Olivier on top in Birmingham

South African 800 metre champion Andre Olivier is the country's top performer on the Diamond League circuit after the 14-meet series reached the half-way mark in Birmingham on Sunday.

Olivier has been consistent throughout the season and again underlined his fine form in Birmingham with a second-place finish in a time of one minute, 45.64 seconds (1:45:64).

Ethiopia's Mohammed Aman clocked 1:45.18 for first place, while Great Britain's Andrew Osagie was third in 1:45.80.

The South African is third on the overall Diamond League standings with three points, which he obtained from finishing second in Birmingham and his third-place finish in Rome at the beginning of June.

Aman is at the top of the standings on 10 points, with world record holder David Rudisha of Kenya in second place on eight points.

Olivier has dipped below 1:45 five times this season with his fastest time the 1:44.37 he ran in Rome, which is the 11th fastest this year.

His performance in Burmingham overshadowed compatriots Khotso Mokoena and Zarck Visser's struggles in the long jump at the same event.

Mokoena narrowly missed out on a podium spot with a best jump of 7.90m for fourth place, while Visser had to be content with last place with his 7.69m effort.

South Africa has two more athletes featuring on the Diamond League rankings with 400m hurdler Cornel Fredericks in overall sixth place with a single point and javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen fourth in her event on two points.

While a number of the country's men's athletes have made cameo appearances throughout the series, the absence of South African women are obviously felt.

Viljoen is the only South African woman deemed good enough to be invited to Diamond League meets this year, where she had finished third in two events this season.

Olivier is the only South African on the preliminary startlist for the next Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday.

He will again line-up against Aman and Osagie, while he will also face training partner and London Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos of Botswana.

(File Photo: Gallo Images)

-Sapa