A great crowd and a superb opening meeting in Shanghai /Keqiao. The stadium was the China Textile City Sports Center, and the crowd was drawn to the sixteen events that delivered some fantastic performances.
The opening meeting of 2026 was to be in Doha, Qatar, but due to the conflict in Iran, it was postponed until June 19.
Shanghai/Keqiao provided a great opening for the 2026 Diamond League. Here are our top five moments from the first Diamond League meeting of 2026;
- Masai Russell, the Olympic champion, is on fire. She caught Devynne Charlton near the final hurdle and prevailed in 12.25! Tobi Amusan, the world record holder, battled not only fellow hurdles runners but also a tough travel route, finishing 4th in 12.41.
Masai Russell wins the 100m hurdles in 12.25 at Shanghai, photo by Liam Blackwell for Diamond League AG - Jessica Schilder is the European Indoor Champion from Apeldoorn 2025. Prior to the Shanghai meeting, Jessica had told the media that she needed a better PB in the outdoor shot put. Chase Jackson and Sarah Mitton both had gone over 20 meters. In the fifth round, the Dutch athlete threw 21.09 meters, the first time a woman had thrown over 21 meters since 2012! This was the most significant performance of the Shanghai Diamond League meeting. Jessica Schilder had achieved her goal of a new PB. Jessica set a new PB outdoors, and in fact set a new Dutch NR with her brilliant 21.09 meters!
Jessica Schilder 21.09 meter DLR/WL, seven world leads in Shanghai/Kequiao - The 100 meters is so popular because fans love watching athletes run fast and finish close! The 100-meter was terribly close, with five men within fractions of a second. Kenny Bednarek, Letsile Tebogo, and Ferdinand Omanyala were to be regarded as the big stars in the race. The problem was that no one told Gift Leotlela what the script was supposed to be. Leotlela grabbed the victory from Ferdinand Omanyala, who ran 9.98, and Kenny Bednarek, who also ran 9.98. Gift Leotlela had just eked out the win, with his 9.97. The smile on Gift Leotlela’s face told the story; the South African had a very satisfying win.
Gift Leotlela, photo by World Athletics - The five thousand meters is 12.5 laps on a 400-meter track. Faith Kipyegon had run 14 minutes for 5000 meters. The heat and humidity of Shanghai precluded a World record attempt, and the tough pace kept several runners in contention. The 4 time World Champion, Faith Kipyegon, won the five thousand meters by a scant seven-hundredths of a second over Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw. Faith Kipyegon had begun her season in earnest.
Faith Kipyegon, Breaking 4, photo by NIKE - The steeplechase has 35 chances to screw up. 28 barriers and seven water jumps make the athlete focus. Peruth Chemutai, the Olympic champion, showed a dangerous level of self-confidence in this very fast race. Faith Cherotich knows only one way to race the steeplechase: all out. An exhausting drive to the finish almost gave Faith the win, as Peruth Chemutai began a celebration, how shall we say, prematurely. Peruth Chemutai’s 8:51.47 held off Faith Cherotich’s 8:51.48; Peruth had won by one hundredth of a second, this was not the 100 meters but the steeplechase! Please, athletes, keep the celebrating AFTER the race is finished!
Peruth Chemutai held off Faith Cherotich by .01 in the Steeplechase! Keqiao, photo by Liam Blackwell for Diamond League AG - Complete results of the Shanghai/Keqiao Diamond League Meeting, May 16, 2026:
- Full Replay of the 2026 Shanghai/Keqiao Meeting, courtesy of FloTrack:
- Recap, Event by Event of the 2026 Shanghai/Keqiao Meeting, by EME News:
