The Diamond League picks back up in Birmingham, England, on Saturday after a three-week hiatus for the European Championships. The narrative of the season has been altered a bit by the results at those championships—standout performances elevated several runners and set the stage for an exciting last two weeks of the Diamond League season. 

Birmingham is the final stop before the Diamond League finals in Zurich and Brussels. It’s also a first opportunity to see those stars from Berlin and how they hold up when the rest of the world enters back into the fray. 

Here are five of the best events on the track in Birmingham. 

1. Women’s 200m: Asher-Smith/Miller-Uibo Clash 

After she tore through all of Europe, inquisitive track fans wanted to know how Dina Asher-Smith would fare against the best of the rest of the world. She sure looked like the best sprinter of 2018 when she ran 10.85/21.89, but it would be nice to get some confirmation. 

We will get just that in Birmingham as she faces a stacked field that includes Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Shericka Jackson, and Marie-Josee Ta Lou among others. 

Miller-Uibo looks like the best candidate to challenge Asher-Smith. She’s undefeated in the 200m this year and is coming off a lifetime best of 48.97 in the 400m. She ran that big personal best in Monaco at the end of July and hasn’t raced since. Her dormant last month stands in stark contrast to Asher-Smith’s busy last two weeks at the European Championships. 

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Jackson has the third-fastest time of 2018, a 22.05, but will have trouble keeping pace with the top two. Ta-Lou has run 10.85 in the 100 (tied with Asher-Smith for the world lead), but her fifth-place finish in the London Diamond League 200m makes her a bit of a wild card. 

Dafne Schippers will be out for revenge after finishing third and second to Asher-Smith in Berlin. She also needs to finish in at least seventh place in order to get a place in the Diamond League final. The Americans will be represented by Jenna Prandini and Gabrielle Thomas. Prandini has already clinched a place in the Diamond League final and actually is currently atop with standings with 24 points. Thomas, the rising senior from Harvard, set a personal best the last time out, running 22.19 in London. This will be her 42nd race of 2018.

2. Men’s 100m: US vs Great Britain

Other than Ronnie Baker, this field includes everyone you’d want to see in the 100m this year: Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman, Mike Rodgers, Zharnel Hughes, and Reece Prescod. Lyles is the current co-leader of the yearly rankings at 9.88, but Rodgers has run 9.89 and Hughes has posted a 9.91. Lyles looks ready for a personal best. Since his last 100m, he’s dropped his 200m personal best down to 19.65. 

If Coleman is healthy, he should be neck-and-neck with Lyles. Coleman got the better of the two in Rabat, running 9.98 to Lyles' 9.99. But Coleman had to pull out of the London Diamond League meet at the last moment with an injury. 

If he is healthy, they should be separated by milliseconds once again. The 100m as a whole has been incredibly close this year, the margin slim in every Diamond League race. That shouldn't change in Birmingham. Hughes and Prescod have proven capable of running 9.90s which is enough to win in 2018. 

The battle for the Diamond League is, no surprise here, also extremely competitive. Right now Hughes and Lyles are on the outside looking in, but will get into the top eight with a strong showing on Saturday. 

3. Men’s 800m: How Fast Can Korir Go?

The men’s 800m in 2018 was shaped by two races run over the course of three days. The Monaco and London Diamond League races produced the five fastest times of the year and the quickest times in the event since 2012. 

In Birmingham, key members of both of those races are on the start line, trying to recapture the magic of three weeks ago. 

Emmanuel Korir comes in as the favorite. Just less than a month ago, he chopped over a second off his personal best running 1:42.05 and fulfilling the high expectations that were placed on him early in his career. With some time to recuperate, can he go any quicker? 

If he does, he will climb even higher on the all-time lists. Only five men have run faster than him in history. To move into the fourth slot, Korir has to run faster than Joaquim Cruz’s 1:41.77. 

A second back of Korir in London—but still running incredibly well—was Clayton Murphy. His 1:43.12 in that race was the second-fastest performance of his life and it made it clear that he is the best 800m runner in the United States; he is still a threat to medal at major championships. While his off-year started slowly, Murphy has to be incredibly pleased with where he is heading into the next championship cycle. 

Brandon McBride set the Canadian record in Monaco, posting a 1:43.20. That mark is good enough for fifth-best on the year. 

Korir is expected to string things out very quickly and make this an honest race. But if it bunches, expect Jonathan Kitilit, Adam Kszczot, and Elijah Manangoi to get involved. Kitilit was only fifth in Monaco but has a season best of 1:43.46. Kszczot is the European champion and Manangoi is the reigning world champion in the 1500m.

4. Women’s 1500m: An Open Road For Hassan

This race took a blow on Thursday when Caster Semenya announced her withdrawal. Her absence makes the path to victory a bit easier for Sifan Hassan. Not that she needed more help. 

Hassan dominated the European Championships 5000m last week. Prior to that, she set a lifetime best (and the No. 3 mark of all time) in the mile when she ran 4:14.71 in London. 

All of those accolades put her well above the rest of the field except for Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay. Tsegay ran well behind Hassan in London (4:16 to Hassan’s 4:14), but Tsegay does have a season and personal best of 3:57.64.

A pair of Kenyans, Winny Chebet and Nelly Jepkosgei, has run right at, or just below, four minutes this year. The U.S. will be represented by Kate Grace and Brenda Martinez. Martinez hasn’t finished her last two races and will be looking to get back on track in Birmingham. Grace took third at the U.S. Championships and followed that up with a 4:20 personal best at the London Diamond League mile. 

5. Men’s Mile: Chelimo Goes For Another UK Win

This race doesn’t have any Diamond League ramifications, yet it still stands alone as a fun race to watch. 

Paul Chelimo should be riding a high after winning the London Diamond League 5000m—the first Diamond League victory of his career. Surely, he’s hoping to refresh his personal best of 3:58.59 at the distance. But a win is also possible in this wide open field. There are many experienced names, but no clear star. 

Nick Willis looked good in London, running 3:35 in his only race in July. Charlie Grice took fifth at the European Championships, while Ryan Gregson was runner-up to Matthew Centrowitz in London. 

If the field is open as anticipated, then look for Stewart McSweyn to get involved. The 23-year-old Australian has set personal bests in the 1500m and 3000m this year. His best showing came in Rabat where he placed third in the 3000m, running 7:34. In that race, he finished ahead of Chelimo, Muktar Edris, Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ryan Hill, and Eric Jenkins. 

Aside from Chelimo, American fans will be watching Drew Hunter. He placed seventh in London (one spot behind Willis) and has had a strong 2018 with personal bests in the 800m, 1500m and mile.