Weltklasse - Zurich Diamond League Event by Event Preview

Posted by: Watch Athletics

On the evening of September 5, the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich will be the pulsing heart of athletics as it hosts a night brimming with star-studded competitions in front of a full house. The event will showcase the crème de la crème of track and field, including the likes of Armand Duplantis and Sam Kendricks, who will go head-to-head in the men’s pole vault. The 110 meters hurdles will feature Grant Holloway and Rasheed Broadbell, while the women's 100 meters will see a thrilling race between Sha’Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred. In the field events, powerhouses Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, and Leonardo Fabbri will battle it out in the men’s shot put. The sprints will heat up with Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek taking on the men’s 200 meters, and the women’s high jump will highlight world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchik alongside Nicola Olyslagers. This night promises to be an unmissable showcase of athleticism and competition at its finest.

Men’s pole vault: 

Armand Duplantis won his third European title in Rome with 6.10m and his second Olympic gold medal in Paris setting the ninth world record in Paris with 6.25m. Duplantis set the Athletissima meeting record in Lausanne with 6.15m before  improving his world record by one cm to 6.26m at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Chorzow. Duplantis has improved his world record 10 times in his career. No athlete has cleared the 6 metres barrier or higher a total of 90 times. 

Duplantis will compete against his teen idol Renaud Lavillenie, who would have loved to compete at the Olympic Games in Paris, but missed a large part of the qualification period due to a persistent injury. The poster of Lavillenie adorned the wall of Duplantis’ room. 

Lavillenie is still ahead of Duplantis when it comes to the number of Diamond League final wins. The Frenchman won seven Diamond Trophies and clinched his last win in Zurich in 2016. 

Sam Kendricks claimed two silver medals at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow with 5.90m and at the Olympic Games in Paris with 5.95m. In the post-Olympic meeting he finished second to Duplantis in Lausanne with 5.92m and in Chorzow with 6.00m and won at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin with 6.01m. The US pole vaulter won two editions of the Diamond League final in Zurich in 2016 with 5.90m and in 2017 with 5.87m. In his career he won two Olympic medals (bronze in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and silver in Paris 2024 with 5.95m) and two  world titles in London 2017 and Doha 2019.

Emmanouil “Manolo” Karalis from Greece completes the entire Olympic podium in Paris. Karalis won the world indoor bronze medal in Glasgow with 5.85m, the European silver medal in Rome with 5.87m and the Olympic bronze medal in Paris with 5.90m. The Greek pole vaulter cleared 6.00 metres for the first time in his career in Chorzow. 

The entry list features Christopher Nilsen, Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo 2021, Kurtis Marshall from Australia, world bronze medallist in Budapest 2023 and two-time Commonwealth Games champion, Thibaut Collet, who finished fifth at the World Championships in Budapest 2023 with 5.90m and cleared 5.95m this year, Bo Kanda Lita Baehre from Germany, European silver medallist in Munich 2022, and Ersu Sasma from Turkey, fifth at the Olympic Games in Paris with 5.85m, and Ben Broeders from Belgium, seventh at the World Championships in Budapest 2023.  

Women’s pole vault: 

The women’s pole vault will be held for the fifth time at the Zurich Main Railway Station. The line-up will feature three Olympic champions Ekaterini Stefanidi (Rio de Janeiro 2016), Katie Moon (Tokyo 2021) and Nina Kennedy (Paris 2024), all three Olympic medallists of Paris 2024 and European champion Angelica Moser from Switzerland.

Kennedy is aiming to win for the third consecutive year in Zurich after her victories on Sechselautenplatz in 2022 with 4.81m and at the Railway Station in 2023 with an Oceanian record of 4.91m in front of 3000 enthusiatic spectators. The Australian pole vaulter won three Diamond League competitions this year in Monaco with 4.88m. London with 4.85m and in Rome with 4.83m. 

Kennedy will resume her rivalry against 2021 Olympic champion Katie Moon. Kennedy and Moon shared the world gold medal in Budapest with 4.90m. Moon won the Olympic silver medal in Paris equalling her seasonal best with 4.85m. 

Stefanidi won the European silver medal with 4.73m in Rome reaching the podium for the fifth time in her career at this event. 

