Highlights women’s events: Sprint queens defend their crowns

100m/200m women: Favourites winning again – and a Swiss surprise appearance in the 200m

Mujinga Kambundji no doubt received the warmest, loudest welcome from the 25 000 fans during the athletes’ presentation. And the positive energy seemed to go straight to Switzerland’s fastest woman’s legs. The 60m world indoor champion went out fast against 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) and Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) and came in fourth in the end.

Clocking 11.08, the crowd favourite lost to the world’s fastest woman – who also sports the longest nails – by a mere two tenths of a second. “People are fantastic here. And I hope that their love will always be there, no matter how fast I am running”, Richardson said after the race.

Mujinga Kambundji spontaneously decided to run the 200m as well. “Yesterday, we had this idea to try and run both races, if a lane were to become available,” Kambundji explained after the successful test on her damaged foot. “I am very happy with the two races here. Zurich just rocks!”

So, the Swiss national record holder went on to place fourth again in the 200m just 50 minutes after her first appearance. Her result: a convincing 22.46 seconds. World champion Shericka Jackson (JAM) outran her opponents, just like she did in Budapest. Clocking 21.82, she missed the Wanda Diamond League record of 21.74, which Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) had set at Letzigrund Stadium last year, by just a few hundredths of a second. 400m Olympic champion Miller-Uibo made her Zurich comeback (51.83) in the national programme of events after returning from a four-month baby break.

100m hurdles: A Jamaican queen and a Swiss princess

The Swiss counterpart of Jason Joseph (who achieved a new national record in the 110m h of the national programme), Ditaji Kambundji is the country’s fastest female hurdler. She, too, had qualified for the final in Budapest, where she came in seventh. At only 21 years, the European U23 champion was part of the Weltklasse Zürich international programme of events for the third time already. In her first two appearances, she had placed eighth and ninth. This time around, the Swiss hurdling princess progressed to sixth place in 12.73. “The support we get from the crowd is just so amazing, so loud,” she said Ditaji Kambundji, speaking for all her colleagues.

World champion Danielle Williams (JAM/12.43) was the one to take the 100m h Zurich Trophy – the first win for her at Letzigrund Stadium. “I haven’t had much time to celebrate my win in Budapest yet,” she explained. For her, there is still the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene (USA) to run. “I definitely will after that final competition.”

Two world champions escape the field of opponents again

Winfred Mutle Yavi (BHR/9:03.19) was the fastest in the 3000m SC once again. In a close finish, the “dancing” world champion kept world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN/9:03.70) at bay in a scenario that resembled the Budapest final.

And in the triple jump, Olympic and world champion and world record holder Yulimar Rojas (VEN) prevailed again. Her results, 15.15m (twice), marked her 13th Wanda Diamond League win, and the energetic South American, too, celebrated her latest feat with a small dance.

1500m specialist Laura Muir (GBR/1:57.73) managed to outwit her 800m colleagues. The two Swiss runners in the field – European U23 champion Audrey Werro (7th/1:59.50) and Lore Hoffmann, who had placed fourth in the 2022 European championships (8th/2:00.09) – contributed much to the exciting race. Werro went out fast and was rewarded with a new national U20 record.

After four years, the 4x100m relay race returned to Letzigrund Stadium and concluded the programme of events. The Swiss team treated their home crowd to an exciting closing show just before the actual fireworks went off, missing the win by a mere eight hundredths of a second.

Natacha Kouni, Salomé Kora, Géraldine Frey, and Melissa Gutschmidt, the “Red Jets”, dashed around the track in 42.86, only to be caught by the team from the Netherlands on the last metres. Anchor Gutschmidt literally flew across the finish line – and from there directly on into the warmth of the SWISS Athletes Lounge.