Five Events to Watch in Switzerland

By Scott Bush

The way the Diamond League is formatted, Thursday’s meeting in Zurich is the first final (the second takes place in Brussels on September 5). With the final big-time meet for many athletes right around the corner, and $40,000 (per DL overall event winner) and Diamond League trophies on the line, races promise to be close and down to the wire.

Here are five events to keep an eye on in Zurich.

Men’s 800m

Talk about loaded! The top eight ranked two-lappers are entered in Thursday’s field. All eight have run 1:43.69 or faster this season, while five have dipped under 1:43. Basically this is a World Championship or Olympic final caliber field. There are no weak links among the top eight, all capable of earning the win on a good day.

Nijel Amos (BOT) and David Rudisha (KEN) lead the way. Amos got the best of Rudish at the Commonwealth Games, but the world record holder is still having a great comeback season from the injury that knocked him out in 2013. Amos holds the world’s fastest mark in 1:42.45, but is chasing Rudisha in the Diamond League standings, with Rudisha leading with eight points and Amos holding six points. If either wins, they win the Diamond League top prize and sparkling trophy.

The other main man in contention is Asbel Kiprop (KEN). Kiprop is also in contention in the men’s 1,500m, which will be contested in Brussels next week, but for now he’s still only four points off Rudisha. Obviously Kiprop isn’t as known as a two-lap standout, but he did win the Paris 800m event last month in 1:43.34.

Ayanleh Souleiman (DIJ), Pierre-Ambroise Bosse (FRA) and Mohammed Aman (ETH) are other competitors fully capable of taking home top prize. Bosse has been in the mix all season long, as the 22-year old holds the second best time in the world this season with his 1:42.53 PR. Aman ranks third in the world, while Souleiman ranks eighth. If the pace is relatively timid though, do not discount Souleiman, who’s shown amazing late-race speed over the mile distance.

Fellow Kenyans Ferguson Rotich and Timothy Kitum round out those eight core competitors running seasonal bests of 1:42.84 and 1:43.65 in mid-July. This field is fast, furious and simply loaded. Expect something dramatic to unfold.

Women’s 1,500m

For American track and field fans, one of the most inspiring wins of the season came in Stockholm last week, as Jenny Simpson ran to victory against a ridiculously talented women’s 1,500m field. Simpson showed why she’s arguably the top 1,500m runner in the world this season and with a win Thursday, she’ll earn the top spot in the Diamond League standings.

In order to make that happen though, she’ll have to beat current leader Abeba Aregawi (SWE), second place Sifan Hassan (NED) and Hellen Obiri (KEN). While it seems unlikely that Aregawi wins, considering she’s dealing with some heavy legal matters of taxes and finished well off the pace in Stockholm, Hassan is another story. Hassan is one of the surprises of the 2014 season. She owns the best time in the world with a 3:57.00 effort, while placing third in Stockholm as of late.

Obiri’s seasonal best is just off of Hassan’s effort, as the Kenyan standout went 3:57.05 earlier this summer. She won the Pre Classic 1,500m and is always in contention for the win. Fellow Kenyan Eunice Sum, who has a dominating lead in the women’s 800m Diamond League standings, tests her fitness in the longer event after a runner-up effort in Birmingham Sunday. A tactical race could see Sum use her superior leg speed to upset the field.

Eight of the top ten ranked 1,500m runners are entered and ten of the top thirteen. The field is loaded and a second or two seasonal best by anyone in the field could mean the difference between first and tenth. Shannon Rowbury (USA), Laura Weightman (GBR), Dawit Seyaum (ETH) and Mimi Belete (BRN) are other notable contenders.

Men’s Shot Put

The five men who own the top 14 best throws of 2014 are entered in the men’s shot put in Zurich. The same five men hold 18 of the top 20 throws of the season. Talk about impressive!

With late season momentum on their side, the early discussion seems to focus on a clash between Reese Hoffa (USA) and David Storl (GER). Hoffa clearly leads the Diamond League standings with back-to-back victories in Glasgow and Stockholm late in the season, while Storl holds a win in Paris back in July. Storl finished second in Glasgow and third in Stockholm, but these two are throwing best this late in the season.

