Diamond League: Mo Ahmed tries to overcome heartbreaking Olympics

As Mo Ahmed lines up for the men's 5,000-metre race at Thursday's Diamond League track and field meet in Zürich, he'll probably be reminded of the events that led to his missed podium finish at the recent Rio Olympics. It'll certainly be in the thoughts of any family, friends and Canadians watching (CBCSports.ca, CBC Sports app, 2 p.m. ET).

In a fierce battle with American Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo, the 25-year-old Ahmed appeared to be in line for a bronze medal in the final 400 metres at the Olympic Stadium but ran out of steam and crossed the line fifth in 13 minutes 5.94 seconds, only to be awarded fourth after Muktar Edris of Ethiopia was disqualified.

Ahmed admittedly "fell apart" in the last 120 metres and said he could "taste" a podium finish.

"Just so disappointed," he added. "I put everything into this race. The podium was right there."

• VIDEO: 'The podium was right there': Ahmed

A native of St. Catharines, Ont., Ahmed will have a chance to redeem himself Thursday against Chelimo, who finished second in Rio in 13:03.90. Edris and fellow Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet, who won Olympic bronze in 13:04.35, are scheduled to compete along with other Rio top-10 finishers Bernard Lagat and Albert Rop of Bahrain.

The 13-minute barrier likely would be among Ahmed's other goals in the 2:13 p.m. ET race after he clocked 13:01.74 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon in May to shatter his Canadian record of 13:10.00, set in Brussels last year that broke a 17-year-old mark.

Here's a breakdown of the Canadian content:

Shawn Barber (pole vault, 12:45 p.m. ET)

Forget about any rivalry with Renaud Lavillenie of France or Sam Kendricks of the United States. Toronto pole vaulter Shawn Barber will be focused on trying to clear 5.65 metres, which Barber failed to do at last week's Diamond League competitions in Paris (5.61) and Lausanne, Switzerland (5.62) as well as at the Rio Olympics (5.50).

• VIDEO: Barber places 10th in Olympic pole vault

Lavillenie, who is 14-2 versus Barber overall, won in Paris with a vault of 5.93, matching the Canadian's personal best. Kendricks cleared 5.92 in Lausanne to win that event and slated to compete in Zürich along with Brazil's Thiago Braz, who won in Rio with an Olympic record 6.03.

Melissa Bishop (women's 800, 3:02 p.m. ET)

It's been two consecutive fourth-place finishes for Melissa Bishop of Eganville, Ont. Five days after missing an Olympic bronze medal by 13-100ths of a second, Bishop stopped the clock in 1:58.71 for fourth place at Lausanne Diamond League, nearly two seconds slower than her Canadian record time of 1:57.02 in Rio.

In Zürich, the 28-year-old Bishop will have another chance at a top-three finish against South Africa's Caster Semenya, Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba and Kenya's Margaret Wambui, the gold, silver and bronze medallists in Rio. Semenya and Niyonsaba are separated by two points atop the Diamond League points standings, so whichever woman crosses the line first will win the Diamond Trophy.

Phylicia George (women's 100 hurdles, 3:12 p.m. ET)

George enters the Zürich meet with confidence, fresh off her victory at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Poland on Sunday. The Markham, Ont., hurdler's time of 12.88 seconds matches her winning time at the Canadian Olympic trials in July.

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At the Rio Games, the 28-year-old George stumbled out of the gate in the 100 hurdles final and finished eighth in 12.89 after clocking 12.77 in her semifinal heat. The nine-women field in Zürich includes Great Britain's Cindy Ofili and Germany's Cindy Roleder, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively in Rio.

Diamond League on CBC Sports

CBC Sports is provided live streaming coverage of all 14 Diamond League meets this season at CBCSports.ca and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. TV coverage will be featured as part of the network's Road To The Olympic Games weekend broadcasts throughout the season.

The following is a list of upcoming Diamond League meets on CBCSports.ca and the CBC Sports app:

• Zurich (Thursday, 2 p.m. ET)
• Brussels (Sept. 9, 2 p.m. ET)