Weltklasse Zürich – Short Reports by Event – Read the short reports event by event.

The German World Champion Robert Harting leads the competition as he did in Daegu. His winning result of 67,02 is only just under 2m of the best result of the best World Championship throw. The other winners of the World Championships did not make it on the podium this time. The 1st positioned Gerd Kanter is 4th, Ehsan Hadadi (Iran) only 8th. The 2 times olympic champion and ex World Champion Virgilius Alekna (39) from Littany improved outstandingly compared to Daegu by reaching 2nd position.

Women Pole Vault

The Russian Yelena Isinbayeva has not managed a come back victory in Zurich. With 4,62m she achieved 3rd position behind Jennifer Suhr (USA) who leads the ranking list of this season and the German Silke Spiegelburg. Neither of them won a medal in Daegu but have exceeded 4.72m each. World Champion Fabian Murer (BRA) had to be satisfied with the 3rd position together with Isinbayeva. Spiegelburg securd the diamond with a point ahead of Suhr.

Men Long Jump

7,87m only jumped the four times World Champion and Olympic Champion Dwight Philips and with postion 4, he was obviously not at his best form tonight. His first jump ended with 7,86 – usually he would have left his competitors behind already at this point. Even more disappointing was the performance of the Daegu silver medallist Mitchell Watt (AUS). After two attempts he decied to break up and ended 7th with 6,97m. The Daegu bronze medallist Ngonidzashe Makusha from Simbabwe managed with 8,00m as the only one an 8-m-jump and thus dominated the competition.

Young Diamond's Challenge

Team Germany wins the Young Diamond Challenge of 4 disciplines (2 competitions each women and men) predominantly. The Germans win all four events and achieve 40 points in total. Thanks to the 2nd position in the men’s 3000m Américaine by Salm, Angelalla, Laurent, the Swiss team reached the 2nd position with 28 points before Norway and Sweden (27 points each).  Followed by Italy (26 points), France (12 points), Czech Republic (11 points) and the Zurich selection (9 points).

4th postions go to Jacqueline Gasser from Graubünden who was a member of the 4x100m-relay team in Daegu with 24,24 in the 200m and Kariem Hussein from Amriswil in the 400m hurdles with a good result of 51,23. The 17-year old talented Noemi Zbären from Emmental achieves position 5 in the 100m hurdles with 13,61.

Men 100m preprogram 1st Race

Pascal Mancini from the French part of Switzerland and member of the Swiss 4-100m relay team achieved 4th postion 8 hundredth behind the Britsh Winner James Ellington. As in the previous races there was only breeze, this time an adverse wind of 0,2m/sec.

Men 100m preprogram 2nd Race

The Jamaican Lerone Clark wins this race with a great result of 10,09 and 0,8m/s adverse winds. The currently fastest Swiss runner Reto Amaru Schenkel, member of the tonight’s host organiser, Track and Field Club Zurich, achieves the 6th position with a result of 10,34 thus 1/100 behind the former Olympic Champion Marlon Devonish (GBR).

Men  High Jump

Dimitros Chondrokoukis from Greece left all World Championships medal winners behind and secured the victory with a personal best of 2,32m. From the podium in Daegu, only Trevor Barry of the Bahamas was among the top three athletes and became 2nd with 2,30m ahead of Ivan Ukhov (RUS) who won in Zürich in the preceding year.  The Duo of World Champion Jesse Williams (USA, 4th ) and Aleksey Dimitrik (RUS, 10th) who performed outstandingly in Daegu this time crossed 2,28m, respectively 2,25m only. Regardless Williams won the diamond to be tied with Andrey Silnov (RUS).

Women/Men 3000m Wheelchair

This mixed race ends with a Swiss double victory by Marcel Hug (6:09,57) and Edith Hunkeler (6:10,42). Amongst the 10 athletes, Hunkeler managed to leave three men behind her!

Women 400mH

The Jamaican Kaliese Spencer took clear revenge of her 4th position of the World Championships Daegu. With a result of 53,36, she won this race only very shortly after the Daegu silver medallist Melaine Walker (JAM). The 3rd position goes to the World Champion Lashinda Demus (USA), who was close to break the world record by only 13/100 in Daegu. With her result of 54,04 however she was clearly beaten this time. Spencer, who has been leading the Diamond Race already, wins the Diamond consequently.

Women 5000m

Who else than Vivan Jepkemoi Cheruiyot! The double World Champion (5000 and 10’000 m) of Daegu also made the end spurt here in Zurich right before her Kenyan compatriot Sally Kipyego. Cheruiyot’s winning result of 14:30,10 was 25 seconds below her gold title in Korea. Her strong finish was “naturally” says the 1,55m-tall and 38 kg-weighty winner. With Daegu silver medallilst Syliva Jebiwot Kibet,the Kenyan team managed to reach the first 5 positions and hence achieved the 4th position.

Women Javelin Throw

The seemingly unbeatable World Champion Mariya Abakumova (RUS), the Czech World Record holder Barbora Spotakova and the Daegu bronze medallist Sunette Voljoen from South Africa were defeated by the German Christina Obergföll (4th positioned in Daegu), who succeeded to repeat her win of the prior year with a good length of 69,57. It was already predetermined that the javelin ass from Offenburg will win the Diamond before tonight’s competition. Viljoen with 67,46 was at least close to Obergföll and therewith 2nd best whereas Abakumova and Spotakova were left behind with throws over 64m and 63m and therefore clearly below expectations.

