 3k in Nanjing in August. Will he rise to the occasion? Whatever the case, Daniel Komen’s world record of 7:20.67 will likely stand, unless these guys thrive under 95 degree temperatures.