Sprint: Rabat Stadium will be Set Ablaze

In the 100m, Marie-José Ta Lou, silver medallist at the 2017 London World Championships in the 100m and 200m races will enjoy all of the crowds’ support that an African citizen deserves. The Ivorian athlete, who is the favourite of the race, is working hard to fulfil the dream of becoming the first African world champion in the 100 meters at the upcoming world championships in Qatar.    The year 2019 is crucial for the 30-year-old athlete, who finished 3rd in the Diamond League final in 2018. Rabat will be a great opportunity for her to test her level of preparation.
The famous Dutch vice-Olympic champion Dafne Schippers, who won two gold medals at the world championships (2015-2017), one in silver and two in bronze, will also be part of this event. At the end of May, the 26-year-old Dutchwoman won the Oordegem meeting (Belgium), with no opponent at her height, both in the 100m at 11''38 (+1.2m / s) and in the 200m m at 22''98. A return she confirmed with class this Sunday at the meeting of Hengelo (Holland) won in 11''06: the under 11''00 could well take place June 16th in Rabat.
Moreover, the competition in the Men’s 200m will be intense, especially with the participation of experienced athletes like Ramil Gulyev. The 200m world and European champion is known for his regular and serious training. He finished 2nd in last year’s Diamond League final.        At the third stage this year, in Stockholm, he was ranked 2nd behind the Canadian Aaron Brown:After getting rid of the virus that led him to cancel the Shanghai meeting, the Azerbaijani-born Turkish wants to appear in a better shape to reassure his supporters and fans.  
To accomplish this, he will have to face another Canadian, Andre De Grasse, who is triple Olympic sprint medallist and relay world champion. In previous stages, especially at Shanghai, de Grasse proved that he is quickly recovering from the serious injury he suffered last year. For him, the Diamond League is a perfect rehearsal before participating in the upcoming Doha World Championships.
Furthermore, we will see a close duel between Phyllis Francis and Salwa  Eid Naser in Women’s 400m. The American, double-world champion (400m, 4 * 400m) in 2017 and gold medallist in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio (4 * 400m) will draw the attention of all the experts and public in Rabat. This will be an opportunity for her to test the level of competition with limited appearances for almost a year.   
The American 27-year-old, who came second in the Diamond League's 2018 finals, will compete alongside Bahraini Eid Naser, who can easily tip the balance in her favor. She has won almost all DL stages in which she participated, and also holds a very good national record for her country at 49.08 seconds, achieved in Monaco in 2018. The Bahraini athlete stands as the defending champion of the Diamond League.