This week, the Diamond League makes its eighth stop of the season in Lausanne, Switzerland. This far into the season, trends have finally begun to develop, marquee events have emerged, and storylines have crystalized. Here are five key questions that will be answered on Thursday:

1. Who Prevails In Lyles vs Norman?

In their first meeting as professionals, Noah Lyles and Michael Norman are set to race one another in the 200m. The two have met twice before, the latest as high school seniors when Lyles placed fourth and Norman took fifth in the finals of the 2016 Olympic Trials. 

Since then, Lyles went pro, won the 2017 Diamond League, lowered his personal bests in the 100m to 9.88 and 19.69, and continued his magnificent monopoly over the mixed zone. 

Meanwhile, Norman has spent the past two years breaking the world record in the indoor 400m, the collegiate record in the outdoor 400m, going pro after his sophomore year at USC, and dropping his personal best in the 200m to 19.84. 

In sum, these two have exceeded even the most optimistic projections that were made about them after their meeting in the 2016 Trials. 

Thursday is hopefully the first of many races between the two 20-year-olds. 

Both are riding incredible hot streaks. Lyles just ran that world-leading 9.88, while Norman clocked a 19.84 in Paris. Lyles is the more established 200m runner and that fact, combined with Norman’s long college season, make the Lyles the favorite in this race. 

But who would count out Michael Norman after this season? 

So many of his efforts have been under control and about managing effort and energy. Norman with the throttle down is capable of ridiculous feats, as everyone who saw him last month in Eugene can attest. 

2. Without Rai Benjamin, Can Abderrahman Samba Take Down The World Record?

In the hierarchy of fun track and field things there are the following:

OK: Non-competitive race, but a fast time

Good: Competitive race

Also Good: Non-competitive race but a historically fast time

Best: Competitive race AND a historically fast 

We almost got the latter in the Lausanne Diamond League 400m hurdles. For the past month, Abderrahman Samba and Rai Benjamin were on an unlikely collision course. Two men who weren’t even in the top 10 of the event in 2017 were inexplicably knocking on the door of one of track and field’s hardest records. While Samba was mowing down the Diamond League competition and breaking meet records each week, Benjamin was busy dominating the collegiate season. Benjamin set huge PRs in consecutive meets, following up his 47.98 at the West Preliminary meet with a preposterous 47.02 at the NCAA Championships. 

Speculation rightfully ensued about whether he was going to attack the world record this summer. Based on his improvement, getting to Kevin Young’s 46.78 wasn’t out of the question. 

Samba, meanwhile, beat Benjamin to the sub-47-second club, clocking at 46.98 in Paris and setting the table for the prospect of a match-up that is incredibly close and historically fast. 

Only the second man in history to go under 47!pic.twitter.com/gsVuCxsuim

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) June 30, 2018

But it’s not going to happen this year. Benjamin said after the 200m in Paris that he won’t be racing the 400m hurdles again this year. He’s entered in the 200m in Lausanne.

So instead of two men in the same race aiming for the same spot in track history, we will have just one. But if there’s anything that Samba has proven it’s that he doesn’t need competition to break records. 

In 2019, this will be one of the top matchups in all of track and field. Nothing that happens this year can change that face. The only unresolved question of 2018 is whether the world record mark they will be chasing in 2019 will be 46.78, or something faster. 

3. Is There Anyone Shelby Houlihan Can’t Outkick?

In the past five weeks, Houlihan scored the biggest victory of her career at the Prefontaine Classic and then followed it up with a double at the U.S. Championships. She’s in a zone right now—blending her 5000m strength with scary finishing speed that few can match. 

All gas no breakspic.twitter.com/WUoYSptF12

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) June 28, 2018

Nobody in the United States could handle her in Des Moines, but Lausanne offers up new challengers: women that if Houlihan can beat she’d enter even more select company. 

The field at the Pre Classic was tough, yet in many ways, Lausanne is more challenging. Sifan Hassan and Caster Semenya didn’t race in Eugene. They will be on the start line in Lausanne. Laura Muir and Rababe Arafi went sub-four at the Pre Classic but were victims of the Houlihan kick. They will be eager to reverse that on Thursday.  

4. What Does The Women’s 800m Look Like Without Caster Semenya?

Caster Semenya hasn’t lost an 800m race since 2015 and from the looks of her performance in Paris on Saturday, nobody is going to beat her any time soon. But Semenya’s decision to run the 1500m in this meet opens things up a bit for the rest of the field. 

Francine Niyonsaba still comes in the in favorite. During Semenya’s win streak she’s the only who has been able to stay remotely close, finishing runner-up at the 2016 Olympics, 2017 World Championships and virtually every Diamond League that features the two.

Ajee Wilson wins the 800m title in 1:58.18! #USATFoutdoors pic.twitter.com/d3QxbeIcCm

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) June 24, 2018

But without Semenya on Thursday, the focus will be on Niyonsaba and she won’t have a target to follow. Instead, others will key off of her. 

Poised to take advantage is Ajee Wilson, who was third behind the Semenya and Niyonsaba in Paris. A tighter pack won’t help the times be especially quick, though it could play to the advantage of Wilson. She’s navigated tactical finals about as well as anyone. 

The Americans are well represented in this race. In addition to Wilson, the U.S. has Charlene Lipsey, Chrishuna Williams, and Raevyn Rogers entered. This is Rogers’ first race since her personal best at the U.S. Championships where she cracked 1:59 for the first time and put up a 1:58.57.

5. Can Sergey Shubenkov Run Away With The Hurdles?

After running 12.92 in Hungary and 12.99, Shubenkov has gained some separation on his rivals in the high hurdles. Prior to this year, he’d only broken 13 seconds once in his career. Now he has done it twice in two weeks, the last moves him into a tie for the eighth-fastest man of all time. Thursday will be a good measuring stick to see if anyone can respond to Shunbenkov’s explosion or if this event is destined to be Shubenkov versus the clock for the rest of the summer. 

The best candidates to stall Shubenkov’s momentum are Omar McLeod (he ran 12.90 last year) and recent U.S champion Devon Allen. Both men were in the race in Hungary where Shubenkov ran 12.92. Allen finished third in 13.36 while McLeod hit a hurdle and placed sixth in 13.45. They will get a chance to run it back in Lausanne.