Amateur runners to enter the spotlight

Ten teams of amateur athletes were selected from a pool of 120 following a preliminary medley relay race held in Shanghai on May 7. These teams will be participating in the Diamond Medley Relay Mixed event on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Talented amateur runners in China will be stepping into the shoes of the professionals and competing in front of tens of thousands of spectators at Shanghai Stadium during the 2017 Shanghai Diamond League competition on May 13.

Ten teams of amateur athletes were selected from a pool of 120 following a preliminary medley relay race held in Shanghai on May 7. These teams will be participating in the Diamond Medley Relay Mixed event on Saturday, which comprises the 400m, 800m, 1200m and 1600m races. The third runner in every team is a female.

The special medley event is sponsored by Niwodai.com, a Chinese online financial services platform.

The Shanghai Diamond League competition this year will be attended by a galaxy of stars including 13 Olympic champions like Jamaican sprint sensations Omar McLeod and Elaine Thompson.

The competition will include 16 events – nine for men (100m, 200m, 800m, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, discus) and seven for women (100m, 400m, 1500m, 5000m 3000m steeplechase, shot put, discus).

Shanghai is the second stop of the Diamond League competition, the International Association of Athletics Federations' global circuit of premier one-day meets. It is also considered a major tune-up for the athletics world championships in London this August.