Eleven days after the 22nd European Athletics Championships, Zurich will host yet another highlight of the 2014 season. As always, fans will be treated to an action-packed night of world-class athletics. 16 Diamond Races (the overall ranking of the IAAF Diamond League) will be decided. And in addition, the programme of events includes the men’s 100m and the Zürich Trophy, a women’s 4x100m relay race.
A glance at the medal table illustrates the impressive entry lists for the various events: All in all, athletes participating at Weltklasse Zürich, won as many as 135 medals (104 individual and 31 relay team medals) at the 2012 Olympic Games, the 2013 world championships, and the 2014 European championships (as at 25 August 2014).
David Rudisha leading man in a star-studded 800m race
Superstar David Rudisha (KEN) will be the leading man in the Weltklasse Zürich 800m race. The world record holder and reigning Olympic champion will face world champion Mohammed Aman (ETH), current world leader Nijel Amos (BOT), 1500m world champion Asbel Kiprop (KEN), and European champion Adam Kszczot (POL). The star-studded start list of the men’s 800m is just one example for many outstanding line-ups at the traditional Zurich meeting.
100m men: Four of the best ten sprinters of all time vs. European champions Dasaolu and Gemili
The men’s 100m race promises to be gripping, its outcome seems uncertain: The two new European sprint champions James Dasaolu (100 m) and Adam Gemili (200 m) will line up against some very fast overseas opponents. Four top ten sprinters of all time, including Richard Thompson (TTO, 9th), Nesta Carter (JAM, 5th), Asafa Powell (JAM, 4th), and Tyson Gay (USA, 2nd), as well as US champion Michael Rodgers will all compete against Europe’s most successful sprinters of this summer.
Two local heroes: Kariem Hussein and Mujinga Kambundji
After shining at the European Athletics Championships, some members of the Swiss team will return to Letzigrund Stadium. 400m h European champion Kariem Hussein, for instance, will challenge world champion Jehue Gordon (TTO), Olympic champion Felix Sanchez (DOM), as well as the five fastest 400m h runners of this year.
Rising sprint star Mujinga Kambundji will get to run twice in front of her home crowd: in the 100 m, where she run against double European champion Dafne Schippers (100 & 200 m; NED), 200m Olympic champion Allyson Felix, and Veronica Campbell-Brown, and in the traditional Zürich Trophy, a 4x100m relay race.
Wheelchair pursuit race with European champions
The Weltklasse Zürich entry lists feature three Swiss European champions, Kariem Hussein in the men’s 400mh, and Manuela Schär and Marcel Hug in the wheelchair race. Schär won four and Hug three gold medals at the Europeans in Swansea last week. They are both favourites for the race in Zurich. For once, they will also be opponents - in a pursuit race of 3000m for men and 2600m for women.
26 August, 2014
