All the action as Eliza McCartney and Tom Walsh competed at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon.
Tom Walsh can tick off another achievement when he lines up in the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon on Sunday.
The big Canterbury shot putter has had a stellar couple of years, winning two world indoor titles, the outdoor crown in Birmingham last year, claiming bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and winning the Commonwealth Games title on the Gold Coast in April.
But he wants an Olympic gold on his resume and a Diamond League victory at the event named after the American track star who died at 24 in 1975. He threw his personal best, 22.67m in Auckland this year.
''It's one of the biggest meetings on the Diamond League circuit, outside of the final,'' Walsh's coach Dale Stevenson said of the DL season opener for the shot men.
''This is a good opportunity to put that on his resume. Outside that, there's only the Olympic gold he's got to tick off on wish list.''
It shapes as a significant event. It is the first DL meet for the shot putters and with Walsh's leading rivals, Americans Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs, the only men who beat him in the Rio Olympic event, rising American Darrell Hill, with a personal best of 22.44m, and German David Storl, a two-time world champion and silver medallist at the London Olympics in 2012 all in the star-studded field it should be a top class event.
There was controversy at the end of the worlds last year when Crouser and, to a degree, Kovacs reacted poorly to Walsh's victory. It tarnished his success.
But Stevenson said that is history.
''At the time it did take a little bit of gloss off the moment in London last year. A couple of hours straight after event, even 24 hours after, there were ongoing rumblings that took the shine off a little bit.
''I wouldn't say there's bad blood, but you put a couple of competitive guys together who want to win and that's a really healthy relationship they've got. There's respect for what each other is doing.''
Where Crouser was the dominant thrower in 2016, Walsh took over last year.
''The stars haven't quite aligned for them to be in good shape and healthy at the same time. You get those two firing and throwing in the same place at the same time and it will be exciting to watch,'' Stevenson said.
Pole vault star Eliza McCartney, whose personal best is 4.82m, will make her Diamond League meet debut for the year in Eugene too. The women had an opening leg in Doha on May 4, but she was absent. American Sandi Morris, whose personal best is 5m, won the event. This, too, will be a world class field.
Greek Ekaterina Stefanidi and Morris, who won gold and silver in Rio when McCartney shot to fame by winning bronze, are lining up, along with well-performance neutral athlete Anzhelika Sidorova (personal best 4.85m) and American veteran Jenn Suhr, an Olympic and world champion.
Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich has put on a performance for the ages.