Olympic Champion Letsile Tebogo Clinches Dramatic Victory in Chilly Zurich Diamond League Meet

Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo continued his dominance in the 200 meters at the Zurich Diamond League meeting on Thursday (5), where he notched another remarkable win under challenging weather conditions. Tebogo showcased his characteristic late surge to clinch victory in a scintillating time of 19.55 seconds, narrowly edging past Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek, who set a personal best of 19.57 seconds.

The race unfolded dramatically as Tebogo, flanked by American sprinters Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton, had to close a significant gap after the bend. Bednarek initially took the lead with Knighton close behind, but Tebogo's explosive speed in the final meters saw him overtake Knighton and then Bednarek just before the finish line. Knighton secured third place with a time of 19.79 seconds.

This victory in Zurich follows Tebogo's recent win at the Rome Diamond League, where he triumphed in the 100 meters, defeating former world champion Christian Coleman. Since claiming the historic 200m gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics—the first African to achieve this feat—Tebogo has enjoyed an unbeaten streak, winning all three races post-Olympics.

Letsile Tebogo: “I mean, that´s the mentality that I´ve got, I always dig deep for the races and for everything, so, for me it means at lot. Even though it was not my one-hundred percent, I think that at the finals it is something that you will see. I still have two weeks to prepare for that, so I can´t just be without doing anything. What was different [between this race and the Olympics] was the curve. Today, I did not run the curve, I only ran the home straight - but with the Olympic final I ran throughout the whole race. That is something I will do at the Diamond League final because there is still more inside me. I mean, it is all about taking risks. Without risks there is no rewards, so I am taking all the risks that I have got. As long as I finish the season healthy, then I am good to go. After the Olympics, I don´t see or feel any changes in me. Unless people start telling me that I changed, I need to look into that. My goals is always to be as grounded as possible. Also, I didn´t have any time to celebrate that gold medal because there were only 8 days until my next Diamond League event, so I had to stay as grounded as possible and do eveything I could do to be able to perform at the remaining Diamond League meets.”

Tebogo's performance in Zurich not only cements his status as the top sprinter in his discipline but also builds anticipation for his next appearance at the Diamond League final in Brussels on September 14-15.

• Zurich Diamond League (Weltaklasse) Results

Results 200m Men Wind: +0.4:

Women’s 5000 metres: 

Olympic 5000m and 10000m champion Beatrice Chebet won the women’s 5000 metres in a world lead and meeting record of 14:09.52. Ejgayehu Taye finished a distant second in 14:28.76 ahead of her compatriot Tsige Gebreselama (14:39.05). 

Beatrice Chebet: “I ran WL time, the weather is not favorable for a WR. It was good to run, I just want to thank God. I really wanted to run the WR, but I missed it, this is due to the weather. The pacemaker was supposed to pace until 3000m. But she dropped of earlier. I used a lot of energy to push. It was not easy. Today, I just want to say thank you to the audience and to the fans. I am over the moon that I ran a WL time. I was not tired in the second half of the race. I got somebody´s spikes onto my leg at the beginning of the race, now it is bleeding. I will do Brussels, I will have to talk to my coach about another attempt for the WR. I guess I do not have the WR in my legs anymore for 2024.

Women’s 100 metres: 

World champion Sha’Carri Richardson came from behind to win the women’s 100 metres in 10.84 edging Olympic gold medallist Julien Alfred (10.88) in a re-match of the Olympic Games final. European champion Dina Asher Smith finished third in 10.89 ahead of Marie-Josée Ta Lou (10.93). 

Sha’Carri Richardson: “I already did it [that same finish Mondo did in the 100], but Mondo put a little twist on it, he looked the side and run, that´s the Mondo flavour. To me it was an amazing race. [About the last 20 metres] I am training and executing because I know the race is not going to take care of itself”

Men’s 110 metres hurdles: 

Olympic and world champion Grant Holloway won for the second time in his career at Weltklasse Zurich in 12.99. France’s Sasha Zhoya continued his good period of form by finishing second in 13.10 ahead of Freddie Crittenden (13.15). Holloway claimed his fourth Diamond League win this season after Eugene, Monaco and Chorzow. 

