16 Swiss headliners take on the world's best in front of the home crowd

Swiss athletes have stood on the podium twelve times in the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season. As attention turns to the next top finishes at Weltklasse Zürich, the spotlight from a Swiss perspective falls on those athletes that caused made headlines at the European Championships in Birmingham (GBR). All of the Swiss gold-medal-winning heroes will step on the track canton of Zurich’s capital in front of 25,000 enthusiastic fans.

Three golds in Birmingham — and now shining at Weltklasse Zürich?

On Wednesday evening, Angelica Moser will be the first Swiss athlete to compete. The LC Zürich athlete is set to get the Wanner Hall in Zurichs main station rocking together with her fellow pole vaulters at Weltklasse Zürich im Hauptbahnhof, building tension for the main event the following day. Not only will she have the home crowd behind her, she'll also step onto the runway with the certainty that, after successfully defending her title in Birmingham, she remains Europe's top pole vaulter. There is, however, one thing still to put right: across nine Weltklasse Zürich appearances, this year's five-time Diamond League podium finisher has yet to make the top three there.

Audrey Werro (CA Belfaux) provided emotional European Championships highlights in early August: in the 800m semi-final there was a scare when contact with a rival brought her down, and she was only admitted to the final after a protest. The very next day she rose to deliver an amazing gold-medal run, defending repeated attacks from Britain's Keely Hodgkinson. In an extremely tense, high-class battle for gold, the athletes showed why this race was the most awaited final of the recent continental championships. All eyes will again be on the newly crowned European champion from the canton of Fribourg on Thursday evening, as she looks to repeat last year's win at Stadion Letzigrund. And against European bronze medallist Femke Bol (NED) and 1500m European champion Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR), it should be a fast race.

Finally, one is tempted to say. Finally, Jason Joseph managed to tap into his full potential at the European title win over 110m hurdles and live up to his own high expectations. In the hours that followed, the athlete from Baselland spread joy over his performance at Alexander Stadium rarely seen from him before, in front of the many Swiss fans present. It was testament to how much this title means to him. Scheduled shortly before the start of the main program, Joseph is set to fire up the Zurich oval and kick off a world-class evening.

How will the Swiss European Championships stars do?

There's also plenty of anticipation around the performances of European silver medallists Simon Ehammer (long jump/TV Teufen) and Dominic Lobalu (10,000m/LC Brühl), who will compete in the long jump and over 3,000m respectively. Timothé Mumenthaler, who – after his sensational European gold in 2024 in his signature event, the 200m – took bronze in Birmingham, will face non-European competition in Zürich.

The female 4x100m sprinters delivered a goosebump moment in Birmingham. The product of a relay project more than 15 years in the making and just as long awaited, Géraldine Di Tizio-Frey (LK Zug), Fabienne Hoenke (LV Frenke), Léonie Pointet (CA Riviera) and Salomé Kora (LC Brühl) sprinted their way to silver. Carried by the emotion that swept up an entire community – including former relay teammates and coaches – they will each toe the line individually over 100m and 200m at Weltklasse Zürich.

In addition to the 16 Swiss athletes in the main program, a further 14 have earned a spot in the preliminary program.

Swiss starters at Weltklasse Zürich

Weltklasse Zürich im Hauptbahnhof (Wednesday, 26 August)

Pole Vault W: Angelica Moser (LC Zürich)

Stadion Letzigrund (Thursday, 27 August) — Main Program

100m W: Géraldine Di Tizio-Frey (LK Zug)
200m M: Timothé Mumenthaler (Stade Genève)
800m W: Valentina Rosamilia (BTV Aarau)
800m W: Veronica Vancardo (CA Fribourg)
800m W: Audrey Werro (CA Belfaux)
800m M: Ivan Pelizza (LC Zürich)
800m M: Ramón Wipfli (STB)
3000m M: Dominic Lobalu (LC Brühl)
100m hurdles: Annik Kälin (AJ TV Landquart)
100m hurdles: Ditaji Kambundji (STB)
400m hurdles M: Dany Brand (LC Zürich)
400m hurdles W: Lena Wernli (LC Zürich)
High Jump W: Marithé Engondo (Lausanne-Sports)
Long Jump M: Simon Ehammer (TV Teufen)
Javelin M: Simon Wieland (STB)

Stadion Letzigrund (Thursday, 27 August) — Preliminary Program

200m W: Fabienne Hoenke (LV Frenke)
200m W: Mujinga Kambundji (STB)
200m W: Léonie Pointet (CA Riviera)
200m W: Cynthia Reinle (TV Unterseen)
400m M: Haydn Brotschi (LV Langenthal)
400m M: Manuel Gerber (LAG Gossau)
400m M: Ricky Petrucciani (LC Zürich)
400m M: Lionel Spitz (Adliswil Track Team)
1500m W: Lilly Nägeli (LC Uster)
1500m W: Delia Sclabas (Gerbersport)
1500m W: Joceline Wind (Biel/Bienne Athletics)
1500m wheelchair M: Marcel Hug
110m hurdles: Jason Joseph (LC Therwil)
110m hurdles: Fabio Küchler (TSV Rothenburg)