Tokyo 2020 champions Elaine Thompson-Herah and Mondo Duplantis dazzle in 2021 Diamond League final
The second day of action in Zurich saw Olympic Champions Thompson-Herah, Warholm and Duplantis show they were as unbreakable as the Diamond trophies they were vying for, while the men and women’s 1500 delivered drama and delight.
Athletics
On the second day of the Wanda Diamond League final in Zurich, double Olympic medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah finished her exceptional 2021 season on a high.
The Jamaican, who secured the double-double in Tokyo, left the rest of the pack in her slipstream as she cruised to victory in a meeting record time of 10.65 to clinch the women’s 100m Diamond League title.
A slightly sluggish start diminished any chances of Thompson-Herah overtaking Florence Griffith-Joyner as the fastest woman of all time.
Nevertheless, the world leader showed why she is cut above the rest as she caught up to her rivals and stretched past them to get the line first.
It was a season’s best 10.83 for second-place finisher Dina Asher-Smith while home favourite Ajla Del Ponte closed out the podium in 10.93 in third.
Duplantis trounces meeting record in men’s pole vault
Ten times this year, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis has attempted to beat his world record from 2020, and on the 11th attempt of trying, the Swede got no closer.
While all six finalists rather impressively made it to the 5.93m mark, Duplantis was the only one to clear it in one, and at 5.98m, he was the last one standing.
Though it wasn’t to be a day for world records, the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist smashed the meeting record of 5.95m after he went clear 6.06m.
Warholm caps golden season
After comprehensively smashing the previous world record in Tokyo, hopes were high that Karsten Warholm might try and improve on his time in Zurich.
However, a world record run looked increasingly unlikely after his race suffered from two false starts.
On the third and final go of the gun Warholm, out of the blocks, immediately showed his class as he steamed ahead of his competitors.
The Norwegian sealed the deal over his rivals in 47.35, marking his 15th sub-47.50 performance. In winning the race, the Olympic champion successfully defends his Diamond League title.
Olympic champion Kipyegon edges out Hassan in thrilling 1500m
The women’s 1500m promised to be a cracker and, sure enough, the predicted blockbuster delivered in spades.
Familiar foes Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan battled it out as the laps ticked down, pushing well on ahead from the rest of the chasing pack.
At 80 metres to go, Hassan looked as if she still believed she could overtake the Kenyan who had been leading but the best the double Olympic medallist from Tokyo could manage was to match Kipyegon’s pace.
Sensing her rival at her side, the gold medallist from Tokyo put on the burners to push past Hassan and take her first Diamond League trophy since 2017.
Yulimar Rojas in a league of her own
As with Warholm, there was talk that women’s triple jump gold medallist and world record holder Yulimar Rojas might try and improve on her distance from Tokyo.
While the Venezuelan couldn’t pepper her world record mark, she was still very much in a history-making mood.
Her opening leap of 15.22 smashed the previous meeting record. Then, saving the best to last, she improved on the jump to finish the final with 15.48m.
Jamaican pair Shanieka Ricketts and Kimberly Williams rounded off the podium with 14.64m and 14.47m respectively.
Cheruiyot outlasts Ingebrigtsen in a battle for the ages
Just like the women’s race, the men’s 1500m also pledged to be a must-watch.
Headlining the field for the final were Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen and world champion Timothy Cheruiyot.
And as anticipated, it was a gruelling fight until the last.
At 300m, it was Cheruiyot in the front spot with Ingebrigtsen hanging on behind. As the home straight unfurled, the Norwegian started his push past the Kenyan and a storming battle ensued.
Despite his very best-efforts, Ingebrigtsen was just unable to overtake the race leader. He crossed the line over half a metre behind the newly decided Diamond League champion.
With victory in Zurich, Cheruiyot takes his fourth successive Diamond League trophy.
Elsewhere in Zurich
Gianmarco Tamberi, who became a worldwide sensation after becoming a joint-gold medal winner in the men’s high jump in Tokyo, discovered joy once again in the event.
The Italian got his hands on his first ever Diamond trophy after he was the sole competitor to clear 2.34m.
Andriy Protsenko equalled his season’s best of 2.30m to finish in the second while Ilya Ivanyuk came in third.
Anzhelika Sidorova took home the coveted Diamond League Trophy in the women’s pole vault competition in stunning fashion.