Grant Holloway: “I did not react well to the gun but that is track and field so I had to accelerate in the finish. The main thing for me was to run the most sub 13 and I did that so it is surreal. Nobody had ever done so many sub 13, ever. And now, I am on the top of that list so I am pleased. That was something I wanted to accomplish this season. I just kept trying and trying and trying for so long. So to run 12.99 just feels great. We will see what happens about Brussels. I am looking forward to it. Let’s see what is next to come but right now, I am very excited about this one. The crowd here is remarkable. And to run 12.99 in these conditions, it is great. I follow the stats, I think that is what keeps me motivated. I have to keep that mindset that I still have something to achieve. It has been a great year and I want to thank my team who stands behind me”. 

100 metres hurdles: 

Olympic bronze medallist jasmine Camacho Quinn won for the first time in her career in Zurich in the women’s 100 metres hurdles in 12.36 ahead of European champion Cyrena Samba Mayela (12.40),  Olympic champion Masai Russell (12.47) and Grace Stark (12.49). 

Jasmine Camacho Quinn: “Great, I qualified for the DL final. I did not feel the back wind. I am ok. I am glad I came out with the win.”

Women’s 400 metres hurdles: 

Jamaica’s Shian Salmon won the women’s 400 metres hurdles in 52.97 beating Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell (53.17) and world silver medallist Shamier Little (54.07). 

Men’s 1500 metres: 

Yared Nuguse won for the second consecutive edition in the men’s 1500 metres in 3:29.21 holding off Olympic 5000 metres Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:29.52) and Olympic champion Cole Hocker (3:30.46). European under 20 champion Niels Laros took fourth place in 3:31.23 beating 2023 world champion Josh Kerr (3:31.46). 

Yared Nuguse: “This race was so highly anticipated and I knew that it was going to be quick in the end. Everyone could have get this race. I am glad I was still able to win. From the beginning, I just tried like not to do any wrong move and to be where I wanted to be And then you need to be ready for the end. It is definitely a lot less stressful. The Olympics were like huge milestone and when you got over it, it just felt like fun racing. It is so much more fun running with these guys today. I will hopefully have the Brussels Diamond League final, and I cannot wait to go home to see my family, my friends, and I will go for vacation. After today, I will hopefully go for another win. I really want this Diamond League trophy. After Olympics, I think my life will change for better. Getting the medal at the Olympics just gave me more self-confidence in who I am and now I know what I can achieve. I mean, nothing has really changed but the way how I feel about myself has changed. So definitelly it is a positive thing”

Men’s shot put: 

Three-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser threw 22.66m in the second round to win his second consecutive Diamond League competition in the men’s shot put. European champion Leonardo Fabbri took second place with a throw of 21.86m in the sixth round. Payton Otterdahl placed third with a throw of 21.38m in the third round. 

Ryan Crouser: “Tough conditions, a lot of rain, but I am very happy with my performance. It was probably one of mybest meets this year. Technically making changes in the rain is tough, so I was very pleased. You get a little bit unbalanced, and I couldn´t be as aggressive and try to get some good positions. Technique was spot on today, so I am excited to finish the season like this. It was a good preparation for Brussels where it is looking it might rain there - but growing up in Oregon, if I didn´t throw in the rain, I would not throw at all. My view on coaching is different than a lot of coaches, but if I work with athletes my dream is for them to not need outside influence, so they have to be prepared - much more hands off for me with the goal of preparing them for that moment.”

Men’s pole vault: 

Double Olympic champion Armand Duplantis cleared 5.82m in his first attempt to win the men’s pole vault beating Olympic silver medallist Sam Kendricks on countback in a competition affected by tough conditions after the rain downpour. World bronze medallist Kurtis Marshall from Australia took third place with 5.72m. 

Armand Duplantis: “Mentally, I felt kind of good today. But my body felt wrecked after yesterday´s race. Plus , the weather was really cold. So that was a bad combination. The sprint yesterday was very impressive. For both of us it was a great experience. It was super amazing. I think we built a super event, it was very new and innovative. And for just being a pre-event show for today. I do not see why there could not be more events like this. Today, it was really fun”.

