The world’s top track and field athletes will return to Qatar in hopes of qualifying for the Diamond League Final at the end of the season.

Doha will once again host the famed Diamond League meeting in 2024 following back-to-back legs in China, as highlighted in the official calendar released by the Wanda Diamond League. 

The 2024 series of elite track and field athletic competitions will be momentous for athletes as it will be the last opportunity to both qualify and prepare for the Paris Summer Olympic Games. 

Qatar’s Doha meeting will follow after a Chinese double bill, hosted in Xiamen on April 20 and Shanghai on April 27.

On May 10, Doha will hold its own meeting before it heads to Rabat and Eugene, Oregon. 

 The series will then steer to Oslo and Stockholm for the first European meetings on May 30 and June 2. 

Shortly ahead of the Summer Olympics, there will be meetings in Paris, Monaco, and London, offering the last attempts before the games. 

The season will enter its final stretch after the Olympics in Lausanne, Silesia, Rome, and Zurich before the September season finale in Brussels.  

This year, the track and field season heated up with the Doha meet that witnessed India’s Neeraj Chopra record a world-leading distance of 88.67 metres in his first throw of the javelin final at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium.

America’s Sha’Carri Richardson put on a show by running a 10.76-second sprint in the women’s 100 metre race, while JuVaughn Harrison also of the US won the high jumping competition.

Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim was not able to finish on top in the men’s high jump event as he fell short of hometown expectations, reaching a disappointing third.

The decorated Qatari track and field athlete, the current Olympic Champion, is expected to star in next year’s competition.

Standing at 32 years old, Barshim has faced heavy expectations to win after winning London 2017, Doha 2019, and Eugene 2022 editions of the World Athletics Championships.

Earlier this summer, the Golden Falcon of Qatar fell short of winning his fourth consecutive gold title after claiming bronze in the high jump competition. 

Despite falling short of gold, Barshim has remained positive in his pursuit of winning. 

“I consider this bronze as history,” Barshim said. “In any competition, our ambition is gold and victory, but this is sport. With this bronze, I became the only athlete in the history of the high jump to win five medals in the world championships and I am very proud.”

The achievement in Budapest takes Barshim’s tally of coloured medals in the world championships to seven – three gold, one silver, and one bronze at senior competitions, one gold indoors, and one gold at youth competitions.