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Diamond League final Day 2
To say that day 2 of the Diamond League final was a complete program would be a massive understatement! The first finals – simultaneous men’s and women’s discus throws – started at 5:30 PM, following a half-hour break for the youth events. The final race concluded at 9:40 p.m., followed by presentations and a fireworks display. It was an evening of superlative track and field, with some shocks, lots of drama, and a bit of controversy. With the winner in each discipline of the Diamond League given a wild card to the World Championships, there was something extra at stake for those not yet selected for Tokyo. (To clarify something I wrote from day one. Joe Kovacs was the winner of the shot put on day one, but did not receive a wild card, as the USA has its normal three places plus a wild card for Ryan Crouser, the defending champion. And each country is allowed a maximum of four athletes in any event. Letzigrund in Zurich is an excellent stadium with a fantastic atmosphere. The Diamond League final day 2 delivered just like day 1.
The race of the day was arguably the women’s 800 – but a case can be made for several others. Audrey Werro won it in 1:55.91 and there were two national records (Swiss and St Vincent) and two PRs. Running 1:59.14 got you eighth place! There was a very fast 100m hurdles won by Ackera Nugent winning in 12.30 and Ditaji Kambundji setting a Swiss record of 12:40 – what a year she is having – followed by three athletes separated by 0.01 seconds. Cordell Tinch won the men’s hurdles in 12.92 – will he beat Grant Holloway in Tokyo?
Olympic champion Julien Alfred won the 100m in 10.76 with the top five going sub 11. Julien just looks in a class of her own.
What a season Niels Laros is having! Tonight, he ran a national record of 3:29.20 in a race in which seven athletes were sub-3:31. We need to remember, however, that the Diamond League races are paced, while Tokyo will be real tactical races.
In a year with no championship, the Diamond League Final is the climax, but with the Worlds in about 3 weeks several top athletes have made the Diamond series a lower priority this year.