Men’s 400 metres hurdles: 

Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke won the men’s 400 metres hurdles setting a seasonal best of 47.49. Abderrahamane Samba from Qatar also clocked his fastest time of the season with 47.58. Rasmus Magi from Estonia finished third in 48.02 edging Clement Ducos with the same time. Karsten Warholm pulled out of the race due to a harmsting injury. 

Roshawn Clarke: “I came out with the mindset that this is a race than anybody could win and I wanted to come out on top and that is what I did today. The season is very long but I still could go. I only have two weeks left until I go and rest for the next season so I just keep in my mind that it is only two weeks left and I will go and get it. We will probably go to the beach together with the team, when it is over, to have some fun and celebrate the season. We have been very successful in many events. The conditions were not the best today because yesterday, it was very warm and today it switched completely and we got very cold rain. But I just have to keep myself cool as everybody have the same conditions and we have to face the same weather. So did what I had to do. This victory is very important to me because I tried to the Diamond League final and I ws 9th in the standing and these points will put me into Brussels. My biggest motivation for me is the disappointment from Paris and to finish the season well and keep going."

Women’s 800 metres: 

Kenya’s Mary Moraa took the second win of her career in Zurich in 1:57.08 ahead Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Bell (1:57.94), USA’s Addison Wiley (1:58.16) and Jemma Reekie (1:58.49). 

Mary Moraa: “My plan is to finish my season in a good way, but I leave everything to God. After Paris, the training has not been running well because after each two days you are running another event so it´s hard. The training that I did over the last 7 months  is the one that I am using. I am training together with my sister and with the same coach, so I am very proud that she won a gold medal at the World U20 Championships. I have been mentoring her so she can follow my footsepts. My dream is to be able to be in a race with her in the big stage."

Men’s javelin throw: 

Two-time world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada threw to 85.72m in the fourth round to take the win in the men’s javelin throw. Peters scored his second consecutive win on Swiss soil following his first place in Lausanne with 90.61m. Former European champion Julian Weber finished second with with 85.33m. Roderick Genki Dean took third place with 82.69m. 

Women’s high jump: 

Olympic champion and world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchik sailed over 1.96m to take the win in the women’s high jump. Mahuchik cleared 1.89m in the first attempt but failed two attempts at 1.93m on the wet track after a rain downpour. The Ukrainian jumper sealed the win by clearing 1.96m at the first time of asking. Nicola Olyslagers had a clean sheet at 1.85m, 1.89m and 1.93m in her first attempt before failing three tries at 1.96m to take second place ahead of Iryna Gerashcenko, who cleared 1.93m at the third time of asking. 

Yaroslava Mahuchik: “This was the first time, when I actually tested my new run-up in rainy conditions. But I am pleased to be here because the atmosphere at this stadium is always really great. The people cheer for us and it adds up motivation to us to jump higher - it helped especially with my jump at 1.96. I wanted them to clap for me and I did it. So this time, I am glad that I come with the win. I think that it has been a long time since I was worried about my jumps because I used to jump everything with the first attempts. I believe my family and my friends will tell me: You are crazy. I still have some more competitions so I wanted to make sure I finish this one well and I will be ready for the next one. Why 2.01m - because it is five cm higher so I said: Why not. I always want to bring these victories for my nation back in Ukraine. I am looking forward to the next competition and I hope we will have a little bit better conditions in the final."

Men’s long Jump: 

Olympic silver medallist Wayne Pinnock leapt to 8.18m in the second attempt to win the men’s long jump with 8.18m ahead of Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou (8.02m) and Simon Ehammer (7.98m). 

Wayne Pinnock: “My result today shows what I can do. My victory today is not like a revenge. I came out here with my best, that is all. I have one more year in college but after the NCAA season I signed professional. So I will finish my finance studies online and get my degree. I really want to do long jump on a professional level. I think I will be in Brussels. Recently I have been a bit lazy with my jumps. Today my coach told me to feel the energy from the back, and it was as easy as that to achieve 8.18m in that weather. Jamaican field events have been doing great in recent years.”

