It was a spectacular night on Zurich’s iconic Letzigrund track. Audrey Werro claimed her tenth victory in as many races this season, moving even closer to Jarmila Kratochvílová’s world record. In front of 25,000 spectators, two world records also fell, with Alison dos Santos rewriting the 400m hurdles record and Masai Russell doing the same in the 100m hurdles. Athletics was the true winner at the 14th Diamond League meeting of the season, extending the remarkable momentum generated at Athletissima and the European Championships in Birmingham.
After collecting seven medals in Birmingham and producing outstanding performances in Lausanne, Switzerland’s athletes could have been forgiven for showing signs of fatigue. Instead, they rose to the occasion once again. At Weltklasse Zurich, Audrey Werro put daylight between herself and the rest of the field, lowering her own Swiss 800m record by one tenth of a second to 1:53.70 and finishing a full second ahead of runner up Femke Broeders-Bol. The athlete from Fribourg remains unbeaten this season, with five Diamond League victories among her ten wins. She now stands just 0.42 seconds away from Kratochvílová’s legendary world record. The way she attacked and overtook Broeders-Bol at the very start of the final bend showcased both her remarkable strength and growing tactical maturity. Another athlete from Fribourg, Veronica Vancardo, also delivered an outstanding performance, finishing sixth in 1:58.49.
For many in the stands, the evening rekindled memories of the unforgettable 1980s and 1990s, often regarded as athletics’ golden era. More than three decades later, that golden age appears to be making a remarkable return.
Alison dos Santos produced a stunning 45.80 to take 0.14 seconds off Karsten Warholm’s world record. The Norwegian, who started ahead of the Brazilian and was caught after 200 metres, could only watch as his record disappeared before his eyes. Dos Santos crossed the line nearly a full second ahead of Warholm, who finished second in 46.69.
Less than 40 minutes later, history repeated itself in the 100m hurdles. Tobi Amusan, runner up in 12.23, had a front row seat as American Masai Russell erased her world record by three hundredths of a second, lowering it to 12.09. It had been 17 years since the last world record at Weltklasse Zurich. On this unforgettable evening, two fell within the space of an hour.
It almost became three. After an extraordinary duel with Emmanouil Karalis, Armand Duplantis came within a whisker of clearing 6.32m in the pole vault, one centimetre higher than his own world record. The Swedish superstar ultimately settled for 6.25m, with Karalis clearing 6.20m, after what many will remember as the highest and most captivating pole vault competition ever staged.
The conclusion is simple: great rivalries elevate athletics and inspire champions to reach new heights. With Werro, Femke Bol and Keely Hodgkinson in the 800m, dos Santos, Warholm and Rai Benjamin in the 400m hurdles, and the relentless pole vault stars continuing to push each other, fans can look forward to many more unforgettable moments. And Athletissima, at the heart of this extraordinary August, can only celebrate.
