The world record stlll stands to Kevin Young, who clocked 46.78sec in winning the 1992 Olympic title in Barcelona, but Samba ran 46.98 in Paris last June, a matter of weeks after Benjamin had equalled the 47.02 best of legend Ed Moses.

Samba is already in fine fettle, having won the Asian title in 47.51 just over three weeks ago.

Benjamin has shown good form as well, clocking 44.31 in his 400m season opener on 20 April.

The men’s 100m sees a match between two of last year's three fastest men, Diamond League 100m champion Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles, the series' 200m winner.

Coleman battled back from mid-season injuries to cap his 2018 season with a 9.79 lifetime best in Brussels and will be in action for the first time since.

In Coleman's absence, Lyles captured the US title last June, clocking a 9.88 career best.

Local hopes will rest on the shoulders of Su Bingtian, the co-Asian record holder at 9.91, and Xie Zhenye, who improved to 9.97 last year.

The attention in the women's 100m will focus on double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson who is back in action in her specialty after a sub-par 2018 campaign.

The favourite in the women's 400m is Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, who returns to action after a four-medal haul at the Asian Championships, three of them gold.

The 2018 Diamond League and Continental Cup champion improved to 49.08 last season, losing just once in 11 races over the distance.

She'll take on teenaged 400m hurdles phenomenon Sydney McLaughlin who will also be making her eagerly-anticipated Diamond League debut.

A year ago the rising US star clocked 50.07 in the flat 400m.

Meanwhile, Justyna Swiety-Ersetic arrives after a superb anchor leg for the victorious Polish squad at last weekend's IAAF World Relays Yokohama 2019.

The men's 400m features 2018 Diamond League winner Fred Kerley of the United States and Bahamian Steven Gardiner, who improved to 43.87 last year.

The men's 5000m field is headed by Ethiopia’s reigning world indoor Yomif Kejelcha and Selemon Barega, who clocked a sensational 12:43.02 in Brussels last year to move up to number four in the all-time list – at age 18.

Olympic medallist Paul Chelimo of the United States is also expected to be in the mix along with Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei, the recently-crowned world cross country champion.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands will contest the 1500m, an event in which she boasts a 3:56.05 personal best.

African champion Winny Chebet of Kenya and Ethiopians Dawit Seyaum and Gudaf Tsegay, medallists at recent World Indoor Championships, are also in the field.

In the women's steeplechase, all eyes will be on Beatrice Chepkoech whose 8:44.32 world record run last season seemingly put that mark out of everyone's reach.

The men's 110m hurdles features the first meeting of the year between Omar McLeod, the world and Olympic champion, and Sergey Shubenkov, Russia’s Diamond League and Continental Cup champion last year.

Most of the world's best women's pole vaulters have assembled here in the world's second largest city in a field led by world and Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi and Sandi Morris, the world indoor champion.

In the women's shot put, world and Diamond League champion Gong Lijao will put her 17-meeting unbeaten record on the line.