European Athletics (EAA) – News -Zaripova to go it alone for a sub-nine steeplechase

Zurich is gearing up for yet another night of high quality athletics on Thursday.

On the track, the Olympic steeplechase champion, Yulia Zaripova of Russia, has asked the organisers not to put a pace maker in the race. Apart from the fact that there is nobody available who could be helpful at that level of pace, Zaripova is a front runner by nature.

She front ran her personal best in the Stockholm Diamond League of 9:05.02 five days after the Olympics closed.

For most of the race she was well on course for a sub-nine minute clocking but faltered in the final stages of the race. Maybe the famed atmosphere in the Letzigrund stadium will give her the boost she is looking for.

Both Shot Put competitions will be held for the third time today Wednesday at Zurich´s Main Train Station. They will be also Diamond League finals. In the women competition Valerie Adams is already the confirmed winner and will face Russian Yevgeniya Kolodko, Olympic silver medallist.

Adams might challenge her season best 21.11 from Luzern and definitely the Train Station best of Nadezda Ostapchuk 20.63 from 2010. Interestingly, Adams last defeat came at the Zurich Train Station in 2010 when she was beaten by Ostapchuk.

Since then she won 28 finals in a row, currently the longest winning streak in women's athletics. The men's competition will be more dramatic as there are still three contenders for the Diamond Race title.

Second place would be enough for American Reese Hoffa for the overall win (he has 16 points), but theoretically the Olympic champion, Tomasz Majewski of Poland and Canada's Dylan Armstrong on 10 points have their chance. Olympic silver, David Storl of Germany will make only his second Diamond League appearance. The Train Station best is 21.87 by America's Christian Cantwell from 2010.

The athletes competing at Weltklasse won in total 73 Olympic medals (52 without relays), 48 World championships medals and 32 European championships medals. 15 Olympic winners from London will compete , 14 World champions from Daegu and 17 world leaders from 2012. These are the highest numbers for a one-day meeting.

Swiss athletics will have three individuals in main events: Irene Pusterla in the long jump, Alexander Hochuli in the triple jump and Alex Wilson in the 200 m. The Swiss will also field a squad in the last event on the programme, the 4x100m.

European Athletics (EAA) – News