Zurich Diamond League 2023: World champions from Budapest 23 shine in Switzerland
In addition to Sha'Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson, and Noah Lyles each triumphing in Zurich, Yulimar Rojas, Winfred Mutile Yavi, Mondo Duplantis, Miltiadis Tentoglou, and Danielle Williams all added to their world golds from Budapest with victories at the Weltkasse Diamond League meet.
Athletics
Fresh off their World Athletics Championships-winning performances, eight world champions added victories at the Zürich Weltklasse Diamond League track and field meet on Thursday (31 August) to their season achievements.
While sprint queens Sha'Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson and the undoubted men's sprint superstar Noah Lyles all registered comfortable victories, five others: Yulimar Rojas (women's triple jump), Winfred Mutile Yavi (women's 3000m steeplechase), Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis (men's pole vault), Miltiadis Tentoglou (men's long jump), and Danielle Williams (women's 100m hurdles) all also carried on their winning form from Budapest to Zurich.
Additionally, world champs Karsten Warholm (men's 400m hurdles), Josh Kerr (men's 1500m), and Neeraj Chopra (men's javelin) were each narrowly beaten into second place, while in the men's high jump, Gianmarco Tamberi settled for fourth.
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Rojas looked nothing like the nervous athlete who narrowly snatched gold from the jaws of defeat in Budapest, jumping 15.15m twice to seal her win in Zurich. Even her fouls looked to have the distance and making of something special, as she later acknowledged.
"Even the two fouls are indicative of what I can do. I am confident these could have been two very good jumps, which shows the good shape I am in at the moment," she said.
The evening's first surprise came in the men's 400m hurdles, where British Virgin Islands' Kyron McMaster, silver medallist in Budapest, reversed the result from the World Championships to clinch the win in 47.27 ahead of Warholm.
"McMaster gave me a really nice fight and I respect him for keeping the fight in the last metres," the Norwegian said. "The level is so high, I cannot have bad days anymore."
Yavi, meanwhile, edged out Beatrice Chepkoech in the steeplechase in a repeat of the top two from Budapest, clocking 9:03.19 to her rival's 9:03.70.
Where Tamberi fell short of the top three in the high jump, his co-Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim did not. The Qatari was the only man to clear 2.35m for the win, while Hamish Kerr set a new New Zealand national record 2.33m to finish second.
In the pole vault, Duplantis eased to a straightforward win, his 6.00m making this the 51st competition at which he has successfully vaulted that high. Just as he did last week in Hungary, the Swede had three shots at setting a new world record, but he missed on all three attempts at 6.23m.
Tentoglou had to dig deep in the long jump, winning with an 8.20m final attempt. He told Olympics.com last week about his "miracle" final attempts, but did not look happy with himself today, shaking his head after securing the victory on his last jump.
The Greek later said he would be ending his season, skipping the Diamond League Final in Eugene, Oregon. "Despite the fact that I won today, this competition was not going as I wanted," he admitted. "I had many technical issues in my jumping due to the cold weather. The difference between the conditions we had in Budapest and today is just too big, it is just too cold. This is the last competition of this season for me, I am decided."
The USA's Yared Nuguse pipped Kerr on the line in a thrilling end to the 1500m, his 3:30.49 just two one-hundredths ahead of the British world champion.
Jakub Vadlejch took the honours in the men's javelin, his 85.86m best throw on his fourth attempt being 15cm clear of Chopra's final throw.
And Williams beat a strong women's 100m hurdles field in 12.54 seconds to show her World Championships win, while unexpected, was no fluke.
Laura Muir won the women's 800m shorn of 2023 world medallists, while Yomif Kejelcha took the win in the men's 5000m.