Zürich DL Men — Hot 1500 Clash On A Cool Night
ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND, September 05 — Rain and cold (62F/17C) might have driven away the chance of most major records, along with a few of the fans, but the athletes showed up for the 63rd running of the Weltklasse in Stadion Letzigrund and delivered an evening of great competition to the hardy aficionados who dressed for the weather.
The much-ballyhooed 1500 brought together all three of the Paris medalists, with Cole Hocker hoping to parlay his Olympic gold into a win on the circuit, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen looking to see what his 3000 WR shape translated to for half the distance. Instead, the story was Yared Nuguse winning his first race since the Penn Relays.
The contest began in the usual fashion, with rabbits leading in 55.61 as behind them, Ingebrigtsen lagged a few strides behind, with Nuguse, Josh Kerr, Timothy Cheruiyot and Hocker following. On the next lap Hocker moved ahead of Cheruiyot, but otherwise no major changes. At 800 (1:51.17), Elliot Giles, who set the road mile WR last week, took over as the second pacesetter.
Giles stayed in it till the bell, with Ingebrigtsen nearly clipping him to get past. One of the race’s turning points had happened just before that moment, when Kerr started slipping away from Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse, and Hocker didn’t have the strength to go around him so slipped back as well. The Norwegian led past 1200 in 2:48.07 but could not shake Nuguse. Coming off the final turn, the bronze medalist struck, fighting past Ingebrigtsen on the stretch and racing to the win, 3:29.21–3:29.52. Nuguse closed in 13.1 for the final 100 on a 55.1 last lap. Hocker, lacking his usual finish and kicking from too far back, salvaged 3rd in 3:30.46 over Dutch teen Niels Laros (3:31.23) and Kerr (3:31.46).
Said Nuguse, “I knew that it was going to be quick in the end. Anyone could have won this race. I just tried not to make any wrong moves and to be where I wanted to be. And then you need to be ready for the end.”
Ingebrigtsen, who said the day before that he had been sick after his 3000 record and wasn’t up to par, judged, “My race was better than I expected. I still have not recovered. It was worth it to come here and race. But one more week of recovery would have been better for me and given me more stimulation.” He added, “Brussels will be fun.”
That the winner of the 200 was gold medalist Letsile Tebogo was no surprise. The surprise was that he nearly got beaten. Runner-up Kenny Bednarek delivered a masterful performance and almost pulled off the upset. The Botswanan started in lane 6, Bednarek in 7, with Fred Kerley (4) and Erriyon Knighton (5) to their inside. Bednarek rocketed his start and blitzed the turn, emerging onto the straight with a clear lead over Knighton with Tebogo a step back.
This time, Tebogo wasn’t able to roll up the others so easily before the line. Bednarek maintained his form, and Tebogo had to throw everything at him. Only on the final step did he edge past the American to claim a 19.55 win. Bednarek had no complaints, with a 19.57 PR. Knighton (19.79) crossed next and Kerley produced the fastest 4th-place in history with his 19.81. Alexander Ogando got similar honors with his 5th in 19.87.
“What was different was the curve,” said Tebogo ruefully. “Today, I did not run the curve, I only ran the home straight.”
The 400 hurdles produced the biggest scratch of the day, as shortly before, Karsten Warholm withdrew, saying that between the weather and the effects of his 100 match race the day before (see box), he worried of injury. That deprived Swedish fans the joy of seeing the Norwegian run in the yellow-and-blue Swedish uniform that Mondo Duplantis had foisted upon him, but it gave Roshawn Clarke an impressive win.
Most eyes focused on Alison dos Santos as the likely winner, but the bronze medalist ran a conservative first half on the wet track and then veered off before the sixth hurdle. Clarke, Abderrahmane Samba and Clement Ducos battled for the lead coming off the last turn but the 20-year-old Jamaican generated a substantial lead at hurdle 9. He took the win in 47.49, holding off a fast rush from Samba (47.58). Rasmus Mägi caught a fading Ducos at the line as both ran 48.02.
“This victory is very important to me,” said Clarke, who was 9th in the Diamond League standings before the race. “These points will put me into Brussels.”
Mondo Conquers Warholm In “Viking” 100
THEY’D TRADED friendly trans-Scandinavia trash talk about it for a year or more. They even donned Viking gear for the promo graphics. On the evening before Weltklasse’s main program, Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm lined up head to head and raced at 100 meters.
Their PRs going in: 10.73 in ’18 for the WR-holding vaulter, 10.52 in ’16 for the WR-holding 400 hurdler, a decathlete early in his career.
From the gun Duplantis led, through mid-race he increased it. Warholm narrowed the gap, but at the end the margin held, about a foot and a half at the finish when Mondo glanced rightward at his vanquished opponent.
