by Larry EderValerie Adams and Ryan Whiting set meet records on Wednesday at the special shot put competition for the Zurich Weltklasse. Weltklasse has a superb shot put competition, like many of the meets in Europe, the day before the major event, showcasing the shot! (Remember, the late Paul Banta at the adidas Oregon Classic was one of first to employ that showcasing in the mid 1990s).
ADAMS AND WHITING BOTH MEET RECORDS
ZURICH (SUI, Aug 28): Valerie Adams won the Diamond Race in women shot put as expected with 20.98 overall world lead. It is also new meet record. Her mark was achieved indoors and is counting as overall world lead 2013 (no better mark indoor or outdoor). She won except of Shanghai and Oslo where she did not compete all Diamond League meets with women shot put. Second Olympic medalist Yevgeniya Kolodko 19.97 season best over US record holder Michelle Carter 19.88 and World silver winner Christina Schwanitz 19.36. Good revenge for world leader Ryan Whiting in the shot put with 22.03 win in men competition (Train Station meet record, overall meet record is 22.42 by Randy Barnes in 1988). World champion David Storl was clearly beaten 21.19 ahead of another Moscow podium man Dylan Armstrong 21.13. Solid fourth Czech Ladislav Prasil 21.10 ahead of double olympic winner Tomasz Majewski 20.81. Whiting has now 18 points and is Diamond Race winner and needs only to compete in Brussels.
BOLT, SHELLY-ANN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE MOSCOW
ZURICH (SUI): Weltklasse in sold out Letzigrund is promising the most exciting evening of athletics after World Championships in Moscow. All stars are competing, time for revenge, time for some top marks. And time to decide the Diamond Race winners in 12 events in the first IAAF Diamond League final.
Event by event preview
Men
100 m: Bolt in first start since Moscow against the remaining top five from Moscow. Is he having enough power to attack Blake´s meet record 9.76? Gatlin close to Diamond Race win.
400 m: Revenge for Moscow. Merritt vs James. The better one will get also the Diamond.
800 m (non-DL): Lewandowski against Symmonds revenge afterSunday in Warszawa, but also including fast pacer Solomon.
1500 m: Kiprop should improved his picture after Stockholm loss, other Moscow medalists also inn, but possibly the top favorite Souleiman who is already the DR winner.
Steeple: All 3 World medalists, enough power for a fast time? And what about fresh Brimin Kipruto? C. Kipruto will not win the Diamond only if not in top 3 and Kemboi or Yego wins.
110mH: Letzigrund is a special place for this event. This should be the first sub 13 of the year. For Oliver?
HJ: Bondarenko is the hit of the season. Meet record is in danger (240 by Austin in 1991). All top ones included. Bondarenko could lose the diamond only if not in top 3.
LJ: Fresh father Menkov who is DR winner looks as an obvious choice. Farewell of Phillips. Mokoena attacking from behind.
DT: Another version of Harting vs Malachowski. The Poland hero could lose the Diamond only if not in top two and Harting wins.
Women
200 m: Shelly-Ann in her first competition since Moscow. World lead (22.13) should be possible, she is well rested.
800 m: Savinova does not want allow Sum another win, good time for a revenge. Winner will get the diamond.
5000 m: The duel of the evening: Tiru vs. Mezzy. Not a fast time but superb race is expected. Also here winner will get the diamond.
400mH: Hejnova is unbeaten so far, wants to continue. Can she come close to Batten´s meet record 52.84?
PV: Without Yelena still big jumps possible, Silva vs Suhr, Spiegelburg and Murer waiting behind. Big field of 14 jumpers. Still four candidates for Diamond win.
LJ: All 3 world medalists, but who has the top shape of the moment? Diamond Race will go to the winner.
JT: Abakumova attacking the win, Obergfoll already confirmed winner of the Diamond.
4×100 m: Here the meet record should go, 42.98 of Czecho-Slovakia from 1982. Jamaica (with Shelly-Ann) and USA with home hopes for a national mark. Not to forget Ukraine.
WELTKLASSE NEWS
ZURICH (SUI): The fastest man on earth visited FIFA on Wednesday. Usain Bolt dropped in on the Home of FIFA in Zurich ahead of the IAAF Diamond League meeting Weltklasse Zürich on Thursdayevening at the Letzigrund Stadium. The Jamaican, a huge football fan who has often flirted with the idea of playing professionally after he retires from the track, was greeted by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and Fuleco, the official mascot for the next FIFA World Cup. President Blatter handed ‘Lightning Bolt’ a FIFA No9 shirt and personally invited the man who recently turned 27 to Brazil 2014. “For years, he has dominated speed events,” said the FIFA President. “I’m very proud that this great gentlemen is here today. He also showed again recently that the 4 x 100m is very important to him, which proves that he is a team player, just like in football.” Bolt was pleased to visit the Home of FIFA for the first time. “For me, it’s an honour to be here today,” he said. “I follow football and today I saw the World Cup Trophy for the first time.”
