Weltklasse Zurich, the “One-Day Olympics” dazzles crowd
14. September 2023
Switzerland’s Weltklasse Zurich held at Letzigrund Stadium is one of the most iconic meets in all of Europe. It is a must-see for those who live in Zurich, as the meet sells out months ahead of the actual event.
The meet came to be called the “One-Day Olympics” all athletes love to compete in the event. It is considered an honor to play a part in what has become known as one of the most prestigious of all athletic competitions.
The CONICA track and runways play their part in giving great athletes a wonderful surface to run, jump and throw on.
And 2023 was no exception.
Despite the fact that Weltklasse Zurich did not host the final of the Diamond League, we had excellent field of athletes, and the sold-out meeting was one of the most exciting this year,” commented Christoph Joho, one of the meeting’s Co-Directors.
CONICA’s athletic track has once again lived up to its promise, featuring outstanding results and spectacular performances on the track, with the utmost importance placed on the prevention of injuries. For years, Weltklasse Zürich has placed its trust in the internationally renowned CONICA track, cherished by athletes.
Here are some of the highlights from Aug. 31, 2023:
Yulimar Rojas, Olympic and world champ, took the lead in Zurich from her very first hop, skip and jump. The world-renowned triple jumper leaped 15.15 meters on the CONICA runway, and she delighted the crowd with her entertaining triple jumping!
Rojas told the media about competing in Zurich: “. I love competing in Zurich and soaking up all this support from people who came to support our sport!”
In the high jump event, three-time world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar took the gold with a 2.35-meter performance. New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr followed in second with 2.33 meters, a new personal best and national record. Sangyeok Woo of Korea took home third in the event finishing at 2.31 meters. Mutaz co gold medalist from Tokyo, 2023 world outdoor champion, Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy, finished fourth with 2.28 meters.
“I had some solid jumps today,” Barshim said of his winning jump. “I am not the freshest coming from the World Champs physically and mentally — a bit tired – but I am proud of myself today. It felt good, and it was a good competition.”
In the men’s pole vault, Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, an Olympic, European and world champion, won at a height of 6 meters and made three game attempts at 6.23 meters.
“I am trying to have a good time. What the people really want to see is that I jump high. At the 6.23m attempts, I was not tired — it was a different sensation. The 6.23-meter jumps felt surprisingly good,” Duplantis said. “After the 6m jump, I wanted to wake myself up and make something crazy. My energy was low. Such a height is not easy only four days after the World Championships. Coming down from that high was draining. My legs felt flat. I wanted to get myself back into world record mentality. I have two more Diamond League meetings left and I really want to jump these 6.23m.”
In an exciting long jump, Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou took the win from 2019 World Champ Tajay Gayle in the last round, with his 8.20-meter jump. The performance was enough to overtake Gaye’s 8.07-meter jump, giving him second place. Jarrion Lawson’s 8.05 meters earned him a third-place finish.
The field events were impressive, and the achievements on the fast and furious CONICA track, captured some eye-opening performances.
Here are the highlights:
Women’s 100 meters
American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, world champ in 100 meters, bronze medalist in 200 meters, and gold medalist anchor in the 4×100 meters, won the women’s 100 meters in Zurich with a finish of 10.88 seconds. Among the field were Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison and Elaine Thompson-Herah, both finishing at 11 seconds. Mujuinga Kambundji of Switzerland finished the 100-meter event at 11.08 seconds.
Richardson said she was pleased with her performance at the event and her season overall.
“My body felt very good afterward, but obviously there is still room to improve. My training has gotten me here – physically training, mentally training, emotionally training myself and to understand what it takes to finish an entire season and beyond the World Championships,” she said. “Everything has been for one, my mind, body, and soul.”
Women’s 200 meters
World Champion Sherika Jackson of Jamaica won the furlong in 21.82 seconds, followed by Great Britain’s Daryl Neita at 22.25 seconds, America’s Kayla White at 22.33 seconds and Kambundji at 22.46 seconds.
