Weltklasse Zürich Showdown – Shot Put Prelude at Zurich Main Station on Wednesday – An Action-Packed Programme of Events on Thursday

„We have been dubbed ‚World Championships in two hours‘ many times before. This year, our line-up will actually almost live up to this aspiration”, said Meeting Director Patrick K. Magyar. And indeed, the crowd at Letzigrund Stadium will be treated with 17 competitions that bear a striking resemblance to world championship finals in their cast of stars.

Weltklasse Zürich to be launched at Zurich Main Station on Wednesday
On the eve of the meeting at Letzigrund Stadium, fans will have the opportunity to admire athletics at its best at Zurich Main Station. The shot put stars will compete at an arena located in the station hall from 5 p.m. The event’s line-up includes Olympic and world champion Valerie Adams (NZL), the young world champion David Storl (GER), and Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski (POL). Admission is free. In the afternoon, there will be an all-comers competition for anyone who would like to give it a try.

An evening of action-packed highlights
“Again, the line-ups are very illustrious in all events. It will be hard to single out individual highlights,” Meeting Director Magyar summarized. Just as in Daegu, in many events, the outcome of the competition seems wide open, and therefore all the more fascinating. There are a number of scores to be settled, revenges to be gained. Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS), for instance, will be on a mission to stun the crowd again: After her defeat in Berlin in 2009, she went on to win in Zurich only days later – and to set a new world record in the process. The extraordinary quality of the Zurich fields is reflected in the outlook provided by the renowned statistics site all-athletics.com. Based on the provisional entry lists, the statisticians expect the 2011 Weltklasse Zürich cast of athletes to be the world’s best line-up in ten years. This prediction could only prove false in the case of too many last-minute cancellations.

Swiss Hopefuls
Some Swiss athletes will be trying to establish their role in the worldwide athletics elite. Lisa Urech’s goal will be to repeat her outstanding performance in Daegu in order confirm her position in the top ten of the 100m h. Irene Pusterla’s last exploit at Weltklasse Zürich landed her on the 2010 podium. She hopes to vow the Zurich crowd again by jumping far. Both Nicole Büchler and Anna Katharina Schmid are capable of bettering the national record in the pole vault. And the members of the 4x100m relay team would like to make amends for their losing the baton in the world championships heats, and to prove what they can do in a race without mistakes in the changeover zone.

An exciting national programme of events, and an emotional closing ceremony featuring a special guest
As always, in addition to athletics at its best, Weltklasse Zürich will present an exciting national programme of events and an emotional celebration to conclude the Zurich night of athletics. This Young Diamonds Challenge will once again provide local talents with a platform to showcase their skills. Melanie C will be this year’s special guest – during the closing ceremony of the meeting, as well as in a get-together with fans at Zurich Main Station on Wednesday.

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