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The pace at Weltklasse Zürich in the Letzigrund stadium is intense. So intense that there will hardly be any time for bathroom breaks or long queues at the food corners. From 5:30 p.m. (men’s/women’s discus) to 9:39 p.m. (men’s 200m), 26 finals are on schedule – meaning the audience is served a Wanda Diamond League Champion roughly every ten minutes. In the following events, things are expected to heat up despite the poor weather forecast.
Athletics thrives on its global stars. Three ladies, all serial winners, want to prove once again that they are exceptional in their sport. Each is chasing another Diamond Trophy after three or four overall titles already. Best positioned is Femke Bol. In the long hurdle event, the Dutchwoman has never lost a Diamond League race in her career. Especially strong on the home straight, when the lactic acid burns and the legs get heavy, the reigning world champion sets her sights on her fifth trophy.
In the discus, Valarie Allman (USA) is the one to beat. The challenge will be much greater for the Tokyo and Paris Olympic champion than for Bol, as she will be up against her compatriot Laulauga Tausaga (USA), the reigning world champion, and Sandra Elkasevic (CRO), the European champion and two-time Olympic champion. The latter has also been crowned Diamond League champion six times, from 2012 to 2017.
Should Marileidy Paulino secure another victory at the Letzigrund Stadium, it would add another glorious chapter to her fairytale career. Raised in poverty in the Dominican Republic, without a father and deeply religious, she is now a national hero in her homeland. The Dominican athlete owes this status to Olympic and World Championship gold medals, as well as three consecutive Wanda Diamond League trophies. In the most prestigious athletics series, she has racked up victory after victory in the 400m since 2023, making her the clear favorite at her favorite meeting.
Women’s 800 m: Audrey Werro like André Bucher in 2001?
She knows how to thrill the fans: U23 European champion Audrey Werro. Last weekend, at the Swiss Championships in Frauenfeld, in a front run she stormed to the finish line with her characteristic long strides, smashing the national record by almost a second to 1:56.29. TWith this performance, she also announced her ambitions to win the Diamond Trophy. If she can pull off a win in front of the home crowd, perhaps even in a fast time, it would recall the glorious days of her compatriot André Bucher. He sent Weltklasse Zürich into ecstasy 24 years ago. His winning time back then is still the Swiss record today.
Women’s 100 m hurdles: Wide-open race
The level of competition in the 100m hurdles this year is impressive. While two-time world champion Danielle Williams (JAM) is a renowned athlete, the season’s best marks suggest it can be anyone’s race. Among them: Swiss record-holder Ditaji Kambundji, in great shape. Another local hero, Selina von Jackowski (LC Zürich), makes her Wanda Diamond League debut thanks to a wildcard earned with her first sub-13-second run at the Swiss Championships.
Men’s throws: World record-holder, Olympic champion, world champion, title defender, …
World record-holder (Mykolas Alekna/LTU) vs Olympic champion (Roje Stona/JAM) vs world champion (Daniel Ståhl/SWE) vs European champion (Kristjan Čeh/SLO) vs Diamond League champion (Matthew Denny/AUS): the five strongest discus throwers in the world clash in Zürich. All have thrown the 2 kg discus beyond 70m. Who will handle the conditions best?
In the javelin, fans will see a reunion of friends and 90m throwers Julian Weber (GER) and Neeraj Chopra (IND). The 2021 Olympic champion from India, world champion and the most-followed active track and field athlete on social media, already owns a Diamond Trophy – Zürich 2022 – unlike Weber. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters (GRN), his Kenyan predecessor Julius Yego, and 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott (TTO) underline the globalization of what was once a “European” showpiece event.
Men’s middle distance: Last World Championship chance for US boys
At the US Trials, indoor world champion Josh Hoey (800m) and Olympic bronze medalist Yared Nuguse (1500m) both missed out on the top three and thus automatic qualification for the World Championships in mid-September. Their last chance to qualify for Tokyo: winning the Wanda Diamond League Final. For the popular wildcard, Nuguse – Zurich champion in 2023 and 2024 – must complete the hat-trick, while Hoey needs to repeat his recent 800m Lausanne triumph.
But Hoey will face the full Paris Olympic podium of Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN), Marco Arop (CAN), and Djamel Sedjati (ALG). Nuguse, meanwhile, faces the fastest 1500m runner of the season Azeddine Habz (FRA), U20 world record-holder Phanuel Kipkosgei (KEN), young Eugene and Brussels winner Niels Laros (NED), and five-time Wanda Diamond League Champion Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN). A mission impossible?
Men’s 200m: Clash of unequal Olympic champions
They could not be more different: Noah Lyles (USA), 100m Olympic champion and born entertainer, versus Letsile Tebogo (BOT), 200m Olympic champion and man of few words. While one thrives for the spotlight, the other prefers to let his legs do the talking. In their head-to-head over 200m, Lyles leads 3–2.
At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Lyles won his third 200m world title, withTebogo finishing third. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tebogo – the first African 200m Olympic champion – turned the tables, leaving a COVID-weakened Lyles with bronze. In mid-July, Lyles struck back in Monaco. Who will prevail on Zurich’s “piste magique” – Tebogo, still chasing his first Diamond Trophy, or five-time champion Lyles (4 x 200m / 1 x 100m) and co-performer of the Weltklasse Zürich song “Souvenir”?