Moser will aim to reach the top-three for the first time in her career in her home city Zurich. Moser won the European gold medal in Rome setting her national record with 4.78m. The Swiss pole vaulter improved her Swiss record twice to 4.83m and 4.88m to finish second to Kennedy in Monaco. Moser finished fourth at the Olympic Games with 4.80m in Paris. 

Newman won the Olympic bronze medal in Paris with 4.85m in the same city where she won her first Diamond League meeting with 4.82m in 2019. 

Three-time world medallist Sandi Morris finished fourth at the US Trials and did not take part in the Olympic Games, but she bounced back at the Golden Gala in Rome, where she finished second to Kennedy on countback with a seasonal best of 4.83m. 

The line-up also features Eliza McCartney from New Zealand, Olympic silver medallist in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and silver medallist at the World Indoor Championships, Amalie Svabikova from Czech Republic, bronze medallist at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul 2023, Italian record holder Roberta Bruni, seventh at the European Championships in Rome 2024 and fifth at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco with 4.66m this year. 

Men’s 1500 metres: 

Olympic 5000 metres champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will clash against Olympic 1500 metres champion Cole Hocker, reigning world 1500 metres champion Josh Kerr and Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Yared Nuguse in a post-Olympic showdown. 

Ingebrigtsen won the Olympic gold medal in the 5000 metres in Paris following his silver medal in the 1500 metres. Ingegrigtsen also won two world titles in the 5000m in Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023 and scored the 1500m and 5000m double at the past three editions of the European Championships in Berlin 2018, Munich 2022 and Rome 2024. The Norwegian star returns to the Letzigrund track where he won the Diamond League final in the 1500 metres in 2022 in 3:29.02. He won two Diamond League Trophies in the mile and in the 3000m at last year’s edition of the Diamond League final in Eugene setting European records with 3:43.73 and 7:23.63 respectively. After the Olympic Games in Paris he improved Daniel Komen’s world record with 7:17.55 at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Chorzow. He also set the European record with 3’26”73 in Monaco and won the 1500 metres in Lausanne in 3’28”73. 

Hocker won the US Trials in Eugene in a PB of 3:30.59 beating Nuguse in a final sprint. The 2024 world indoor silver medallist improved his PB by three seconds to win the Olympic gold medal in 3:27.65, setting the Olympic and continental record. A ninth place has been the best result for Hocker in Zurich so far. 

Kerr won the world outdoor gold medal in the 1500 metres in 3:29.38 in Budapest beating Ingebrigtsen. Last March the British athlete claimed the world indoor gold medal in Glasgow in the 3000 metres in front of his home fans in 7:42.98. This outdoor season he won the Bowerman Mile in a national record of 3:45.34 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene and finished second in the 1500 metres in 3:27.79 at the Olympic Games in Paris.   

Nuguse won the 1500 metres at last year’s edition of the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich ahead of Kerr in 3:30.49. The US athlete won the Olympic bronze medal in a lifetime best of 3:27.80 and finished fifth in Budapest in 3:30.25. 

Timothy Cheruiyot, world champion in Doha 2019 and Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo 2021 returned to his best form when he finished second to Ingebrigtsen in Monaco in 3:28.71. Cheruyiot won in Zurich three times in 2017, 2018 and 2021. His namesake Reynold Cheruiyot, world under 20 champion in Cali 2022, finished fourth in Lausanne setting his seasonal best of 3:30.88. 

Oliver Hoare from Australia won the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022 and his first Diamond League in the Emsley Carr Mile in London in 3:49.03 last July.

Niels Laros from the Netherlands won two European under 20 titles in the 1500m and 5000m in Jerusalem 2023 and finished sixth at the Olympic Games in the 1500m in a national record of 3:29.54. 

Elliot Giles showed his recent good form last weekend when he broke Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s world road mile record clocking 3:51.3 in Dusseldorf last weekend. Giles set the British indoor record in the 800 metres with 1:43.63 in Torun in 2021. 

Women’s 100 metres: 

Olympic champion Julien Alfred from Santa Lucia will go head to head against world champion Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100 metres. The line-up also features European 100 metres champion Dina Asher Smith and European 200 metres champion Mujinga Kambundji. 

Reigning 60 metres world champion Julien Alfred stormed to the Olympic 100 metres title in Paris in 10.72 becoming the first athlete from Santa Lucia to become Olympic champion and won the Olympic 200 metres silver medal in 22.08. Alfred also won the world indoor gold medal in the 60 metres in a national record of 6.98. Alfred won the 100 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco in 10.85 into a headwind of -1.0 m/s and finished second to Gabby Thomas in the 200 metres in a national record of 21.86 in London. 

Richardson won two world gold medals in a lifetime best of 10.65 and in the 4x100 relay in 41.03 and the bronze medal in the 200 metres in 21.92. The US sprinter won the Olympic silver medal in the 100 metres in 10.87 and the gold medal in the 4x100 relay in 41.78. The Texan sprinter won the 100 metres at last year’s edition of the Weltklasse Zurich in 10.88. This season she won the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene in 10.83 and at the US Trials on the same Hayward Field track. 

Asher Smith won her second European 100 metres gold medal in Rome in 10.99 after clocking 10.96 in the semifinal. The British sprinter returns to Switzerland where she won at Athletissima in Lausanne in a seasonal best of 10.87. In her previous appearances at the Weltklasse meeting she finished second in the 100 metres in 11.08 in 2018 and in the 200 metres in 22.08 in 2019.  

Kambundji won her second consecutive European gold medal in the 200 metres in 22.49 in Rome and finished sixth in her second consecutive 100m Olympic final in Paris in 10.99 clocking exactly the same time as in Tokyo 2021. Kambundji set the Swiss 100 metres record of 10.89 at the Swiss Championships on the Letzigrund track in 2022.Two weeks ago she finished third in 11.06 at Athletissima in Lausanne achieving her first top three placing in the 100m in a Diamond League meeting.  

Marie Josée Ta Lou won three world medals in her career e set the African record with 10.72 in Monaco in 2022. The Ivorian sprinter clocked 10.91 in Kingston and 10.87 in the heats of the Olympic Games in Paris. She finished fourth in Lausanne in 11.07. 

Daryll Neita placed fourth in the 100 metri in 10”96 and won the world silver medal with the 4x100 at the Olympic Games in Paris. At the European Championships in Rome the British sprinter won the silver medal in the 200 metres in 22”50 and the gold medal with the 4x100 relay. In the Diamond League she won due races in the 200 metres in Suzhou in the 200 metres in 22”62 e in Doha in the 100 metri in 10.98. 

The only Jamaican sprinter in the field is Tia Clayton, second at the Jamaican Trials in 10.86 and winner in the Diamond League in Chorzow in a wind-assisted 10.83 (+2.9 m/s). 

The line-up features Gina Bass Bittaye, world 200m finalist in Doha 2019 and winner in the 100m in Stockolm, and Tamari Davis, fourth at the US Trials in 10”91 and second in Monaco in 10.99 and Lausanne in 10.97. 

Men’s 200 metres: 

Letsile Tebogo will make his debut in Zurich. Tebogo became the first African Olympic champion in the 200 metres in Paris setting a continental record of 19.46, the fifth fastest time in history. He also finished sixth in the 100 metres in a lifetime best of 9.86 and anchored the Botswanan team to the Olympic silver medal in a new continental record of 2:54.53. 

The 21-year-old African sprinter is aiming to win his fifth Diamond League win after his victories in Lausanne in 20.01 in 2023, Monaco in 19.87, Lausanne in 19.64 and Chorzow in 19.83 in the 200m and in Rome in the 100 metres in 9.87 in 2024. Tebogo was celebrated as a national hero by 20000 people at the Gaborone Stadium after the Olympic Games.  

Kenneth Bednarek is set to challenge Tebogo in a re-match of the Olympic final. Bednarek won his second consecutive Olympic silver medal in Paris improving his PB to 19.62 and finished seventh in the 100 metres in 9.88. The US sprinter won the Diamond League final in Zurich in 2021 in 19.70. 

Fred Kerley also enjoyed a great season winning the Olympic bronze medal in 9.81 three years after finishing second in Tokyo behind Marcell Jacobs. Kerley also won the world gold medal in 9.86 in Eugene. Kerley will run his second 200 metres race on Swiss soil two weeks after finishing third in Lausanne in 19.86. 

Erriyon Knighton finished second in Lausanne in 19.78 and fourth in Chorzow in 20.07. Knighton won two world medals finishing third in Eugene 2022 in 19.80 and second in Budapest 2023 in 19.75 and finished fourth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 in 19.93 and in Paris 2024 in 19.99.

Alexander Ogando is aiming to break the 20 seconds barrier after finishing fourth in Lausanne in 19.94 and second in Chorzow in a national record of 19.86. Ogando placed fifth in the 200m at the World Championships in Eugene 2022 with 19.93 and at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 in 20.02. 

Joseph Fahnbulleh reached his second consecutive Olympic final in the 200 metres in Paris finishing seventh in 20.15. 

Courtney Lindsey is aiming to run another good race after winning the 100 metres in Berlin in 9.99. Lindsey won the NCAA title in the 100m in 9.89 in 2023, the 4x100 at the World Relays in Nassau 37.40 and set a 200m PB of 19.71 in Nairobi. 

Swiss fans will cheer on Timothé Mumenthaler, who won the gold in at the European Championships in Rome 2022. 

Men’s shot put: 

The men’s shot put returns to the Letzigrund Stadium after six years, although this event was held as a City Event during the 2021 and 2022 Diamond League finals on Sechselautenplatz in the centre of Zurich. Olympic medallists Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs and Rajindra Campbell will clash against European champion Leonardo Fabbri and world indoor silver medallist Tom Walsh in a re-match of the Olympic Games in Paris. 

Crouser won in Paris with 22.90m becoming the first shot putter in history to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals. The US shot putter won two world outdoor titles in Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023 and set the world record with 23.56m in Los Angeles in 2023. He claimed the Diamond League Trophy on Sechselautenplatz in Zurich in 2021 with 22.67. In the post-olympic meetings Crouser finished second in Chrorzow with 22.12m and won in Rome with a meeting record of 22.49m. 

Kovacs won the Diamond Trophy on Sechselautenplatz in 2022 with a meeting record of 23.23m moving up to second on the world all-time list. The double world champion won his third consecutive Olympic silver medal with 22.15m beating Campbell on countback. This year Kovacs took two wins at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene with a world seasonal lead of 23.13m and in Chorzow with 21.62m. 

Campbell became the first Jamaican shot putter to win an Olympic medal by finishing third with 22.15m in Paris. Campbell missed his Jamaican record by seven cm. 

Fabbri took his second win in a Diamond League meeting in London with 22.52m beating Crouser and Kovacs for the first time in his career. The Italian shot putter won the European gold medal with 22.45m and finished fifth at the Olympic Games in Paris with 21.70m. In the post-Olympic meetings he finished third in Chorzow with 22.03m and second in Rome with 21.70m. Fabbri improved Alessandro Andrei’s Italian record with 22.95m moving to fifth in the world all-time list. He threw over the 22 metres barrier in 12 consecutive competitions this year. 

Payton Otterdahl finished third at both the US Trials with 22.26m and at the London Diamond League meeting with 22.13m before finishing fourth at the Olympic Games in Paris with 22.03m. 

Cornell Enekwechi from Nigeria finished third at the Diamond League in Eugene with a seasonal best of 21.91m and sixth at the Olympic Games in Paris with 21.42m. 

The line-up features Roger Steen, sixth at the US Trials with 21.51m, Zane Weir from Italy, European Indoor gold medallist with 22.06m and fifth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, Scott Lincoln from Great Britain, fourth at the European Championships in Rome 2024 and third at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and Tomas Stanek from Czech Republic, third at the 2022 European Championships in Munich 2022

Women’s 400 metres hurdles: 

Anna Cockrell will make her debut at the Weltklasse Zurich meeting. Cockrell finished second at the US Trials in 52.64 and won the Olympic silver medal in Paris in 51.87. Cockrell placed second in Chorzow in 52.88 on 25 August and won her first Diamond League race in Rome in 52.59. 

Cockrell will face four Jamaican athletes: Rushell Clayton and Shiann Salmon, who finished fifth and sixth respectively in the Olympic final in 52.68 and 53.29, Janieve Russell from Jamaica, Olympic bronze medallist in the 4x400 relay in Tokyo 2021, and Andrenette Knight, eighth at the World Championships in Budapest 2023. 

The line-up also features Shamier Little, world silver medallist in the 400m hurdles in Budapest and double Olympic gold medallist in the 4x400 relay and in the 4x400 mixed relay in Paris, Louise Maraval (eighth at the Olympic Games in Paris in 54.53 and European silver medallist in Rome 2024 in 54.23).

