2016国际田联钻石联赛上海站正式启动

The second stop of the IAAF Diamond League is set for later today in Shanghai. Several stars will be featured at the multi-sport event, including American sprinter Justin Gatlin, 800 meter world record holder David Rudisha, 110 meter Olympic champion Aries Merritt. The most notable Chinese athlete could be Zhang Peimeng.

The sprinter will be part of China's 4x100 meter relay team. Zhang and his teammates won the silver medal at last year's World Championships in Beijing, after Team USA was disqualified. Despite the miraculous achievement in the Chinese capital, Zhang is realistic about their goals in Shanghai.

Meanwhile 110 meter hurdle world record holder Aries Merritt, continues to recover from two surgeries for a kidney transplant late last year. The American explained the pain he's had to go through in the last two years, but says he will return to his finest form. 

"I'm fine. All my labs are great. My basic body chemistry is normal. My blood levels are normal again as I supposed in the last two years. I don't have any bloods. I didn't have any oxygen. So I was always feel tired, but now I'm full of energy, and I'm ready to try to get back to where I was before," said Aries Merrritt, Olympic gold medalist/100 meter hurdles.

"Our goal is to reach the top eight in Shanghai. A podium finish is not what we should think about now. After several months of training, our teammates have good chemistry. But our individual abilities have been hampered by injuries, so we must work on that," said Zhang Peimeng, China sprinter.