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≡ DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡
A sensational edition of the World class Zurich meet takes place on Thursday at the famed Letzigrund Stadium, with 10 Paris gold medalists scheduled to compete, including another shot at a couple of world records.
But first, the hyped-up 100 m race between Tokyo Olympic champs and friends Mondo Duplantis (SWE: vault) and Karsten Warholm (NOR: 400 m hurdles) that grew out of a dare between the two last year was settled on Wednesday in a boxing-like atmosphere with a couple thousand people in the stands, and a bet, with the loser wearing the other’s national jersey when competing on Thursday!
After lots of build-up, crowd interviews and with a worldwide streaming audience looking on, Duplantis got the better start – as expected – and did not let up, winning in a very creditable lifetime best of 10.37 (wind: +0.1 m/s) to 10.47 for Warholm, also a lifetime best.
Said Duplantis afterwards, “I’m pretty fired up,” while Warholm was cursing under his breath at having to wear a Sweden jersey on Thursday. Great fun, and good for the sport.
In terms of the meet on Thursday, perhaps first on the list is the men’s 1,500 m, with Paris winner Cole Hocker of the U.S. facing silver medalist Josh Kerr (GBR) and American bronze winner Yared Nuguse. But Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsenthe Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ and Paris fourth-placer, ran the sixth-fastest time in history – 3:26.73 – in Monaco in July and 3:27.83 in Lausanne on 22 August.
Maybe another try at Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) and his 3:26.00 mark from 1998? In that race, El G came through in 54.3, 1:50.9 and 2:46.3 – thanks to statistician Walt Murphy for the splits – and finished his last 400 m in 53.5.
It’s possible.
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won the Paris women’s 5,000 m and 10,000 m, and set the world 10,000 m record at 28:54.14 in Eugene in May, the first women ever under 29 minutes. Perhaps she’d like to be the first women to break 14 minutes in the 5,000 m? The record is 14:00.21 by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay from 2023 and Chebet is no. 3 all-time at 14:05.92 in that world-record race.
Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama is the 2024 world leader at 14:18.76 from the Pre Classic in May, backed up by teammate I’m sorry I’m sorry (14:18.92) and both are ready to challenge Chebet.
The other Paris champions in action:
● Men/200 m: Call Gratitude (BOT) is on a roll, winning in Rome (100 m), Lausanne and Silesia and will go against Paris silver winner Kenny Bednarek of the U.S., fourth-placer Erriyon Knighton and 100 m bronze winner Fred Kerleyplus Paris fifth-placer Alexander Ogando (DOM).
● Men/110 m hurdles: Grant Holloway wants to stay sharp for the Diamond League Final and will face Paris runner-up Daniel Roberts of the U.S., teammate Freddie Crittenden and Jamaica’s bronze winner Rasheed Broadbell.
● Men/Pole Vault: This is not a Diamond League event, but it’s news any time Duplantis is jumping, because a world record is always a possibility. Silver winner Sam Kendricks of the U.S. cleared a season’s best 6.01 m (19-8 1/2) at USTAF in Berlin, and Greece’s bronzer Emmanuel Karalis got over 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) for the first time in the Silesia meet on 25 August.
● Men/Long Jump: Greece’s two-time Olympic champ Miltiadis Tentoglou says he hates to lose and has won 12 of 13 meets this season and eight in a row in 2024. He’s the world leader at 8.65 m (28-4 1/2) and will once again face Paris runner-up Wayne Pinnock (JAM) and bronzer Mattia Furlani (ITA).
● Men/Shot Put: American superstars Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs are the three-time Olympic gold and silver winners. Crouser is the world-record holder and thinks he had a monster throw in him, and Kovacs is the world leader at 23.13 m (75-10 3/4). European champ Leonardo Fabbri (ITA) and Paris bronze winner Rajinda Campbell (JAM) are also challenging.
● Women/100 m: A Paris re-match with winner Julien Alfred (LCA) facing American Sha’Carri Richardsonwith fourth-placer Daryll Deny (GBR) and fellow Brit, Dina Asher-Smithfourth in the women’s 200 m.
● Women/100 m hurdles: The Paris podium is back, with winner Masai Russell of the U.S., Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA: silver) and Tokyo 2020 winner Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR: bronze), plus fifth-placer Grace Stark and Tokyo runner-up Kenny Harrison of the U.S.
● Women/High Jump: Again, all the medalists with winner and world-record holder Yaroslava Makhuchikh (UKR) challenged by Nicola Olyslagers (AUS: silver), and bronzers Iryna Gerashchenko (UKR) and Eleanor Patterson (OUT OF).
Tokyo winner and Paris runner-up Warholm will be the men’s 400 hurdles, of course, against Paris bronze winner Alison dos Santos (BRA) and others. The women’s 800 m has Paris silver star Remove the hammer (ETH) and bronze winner Mary Moraa (KEN), and women’s 400 m hurdles has runner-up Anna Cockrell of the U.S.
The women’s pole vault was held at the Zurich main train station (Hauptbahnhof) on Thursday, with Olympic champ Nina Kennedy (AUS) winning again at 4.87 m (15-11 3/4), ahead of Paris bronzer Alysha Newman (CAN: 4.82 m/15-9 3/4) and silver medalist Katie Moon of the U.S. (also 4.82 m). American Sandi Morris was fifth at 4.67 m (15-3 3/4).
The Weltklasse meet will be shown live in the U.S. on the NBC Peacock streaming service only, at 2 p.m. Eastern time. A replay will air on CNBC on Saturday (7th) at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
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