Swiss fans will cheer on Yasmine Giger, who started her athletics career at Letzigrund Stadium during the UBS Kids Cup national finals in 2011, 2013 and 2014 and went on to win the European under 20 gold medal in Grosseto 2017. After three wins in the Young Diamonds Challenge in the pre-programme of the Weltlasse meetin, Giger won five Swiss titles. She will run her first competition in the Weltklasse Zurich International programme. 

Men’s 110 metres hurdles: 

Grant Holloway won the Olympic gold medal in the 110 metres hurdles in 12.99 completing his collection of titles which includes three world outdoor titles in Doha 2019, Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023 and two world indoor titles in Belgrade 2022 and Glasgow 2024. The US hurdler won the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich in 2022. This year he won the US Trials in 12.86, two Diamond League races in Eugene in 13.03 and Monaco in 13.01 and at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin in 13.14. 

Holloway will go head-to-head against Jamaican hurdlers Rasheed Broadbell and Hansle Parchment. 

Broadbell won the Olympic bronze medal in Paris in 13.09. 

The Jamaican hurdler beat Holloway for the second time in his career in Lausanne on 22 August in 13.10. Holloway avenged this defeat beating Broadbell by 0.01 in Chorzow. 

Parchment beat Holloway twice in the Olympic final in Tokyo in 13.04 and in the 2023 Diamond League final in Eugene in a PB of 12.93. 

Daniel Roberts won two consecutive races in Xiamen and Suzhou. Roberts finished third at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene with 12.96 and won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris in 13.09. 

Sasha Zhoya from France won two Diamond League races this year in Paris in 13.15 and Rome in 13.18. 

Freddie Crittenden finished fourth at the World Championships in Budapest in 13.16 and second at the US Trials in 12.93. 

Lorenzo Simonelli won the European gold medal in Rome improving his Italian record to 13.05 and finished second to Holloway in 13.08 at the Monaco Diamond League last July and fifth in Lausanne in 13.26. 

Cordell Tinch set the fourth fastest time in the world this year with 13.03 at the US Trials in Eugene, but he did not qualify for the Olympic Games after finishing fourth at the US Trials. Tinch broke the 13 seconds barrier for the first time in his career with 12.96 last year and set PBs of 8.18m in the long jump and 2.21m in the high jump. 

Swiss record holder Jason Joseph Joseph won the European indoor title in Istanbul 2023 in the 60 metres hurdles in 7.41 and the European bronze medal in Rome 2024 in 13.43. Joseph, who started his career with the UBS Kids Cup, won in Zurich last year improving his Swiss record to 13.08.  He also finished second in two editions of Athletissima n Lausanne in 13.11 in 2022 and in 13.23 in 2023.

 

Women’s 100 metres hurdles: 

The women’s 100 metres hurdles line-up features two Olympic champions Jasmine Camacho Quinn (Tokyo 2021) and Masai Russell (Paris 2024), Olympic silver medallist and European champion Cyrena Samba Mayela,world champion Danielle Williams, former world record holder and 2021 Olympic silver medallist Kendra Harrison, European champion Ditaji Kambundj from Switzerland. 

Camacho Quinn returns to Switzerland where she won two races this year in Lucerne in 12.41 and Lausanne in 12.35. The Puerto-Rican hurdler won two more editions of Lausanne Athletissima in 2022 in 12.34 and 2023 in 12.40 and in Bellinzona in 12.56 in 2023. She finished fourth in her previous edition of the Zurich Weltklasse in 12.49. She won the silver medal at the World Championships in Budapest with 12.44. The Puerto Rican hurdler won two Olympic medals, finishing first in Tokyo 2021 in 12.37 and third in Paris in 12.36. 

Samba Mayela, who trains with Camacho Quinn under the guidance of Irish coach John Coghlan, won the world indoor silver medal in Glasgow in the 60 metres hurdles in 7.74, the European gold medal in Rome with 12.31 and the Olympic silver medal in Paris in 12.34 in front of her home fans. She was the only French athletics medallist in the home Olympic Games in the French capital. She won her first Diamond League race in Eugene last May in 12.52 and finished sixth in Chorzow in 12.49 and fourth in Rome in 12.57 in her most recent Diamond League races. 

Danielle Williams claimed her second consecutive world title in Budapest in 12.43 beating Camacho Quinn and went on to win the seventh Diamond League of her career in Zurich a few days later. Williams did not reach the final at the Olympic Games in Paris and will aim to bounce back with a good performance on the Letzigrund track. 

