The Diamond League returns on Thursday with a visit to Lausanne. The Swiss city hosted the first Diamond League after the Tokyo Olympics and will therefore also host the first Diamond League after Paris, just ten days after the end of the Olympics. James Rhodes gives an outlook on the middle distance races.

The historic Athletissima meeting is nothing new for fast racing and this year’s edition looks set to be no exception. Strong fields are assembled, but will we see post-Paris heroics or hangovers?

800 m, men

One of the most exciting races in the French capital was the men’s 800 m. A race like no other before, in which Bryce Hoppel failed to make it onto the podium with a time of 1:41.67 – which put him in seventh place on the all-time list.

It was not just the speed that was decisive, but also the lead; only 0.01 seconds separated Emmanuel Wanyonyi from Marco Arop. 1:41.19 to 1:41.20, times that only David Rudisha and Wilson Kipketer beat.

The pair and fourth-placed Hoppel will compete again in Lausanne in what one might assume is a time trial, as it is not a Diamond League discipline. They will be joined by Olympic finalists Andreas Kramer, Gabriel Tual and Mohamed Attaoui. The notable absentee is Djamel Sedjati. He will, however, join the group three days later in Silesia, where five of the field will achieve personal bests of under 1:42, a first.

Elliot Giles will also compete in Lausanne following Neil Gourley’s withdrawal. Frenchman Ludovic Le Meur and Italian Catalin Tecuceanu complete the field.

800 m women

Unlike the men’s race, there was little doubt as to who would win the women’s 800m race in Paris as it approached the finish line. Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson is absent in Lausanne, but you can expect her to run two more laps before the end of the season. She will run the 400m at the ISTAF in Berlin on Sunday 1 September.

Two bronze medalists will be competing in the Swiss capital: Mary Moraa (800 m) and Georgia Bell (1500 m). There is a lot to say about Georgia’s season, but that is not necessary. Her successes speak for themselves, a headline like “Parkrun on the podium” is not necessary here.

Georgia ran 1:56.28 in the London Diamond League last month and will no doubt be full of confidence here. Let’s not forget, like many others, that this was her speciality as a junior.

Jemma Reekie wants to recover from missing out on the final in Paris. She has the fastest personal best of all the participants.

Olympic finalists Shafiqua Maloney and Renelle Lamote as well as Swiss stars Audrey Werro and Rachel Pellaud are also taking part. Americans Allie Wilson and Nia Akins as well as 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi and Natoya Goule-Toppin complete the field of participants.

1500 m, men

Cole Hocker’s Olympic victory came as a surprise to some. Over the previous twelve months, the race had been building up as a battle between the reigning world champion Josh Kerr and the Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen. A neck-and-neck race, but that wasn’t it.

Ingebrigtsen has spoken openly about what he believes were his wrong tactics and Hocker made the most of them with a storming final lap. The pair compete again in Lausanne and it will be exciting to see how the race unfolds. Tactically, quickly or both. Cole showed in Paris that he can live with a high pace; 3:27.65 was an Olympic record and his kick is renowned for its power. However, we saw Jakob move a step closer to his world record target in Monaco. Given his busy race schedule, including 3000m in Silesia on Sunday, an attack on 3:26.00 could wait for another day. Jakob’s meeting record of 3:28.72, which he set last year, could be in danger.

Two weeks later, the pair will compete in Zurich alongside Kerr and bronze medalist Yared Nuguse. That could be quite a sight to behold.

Even apart from these two, the field is strong. George Mills is the only British participant and runs alongside his On teammate Luke McCann from Ireland.

Participants include Commonwealth Games champion Oliver Hoare, Olympic finalist Stefan Nillessen, 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot and World Indoor Championship bronze medalist Hobbs Kessler.

3000 m women

The 3000m race often brings together 1500m and 5000m specialists, and this race is no exception. Revee Walcott-Nolan and Melissa Courtney-Bryant are among the contenders, both of whom drop to 1500m in Silesia on Sunday.

Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye, a specialist in longer distances, is the fastest with a personal best of 8:19.52 over 7.5 laps. However, since this distance is run relatively rarely, personal best times are not the only evaluation criterion.

Diribe Welteji, who finished fourth in the 1500m final in Paris, is part of a strong African team that also includes Freweyni Hailu and Hirut Meshesha. Oslo Diamond League winner Georgia Griffith could also hope to repeat her performance. Also keep an eye on Americans Karissa Schweizer and Elise Cranny.

Other events

Men: 200 m, 400 m, 110 m hurdles, pole vault, long jump, javelin throw.

Women: 100 m, 100 m hurdles, 400 m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 4 x 100 m relay.

The Lausanne Diamond League will be broadcast on BBC2 on Thursday (21 August) between 19:00 and 21:00. Keep an eye on Fast Running’s social media for the latest updates on the ground.