Amusan, Brume, Ezekiel may open 2026 Diamond League campaign in Shanghai
Nigerian track and field stars Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, and Nathaniel Ezekiel are expected to begin their 2026 Diamond League campaign in Shanghai on May 16, following the release of the discipline allocations for all 15 meetings of athletics’ premier one day series.
Although the season officially opens in Doha, Qatar on May 8, the trio will not be in action there as their respective events, the 100m hurdles, women’s long jump, and men’s 400m hurdles, are not scheduled for the Doha leg.
Instead, Shanghai will host these disciplines a week later, positioning the Nigerian trio for a high profile start to their season.
Five Nigerian athletes participated in the Diamond League in 2025, including Amusan, Ezekiel, Favour Ofili, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, and Udodi Onwuzurike.
Ofili, who has since confirmed her switch to represent Turkey, made her debut alongside Ezekiel and Onwuzurike, with all three qualifying for the final in Zurich.
Ofili later opted out of the final, while Amusan competed and Enekwechi missed out after finishing fifth in his event the previous year.
Ofili (100m) and Onwuzurike (200m) are expected to make their 2026 Diamond League season debuts in Doha.
If Brume, the African long jump record holder (7.17m), competes in Shanghai, it will mark her return to the Diamond League since 2023, when she narrowly missed out on the title by countback after finishing second in the final in Eugene.
Amusan may remain in China to compete in Xiamen, the third stop of the Diamond League on May 23, where the 100m hurdles is scheduled.
She could be joined by Enekwechi, as the men’s shot put will debut in Xiamen for the 2026 season. Ezekiel is also expected to run in Xiamen, while Ofili could feature in the 200m lineup.
The Diamond League will then move to Africa, precisely in Rabat, Morocco at the end of May.
Amusan and Ezekiel are not expected to compete unless Ezekiel opts to run the flat 400m. Enekwechi is likely to be in action again, with shot put included in the Rabat programme, while Ofili may attempt a 100m/200m double.
Amusan is projected to return to competition in Rome at the start of June, with Brume expected to follow three days later in Stockholm on June 7.
The 2026 Diamond League season will serve as a key qualification pathway for the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest next September.
Winners in each discipline will earn automatic qualification, while athletes can also qualify via the World Athletics ranking system, which combines result scores and placing scores to determine overall performance.
Participating in the Diamond League series offer huge advantages as the event is ranked third behind the Olympics and World Athletics outdoor Championships in terms of scoring with the World Athletics Indoor Championships fourth.