Harrison did not qualify for the Olympic Games after finishing sixth at the US Trials in 12.39 and clocked 12.49 in the heat and 12.52 in the final at the Chorzow Diamond League. Harrison won once in Zurich in 2016 in 12.63. 

Visser improved her PB to 12.36 in La Chaux de Fonds last July and finished fifth in the Olympic final in 12.43. The Dutch athlete clocked 12.67 at the Track Lab meeting in Fribourg last Sunday. 

Kambundji won the European indoor gold medal in the 60 metres hurdles in 7.91 in Istanbul 2023 and the European silver medal in in Rome in a Swiss record of 12.40. She won the first Diamond League race of her career in Doha with 12.49 last May. 

Devynne Charlton broke the indoor 60 metres hurdles world record with 7.65 at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow and finished sixth at the Olympic Games in Paris. 

Grace Stark won the NCAA title in Eugene in 12.47 before finishing third at the US Trials in 12.31 and fifth in the Olympic final in 12.43. Stark performed very well in her first two Diamond League races in Lausanne in 12.38 and Chorzow in 12.37. 

Women’s high jump: 

Ukrainian high jump star Yaroslava Mahuchik made history, when she cleared 2.10m breaking Stefka Kostadinova’s world record at the Diamond League in Paris last July. Mahuchik will aim to repeat her win at the Weltklasse in Zurich in 2022, when she cleared 2.03m. Mahuchik won gold medals at the World Championships in Budapest 2023 with 2.01m, at the European Championships in Rome 2024 with 2.01m and at the Olympic Games in Paris with 2.00m.

Mahuchik will take on Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers, who won the world indoor gold medal in Glasgow 2024 beating her Ukrainian opponent and the Olympic silver medal in Paris with 2.00m losing to Mahuchik on countback. In the 2021 Diamond League final in Zurich Mahuchik finished second with 2.03m, while Olyslagers cleared 2.01m. 

Mahuchik and Olyslagers went head to head in many Diamond League meetings in recent years. Mahuchik leads 22-5 in her previous head-to-head clashes against her Australian rival. 

Mahuchik won her most recent battles against Olyslagers at last year’s final in Eugene with 2.03m and in Stockolm, Paris and Lausanne  this year. 

The line-up also features 2022 world champion Eleanor Patterson from Australia and Iryna Gerashchenko from Ukraine, who shared the Olympic bronze medal in Paris with 1.95m, Lia Apostolovski from Slovenia, world indoor bronze medallist in Glasgow 2024 with 1.95m, Lamara Distin from Jamaica, fifth at the World Championships in Budapest 2023 and Christina Honsel from Germany, fourth at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow 2024 with 1.94m. 

Men’s 400 metres hurdles: 

Karsten Warholm had to settle with silver medal in the Olympic final in Paris behind Raj Benjamin in 47.06. Warholm is aiming to return to winning ways on the Letzigrund track, where he won two Diamond Leage Finals in 2019 in 46.92 and 2021 in 47.35. Warholm won three world titles in 2017, 2019 and 2023 and the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2021 in a world record of 45.94. In this year’s edition of the Diamond League he finished second to Alison Dos Santos in 46.70 in Oslo and to Raj Benjamin in 46.73 and won in Silesia improving Dos Santos’ meeting record in 46.95. 

Warholm will go head to head against Dos Santos, who won the world gold medal in Eugene 2022 in a South American record of 46.29 and the Diamond League final in Zurich iin 46.98 later this year. Dos Santos won five Diamond League races in Doha in 46.86,in Oslo in 46.63, in Stockolm in 47.01, in Paris in 47.78 and in London in 47.18. 

Clement Ducos will run his second Diamond League race following his second place in Chorzow in 47.42 (five hundredths off the French record held by Stephane Diagana). Ducos finished fourth in the Olympic final in Paris in 47.76. 

Abderrahman Samba reached two Olympic finals finishing fifth in 47.08 in Tokyo 2021 and sixth in 47.98 in Paris 2024. Samba won the world bronze medal in Doha 2019 and is fifth in the world all-time list with his PB of 46.98. 

Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke broke the world under 20 record with 47.34 in the semifinal of the World Championships in Budapest 2023 before finishing fourth in the final in 48.07. This year he set a seasonal best of 47.63 at the London Diamond League meeting. 

Rasmus Magi reached his third Olympic final in Paris and broke the 48 seconds barrier clocking 47.95 in Paris and 47.97 in Chorzow. 

The other athletes to watch are USA’s CJ Allen, second at the US Trials in 47.81, and Julien Bonvin, Swiss champion in Winterthur in his PB of 48.59. 

Men’s long jump: 

Miltiadis Tentoglou won his third consecutive European title in Rome improving his PB to 8.65m and his second Olympic gold medal in Paris with 8.48m becoming the first long jumper to win back-to-back titles since US legend Carl Lewis. Tentoglou us reigning world indoor and outdoor champion, European outdoor and indoor champion.  Tentoglou finished second in Doha with 8.36m and won in Lausanne with 8.06m. He won the Diamond Trophy in Zurich 2022 with 8.42m.

Tentoglou will take on Winnie Pinnock from Jamaica and Mattia Furlani from Italy, who won the silver and bronze medals at the Olympic Games in Paris and Simon Ehammer, European bronze medallist in Rome. 

Pinnock finished second at the World Championships in Budapest 2023 with 8.50m and won the Olympic silver medal with 8.36m. Pinnock will renew the rivalry against his compatriots Tajay Gayle, who won the world gold medal in Doha 2019 with 8.69m and finished third at the World Championships in Budapest 2023 with 8.27m, and Carey McLeod, fourth at the World Championships in Budapest. 

Furlani won two silver medals at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow with 8.22m. The 19-year-old Italian athlete started his season with a world under 20 record of 8.36m in Savona. He won the silver medal at the European Championships in Rome improving his world under 20 record by 2 cm to 8.38m and the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Paris with 8.34m. Furlani has become the first Italian long jumper to reach the Olympic podium since Los Angeles 1984 when Giovanni Evangelisti claimed the bronze medal. Furlani equalled the longest mark for a bronze medal in the history of the Olympic Games. 

Ehammer won the world indoor gold medal in the heptathlon with a Swiss record of 6418 points. The Swiss athlete won the European bronze medal in the long jump in Rome with 8.31m after setting a seasonal best of 8.43m in the qualifying round and finished fourth at the Olympic Games in Paris with 8.20m. Ehammer won the Diamond League final in Eugene and set a national record of 8.45m at the Combined Events meeting in Goetzis setting a world all-time best performance in a decathlon competition. 

Ehammer started his career in the Letzigrund Stadium some years ago in the UBS Kids Cup, the promotional event held by Weltklasse organizers during the week of the meeting. 

Ehammer will clash in a battle between decathlon specialists against Olympic champion Markus Rooth from Norway, who will make his debut in the Diamond League. Rooth set the national record of 8796 points when he won the Olympic gold medal. 

The other athletes to watch are USA’s Marquis Dendy, world indoor champion in Portland 2016, Jacob Fincham Dukes from Great Britain, fifth at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 with 8.14m, and Radek Juska from Czechia, seventh at the World Championships in Budapest 2023. 

Women’s 5000 metres: 

Beatrice Chebet from Kenya became the only athlete to win the Olympic gold medal in two individual events (5000 and 10000 metres) in her debut at this event and the first Kenyan athlete to win the longest track distance. Chebet also won two consecutive world cross country titles in 2022 and in the 5 km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga 2023. She set world records in the 10000 metres with 28:54.14 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene and in the 5 km road race with 14:13 in Barcelona. 

Chebet returns to Zurich where she won the Diamond League Final in the 5000 metres held in Sechsenleutenplatz in Zurich City Centre. 

The Kenyan athlete will face Tsigie Gebrselama from Ethiopia, first in the 5000 metres in 14:18.76 in Eugene and third in the 3000m in 8:24.40 in Lausanne, Ejgayehu Taye, world bronze medallist in the 10000m in Budapest 2023, Georgia Griffith from Australia, winner in the 3000 metres in 8:24.40, Janeth Cheapngetich, second in the 3000m in 8:23.48 in Lausanne, Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal from Norway, gold medallist in the half marathon and second in the 5000 metres at the European Championships in Rome

Women’s 800 metres: 

World outdoor champion Mary Moraa from Kenya will clash against world indoor gold medallist Tsige Duguma from Ethiopia. Duguma won the Olympic silver medallist in Paris beating Moraa, who finished third in the French capital. Moraa has a fond memory of Zurich as she won her first Diamond League Trophy in 2022 and is aiming to repeat the feat this year. The Kenyan 23-year-old athlete won the 800 metres in Lausanne in 1:57.91 and set the world all-time best in the 600 metres at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin with 1:21.63. 

