Phillips Idowu, Shara Proctor and Dwain Chambers among British athletes in action as Diamond League series moves on to Shanghai

Following an action-packed start to the Diamond League season in Doha last weekend, the series moves on to Shanghai on Sunday, with a number of British athletes among those in action.

Phillips Idowu competes in a major competition for the first time since taking a break from the sport 10 months ago.

Last July the 2009 world triple jump champion announced he would be taking a step back from athletics “for the foreseeable future” to pursue other interests. He made a low-key return to competitive action in Sydney in March where he jumped 16.57m for victory. He also managed 16.63m in Brisbane at the end of the month and a windy 16.71m at the Australian Championships in April to also win both of those events.

In Shanghai the 35-year-old will go up against the likes of US jumpers Christian Taylor, the Olympic champion, and Will Claye, London 2012 silver medallist.

Also in the jumps, British long jump record holder Shara Proctor is in action and faces the likes of Russia’s two-time European indoor champion Darya Klishina and Nigeria’s world silver medallist Blessing Okagbare.

Brits Luke Cutts and Steve Lewis form part of a pole vault field including France’s world indoor record-holder Renaud Lavillenie and world champion Raphael Holzdeppe of Germany, while Dwain Chambers will line up alongside 2003 world 100m champion Kim Collins, Jamaica’s Nesta Carter and US sprinters Justin Gatlin and Michael Rodgers in the 100m.

On the women’s side, double world sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce runs the 200m following her 100m victory in Doha. Okagbare is also entered, as is Fraser-Pryce’s fellow Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown.

There are six sub-13 athletes contesting the men’s 5000m, Yagos Gebrhiwet and Yenew Alamirew among them, while David Oliver and Aries Merritt renew their rivalry in the 110m hurdles, the world champion taking on the world record-holder in the final event of the evening.

Olympic and world champion Sandra Perkovic is eyeing a Shanghai meet record in the discus, while world indoor champ Ryan Whiting goes in the shot.

Start lists for all 16 events can be found here, with the action to be televised live on the BBC Red Button from 1pm on Sunday

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