It was a 10.37–10.47 win as both PRed.
“It’s a really good day to be a field-eventer and a pole vaulter, bad day to be Michael Johnson,” assessed Duplantis. On social media beforehand 200/400 great-turned-meet-series-promoter Johnson had disputed an online poll in which 54% of respondents picked Mondo to win.
“54% of people are wrong,” MJ tweeted. Afterwards he graciously ate crow: “That 54% was right! Mondo!!!!”
The terms of the bet were the loser would compete in Zürich’s main program wearing the national team jersey of his opponent.
“It’ll be the only time,” said Warholm with a smile. Yet the effects of the all-out sprint in part contributed to his withdrawal from the Thursday evening 400H. Never’s more like it. /Sieg Lindstrom/
With recent rival Rasheed Broadbell a late withdrawal, the way seemed clear for Grant Holloway in the 110H and that’s how he ran. Heading into a slight wind (0.3), he took command early, chased by Daniel Roberts and Freddie Crittenden. The margin steadily grew until he crossed in 12.99. Behind him, France’s Sasha Zhoya PRed at 13.10 in running down Crittenden (13.15). Roberts got caught by Jamaican Hansle Parchment as both ran 13.18.
The race had extra significance for Holloway, as it marked the 12th sub-13 of his career. That breaks him out of a tie with ’96 Olympic champion Allen Johnson as the man with the most. “The main thing for me was to run the most sub-13s and I did that so it is surreal,” said Holloway. “That was something I wanted to accomplish this season. I just kept trying and trying and trying for so long. So to run 12.99 just feels great.”
The field events struggled with the damp conditions. In the case of the shot, the pouring rain and a wet ring was a drag on all of the throwers, except for the seemingly immune Ryan Crouser. Any of his 6 throws would have been good enough to win. His second-round 74-4¼ (22.66) might perhaps have been a rainy-day World Record had Crouser not launched his OR 75-1¾ (22.90) from a wet ring in Paris. Leonardo Fabbri got 2nd with his 71-8¾ (21.86).
“It was probably one of my best meets this year,” said the gold medalist. “Technically, making changes in the rain is tough, so I was very pleased. You get a little bit unbalanced, and I couldn’t be as aggressive so I tried to get some good positions instead. Technique was spot on today.”
The rain also made the vault quite difficult. Only three men remained to jump at 19-1¼ (5.82), with Duplantis and Sam Kendricks both going over on their first attempts and Aussie Kurtis Marschall going out. Duplantis led due to the American’s having needed two tries at the opening height of 17-9¼ (5.42). Both struggled mightily at 19-9 (6.02), and after Kendricks, jumping first, got his third miss, the Swede called it a day.
Explained Duplantis, “Mentally, I felt kind of good today. But my body felt wrecked after yesterday’s race. Plus, the weather was really cold. So that was a bad combination.”
Wayne Pinnock surprised long jump gold medalist Miltiádis Tentóglou. The Jamaican reached 26-10 (8.18) jumping into the wind and ended up passing his last three jumps. The Greek couldn’t come close, settling for 26-3¾ (8.02), with local favorite Simon Ehammer 3rd at 26-2¼ (7.98).
A solid javelin competition saw Anderson Peters top Julian Weber, with the big action happening in round 5. That’s when Weber took the lead with his 279-11 (85.33) and Peters responded with a 281-3 (85.72).
ZÜRICH DL MEN’S RESULTS
Non-DL 100(-0.1): 1. Mondo Duplantis (Swe) 10.37 PR; 2. Karsten Warholm (Nor) 10.47 PR.
200(0.4): 1. Letsile Tebogo (Bot) 19.55;
2. Kenny Bednarek (US) 19.57 PR (=8, x W; =5, x A);
3. Erriyon Knighton (US) 19.79; 4. Fred Kerley (US) 19.81; 5. Alexander Ogando (DR) 19.87; 6. Courtney Lindsey (US) 20.17; 7. Joe Fahnbulleh (Lbr) 20.52.
(best-ever mark-for-place: 4–5)
Non-DL 400: 1. Lionel Spitz (Swi) 45.30; 2. Alex Haydock-Wilson (GB) 45.41; 3. Isaya Klein Ikkink (Neth) 45.42.