Duguma won the world indoor gold medal in Glasgow last March. 

Another Olympic medallist in the field is Georgia Bell from Great Britain, who won bronze in the 1500 metres in a national record of 3:52.61, second in the 800m in Lausanne in 1:58.53 and third in the 1500 metres in Chorzow in 3:58.11. 

Prudence Sekgodiso from South Africa is chasing her third win in the Diamond League after her victories in Marrakesh in 1:57.26 and in Oslo in 1:58.66.

Shafiqua Maloney from St. Vincent made a major breakthrough this summer by finishing fourth at the Olympic Games in a national record of 1:57.66. 

The US athletes in the field are Addison Wiley, who improved her PB to 1:56.83 this year, and Nia Akins, US Trials champion in 1:57.36.

Jemma Reekie won the world indoor silver medal in front of her home fans in Glasgow. Reekie finished second at the London Diamond League setting a lifetime best of 1:55.61 and finished third in Lausanne in 1:58.73 and second in the 1000 metres in Chorzow in 2:32.56.  

Swiss middle distance runners Rachel Pellaud, Audrey Werro and Valentina Rosamilia will try to run a sub-2 minutes time in front of their homes. Pellaud won the national title in Winterthur in a PB of 1:58.60 last June and clocked 1:59.89 in Lausanne. Werro, world under 20 silver medallist in 2022, finished second in 1:59.31 in Lausanne and won in Fribourg in 1:58.79 last Sunday. Rosamilia set a PB of 1:58.69 at the Swiss Championships and clocked 1:59.27 in the semifinal of the Olympic Games in Paris. 

Men’s javelin throw: 

Three top javelin throwers, representing three different continents, will clash in front of the standing area of the Letzigrund Stadium. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada will take on 2015 world champion Julius Yego from Kenya and 2022 European champion Julian Weber from Germany. 

Peters won the Olympic bronze medal with 88.54m in Paris following his world titles in Doha 2019 and Eugene 2022. The Grenadan thrower won at Athletissima in Lausanne with his seasonal best of 90.61m surpassing the 90m mark for the first time in two years.

Yego studied the javelin throw technique of European great athletes via youtube before winning the world gold medal in Beijing 2015 and the Olympic silver medal in Rio de Janeiro 2016. Yego returned to his best form this year when he finished fifth with 87.72m at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

Four-time German champion Julian Weber is chasing his first win at Weltklasse meeting in Zurich. Weber won the European gold in Munich 2022 in front of his home fans and finished fourth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 and at the past two editions of the World Championships in Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023. Weber improved his seasonal best to 88.64m at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin. 

The other athletes in the line-up are Artur Felfner from the Ukraine, world under 20 champion in Cali 2022, Edis Matusevicius from Latvia, who improved his PB to 85.68m this year, Lassi Etelatalo from Finland, European bronze medallist with 86.44m in Munich 2022, Andrian Mardare from Moldova, who finished seventh at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 and the World Championships in Eugene 2022, Roderick Genki Dean from Japan, who won three national titles and set a PB of 84.28m, and Simon Wieland from Switzerland, European under 20 champion in 2019. 

Women’s 4x100 relay: 

Switzerland is aiming to win in front of home fans after finishing second in Lausanne in 42.16, just 11 hundredths of a second off the national record set at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021. The Swiss team will face the Netherlands, Norway. Austria, Belgium and Finland and Sweden. 

100 metres showdown between Karsten Warholm and Armand Duplantis

Pole vault record world record holder Armand Duplantis will face 400 metres hurdles world record holder in an unprecedented 100 metres showdown in Zurich on 4 September on the track of the Letzigrund Stadium a day before the main Diamond League meeting programme of the Weltklasse Zurich. The 100m race is hosted in collaboration with PUMA and Red Bull.

Their PBs in the 100 metres are not far apart. Warholm set a lifetime best of 10.49 in 2017. Duplantis clocked 10.57 in a high school competition one year later.

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