Women’s 4x100 relay:

The Swiss team formed by Salomé Kora, Sarah Atcho, Leonie Pointer and Mujinga Kambundji won the women’s 4x100 relay in 42.55 to the delight of home fans ahead of the Netherlands (43.46) and Belgium (43.52).  

Men’s 3000 metres: 

Kenya’s Jacob Krop won a non-Diamond League scoring men’s 3000 metres race in 7:34.80 ahead of his compatriot Cornelius Kemboi (7:35.46) and Belgium0s Isaac Kimeli (7:41.30). 

Jacob Krop: “First of all, it is very important to me to get this win today. Honestly, I did not expect such cold weather but I managed it well. We decided our plan before the race and I did what I supposed to do. This is not my first time here, I have run here several times so I am glad to go away with a win. At this point, I feel like the season is getting to an end and I want to close it with style. I want to run something special in Brussels and finish the season with style on the 5000."

Men’s 400 metres:

European finalist Lionel Spitz from Switzerland won the men’s 400 metres in 45.30 ahead of Alex Haydock Wilson (45.41)   

Women’s pole vault (City Event): 

Olympic and world pole vault champion Nina Kennedy from Australia cleared 4.87m to win her fourth Diamond League competition of her season in the City Event held in the Zurich Central Railway station. 

Kennedy had already collected three wins in Monaco with 4.88m, London (4.85m) and Rome (4.83m). The Australian pole vaulter claimed her third win at the Weltklasse Zurich following her victories in 2022 on Sechenlautenplatz with 4.81m and in 2023 at the Railway Station with a PB of 4.91m. 

Kennedy cleared 4.52m, 4.57m and 4.77m on her first attempt and 4.82m at the second time of asking. The Australian pole vaulter secured her seventh win in a row  with a first-time clearance at 4.87m before failing one attempt at 4.92m and two tries at 4.95m, one cm higher than the Oceanian record set by New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney of 4.94m and three cm higher than the world lead set by Molly Caudery. 

Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman needed two attempts at 4.52m before clearing 4.67m and 4.77m at the first time of asking. The Canadian vaulter then cleared 4.82 (one cm shy of her Canadian indoor record) on her second attempt beating 2021 Olympic champion Katie Moon on countback. Moon  needed three attempts to clear 4.82m. Moon shared the world title in Budapest and finished runner-up to Kennedy at the Olympic Games in Paris. 

Local star Angelica Moser from Switzerland cleared 4.77m on her first attempt to finish fourth in front of her home fans. Moser won the European title in Rome with 4.73m, improved the national record to 4.88m in Monaco and finished fourth at the Olympic Games in Paris during a successful season. 

Nina Kennedy: “I am happy to win today. I wanted to come here and jump 4.95m. Unfortunately I didn’t but I still love Zurich. I do not know if I am unbeatable. 2024 has been the best season in my career with seven wins. What is still missing is a new PB. I can never be disappointed in a competition with a win. Yet, I am a bit disappointed. But I still have Brussels. I am so exhausted because after Paris I flew to Australia to celebrate and see my family and then I came back to Europe. I suffer from jetlag. This competition felt good. 2023 I jumped high, but in 2024 I jumped more consistently. I am maturing as an athlete, I am just finding my rhythm in this sport. I am much younger than the other athletes like Katie etc. Before championships I prefer a championships environment, i.e. a stadium. But now I like the train station here because it is more fun."

Mondo beats Karsten in the 100 metres

Olympic 100 metres champion Armand Duplantis beat world 400 metres hurdles record holder Karsten Warholm in a PB of 10.37 in the eagerly awaited 100 metres showdown on the Letzigrund track on the eve of main programme of the Weltklasse meeting. Warholm clocked 10.47. 

Armand Duplantis: 

“I am pretty fired up. How could I not be ? I love to sprint. I think it’s the greatest thing ever. Since the Olympics I have not touched a pole in training, only blocks."