On their heals will be Americans Joe Kovacs and Christian Cantwell. The young Kovacs earned his first Diamond League win of his career in Oslo in June, which matched nicely with his impressive win at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. With a little luck, and a monster throw, Kovacs could vault both Storl and Hoffa for the Diamond League win. Cantwell, who’s dealt with injury this season, looks to round out his season on a high note.

Not to be overlooked, Tom Walsh (NZL) is also in the field. Walsh’s stock is improving after a runner-up effort last week in Stockholm and a third place effort in Glasgow. He’s solidified himself as a top three threat, while O’Dayne Richards (JAM) could surprise, being one of those five individuals with a top 14 throw in 2014.

Women’s 100m

With Tori Bowie pulling up with what seemed like a season-ending injury in Birmingham earlier this month, the women’s 100m is even more wide open Thursday. Bowie still holds the lead in the Diamond League standings, and unless Kerron Stewart (JAM) repeats her victorious effort this past Sunday in Birmingham, Bowie will take home a cool $40k.

Looking over the field, the pre-race favorites are Stewart, Allyson Felix (USA), Murielle Ahoure (CIV), Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM) and Blessing Okagbare (NGR). Stewart started strong in her 2014 campaign, before being relatively quiet until Birmingham. Same goes for Campbell-Brown, who owns four of the 11 fastest times of the year, but hasn’t shown her early season speed of late.

Okagbare owns two of the fastest eight times of the season. She’s been a consistent force in every event (100m and long jump) she’s been in this season and will be a key player yet again. Rested up after an intense middle of the season, fresh legs could lead to a very big victory. Meanwhile, Ahoure owns two sub-11 second performances this season, regaining the edge she had much of last season.

The athlete who should really be watched closely is Felix. While her seasonal best of 11.01 lags behind a few of her competitors, she bested a healthy Bowie in Stockholm over 200m, 22.85-22.91. She’s finally rounded into tip-top shape after taking months to regain her edge after struggling with injury last season and into this past off-season. She’ll be a contender, but can she take one more leap?

Men’s 5,000m

While there are a few events where top times could potentially still be run after Zurich, the men’s 5,000m will more than likely see its fastest race of the season. This has been one of the slower years in recent memory for the men’s 5,000m. The vast majority of races have been run in uneven style with the last 800m deciding races, not grinding charges to sub-12:50 efforts. While Thursday’s action could play out in similar fashion, the pace should at least be honest enough early on for the frontrunners to take a legitimate shot at Muktar Edris’ (ETH) world leading mark of 12:54.83 set last week in Stockholm.

Edris is entered, along with Oslo Diamond League 5k winner and fellow Ethiopian Yenew Alamirew. A top three finish by Alamirew and he’ll take home the Diamond League series win for the event, but a trio of Kenyans look to work together to knock off the Ethiopian favorites.

Edwin Soi, Caleb Ndiku and Thomas Longosiwa each have impressive Diamond League performances to their name this season. Both Soi and Ndiku are the only two other athletes who could take down Alamirew’s quest for the Diamond League trophy. Soi won the highly competitive 5k in Paris back in July with a seasonal best of 12:59.82, while Ndiku finished first at the Pre Classic and second in Oslo. Longosiwa finished second early on in the season Shanghai and earned another runner-up finish in Stockholm last week.

Rounding out interest in the event, four Americans take a stab at seasonal bests over the distance. Galen Rupp, who finished fourth in Stockholm, looks to crack a top three finish and dip under the 13-minute barrier, while Hassan Mead looks to build upon his sixth place, 13:07 effort in Stockholm. Mead has the potential to challenge the 13-minute barrier, as well. Ben True hopes to get back on track after a somewhat sub-par effort last week, while Ryan Hill jumps in the field to test his late season fitness against the world’s best.

With so much somewhat equal competition in the field, expect the race to go off at a very fast clip, but conservative enough for it to be decided in the final lap of the race.