17- and 18-year old teenage stars set to make Oslo Diamond League memorable

June is a hectic month for Diamond League athletes and friends of athletics, as there's five meets to enjoy. On Wednesday's the world's best gather to Oslo's legendary Bislett arena, which has served up some delightful nights over the years.



The Diamond League season 2026 is formed from 15 races, with each discipline's winners finally decided on the 28th of August in the finals event in Brussels, Belgium. The remaining stops for the athletes this season are Doha, Paris, Eugene, Monaco, London, Lausanne and Silesia.

Timanttiliiga koostuu tänä vuonna yhteensä 15 osakilpailusta, ja lajivoittajat ovat selvillä 28. elokuuta, kun vuorossa on finaalikilpailu Belgian Brysselissä. Oslon ja Brysselin lisäksi yleisurheilusirkus pysähtyy kesän aikana vielä Dohassa, Pariisissa, Eugenessa, Monacossa, Lontoossa, Lausannessa ja Silesiassa.

The series' rules remain the same from previous seasons. All disciplines award points depending on an athlete's finishing position, with the six (field events) or eight (track events) best making it to the two-day finals in Brussels.

Oslo's Diamond League meet kicks off with the women's shot put at 17:42 BST/UTC+1, while the night's zenith belongs to home favourite Karsten Warholm and the 400m hurdles.



Etusuora provides you with five snippets into tonight's action in Oslo.

Will Jæger's streak continue in front of his home crowd?

Henriette Jæger has been among the 400m elite for a few years now, but this season the Norwegian has taken a further step forward to the top. In the World Relay Championships she managed to anchor her country to gold, while se also won the Diamond League meet in Rome last week.

Her Rome time of 49,60 lifted her to #4 in this season's rankings and the top spot among European runners. At the Bislett Jæger's toughest challengers will be 20-year old Lurdes Gloria Manuel of the Czech Republic and Jamaica's Nickisha Pryce. Both have also gone under the 50-second mark this season.

Stockholm surprise package Lutkenhaus challenges the Olympic champion

Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17 from the United States has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of world distance running competitions. The teenager only sported a record of 1:47,04 last season, but that has been cut astoundingly down to just 1:42,27. The Lutkenhaus family trophy cabinet already sports a World Indoor gold medal, but surely that Torun title won't remain the youngster's last.

On Sunday in Stockholm's Diamond League Lutkenhaus took victory with panache, sprinting past 2023 World Champion Marco Arop on the final straight. This time out he faces even tougher competition in the form of reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya and frenchman Gabriel Tual. Bislett has seen some impressive times over the year's in its middle-distance competitions, so expectations are sky-high for tonight.

Returning Yan looking to repeat Xiamen's monster throw magic

The world's eyes will be fixed on the women's javelin throw at Oslo, as the competition sees a much-awaited return. China's Yan Ziyi shocked everyone at the started of May in Xiamen's Diamond League meet, hurling the javelin 71,74 metres. Only once before has it flown futher from the hand of a woman, with Barbora Spotakova's world record just a measly half a meter away.

However, Ziyi hasn't competed for a month, so her current form remains a mystery. This is added to by the fact that the 2024 youth World Champion only managed to surpass 65 meters once last season. The Norwegian crowd will be hoping on a strong showing from their own Sigrid Borgen, who's already thrown 65,00 this season. Her nation's 5-time champion hasn't succeeded internationally as of yet, but her eyes are firmly fixed on a European Championships medal in Birmingham later in the year.

Viral sensation Gout to make his Diamond League debut

Australian runner Gout Gout has garnered attention across the globe through screens due to his viral videos showcasing his sprinting looking amazingly easy, even airy. Aged just 18, the super-talent smashed his national record in April with a whopping time of 19,67, which is also the World Leading time this year.

There was some controversy over that race, as many runners achieved perrsonal bests. However, finally the wind reading came out to a legal +1,7m/s. This will be Gout's Diamond League debut, where more established sub- 20 second runners such as South Africa's Sinesipho Dambile and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo will be looking to put the youngster back in his place.

Gout's amazing running style has drawn attention for years in athletics circles. The Australian's raw talent was on display at just 15, as you can see from the video below showcasing his impressive stride.

Bislett's night climaxes with 400m hurdles

Oslo's night under the shining lights hits its peak with the men's hurdles around the track, with home crowd favourite Karsten Warholm taking center stage. The 400m hurdles star is looking to get his revenge over Brazil's Alison Dos Santos, who took the pair's first head-to-head in Xiamen.

The duo have been in a league of their own this season, as 3rd ranked Ezekiel Nathaniel of Nigeria comes over a half second away.

The women's 400m hurdles is also going to be an interesting race, as the season's hot-shot Emma Zapletalova will be going after her record again. The Slovakian has only completed two races around the hurdled track this season, but both have improved her personal best.

Jamaica's Rushell Clayton will be her closest competition, as she has come close to breaking the 53 barrier. Norway's in-form Amalie Tuel will keep the Oslo crowd's eyes firmly fixed on the race.