1500: 1. Yared Nuguse (US) 3:29.21 (x, 6 A) (13.1, 26.8, 40.8, 55.1, 1:51.0);
2. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Nor) 3:29.52 (2:48.07) (13.5, 27.2, 41.3, 55.6, 1:51.6);
3. Cole Hocker (US) 3:30.46 (13.6, 27.3, 41.4, 55.6);
4. Niels Laros (Neth) 3:31.23; 5. Josh Kerr (GB) 3:31.46; 6. Raynold Cheruiyot (Ken) 3:32.15; 7. Azeddine Habz (Fra) 3:32.39; 8. Robert Farken (Ger) 3:32.95; 9. Jochem Vermeulen (Bel) 3:33.07; 10. Stefan Nillessen (Neth) 3:33.08; 11. Timothy Cheruiyot (Ken) 3:33.13; 12. Narve Gilje Nordås (Nor) 3:34.31; 13. Olli Hoare (Aus) 3:37.43;… rabbit—Zan Rudolf (Slo) (55.61, 55.56 [1:51.17]).
Non-DL 3000: 1. Jacob Krop (Ken) 7:34.80 (5:02.57); 2. Cornelius Kemboi (Ken) 7:35.46; 3. Isaac Kimeli (Bel) 7:41.30 PR; 4. Addisu Yihune (Eth) 7:41.81; 5. Woody Kincaid (US) 7:42.75.
110H(-0.3): 1. Grant Holloway (US) 12.99 (record sub-13 #12); 2. Sasha Zhoya (Fra) 13.10 PR; 3. Freddie Crittenden (US) 13.15; 4. Hansle Parchment (Jam) 13.18; 5. Daniel Roberts (US) 13.18; 6. Rachid Muratake (Jpn) 13.20; 7. Cordell Tinch (US) 13.31; 8. Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli (Ita) 13.45.
400H: 1. Roshawn Clarke (Jam) 47.49; 2. Abderrahmane Samba (Qat) 47.58; 3. Rasmus Mägi (Est) 48.02; 4. Clement Ducos (Fra) 48.02; 5. CJ Allen (US) 48.20; 6. Gerald Drummond (CR) 49.59;… dnf—Alison dos Santos (Bra).
Field Events
Non-DL PV: 1. Mondo Duplantis (Swe) 19-1 (5.82) (18-5¼, 19-1, 19-9 [xxp]) (5.62, 5.82, 6.02 [xxp]); 2. Sam Kendricks (US) 19-1 (17-9¼ [2], 18-5¼, 19-1, 19-9 [xxx]) (5.42 [2], 5.62, 5.82, 6.02 [xxx]); 3. Kurtis Marschall (Aus) 18-9¼ (5.72); 4. Chris Nilsen (US) 18-5¼ (5.62); 5. tie, Thibaut Collet (Fra) & Bo Kanda Lita Baehre (Ger) 18-5¼; 7. tie, Ben Broeders (Bel) & Renaud Lavillenie (Fra) 17-9¼ (5.42);… nh—Emmanouíl Karalís (Gre), Ersu Şaşma (Tur).
LJ: 1. Wayne Pinnock (Jam) 26-10 (8.18); 2. Miltiádis Tentóglou (Gre) 26-3¾ (8.02); 3. Simon Ehammer (Swi) 26-2¼ (7.98); 4. Jacob Fincham-Dukes (GB) 26-0 (7.92); 5. Mattia Furlani (Ita) 25-11½ (7.91); 6. Tajay Gayle (Jam) 25-9¼ (7.85); 7. Marquis Dendy (US) 25-6¾ (7.79); 8. Markus Rooth (Nor) 25-2¾ (7.69).
SP: 1. Ryan Crouser (US) 74-4¼ (22.66) (71-9, 74-4¼, 71-9½, 72-3¾, 73-10¾, 73-4½) (21.87, 22.66, 21.88, 22.04, 22.52, 22.36); 2. Leonardo Fabbri (Ita) 71-8¾ (21.86); 3. Payton Otterdahl (US) 70-1¾ (21.38); 4. Joe Kovacs (US) 68-7 (20.90); 5. Scott Lincoln (GB) 68-3¾ (20.82); 6. Chuk Enekwechi (Ngr) 67-4 (20.52); 7. Roger Steen (US) 67-¾ (20.44); 8. Rajindra Campbell (Jam) 66-3 (20.19); 9. Tomáš Staněk (CzR) 65-10½ (20.08).
JT: 1. Anderson Peters (Grn) 281-3 (85.72); 2. Julian Weber (Ger) 279-11 (85.33); 3. Genki Dean (Jpn) 271-3 (82.69); 4. Andrian Mardare (Mol) 264-0 (80.47); 5. Lassi Etelätalo (Fin) 255-5 (77.85); 6. Gatis Čakšs (Lat) 249-8 (76.11); 7. Artur Felfner (Ukr) 248-11 (75.89); 8. Edis Matusevičius (Lit) 241-11 (73.74); 9. Simon Wieland (Swi) 236-5 (72.06); 10. Julius Yego (Ken) 228-4 (69.61).
