Weekend Preview: Olympic Stars in LA, Sprinters in Atlanta, Night of the 10k PBs, & Marrakech Diamond League

The 2024 US Olympic Trials are just five weeks away and the next two weekends of racing will tell us a lot about how they are going to unfold. With every passing day, it becomes harder to ignore injury concerns or write off a bad performance with the excuse “it’s still early.” You can gain fitness in five weeks — but not that much.

The biggest meet before the Trials is next weekend’s Prefontaine Classic, which is loaded as usual. But many of the world’s top track stars are also in action this weekend, albeit split across three meets: the USATF LA Grand Prix on Friday and Saturday, the adidas Atlanta City Games on Saturday, and the Marrakech Diamond League on Sunday. Plus the always-entertaining Night of the 10,000m PBs is in London on Saturday.

Some sports are easy to follow. The NFL announced its entire 2024 schedule last night and I can tell you with reasonable certainty that as long as they are healthy, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will be squaring off when the Chiefs face the Bills on November 17. Track & field is not like that. The LA Grand Prix starts tomorrow and as I sit here writing this preview at noon ET on Thursday, there are still no start lists available. It’s amateur hour stuff for a major meet being held in America’s second-largest city, but perhaps not too surprising considering it also took forever for USATF to announce the entries for last month’s Bermuda Grand Prix.

Fortunately we at LetsRun.com are here to help. Here’s a quick guide to the biggest races of the weekend and how to watch them.

USATF LA Grand Prix (Friday, May 17 – Saturday, May 18)

*Schedule/entries *TV/streaming information

This should be the marquee meet of the weekend, featuring a bunch of sprint stars (Letsile Tebogo, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Marileidy Paulino), Athing Mu‘s first race of 2024, and some strong distance fields, led by a loaded men’s 5,000 on Friday night. If all those stars show up, it could be an amazing event.

One (significant) caveat: we still don’t have full entries for the meet. We’ve done our best to break down the races based on the athletes who are listed on the meet website as competing in the “featured events” as well as this list of entries for Friday’s distance events (that sometimes contradicts the other list). This is the same meet that in 2023 saw McLaughlin-Levrone withdraw at the eleventh hour and the top 100-meter women bail before the final, so be prepared for some late changes.

Here are the big things we’ll be looking for in LA.

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Men’s 5,000: How does Grant Fisher fare against a stacked field?

Friday 8:30 p.m. Pacific/ 11:30 p.m. Eastern

Kevin Morris photo

Grant Fisher made a big change after the 2023 season, leaving coach Jerry Schumacher after four years to reunite with his high school coach Mike Scannell. The early returns have been good: he ran an American record of 8:03.62 for 2 miles at Millrose, ran a near-American record of 12:51.84 for 5,000 five days later in Boston, then ran 26:52.04 in March to win The TEN.

Now Fisher will get the opportunity to test himself against some of the men he will be battling against for medals in Paris. There is no 3k/2-mile/5k at Pre this year, which means all the Nike stars who would usually run that race are in LA instead: Fisher, Olympic 5k champ Joshua Cheptegei, Olympic 10k champ Selemon Barega, World XC champ Jacob Kiplimo, and Olympic silver medalist Moh Ahmed. Plus US champ Abdihamid Nur and Cooper Teare (Cole Hocker is also running, but it’s not clear if he will be in the A heat or B heat).

That’s an insane field. The pacers are reportedly targeting 12:50. It’s definitely worth staying up until 12:30 a.m. ET on Friday night to watch this race.

In the last two years, Fisher has been the only American man able to hang with the world’s best at a distance above 3,000 meters. He has beaten most of the biggest stars at one point or another, but he has yet to record a signature win over a bunch of them at once. A win over this field on home soil would qualify.

Women’s 400: A dream race pits Mu against Moraa & Paulino

Saturday 3:45 p.m. Eastern

Photo by Kevin Morris

This race seems too good to be true: world 400 champ Marileidy Paulino against world 800 champ Mary Moraa against Olympic 800 champ Athing Mu. Part of me won’t believe it is actually happening until I see the gun fire at 3:45 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The 400 specialist Paulino won the first two Diamond Leagues in China and Moraa (50.57 sb) has already raced seven 400s this year, so it’s no surprise to see them here. The intrigue centers around Mu, who rarely races (just four meets in 2023) and has not run a 400 in over two years.

Does this mean Mu is considering the 400/800 double at the Olympics? We already know she is world-class in this event (she ran an NCAA record of 49.57 as a freshman at Texas A&M in 2021) and has discussed the double in the past (though her coach Bobby Kersee also discussed the 800/1500 double last year). She told Runner’s World this week that the 800 remains the focus in 2024.