Men 110mH

Victory and Diamond for the Olympic Champion Dayron Robles from Cuba, the misadventurer of Daegu, where he was disqualified in the final. However tonight he fully managed his revenge with a strong result of 13,01. World Champion Jason Richardson (USA) ran 6/100 faster than in Daegu but reached 2nd position only with 13,10 ahead of Daegu 4th positioned David Oliver (USA). Oliver who had been leading the Diamond Race ranking to date, was beaten by Robles and Robles wins the diamond title consequently. The Swiss Athlete Andreas Kundert ended with 13,99 in position 7.

Women Long Jump

Position 4 with 6,60 in a world-class field: The result of Irene Pusterla from Ticino was definitely a pleasing result after her disappointing performance during the qualifying in Daegu. After all she managed to leave Daegu silver medallist Olga Kucherenko (RUS, 6,53) behind and the result of bronze medallist Ineta Radevica’s (LAT) was only better by 1cm length. However there is still no cure for the American World Champion Brittney Reese. In spite of the fact that her tonight’s achievement of 6,72 does not come up to her usual performance, she was not only way ahead of her combatants but earns the diamond.

Men 400m

Kirani James from Grenada is with his 19 years not only the third youngest World Champion ever but continued his triumphal procession by beating the World leading of the year and Daegu silver medallist LaShawn Merritt (USA) with 44,36, which means 24/100 faster than in the final in Daegu. Jermaine Gonzales (JAM) had to give up his leading role in the Diamond race by achieving the 3rd position only. James managed to snatch it away from Gonzales by 1 point only.

Women 800m

This time the Russian Mariya Savinova had a hard time to beat the American Alysia Montano in order to make the race in 1;58,27. In Daegu the South African Caster Semenya offered resistance until the end. Semenya did not leverage the victory of the race tonight. She ended 5th only with 1;59,77. Jennifer Meadows (GBR) not only managed to capture 2 points in the Diamond Race but secured the Diamond with 1 point ahead of Kenia Sinclair (JAM) and Savinova.

Men 100m

The young Jamaican sprint World Champion Yohan Blake (21)  continues to be faster and faster. With calm conditions he won this race with a personal best of 9,82, which is the 4th best result of the year. Only Asafa Powell (Jam, 9,78), Tyson Gay (USA, 9,79) and Steve Mullings (Jam, 9,80) have been faster in this current season. Blake impoved his performance by 1/10 and crowed over in Daegu about this result. Powell who did not start in Daegu because of a former injury, achieved 2nd position with 9,95 and left Daegu silver medallist Walder Dix (USA, 10,04 right behind him. The 35-year old Kim Collins from St. Kitts & Nevis missed the 3rd position with 10,09 behind Michael Frater (JAM). The Diamond however goes to Powell.

Men 1500m

Triple victory for Kenya in the 1500m race – the athletes from the African long-distance-country can not win laurels for this distance for a long time. Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba won this race with 3:32,74 ahead of the Daegu silver medallist Silas Kiplagat. World Champion Asbel Kiprop had not only to end this race suprisingly as 7th only but lost the Diamond title by one point only. The lucky diamond winner Chepseba managed to climb on top from former 4th position in the Diamond Race ranking list. 

Women 100mH

Bitter for Lisa Urech: The best athlete representing Switzerland in Daegu and 4th positioned in Zurich last year, dropped out after the 2nd hurdle already. The Australian World Champion Sally Pearson who was not only fast but who “flew” elegantyl over the hurdles, afreshed her winning position with a good result of 12,52 ahed of Daegu bronze medallist Dawn Harper (USA, 12,81). Nikkita Holder (CAN), who bate Urech by 2/100 in Daegu and as a result Urech was no longer qualified for the final, has become 6th with 13,07. 

Women 200m

100m-World Champion Carmelita Jeter (USA), who won silver in the 200m in Daegu, not only won this race with 22,27 but snatched away the diamond of the current leader Bianca Knight (USA, 6.). Jeter noted the 5th best time of year with calm conditions. Allyson Felix (USA), four times medal winner in Daegu (2 time gold in the relays), missed the winning positon by 13/100sec.

Men 3000m Steeple Chase

World Champion Ezekiel Kemboi won the announced duell versus his Kenyan compatriot Paul Kipsiele Koech with a good result of 8:07,72 in the spurt. Koech, who surprisingly could not qualify in Kenya for the World Championships, was at his best form tonight and challenged the new champion until the end. At least he can take comfort in taking the diamond home who he took from Kemboi by one point.

21:50 Men 4x100m Zürich Trophy

Country record for the Swiss 4x100m-Relay with 38,62! And an outstanding 3rd position in the world elite on top of that. That was the response of the quartett Pascal Mancini, Reto Amaru Schenkel, Alex Wilson and Marc Schneeberger to the loss of the relay baton in the heat in Daegu. The Swiss improved the former record by 7/100. World Champion Jamaica, with a different team allocation however,  won this race with 38,31 ahead of Great Britain (38,35). The Swiss even left a highly qualified US-team (38,72) behind them.