The women's 200m will be the showcase event at the opening Diamond League of the 2026 season.

The 2026 Diamond League kicks off on Saturday (May 16), with Shanghai/Keqiao being the first of 15 cities to host meetings this year.

Doha was meant to open up this year's season but it was postponed from May 8 to June 19 due to the current geopolitical tension in the region.

Some of the world's best track and field athletes, many of whom will be opening up their outdoor campaign, will descend on Shanghai, aiming to put down early markers.

With no Olympics or World Athletics Championships, the Diamond League will likely garner – alongside the inaugural World Ultimate Championship in Budapest – even more importance this season.

You can watch all the coverage on BBC Two from 12:00 BST.

Here are some of the key things to watch out for in Shanghai/Keqiao:

A thrilling women's 200m 

The stand-out event of the entire meeting has to be the women's 200m. Amy Hunt, off the back of her world 200m silver medal in Tokyo, will be looking to break the 22-second barrier for the first time at some point this season.

The Brit set her personal best of 22.08 in the world semi-finals last September, going second on the UK all-time list and above Kathy Cook on the rankings. Now having stood on the world podium, there is no doubt that Hunt will be aiming to use Tokyo as a platform, so more medals at the Commonwealths and Europeans will be on her mind.

She will firstly have to navigate an incredibly strong 200m field in Shanghai/Keqiao, which includes double world 200m champion Shericka Jackson and 2023 world 100m champion Sha'Carri Richardson.

Jackson, who boasts a personal best in the 200m of 21.41 from three years ago, returned last season after a small tear in her Achilles tendon kept the Jamaican out of the Paris Olympics. She secured a world 200m bronze medal in Tokyo, finishing behind Hunt and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.

As well as standing on the top of the world 100m podium in Budapest, Richardson also secured bronze in the 200m at those championships. She has a best of 21.92 over half a lap. McKenzie Long (21.83), Jenna Prandini (21.89) and Anavia Battle (21.95) are three other Americans in the field who have gone under 22 seconds.

Double Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo will also be on the start line and has a best of 21.74 in the 200m from 2019.

Mondo Duplantis v Emmanouil Karalis 

With the emergence of Emmanouil Karalis as a potential contender for the top prizes this season, even more eyes will be on the men's pole vault. Mondo Duplantis has dominated the discipline since the turn of the decade but since Karalis cleared 6.17m at the Greek Indoor Championships back in March – improving his personal best from 6.08m – he has proved he can get near the Swede.

Duplantis responded to Karalis's clearance by improving his own world record to 6.31m, the 15th of his illustrious career, at his own event 'The Mondo Classic'. He then secured his fourth consecutive world indoor title in Toruń with a championships record of 6.25m. However the double Olympic and triple world champion was pushed by Karalis, who had two failed attempts at 6.25m himself.

There are six men who have cleared 6.00m this year, with the event boasting the greatest strength in depth in its history.

Faith Kipyegon back in the 5000m 

Even though the women's 5000m is not an official Diamond League event in Shanghai/Keqiao, it is still full of star names, the biggest being Faith Kipyegon. This will be the the Kenyan's first race over 12.5 laps since securing the world silver medal behind compatriot Beatrice Chebet in Tokyo.

Three years ago Kipyegon held both the 1500m and 5000m records, with the latter being set at the 2023 Paris Diamond League. Her mark of 14:05.20 lasted three months until Gudaf Tsegay clocked 14:00.21 at that year's Prefontaine Classic. Chebet then became the first ever female to run below 14 seconds for the 5000m, with 13:58.06 in Oregon last year.

Kipeygon is the fastest athlete in China but, in a field dominated by East Africans, could face stern tests from Ethiopian duo Medina Eisa (14:16.54) and Aynadis Mebratu (14:22.76). British interest comes from Melissa Courtney-Bryant and Revée Walcott-Nolan.

Karsten Warholm v Alison dos Santos 

Karsten Warholm will be opening up his season in Shanghai/Keqiao and will be aiming to lay down a marker over the rarely run 300m hurdles. The Norwegian is the world record-holder in the event, having clocked 32.67 at last year's Bislett Games. Rai Benjamin and Alison dos Santos ran 33.22 and 33.38 respectively in Oslo.

Although the American isn't in China, dos Santos is and will hope to get much nearer to Warholm this time around. Since World Athletics announced that the 300m hurdles would be eligible for world records at the beginning of last year, the discipline has gained even more prominence.

With no Olympics or World Athletics Championships this season, will Warholm see it at as a chance to get near to his world 400m hurdles record of 45.94 from the Tokyo Olympics?

A stacked 100m hurdles

Fresh off the back of her third consecutive world 60m hurdles title in Toruń, Devynne Charlton travels to China with confidence ahead of a high quality 100m hurdles. She will however have her work cut out as world record-holder Tobi Amusan, Olympic champion Masai Russell and the last two world champions – Ditaji Kambundji and Danielle Williams – are all in the field.

Five of the athletes on the start line have run under 12.30 in the discipline so expect a fast time in Shanghai/Keqiao.