Men’s 1500: Bowerman Mile tuneup for Centro, Cheruiyot, Aussies

Saturday 3:23 p.m. Eastern

Matthew Centrowitz impressed by running 3:35.39 at Oxy two weeks ago, his fastest time in nearly three years. But Centro is still a ways off the 3:33.50 Olympic standard, and if he’s not going to run the time by the end of the qualifying window (June 30), he needs to boost his world ranking. Ditto Australia’s Ollie Hoare, who doesn’t have the standard or a world ranking. They’ll both have the opportunity to run fast here against a field led by 19-year-old Kenyan Reynold Cheruiyot, who has run 3:31 and 3:32 in his two 1500s this year. 17-year-old Aussie phenom Cam Myers is also set to run his first race on US soil; all four men will compete again in next week’s Bowerman Mile at Pre.

Women’s 5,000: Elle St. Pierre set to race for first time since World Indoor gold

Friday 11:50 p.m. Eastern

Kevin Morris photo

St. Pierre claimed an unlikely gold over 3,000 meters in Glasgow in March and will open her 2024 outdoor campaign on Friday night with her first 5,000 since 2022. St. Pierre is in position to take a hatchet to her 14:58 pb from 2019 and will be favored to win against a field that also includes Elly Henes (14:47 pb), Whittni Morgan (who ran 15:06 two weeks ago on the comeback trail from injury), and Venezuela’s Joselyn Brea (14:47 pb).

Men’s 800: US Olympic Trials preview

Saturday 4:31 p.m. Eastern

The men’s 800 field includes two of the three members of the 2021 US Olympic squad (Clayton Murphy and Isaiah Jewett) as well as 2022 Worlds team member Brandon Miller and miler Hobbs Kessler. Miller, in his first year with the Brooks Beasts, needs this race more than the others; while Murphy and Jewett have already run 1:45 this year, Miller has only run 1:47 in his two 800s this year. If he produces another subpar run in LA, it’s hard to see him contending for the team next month.

This field could be significantly better than advertised if these Friday night entries are to be believed as Jake Wightman, Peter Bol, Isaiah Harris, and Bryce Hoppel are all entered.

Women’s 200: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone v Gabby Thomas v Rhasidat Adeleke

Saturday 4:23 p.m. Eastern

SML opened her 2024 season by running 12.71 in the 100 hurdles and 22.38 (+2.9 wind) in the 200 at Oxy two weeks ago and is staying outside of her main events at Oxy. SML, whose wind-legal pb of 22.38 dates to her freshman year at Kentucky in 2018, will be the underdog against reigning US champ Gabby Thomas, though Thomas will be doubling back from the 100m just 20 minutes earlier. Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke, who starred at this month’s World Relays, is also scheduled to run.

Other names to watch

• 20-year-old Botswanan star Letsile Tebogo will run his first 100 of the year after impressing in the 200, 300, and 400 early in the season.
• After an easy 14:58 5k win last weekend, Sifan Hassan will drop down to the 1500 against Worlds silver medalist Diribe Welteji and American Sinclaire Johnson.
• Many of the steeplers from last week’s Track Fest appear to be running it back as Evan Jager, Duncan Hamilton, Anthony Rotich, and Kenneth Rooks are all entered in Friday’s steeple, along with 2023 Worlds team members Isaac Updike and Benard Keter.

***

Night of the 10,000m PBs (Saturday, May 18)

*Schedule/entries *Free live stream (elite races start at 3:30 p.m. ET)

This meet always delivers and will serve as the British championships and Olympic 10,000 trials. Megan Keith and Patrick Dever are the top British entrants, while Americans Paul Chelimo and Fiona O’Keeffe have also been announced as part of the fields. Chelimo, who does not have the Olympic standard in the 5,000 or 10,000, won this meet last year in 27:12 but only ran 13:24 for 5,000 in Stockholm on Wednesday. Keira D’Amato is also supposed to be running and will be trying to come as close as possible to the 30:40.00 Olympic standard.

***

adidas Atlanta City Games (Saturday, May 18)

*Schedule/entries *Free YouTube stream (Saturday 4:45-7:30 p.m. ET)

This is essentially a three-hour adidas ad, a showcase for all of the brand’s top sprinters. And because adidas sponsors a bunch of the world’s best sprinters, there are some pretty great races, even if they’ll come on a temporary 200-meter straightaway in Piedmont Park.

Phil Bond photo

The men’s 100 is the most intriguing event because it features reigning US 100 champ Cravont Charleston and reigning US 200 champ Erriyon Knighton, both of whom have done very little in 2024. Charleston’s victory as an unsponsored athlete at USAs was one of the best stories of 2023, but he was injured before Worlds and has not raced since Budapest. Meanwhile Knighton, who has never run a wind-legal sub-10, has only raced at two meets this year: a 20.21 indoor 200 in Lievin and a couple of relay legs at the Florida Relays on March 30. Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, who was 7th at Worlds last year, is the other notable name in this field.

