World indoor long jump champion Fabrice Lapierre will lead an Australian contingent of three in Round 10 of the Diamond League, the 14-meets series stopping over in the city-state of Monaco (MON) this Friday morning (AEST).

Joined on the start list by Sally Pearson (100m hurdles) and Ryan Gregson (1500m), Lapierre will take to the sand pit as Diamond Race leader, most recently surging to nine points after an 8.20m (w: 0.0) leap to win in Gateshead (ENG).

With plans to compete at all seven scheduled long jump outings on the Diamond League program, Lapierre heads to Monaco with victories in the aforementioned Gateshead and Shanghai (CHN) (8.30m, w: 0.0), third in Rome (ITA) (8.11m, w: +0.1) and fifth in Eugene (USA) (8.20m, w: +0.8).

The Australian champion, who leapt a wind assisted 8.78m at the Australian Athletics Championships in April only last week, recorded a new personal best of 8.40m (w: +0.5) to finish atop the dais at the Memorial Paolo Delogu in Nuoro (ITA).

No doubt looking to strengthen his Diamond Race lead, Lapierre will line up alongside a bounty of long jump talent that includes world champion Dwight Phillips (USA) who with eight points is currently placed second on the Diamond Race leaderboard, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist Irving Saladino (PAN).

Making her Diamond League return in Monaco, Pearson has travelled to Europe for a series of competitions leading into the XIX Commonwealth Games in October.

The silver medallist in the 100m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Pearson stopped the clock at 12.83 (w: +2.0) at the New York leg of the series in June and has plans to compete at the remaining three 100m hurdles events on the Diamond League calendar.

Sidelined with a back injury at the start of the year, Pearson has slowly returned to the track taking victory in the 100m (11.39, w: +0.8) and 200m (23.19, w+1.3) at the Sydney Track Classic, the 200m (23.59, w: +0.4) at the Melbourne Track Classic and the 100m hurdles (12.97, w: +1.7) as part of the Gold Coast winter series early last month.

Also on the blocks in Round 10 are Lolo Jones (USA), the current Diamond Race leader on 12 points, 2003 world champion Perdita Felicien (CAN) and 2006 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Delloreen Ennis (JAM).

Gregson, the Australian 1500m champion, will make his Diamond League debut after successfully taking line honours in the International Mile at the Prefontaine Classic earlier this month in a time of 3:53.19.

A great test for the 21-year-old Australian ahead of the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, the Monaco line up includes Olympic champion and current Diamond Race leader (14 points) Asbel Kiprop (KEN), 2007 world champion Bernard Lagat (USA) and the 2006 Commonwealth Games 5000m gold medallist Augustine Choge (KEN).

In other highlights, Tyson Gay (USA) and Walter Dix (USA), the current Diamond Race leader with 12 points, will continue their battle for men’s 200m supremacy, David Oliver will take to the track in the men’s 110m hurdles and world champion Valerie Vili (NZ) will look to regain the Diamond Race lead from Nadzeya Ostapchuk (BLR) in the women’s shot put.

Athletics Australia