Armand Duplantis could clear 6.25m - Sergey Bubka

Doha Diamond League
Date: Friday 25 September Venue: Qatar Sports Club Stadium
Coverage: BBC Two coverage and live video stream on BBC Sport website, BBC iPlayer and Red Button from 16:45 BST

Pole-vaulting great Sergey Bubka has backed Armand Duplantis to obliterate his own world record in the event.

Swede Duplantis set a world record of 6.18m in February and last week surpassed Bubka's 1994 mark for the highest outdoor vault of all time.

"6.20? 6.25? For me, he is ready for that today," Bubka, who broke the world record more than 30 times in his own career, told BBC World Service Sport.

"He's an amazing athlete who's bringing a fresh spirit to pole vaulting."

Duplantis will bring his season to a close at the final Diamond League event of the year in Doha on Friday, competing in a field that includes American double world champion Sam Kendricks and Duplantis' predecessor as world record holder, France's Renaud Lavillenie.

Duplantis, known as 'Mondo', has won all 15 of the events he has entered this season. Kendricks finished second to the 20-year-old in Lausanne, where two athletes cleared 6.02m in the same competition for the first time in history.

"A new expectation has been set. If you want to play this game, especially against Mondo, you had better come ready to play harder than anyone in history," said Kendricks.

"It is sometime scary to accept the fact that I might have to be better than all of my forebears just to get some play in this game."

Bubka, who competed against Duplantis' father Greg during his own career, believes that the attention that comes with success might be the only thing that restricts his potential.

"Now he is a big star," added Bubka.

Mondo Duplantis and father Greg — Duplantis is coached by his father Greg, a former rival of Bubka

"He has a lot of attention. A lot of distraction and he needs to find a way to achieve this goal. But I feel he is a very intelligent, bright boy. He can do it."

New national record holder Harry Coppell lines up against Duplantis in the pole vault and is one of several Britons in action.

Laura Weightman, Eilish McColgan and Melissa Courtney-Bryant take on Kenyan world champions Hellen Obiri and Beatrice Chepkoech in the 3000m.

Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, who did the sprint double at Rio 2016, will take on Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou in a 100m that also includes Britons Kristal Awuah and Amy Hunt.

Britons Rabah Yousif (400m), Cindy Ofili (100m hurdles), Cameron Fillery, David King (both 110m hurdles), Shelayna Oskan-Clarke, Adelle Tracey (both 800m), Piers Copeland, James West (both 1500m), Elliot Giles and Guy Learmonth (both 800m) also appear.