By Maddie Lang
In the first Diamond League meet since the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, most of the gold medalists who participated Thursday in Zurich backed up their victories with additional wins – and one silver medalist pulled off an upset, beating the man who has been dominating his event.
In the process, the fields became more clear for the Diamond League final, which will be held at the Pre Classic at Hayward Field on Sept. 16-17. Just two more events remain for athletes to accumulate more points, and the top eight athletes in each event qualify.
In the sprints, the big names continued to dominate.
Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100 meters with a time of 10.88, finishing .12 ahead of runner-up Natasha Morrison. She had a strong start and positioned herself in first at the 50-meter mark.
Richardson sits in third in the qualification standings with 24 points. Her training partner Twanisha Terry, who finished sixth in 11.13, sits in sixth overall with 16 points.
In the men’s 200, Noah Lyles, coming off of his world championship sprint double gold medal performance, made up his lane six stagger rather quickly and came around the curve just ahead of his competition. On his right shoulder was Erriyon Knighton, who took silver in the 200 at worlds. The two battled it out in the first 50 meters of the home stretch.
Lyles finally kicked it into high gear and won in 19.80. He finished .07 ahead of Knighton, who finished in 19.87.
“It is business as usual,” Lyles said. “Everybody wants to beat me and everybody wants the cake and the crown, but I am not giving it to them.”
Lyles has 16 points and sits in fourth in the qualification standings. In first place is Knighton with 23 points, followed by Aaron Brown, who placed sixth, with 19 points. The trio should qualify for the final. Andre De Grasse, who took fifth, is on the cusp of qualifying, sitting in eighth with 14 points.
In the women’s 200 meters, world champion Shericka Jackson made up her lane six stagger quickly, kept increasing her lead and finished nearly a half-second ahead of the field, winning in 21.82. Great Britain’s Daryll Neita finished second in 22.25.
Jackson sits at the top of the qualification standings with 24 points. Right behind her are Neita and Kayla White, who finished third, with 19 points each. The three of them along with Anthonique Strachan, who placed sixth, should be seen at the final.
The first upset of the night was in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, as Kyron McMaster from the British Virgin Islands edged out world champion Karsten Warholm for the victory, 47.27 to 47.30.
“I know that there are people who can beat me,” Warholm said. “I think also that, because I know that I’m not unbeatable, I will always try to do my best.”
McMaster had the lead on the world record holder in the first half of the race. In the final curve, Warholm evened the field and made it a final 100-meter sprint. At the final hurdle, they were still neck and neck. McMaster had enough left to outkick Warholm.
“You’ve got to fight till the end,” McMaster said. “Don’t give up, and in the end, it’s who wants it more.”
Warholm’s time was .41 slower than his winning time at the world championships.
“I gave it my all today, but there was one guy that was stronger,” Warholm said. “It was a good wake up call that I have to be on my game.”
Warholm is in second in the qualification standings with 31 points. Ahead of him is CJ Allen, who finished fourth in 48.28, with 33 points. Almost the whole field from the day will qualify for the final. This includes Warhom, McMaster, Alison dos Santos, Allen, Wilfried Happio and Trevor Bassitt.
In the men’s 1,500 meters, world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain was the favorite, but it was the American Yared Nuguse who gave the fans a show with a photo finish upset victory.
Kerr led the entirety of the race after the pacers stepped off the track. At the sound of the bell, he was followed by Abel Kipsang of Kenya and Nuguse. The quick pace of the race was catching up to him, but he continued to push himself and the pace.
“I tried to make it as fast as possible,” Kerr said. “It was a hard-fought race.”
In the home stretch, Nuguse began making his move on the inside into second place. As he and Kerr approached the finish line, Nuguse pushed the final few strides and leaned across the finish line just enough to earn the win in 3:30.49. Kerr took second in 3:30.51, just .02 behind.
Nuguse now has 29 qualification points and sits in second place behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Of the field competing today, Nuguse, Kerr, Kipsang, and Azeddine Habz will qualify for the final.
In the men’s high jump, Tokyo gold medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim got the victory after taking the bronze in Budapest.
Barshim solidified the win with his first attempt clearance of 2.35m. At 2.37m he missed his first two attempts and then decided to move the bar up to 2.40. He missed his first attempt, ending his competition.
“I had some solid jumps today—to jump 2.35,” he said. “I am not the freshest coming from the World Champs. I’m physically and mentally a bit tired but I am proud of myself today. It felt good and it was a good competition.”
Hamish Kerr took second place with his first attempt at 2.33, setting a New Zealand record.
“I have mixed feelings right now,” he said. “I did not make the final in Budapest, but now I have shown the world how strong I am.”
Barshim further solidified his first place standing and now has 29 points. Hamish sits in third with 24 points.Also qualifying for the final from the field are Sanghyeok Woo, who took third; world champion Gianmarco Tamberi, who took fourth; and Luis Enrique Zayas, who took seventh.
