The Swiss aces of athletics are now making the leap into the fields of Weltklasse Zürich even without the nationality bonus.
05.09.2024, 04:31
05.09.2024, 06:57
SDA
A quintet is not only looking to the Letzigrund, but also to the final in Brussels.
Although Weltklasse Zürich is also world class this year, it is still just a qualifying event within the Diamond League. The finals in 32 disciplines will not be held until mid-September in Brussels. The best Swiss athletes will therefore ring in the final round in the Letzigrund, which will send them off on vacation via Zurich, Bellinzona next Monday and then Brussels.
What would have been unthinkable a decade ago now seems to be a reality at Weltklasse Zürich. With Angelica Moser, Mujinga and Ditaji Kambundji, Simon Ehammer and Dominic Lobalu, a quintet should have enough points to compete in the highly remunerated Diamond League final of the world's best eight in just over a week's time. There has never been such a high density in the Swiss team. It reflects the boom of a team that returned home from the European Championships in Rome with nine medals and impressed at the Olympic Games with four top six finishes.
Three women
Angelica Moser, who took off from Zurich main station on Wednesday evening, was able to book her ticket for Brussels early. The European champion collected the majority of her points in Marrakesh in Morocco, where she won a Diamond League meeting for the first time, and in Monaco, where she finished second with a Swiss record (4.88 m).
The two Kambundji sisters also regularly make it to the final in their disciplines at major global events or return from the European Championships with medals. This year, the Bernese women decided to forgo the indoor season so that they would be ready for the start of the outdoor season in China at the end of April. This paid off in terms of the Diamond League rankings.
Mujinga Kambundji scored the necessary points in the 200 m in Xiamen and Suzhou. The European champion is already seeded for Brussels in this discipline, as the half track lap is not on the program in Zurich. Over 100 m, however, it is unlikely to be enough for the Olympic sixth-placed athlete. She is currently in 9th place and would probably have to finish second in the Letzigrund in a field led by Olympic champion Julien Alfred from St. Lucia.
Ditaji Kambundji is still benefiting from a strong start to the season. In addition to the points she scored in China, her victory at the Diamond League meeting in Doha in mid-May also plays a role. The Rome European Championship silver medallist suffered a slight thigh injury at the end of June and has since been a few tenths off the Swiss record, which she lowered to 12.40 seconds in Rome. She now has to deliver again at Weltklasse Zürich, because as sixth in the Diamond League rankings she is in danger of being ousted by the American Grace Stark and Nadine Visser from the Netherlands. It would be important for her to run faster than the Frenchwoman Cyréna Samba-Mayela.
Two men
Simon Ehammer won the Diamond League final as a long jumper in Eugene in the US state of Oregon a year ago - and made a Swiss debut. Nothing stands in the way of his participation in Brussels. The European Championship bronze medallist from Rome is currently also third in the Diamond League rankings and can no longer be ousted from the final field in Zurich.
Dominic Lobalu can also travel to Belgium, health permitting. The European champion will be absent from Weltklasse Zürich due to a Covid infection. The runner, who has been eligible to compete for Switzerland since May, is seeded for the 5000 m in Brussels. This follows his victory in London and second place in Oslo, where he lowered the Swiss record to 12:50.90 minutes and dethroned Markus Ryffel by 17 seconds.
Three absentees
Two sprinters will be missing in Brussels. Timothé Mumenthaler, the European champion in the 200 m, will not be able to match the top times of the athletes from overseas. Hurdles sprinter Jason Joseph, who won bronze at the European Championships in Italy despite a mediocre performance, did not have a successful 2024 season. A year ago, he had accompanied Ehammer to Eugene. With Annik Kälin, an Olympic fourth-placed athlete will also have to watch on in Brussels. The heptathlon is not a discipline in the Diamond League.
