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Four hours of athletics fireworks, a roaring arena, local fans celebrating records; Weltklasse Zürich 2025 was a fantastic night. Audrey Werro, the first female Swiss athlete to win the Wanda Diamond League title, and Femke Bol (NED/400m h) and Salwa Eid Nasser (BRN/400m h), who both set new meeting records, are just some of the highlights that fans will keep in their memory.
Audrey Werro succeeded André Bucher
After her impressive appearance at the national championships of last weekend, all eyes were on Audrey Werro. She had lowered the new national record to 1:56.29, an achievement that suddenly placed her among the favourites for the Wanda Diamonde League Final. Her success brought back some fond 800m memories. Could the 21-year-old Fribourg native make the Letzigrund crowd go wild like her 800m colleague André Bucher had done 24 years earlier?
She could! The conditions for the race were surprisingly good – a dry track, warm temperatures, almost no wind. And the European U23 champion was able to position herself, confidently but calmly, right behind the pacemaker. A perfect scenario for a fast race. There was no mad hectic, and the Swiss running gem continued her ideal path in long, elegant strides, even fending off Georgia Hunter Bell, who was almost catching up with her in the final meters. The British runner came in second. The crowd had indeed gone wild by that point, carrying the young athlete to the biggest achievement of her career so far. Audrey Werro is Switzerland’s first female athlete to secure a Diamond Trophy. And she also treated the local fans to the first Swiss win in a Wanda Diamond League Final or a Golden League meeting (the preceding series) at Letzigrund Stadium since André Bucher’s triumph in 2001.
No wonder that the new star of Swiss athletics was the talk of the night. She was over the moon herself, obviously, when she analysed her magic, even crazy feat. “The crowd gave me so much energy and courage. They were incredibly loud,” she said. “Ten days ago, the Swiss record was at 1.57; now we are at 1:55. It’s incredible!” And when asked about the upcoming world championships, she confirmed that hopes were now even higher.
400m/400m hurdles: Bol won safely as usual; Eid Naser defeated Paulino
There were two meeting records in the women’s events at Weltklasse Zürich this year, one in the 400m hurdles, the other in the 400m. Serial winner Femke Bol lowered her own meeting record in the 400m hurdles from 52.80 to 52.18. She started out cautiously and then played to her strengths in the home straight, when lactate builds up and makes muscles feel heavy. It earned her a fifth Diamond Trophy.
When Marileidy Paulino (DOM), too, went out cautiously in the 400m, fans expected another fireworks display on the home straight by the Olympic champion and Wanda Diamond League Champion of the last three years. However, after two years of being undefeated, Paulino had to give in to Bahrain’s 2019 world champion this time. Salwa Eid Naser covered her lap faster than any other woman before her. In 48.70, she erased Jarmila Kratochvilová’s (CZE) meeting record of 1982. Paulino came in second in 49.23.
100m hurdles: Ackera Nugent snatched the trophy, Ditaji Kambundji delighted fans
In a race that is usually quite close, Ackera Nugent was clearly the first to throw herself over the finish line. Winning a Diamond Trophy was the greatest triumph in the Jamaican’s career so far, and it put her into an excellent spot for the world championships in Tokyo in September.
To her own and the crowd’s delight, Ditaji Kambundji was able to put up a fight for the win in the final of the most prestigious meeting series in athletics. She was on par with a handful of her opponents right up to the finish line, and, carried by the cheers of her home crowd, ended up coming in second, equalling her own personal best and 2024 national record (12.40). After celebrating, she now sets her sight on the upcoming world championships with a lot of determination. “I am happy with this result, even though I gave away an even better time at the final hurdle,” “Didi” explained. Being able to run in front of her home crowd provided her with an extra dose of confidence.
Discus throw: From training in the south of the country to winning a Diamond in Zurich
The collection of the serial winner Valarie Allman includes Wanda Diamond League trophies from 2021 to 2024. The US American athlete clearly came to Letzigrund Stadium to win a fifth diamond. A formidable task, considering the highly decorated opponents on the start list. So, despite ideal preparations for Weltklasse Zürich and the world championships, including training sessions at the Stadio Comunale in Bellinzona, Allman could not entirely shake off her nervousness. “I usually try to take things competition by competition, so that the season does not appear quite such a steep mountain to climb”. But she sensed that the final at Letzigrund Stadium would be particularly important to her. Therefore, she was proud when she was able to deliver. She delivered, in fact, in the form of a 69.18m throw, a performance that earned her another diamond.
100m: National hero in Saint Lucia, sprint queen at Letzigrund Stadium
After her appearance on SRF’s Sportpanorama, a fixture on many Swiss viewers’ Sunday night, Julien Alfred has been a familiar face for many local fans. Her status in her home country is another matter altogether, of course. The 180 000 residents of Saint Lucia have adored her ever since she stormed to Olympic gold last year. She treated them to a similarly impressive run on Zurich’s magic track, successfully defending her 2024 Diamond Trophy in 10.75. In Saint Lucia, people were no doubt celebrating her latest feat.
Here are the 16 Wanda Diamond League Champions 2025 (women)
100m: Julien Alfred (LCA) 10.76
200m: Brittany Brown (USA) 22.13
400m: Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) 48.70 (MR)
800m: Audrey Werro (SUI) 1:55.91
1500m: Nelly Chepchirchir (KEN) 3:56.99
3000m: Belayneh Fantaye (ETH) 8:40.56
100m hurdles: Ackera Nugent (JAM) 12.30
400m hurdles: Femke Bol (NED) 52.18 (MR)
3000m steeplechase: Faith Cherotich (KEN) 8:57.24
High jump (Sechseläutenplatz): Nicola Olyslagers (AUS) 2.04m
Pole vault (Sechseläutenplatz): Katie Moon (USA) 4.82m
Long jump: Larissa Iapichino (ITA) 6.93m
Triple jump: Leyanis Pérez Hernández (CUB) 14.91m
Shot put (Sechseläutenplatz): Jessica Schilder (NED) 20.26m
Discus throw: Valarie Allman (USA) 69.18m
Javelin throw: Elina Tzengko (GRE) 64.57m