On 20 April in Xiamen, Natalia Kaczmarek, Armand Duplantis and other stars of athletics will make their Diamond League season debut. The most prestigious curcuit will comprise 15 meetings this year. Among them for the third time is the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. The 15th edition of the event will take place on 25 August at the Silesian Stadium. Tickets are available for purchase.
When the fans are able to watch a dozen Olympic champions and world record holders competing simultaneously in one stadium, with top-level marks abounding, you know you are witnessing something special. That is exactly what the Diamond League meetings offer, being the most important ones on the World Athletics calendar.
The first stop on the 2024 circuit is Xiamen, China. The event will feature a Polish athlete who took a medal at the last World Championships.
– I cannot remember the last time when I was this hungry for running, felt as good at this stage in my preparations and wanted to work as hard. I hope these are all good symptoms. I have huge goals ahead of me, as I set them for myself, together with my coach Marek Rożej. Encouraged by the previous season, I found the courage to set my sights higher. I am not afraid of challenges. It is time to get started on the way towards reaching my goals – said the 400-metre specialist Natalia Kaczmarek, second fastest Pole of all time (49.48).
In China, the Polish star is set for a serious test. Among her rivals will be the Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino and the World Championships bronze medalist Sada Williams.
– This is important to me. I want to test myself against them this summer – Kaczmarek stated, adding she hoped for a similarly strong field on 25 August. On that day the Diamond League will come to the Silesian Stadium for the third time as the 15th edition of the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial will take place. Kaczmarek, as well as the World Indoor Championships runner-up at 60 metres Ewa Swoboda set their current PB's at the meeting.
– For every Polish athlete the „Kama" has become a priority. For me, a born Silesian, who loves racing at home and thrives on the noise from the crowd, this is a day that I have already underlined in the calendar with a thick marker. Just to remember until when to maintain my shape! - Swoboda said jokingly. Last year it was at our meeting that she broke 11 seconds for the first time (10.94). - This is why I know I can repeat it. Preferably every time.
Naturally, we will not see the same names at every one of the 15 meetings of this season's Diamond League. Any given event usually appears in between 4 and 8 qualifying meets. The athletes gain points in the standings, which then allow the best to compete in the final of the series. This year's edition will take place in Brussels on 13 and 14 September. Last year, two Poles made the podium – Kaczmarek at 400 metres and Norbert Kobielski in the high jump.
– In a world which offers more and more stimulation and makes it harder for a person to be surprised, the Diamond League continues to attract. It is a value in itself. An assembly of great individuals, which only the best can enter. The elite. They visit top-quality locations as well. Once again, the calendar includes Monaco, Lausanne, Paris, Rome and London. And of course Silesia – said Marek Plawgo, the Memorial's communications director.
– The location is one thing, the fields are another. But it is also about prizes. They are really significant, which adds to the circuit's prestige – Swoboda said.
This time, in the Olympic year, things will remain the same. In each of the 32 events sizable prizes await in the final, including a cheque for 30 thousand dollars for the winner. In every qualification meeting, a win is worth 10 thousand dollars. Additionally, the winners receive from World Athletics wild cards for the World Championships and impressive diamond-shaped statuettes.
– From my own experience I know that with few exceptions the prizes make it worthwhile. It is one of the reasons why in the Diamond League you always give it 101 percent as an athlete – stated Piotr Małachowski. The sports director of the „Kama” is the only Pole ever to win the series. What is more, he achieved the feat four times. - As Poles, we have reasons to believe I will no longer be the only one by the end of the summer – the former discus thrower said.
This year, because of the historically early date of the European Championships, by the end of May, apart from Xiamen, the fans will be able to see the meetings in Shanghai (27 April), Doha (10 May), Rabat (19 May), Eugene (25 May) and Oslo (30 May). Afterwards, there will be stops on the tour in Stockholm (2 June), Paris (7 July), Monaco (12 July) and London (20 July), with Lausanne (22 August), Silesia (25 August), Rome (29 August) following after the Olympics. September will see the competition in Zurch (5 September) and the season finale in Brussels (13-14 September).
– The calendar is set up so as to fill up the whole summer. First it will offer the athletes a chance to build their form up to the season peak and then the time to follow up on the potential Olympic success – Plawgo said. - I am happy about Poland will fall into the second category this time.
– We will want to fill up the startlists with medalists from Paris – Małachowski declared determinedly.
It has already been announced that, apart from Kaczmarek and Swoboda, the athletes due to arrive in the Silesian Stadium on 25 August include Armand Duplantis and Femke Bol – the world record holder in the pole vault and the fastest woman ever at 400 metres indoors. The organisers of the 15th Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial will be announcing more major names soon.
Tickets for the Polish Diamond League meeting are available on the eBilet.pl website.