Jackson said she was impressed with the turnout in Zurich for the event.
“This full house is wonderful. I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot,” she said. “I wanted to come out here and perform.”
4×100 meters relay
American track and field athlete Noah Lyles, one of the biggest successes following the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023, came away with a win in Zurich in the men’s 200 meters with a time of 19.88 seconds. The U.S.’s Erriyon Knighton finished second with 19.87 seconds and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes took home third place with a time of 19.94 seconds. American sprinter Kenny Bednarek’s 19.98-second finish earned him fourth place.
“In Zurich, it was about running very fast, and entertaining the sell-out crowd of sports-crazy Swiss, who love their athletes and the athletes of the globe,” Nyles said. “It is just a race. It is business as usual. Everybody wants to beat me, and everybody wants the cake and the crown, but I am not giving it to them. I definitely had fun. Walking down the back straight, we heard the crowd. I enjoyed the people cheering so much. So, I really want to come back. Such a full house is always great.”
Men’s 1,500 meters
The men’s 1,500 meters in Zurich proved to be neck and neck as world champion Josh Kerr was nipped at the line with a time of 3:30.49, two-hundredths of a second behind the United States runner Yared Nuguse who won the event with a time of 3:30.51. Kenya’s Abel Kipsang finished third with a time of 3:30.85 and Great Britain’s George Mills took home fourth place with a personal best time of 3:30.95.
“My mindset is like, ‘Never Give up. Keep going. Keep trying.’ I would say I kept this race interesting,” Nuguse said with a smile.
Men’s 400-meter hurdles
The biggest surprise in Zurich? Well, it had to be the 400-meter hurdles when Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands defeated Norwegian Karsten Warholm, known as the Crazy Viking, with times of 47.27 seconds to 47.30 seconds.
McMaster, who is a silver medalist from Budapest, and victor in Zurich, said the back-to-back wins felt good.
“I executed and did what I had to do. It always feels like this [about the supportive and loud crowd] and there are more people here than on my island,” McMaster said. Next, I am going to Eugene, Oregon – the goal is only to focus, execute, and run my own race.”
Although Warholm finished hundredths of a second behind McMaster, he said he was proud of his performance.
“Nobody wants to lose but at the same time, it is a fast time. McMaster gave me a really nice fight, and I respect him for keeping the fight in the last meters,” Warholm said. “The next time, it will be my time for revenge, but we are all very good competitors, and it is so good to see him back.”
Women’s 800 meters
In the women’s 800 meters, Scottish runner Laura Muir put a smile on her own face, with a strong win over a tough field. Laura, Olympic silver medalist and World Champion Eugene bronze medalist, had this to say:
“I already ran the 800 this season, but in a mixed race, so it is my first legit 800 time. I am running in Brussels and Eugene, and I know I am in really good shape over 800, so I wanted to get a time down, run fast, and be competitive,” she said. “I thought I could win today, but you just never know. It can be hard to get all this attention, but when you come to this sport, you need to take it as it is. The support is amazing, and to run in front of a crowd like this is fantastic.”
Weltklasse Zurich is a great host for major events, and the crowds come for the great competitions. One of the secrets of Weltklasse is the quality of the CONICA track and runways. This gives the elite athletes a quality foundation to showcase their talents.
“For almost a century, Weltklasse Zurich has been treating sold-out crowds to the exhilarating performances of the world’s greatest track and field athletes,” said Co. meeting director Andreas Hediger. “With every outstanding performance on the Letzigrund track, we take one step closer to creating even more history together.”
About Conica
Conica has been developing and manufacturing innovative seamless flooring solutions based on polyurethane and epoxy resins for sports, games, leisure as well as other areas for over 40 years. Conica is one of the world’s market leaders and innovation drivers in this field. The user-oriented requirements for technical and sports functional performance as well as usability while guaranteeing health aspects of the material itself and for the user are the focus of product development. Conica is part of the Serafin group of companies based in Munich.
