Amusan Leads African Contingent Qualified for Wanda Diamond League Final

World record holder Tobi Amusan heads a strong list of African athletes who have secured qualification for the 2026 Wanda Diamond League Final, as the continent’s leading track and field stars prepare to compete for prestigious season-ending titles.

The Nigerian sprint hurdler tops the African qualifiers in the women’s 100m hurdles with 28 points after another impressive campaign on the Diamond League circuit.

Amusan, the reigning Diamond League champion in the event, will be aiming to capture a fourth Diamond League title, a feat that would further cement her place among the greatest sprint hurdlers in the competition’s history. The 28-year-old remains the world record holder and the 2022 world champion.

South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile also secured qualification in the men’s 200m after accumulating 28 points during the series.

In the men’s 400m, Botswana’s reigning world champion Busang Collen Kebinatshipi qualified with 32 points, while South Africa’s Zakithi Nene also earned a place in the final with 30 points during the qualifying series.

Kenya will be represented in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase by Edmund Serem and Simon Koech, who both advanced to the season finale.

The women’s middle and long-distance events will feature a strong East African presence. Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom and Kenya’s Dorcus Ewoi have qualified for the women’s 1,500m, while Ethiopia’s Aleshign Baweke and Likina Amebaw booked their places in the women’s 5,000m.

In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, Kenya’s Faith Cherotich qualified with 21 points, while Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda advanced with 20 points after a consistent season.

Although several African athletes have already confirmed their places in the Diamond League Final, the race for qualification remains open with four qualifying meetings still to be contested in London, Lausanne, Silesia and Zurich.

Those events offer valuable ranking points, raising the prospect of more African athletes securing berths at the season-ending final.

The Wanda Diamond League, launched in 2010, remains athletics’ premier one-day meeting series. The 2026 season features 15 meetings across four continents and 13 countries, with athletes competing in 32 disciplines for points over 14 series events before the two-day Diamond League Final.

Points are awarded to the top eight finishers in most disciplines, with athletes earning between one and eight points depending on their placing.

The top eight athletes in events from the 100m to the 800m, the top 10 in the 1,500m and longer-distance races, and the top six in field events qualify for the Diamond League Final.

Additional places may also be awarded through national or global wildcards.