The men’s 150 should also be good as it pits world 100/200 champ Noah Lyles against world 100 bronze medalist Zharnel Hughes and South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who is coming off a win at the Suzhou Diamond League. Lyles won this event last year in 14.56; the world best is Usain Bolt‘s 14.35 from 2009.

The men’s 200 features the last two Olympic 400 champs in Wayde van Niekerk and Steven Gardiner plus Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Trinidad & Tobago’s Jereem Richards. Grant Holloway headlines the men’s 110 hurdles against Trey Cunningham, who had a resurgent indoor season after a rough rookie year as a pro in 2023.

***

Marrakech Diamond League (Sunday, May 19)

*Schedule/entries/results *TV/streaming information

Only a few of the fields in this meet are truly world-class, which is to be expected when all of adidas’ top sprinters are in Atlanta and a bunch of other stars are racing in LA and/or gearing up for next weekend’s Pre Classic. But there are still a few terrific races on the schedule, led by a strong men’s 800 and a deep men’s steeple.

Here are the four races you need to pay attention to in Marrakech.

Men’s 800 (2:14 p.m. ET): Wanyonyi leads the way as Korir returns

Emmanuel Wanyonyi ended 2023 on a high note with a 1:42.80 pb to win the Diamond League final, and he’s carried that over to 2024, opening with a 1:43.57 in Nairobi on April 20 and setting a world record of 3:54.56 in the road mile a week later. Wanyonyi is the heavy favorite in any 800 not involving Marco Arop, and Arop is not in this race.

Emmanuel Korir is also entered. Korir also began his 2023 season in Rabat, but he was a shell of himself and ran 1:48. Clearly hampered by a calf injury, Korir only raced four times in 2023 and never ran faster than 1:46.78. On Sunday, Rabat will once again serve as his season opener. Is he fully healthy, or is this a case of Korir realizing he has to start racing if he wants any shot at the Olympics (he does not have a world ranking or the 1:44.70 Olympic standard)?

22-year-old Brit Ben Pattison, the surprise bronze medalist at last year’s Worlds, is also slated to make his 2024 track debut.

Men’s 1500 (2:57 p.m. ET): Girma v Mills (but why isn’t Girma in the steeple?)

With almost all of the world’s best milers in next week’s Bowerman Mile, this race is short on star power. Lamecha Girma is the big name, but we’re giving a big thumbs down to whoever is responsible for Girma running the 1500 in Rabat instead of the steeple. We have the world record holder (Girma) and the world/Olympic champion (Soufiane El Bakkali) at the same meet in El Bakkali’s home country, yet Girma is running the 1500 even though he’s also running the Bowerman Mile six days later? That’s lame as hell, unless Girma is somehow deciding to move to the 1500 this year.

Seriously, Girma’s last two Diamond League steeples against El Bakkali, in Doha and Rabat, were two of the greatest DL steeples ever. But that was two years ago and they haven’t raced each other on the DL since. Bring back this head-to-head!

As for this 1500, Girma is one of two sub-3:30 men in the field, with France’s Azeddine Habz the other. Both men should be in contention to win, but don’t sleep on Brit George Mills, who was 3rd in last year’s Diamond League final and had an impressive 2024 indoor season (12:58 5k at BU, 3:48 mile at Millrose).

Women’s 200 (3:10 p.m. ET): Jackson set to run 200 opener

Jamaican sprint fans, how are you feeling right now? The island nation has three of the world’s premier female sprinters, but it’s now the third week of May and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah still have not raced at all in 2024. There were similar concerns about two-time 200m world champ Shericka Jackson, who withdrew from a series of early-season meets, but Jackson debuted with an 11.03 100m in Kingston on May 4 and is set to race her signature event for the first time on Sunday in Rabat. Expect a comfortable victory with Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji (who was only 6th in Xiamena and 5th in Suzhou) the next-biggest name in the field.

Men’s steeple (3:46 p.m. ET): El Bakkali & Bor make steeple debuts

While it would be a better race with Girma, this is still a strong steeple field. Soufiane El Bakkali is obviously the headliner, and meet organizers smartly put this event last as he is very popular with the Moroccan fans. El Bakkali has not raced at all in 2024 outside of one cross country race in January, but he has not lost a steeple since September 2021 and will be favored here.

It’s a deep field behind El Bakkali, which includes 20-year-old Ethiopian Samuel Firewu (winner of the 2024 DL steeple opener in Doha), 2023 bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwot (a narrow 2nd in Doha), Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale, and 2016 Olympic champ Conseslus Kipruto.

US fans will be most eager to watch Hillary Bor. When healthy, Bor is one of America’s best steeplers (he was the US leader at 8:11 last year) but Bor broke his foot in this race last year and has not run a steeple since. Bor’s recent results at longer distances suggest he is even fitter than this time last year, and if he can drop another 8:11 or faster, he’ll be in prime position to make his third Olympic team, should he stay healthy through the Trials.

Hillary Bor in 2023 v Hillary Bor in 2024