World champion Danielle Williams will be going after back-to-back wins when she lines up in the 100m hurdles during the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Shanghai/Keqiao in China, the second stop on the 14-meet circuit.

Williams is one of 14 winners returning from last weekend’s opening meet at Egret Stadium in Xiamen, China, including her Jamaican compatriot triple jumper Jordan Scott.

Eleven Jamaicans are down to take part in the meet, including Olympic Games men’s 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson, who is set to make his Diamond League debut.

Williams sped to a season’s best 12.53 seconds to cross the line first in Xiamen. She is to face basically the same line-up which includes world leader Grace Stark of the United States, who was second last week, and South Africa’s Marione Fourie, who was third.

World record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, Tonea Marshall of the USA, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, and Pia Skrzszowska of Poland are also down to compete.

Thompson will be running his first 100m of the season and first since the Olympic finals in early August. He is set to line up against South Africa’s Akani Simbine, the world leader in the event and last weekend’s winner.

Former Jamaican national champion Rohan Watson, who finished down the order last weekend, is also set to compete. They are to be joined by Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, American Christian Coleman, and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.

Last weekend’s men’s triple jump was not part of the official Diamond League programme when Scott jumped a lifetime best 17.27m. This week he faces a much-improved line-up, highlighted by multiple Olympic Games and World Championships medallists Pedro Pichardo of Portugal and Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso, as well as China’s Yaming Zhu.

Both Wayne Pinnock and Tajay Gayle will hope to improve on last weekend’s performances when they line up in the men’s long jump. They had finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in Xiamen.

They are slated to take on last week’s winner Zhang Mingkun of China as well as Australia’s Liam Adcock and American Marquis Dendy.

Former Olympic Games champion Hansle Parchment will also be seeking redemption when he lines up in the 110m hurdles along with compatriots Olympic bronze medallist Rasheed Broadbell and Orlando Bennett.

Parchment was ninth in Xiamen, one place ahead of American Grant Holloway, who is not down to feature this time around. But Cordell Tinch, who won last weekend, will be back, along wth compatriot Freddie Crittenden and Daniel Roberts, as well as Japan’s Rachid Muratake.

Natoya Goule-Toppin will take on a women’s 800m field that will include Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia, 2019 World Champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda, American Sage Hurta-Klecker, and Habitam Alemu of Ethiopia.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd is part of a quality women’s shot put field that is to feature Olympic silver medallist Maddison-Lee Wesche of New Zealand and back-to-back World Indoor champion Sarah Mitton of Canada and two-time World Athletics champion Chase Jackson of the United States.

— Paul A Reid

Kishane Thompson (Photo: AFP)