The silver medallist from Tokyo became the third woman in history to clear over five metres after she vaulted over the bar set at 5.01 on her third attempt. As well as sweeping the competition, she also claims a Diamond League record, a personal best, and the world lead.
Olympic champion and three-time 2021 Diamond League meet winner Katie Nageotte bowed out at the opening stages after failing to make a mark at 4.57m after three attempts. In Japan, the American took the gold at 4.90m.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic women’s discus champion Valerie Allman is also now a Diamond League champion.
The American led the field from her very first throw, before then strengthening her grip over the trophy with a 69.20m throw on her fifth attempt.
Tokyo fourth-place finisher Sandra Perkovic finished in second with 67.22m while Cuba’s Yaime Perez took third, 64.83m.
The dominant force of men’s discus Daniel Stahl of Sweden tops off his 2021 season with an Olympic gold medal and now a Diamond League trophy. His first attempt of 66.49m was enough to see off the rest of the competition.
Quanera Hayes stunned Olympic silver medallist Marileidy Paulino to clinch her first Diamond League title in women’s 400m final. The American crossed the line in 49.88 with Paulino hot on her heels in 49.96.
Mike Cherry dove over the line to snatch victory from Grenada’s Kirani James in a thrilling men’s 400m final. One one-hundredth of a second was all that separated the American (44.41) from the 2012 Olympic Champion (44.42).
Kenya’s Norah Jeruto clocked 9:07:33 to become a Diamond League champion for the very first time. Just like in Eugene, Jeruto beat all three Tokyo Olympic medallists.
The women’s 100m hurdle title went to Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, who not only clocked a personal best time of 12.42 but also set a new African record on her way to her Diamond League crown.
Behind her was Nadine Visser with a new national record time of 12.51, and Tokyo bronze medallist Megan Tapper, who crossed the line in 12.55.
Devon Allen won his first Diamond League title in the men’s 110m hurdles after he crossed the line in a season’s best 13.06. Behind him in second was Ronald Levy and in third was Olympic gold medallist Hansle Parchment.
Fred Kerley (9.87) got the better of Andre de Grasse (9.89) in a tight men’s 100m final.
In order to take the win, the American was obliged to hunt down countryman, and eventual third place finisher, Ronnie Baker who led for the middle portion of the distance.
Pedro Pichardo matches his Olympic title with second Diamond League title after he stormed to victory in the men’s triple jump.
The Portuguese, who first won a Diamond trophy in 2018, saved his very best jump for last, hitting the sand in 17.70m. Fabrice Hugues Zango came in second with 17.20, while Mohamed Yasser Triki was awarded third.
Benjamin Kigen is the Diamond League men’s 3000m steeplechase champion after he crossed the line in 8:17.45 following a tactical masterclass.
At the 300m mark the Kenyan kicked on bursting away from the chasing field and ultimately leaving Tokyo Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali much too tall a mountain to climb come the final straight.
Following his second place finish the Moroccan misses out on his first Diamond League trophy.
Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson took her first Diamond League title in the women’s 800m final. She finished in 1:57.98 ahead of Kate Grace of the U.S. and Jamaica’s Natoya Goule.
Like in Tokyo it was a Kenyan one-two in the men’s 800m final and, similarly, itwas Olympic champion Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir who crossed the finishing line in first with silver medallist Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich in second.
Femke Bol capitalised on the absence of the 400m hurdle Olympic gold and silver medallists Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad to go unbeaten in the 2021 Diamond League season.
The bronze medallist from Tokyo crossed the line in 52.80 clocking her third meeting record of 2021. Shamier Little and Anna Ryzhykova rounded off the top three.
Christin Hussong pipped Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Kelsey-Lee Barber to take the Diamond League crown in the women’s javelin.
Maria Andrejczyk, who won the silver in Japan, retired after her fourth throw.
The men’s javelin Diamond League title went to Johannes Vetter.
The German, who finished ninth in Japan, rectified his disappointing Olympics with an 89.11m throw. Compatriot Julian Weber took second place and Jakub Vadlejch, third.
The future looks bright for the new 200m Diamond League champion Christine Mboma.
The Namibian fought off the seasoned Shericka Jackson to take the win in the women’s final and, for her efforts, also set a new world U-20 record of 21.78.
Kerley, who had been hunting the double in Zurich was denied in the 200m by Olympic silver medallist Kenneth Bednarek (19.70).
The American edged out Tokyo 2020 gold medallist De Grasse (19.72) to take the last Diamond League track crown of the night in Zurich.