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The bar is certainly being raised in Oslo, with every current major high jump champion competing in this meeting. Leading the way is Olympic champion Andrey Silnov, who gets an early chance to avenge last weekend's narrow defeat by Germany's world bronze medallist Raul Spank in the previous Diamond League event.

Silnov is part of a powerful Russian contingent which also includes world champion Yaroslav Rybakov, European gold medallist Aleksandr Shustov and indoor world and European champion Ivan Ukhov. Donald Thomas, the Commonwealth and former world gold medallist from the Bahamas, completes the list of major title holders.

South Africa's Olympic and world silver medallist Godfrey Mokoena jumped a season's best 8.31m at the Eugene Diamond League meeting last Saturday but it wasn't enough to beat Greg Rutherford. The Britain won with a wind-assisted leap of 8.32m, two centimetres further than his legal British record.

Rutherford's compatriot Chris Tomlinson is also in action, along with Australia's Fabrice Lapierre and his predecessor as Commonwealth champion, Ignisious Gaisah of Ghana. Gaisah jumped 8.26m at the end of May, his best for five years. European champion Christian Reif and 8.66m jumper Louis Tsatoumas of Greece complete a powerful field.

The 800m line-up is worthy of an Olympic final. It includes reigning world champion Caster Semenya, who was second on her Diamond League bow last weekend in a season's best time.

Her rivals include Olympic silver medallist Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya, world indoor and European outdoor champion Mariya Savinova, and Britain's Jenny Meadows, who has won a medal at each of her last four major championships.

World and Commonwealth gold medallist Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya is the athlete to beat, having won the 5000m on the two previous occasions it was part of the Diamond League series this season.

She faces a three-pronged Ethiopian challenge led by former world champion Meseret Defar, who has won 12 of their 15 meetings. World 10,000m silver medallist Meselech Melkamu was a disappointing ninth in her most recent 5000m race in Shanghai last month, when Sentayehu Ejigu finished a close second to Cheruiyot.

The Oslo Dream Mile is one of the most famous races in the world, with more than a third of the top 50 performances over the distance having taken place in the Bislett Stadium. Kenya's Olympic 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop will attempt to repeat last year's victory but he will not get an easy ride.

Haron Keitany led a Kenyan 1-2-3 in the mile at last weekend's Diamond League race, with Commonwealth champion Silas Kiplagat edging out Kiprop for second. They all race again in Oslo, along with compatriot Nixon Chepseba, who has won two Diamond League races so far this season, and former Dream Mile winner Andy Baddeley.

The last race of the evening features an Oslo debut for the peerless Usain Bolt. The reigning three-time Olympic and world champion and world record holder has won both of his 100m races this season, including the Rome leg of the Diamond League series, and should triumph in his first 200m outing of the year.

The only other man in the field to have dipped under 20 seconds is local favourite Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, who has enjoyed top-three finishes in his two Diamond League races this year. European and Commonwealth medallist Christian Malcolm makes his seasonal Diamond League bow.