ZURICH (SUI): Stars spoke before the meet, World champion and fresh 3000 m world leader Meseret Defar: „I expect a tactical race, because there are too many good runners in the field. We will see….” That could mean she will concentrate on the duel with main rival Tirunesh Dibaba. Another Moscow winner David Oliver admitted he is in Zurich for the 8th time and there is something about the atmosphere in Letzigrund. Javelin World winner Christine Obergfoll who is already winner of the Diamond race revealed she may take a break in 2014. „I don’t know if I will be able to compete in the European Championships at Letzigrund Stadium. Maybe I will have a baby break like Barbora Å potáková,” she said. High jump sensation Bohdan Bondarenko openly said that European record is not the priority, but the world record.
ZURICH (SUI): Weltklasse Meet director Patrick Magyar will end in the position after the 2014 meet. VfG/LC Zurich as organising body decided that after that current technical director Andreas Hediger and current marketing director Christoph Joho will lead the meet after 2014. Hediger will take the athletes contracts role already next year from Magyar who is also in the same time CEO of the European Championships being held in 2014 also in Zurich. Both Hediger and Joho are already for some years involved in the Weltklasse Organisation. Hediger since 2001 technical director and Joho since 2006 marketing director.
< h1 style="text-align: justify; ">OTHER NEWS
TAMPA BAY (USA): Local media are writing that football running back and also sprinter Jeff Demps (23) didn’t immediately return to the U.S. to resume his football career after the World Championships in Moscow. Demps was in Linz, Austria, on Monday, finishing fourth in a 100-meter race in 10.29 seconds. “Supposedly he’s coming. I don’t know. We’ll see,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “I don’t worry about guys that are not here, you know? So he’s not helping us get better right now. He’s out there running track somewhere. So, if he’s going to do that — if he gets here and helps us win he will be part of it. If he gets here and can’t help us win, he can go back and run track. We are here to win games.” Demps clocked so far this season 10.11 and was semifinalist at US Championships in June. His PB from 2008 is 10.01 as junior.
PARIS (FRA): French discus surprise from Moscow Melina Robert-Michon will compete on Saturday at Decanation in Valence but will miss the IAAF World Challenge in Zagreb. The reason is very simple. She needs to accompany her daughter Elyssa to school on Monday. She then plans to throw at the Diamond League final in Brussels.
ISTANBUL (TUR): The Turkish Athletics Federation has suspended hurdler Nevin Yanit for 2 years due to doping violations, reportssundayszaman.com. The 27 year old tested positive following a doping test taken in February. She is the reigning European 100m hurdles champion and the reigning European Indoor 60m hurdles champion.
HAVANA (CUB): Defecting Cuban hurdler Orlando Ortega hopes to build a new life in Florida where his mother is living, reports en.rian.ru. The 22 year old revealed, during a phone interview from Padua, Italy, that he decided to defect after he was suspended for 6 months for insubordination. Following the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Ortega traveled with the Cuban delegation to Spain before he made his own way to Italy where he is now staying with friends.
PRAHA (CZE): Kenyan runner and winner of last year’s Mattoni Ceské Budejovice Half Marathon, Daniel Chebii and his Ethiopian rival, Mosinet Geremew (27:36) are heading to Czech Republic. Daniel Chebii, who scooped up first place at the Mattoni Ceské Budejovice Half Marathon last year recording a personal best with his fantastic time of 59:49, will be running at both the O2 Prague Grand Prix as well as at the Mattoni Ústà nad Labem Half Marathon on September 7 and 15. Together with Mosinete Geremew as well as another Kenyan runner, Kiprop Limo, they make up a trio of male stars all capable of running under 28 minutes. When it comes to the Ústà race in women department, we can look forward to seeing the winner of this year’s Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon, Betelhem Moges from Ethiopia (1:10:38) to defend the title. In the race she will be accompanied by athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Russia as well as the Czech Republic.
ZURICH (SUI): Caster Semenya is in good form, according to her coach Maria Mutola, ahead of the women’s 800m race at the IAAF Diamond League in Zurich, reports supersport.com. Mutola said that the former World Champion was not able to push herself to the limit in an effort to qualify for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow as she was still not fully recovered from a knee injury. Mutola said that she will be careful not to push Semenya too hard this season so that she will be in good shape for next year. Their focus for Zurich is to break the two minute barrier.
VALENCE (FRA): Andrew Howe will return from a long injury layoff to compete in the Long Jump at the Decanation match on Saturday, reports olimpiazzurra.com. Howe says that his training is going well and that he has agreed with the Italian athletics federation that he will not do any more 200m races due to the strain that it puts on his achilles tendon. He may do some 100m races as training for the Long Jump. Howe won the silver medal in the Long Jump (8.47) at the World Championships in 2007, after winning the European Championships title in 2006. He won both the 200m (20.28) and Long Jump (8.11) at the IAAF World Junior Championships in 2004.
ZURICH (SUI): US long jumper, Dwight Phillips will compete in his last ever competition at the Weltklasse Zurich athletics meeting, reportsluzernerzeitung.ch. Phillips, 35, is a former Olympic Champion and four time World Champion. His jumped his personal best of 8.74 (-1.2) in Eugene in 2009. His best jump this year is 7.95 which he jumped in the qualifying round at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, he finished 11th in the w
orld final.
RESULTS
URJALA (FIN, Aug 27): US Sean Furey won here the javelin with season best 80.04.
