Star-studded line-up at Letzigrund Stadium: Eight events you won’t want to miss

What the stars had to say at the Weltklasse Zürich 2026 press conference:

The race of all races over 800 m

Audrey Werro (SUI) produced one of the most emotional moments of the European Championships in Birmingham at the beginning of August. First came the shock in the 800 m semi-final, when she was knocked to the ground following contact with another athlete and only advanced to the final after a successful protest. The next day, she bounced back in spectacular fashion, winning gold in a phenomenal final in which she held off Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson despite repeated attacks. All eyes will once again be on the newly crowned European champion from the canton of Fribourg on Thursday evening as she looks to defend her title at Letzigrund Stadium. Standing in her way will be European bronze medallist Femke Broeders-Bol (NED) and European 1500 m champion Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR). Everything is set for a fast race and a truly special highlight.

Olympic champion vs. world champion vs. European champion over 100 m hurdles

Ditaji Kambundji produced one of the biggest sensations in Swiss athletics history by winning the world title in 2025. Now she will make her first appearance in Zurich as world champion. Hampered by a thigh injury at the end of June, the 24-year-old from Bern is finding her stride again and recently finished fourth at the European Championships. She will need to take another step forward, with Olympic champion Masai Russell (USA), world record-holder Tobi Amusan (NGR) and European champion Nadine Visser (NED) all lining up. And there is another name to watch: the Swiss season lead belongs to a world-class heptathlete who is also entered. Annik Kälin clocked 12.60 in the heptathlon in Ratingen (GER), putting her firmly among the specialists.

Triple gold meets quadruple gold

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) and Amy Hunt (GBR) have something in common: at their most recent major championship appearances, both left as undisputed sprint queens. The American won 100 m, 200 m and 4x100 m gold at the 2025 World Championships, while the Brit went one better in Birmingham, claiming four European titles in the 100 m, 200 m, 4x100 m and mixed 4x100 m. The two will go head-to-head on the “piste magique”, with Julien Alfred also expected to join the battle. The Saint Lucian is the Olympic 100 m champion and won the Diamond Trophy in Zurich in 2025. And Sha’Carri Richardson (USA), the 2023 world champion, cannot be overlooked either – with a season’s best of 10.77, she is the fastest athlete in the field this year.

Mahuchikh vs. Olyslagers – the battle of the rituals

The women’s high jump will see a repeat of last year’s showdown at Weltklasse Zürich on Sechseläutenplatz. Olympic and European champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) will once again take on world champion and 2025 Wanda Diamond League champion Nicola Olyslagers (AUS).

The clash is also a meeting of two entertaining pre-jump rituals. While the Ukrainian likes to wrap herself in a blanket or sleeping bag between attempts, the Australian never goes through a jump without meticulously documenting it by hand. Sleeping bag versus diary – which ritual will come out on top this time?

Will Simon Ehammer make it four?

Simon Ehammer is undoubtedly one of the leading figures in Swiss athletics right now – and in two events no less. The Appenzell native is world champion and world record-holder in the indoor heptathlon and also holds the world-leading mark in the decathlon this year. At Weltklasse Zürich, he will line up in the long jump as defending champion and European silver medallist. Can he push event king Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE), the Olympic champion and newly crowned four-time consecutive European champion? And will the Greek superstar finally push the Swiss to his first eight-metre jump at Letzigrund on his fourth attempt at Weltklasse Zürich?

Olympic champion vs. world champion vs. European champion over 1500 m

Almost every big name in the event will line up for the three-and-three-quarter laps. Cole Hocker (USA) is the 2024 Olympic 1500 m champion and 2025 world champion over 5000 m. He will be challenged by reigning Tokyo world champion Isaac Nader (POR) and the equally unexpected Birmingham European champion Stefan Nillessen (NED).

And then there is Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR), who won European 5000 m gold in his comeback from a long-term Achilles injury just two weeks ago without a preparatory race, before returning to Diamond League racing in Silesia on Sunday after an absence of almost two years. High drama is guaranteed.

The next round of the hurdles rivalry of the year

In 2026, Alison dos Santos has arguably become Karsten Warholm’s biggest nightmare. The Brazilian has already handed the Norwegian four painful defeats this season – three over the classic 400 m hurdles and one over the 300 m hurdles. The defeat in Oslo, Warholm’s “living room”, will surely have fuelled the Viking’s desire to finally turn the tables on the 2022 world champion. Both hurdles stars are in top form. Just days ago at the Wanda Diamond League Meeting in Silesia (POL), they clocked 46.43 (dos Santos) and 46.52 (Warholm) – the sixth- and 11th-fastest times in history respectively.

The kings of the skies aim high

On paper, the men’s pole vault looks like a straightforward affair. But after a three-year winning streak, Olympic, world and European champion Mondo Duplantis (SWE) suffered a rare defeat at his home meeting in Stockholm. Kurtis Marshall (AUS) and, later in the season, Sam Kendricks (USA) in London have managed to beat the superstar this year. At Athletissima Lausanne last Friday, Emmanouil “Manolo” Karalis (GRE) produced the best-ever performance by a runner-up, clearing a height just five centimetres short of Duplantis’ 6.21 m. In doing so, the Swede set a “Swiss record” and a world record for a city event – no pole vaulter had ever gone higher on Swiss soil. Upon arriving in Zurich, Duplantis said that he could not retire one day without having set a world record at Weltklasse Zürich. So what might that mean for Thursday evening?