The Diamond League Heads to Zurich for First Leg of the Finals

By Adam Kopet

The 2019 Diamond League season is nearing its close with the first of two Diamond League finals, this time Thursday in Zurich.

The United States will be well represented in Zurich with Americans competing in 12 of the 16 events. Chief among them will be the men's and women's 400-meter hurdles.

ENTRIES

The women's 400-meter hurdles has been a strong event for the U.S. for a number of years, but this year has been special. Dalilah Muhammad broke the world record on a wet track at the USATF Outdoor Championships, running 52.20.

However, a Muhammad victory is not assured in Zurich due to a strong American contingent joining her. Chief among them is first-year pro Sydney McLaughlin. She has beaten Muhammad this year and sits second on the world list, having run 52.88 for second at the USATF Outdoor Championships. That was just off her personal best of 52.75 set in her first and only season at Kentucky last year.

Also racing are Ashley Spencer and Shamier Little. No one else has broke 54.00 this year. Zuzana Hejnova of The Czech Republic is close, however, having run 54.11.

The men's race may not have the same level of depth, but it has just as much fire power. Rai Benjamin will face off against Norway's Karsten Warholm for the first time this season. Benjamin has run 47.00 in his career and 47.16 this year. Warholm has run under 47.50 four times this year, including his world-leading 47.12 at the London Diamond League meeting.

The race does not include Abderrahman Samba of Qatar, who has been injured for much of the outdoor season. He owns the second-fastest time ever run at 46.98 from last year.

TJ Holmes and David Kendziera are both set to compete, rounding out the potential for a top-three American sweep.

The men's 100 meters does not feature world-leader Christian Coleman who is fighting three whereabouts failures in court. In his stead is will be three strong Americans. Noah Lyles leads the field with a 9.86 season's best. Reigning world champion Justin Gatlin sits just behind him on the world list this year, having run 9.87. Also competing is Mike Rodgers, who won Sunday in Madrid, running 9.97.

South Africa's Akani Simbine, Great Britain's Zharnel Hughes and Jamaica's Yohan Blake have all run under 10 seconds this season, adding competitiveness to the event.

The women's 3,000-meter steeplechase features reigning world champion Emma Coburn. She has run 9:04.90 this season, two seconds off her best when she won that world title in 2017. Also in the race is world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya who ran 8:44.32 in Monaco last year and has a season's best of 8:55.58 this year.

Donavan Brazier and Clayton Murphy are set to challenge for the Diamond League title in the 800 meters. They will face world leader Nijel Amos of Botswana and the Oregon Track Club Elite who has run 1:41.89 this year. Also in the race is the Kenyan trio of Ferguson Rotich, Wyclife Kinyamal and Emmanuel Korir, as well as Canada's Brandon McBride.

Jenny Simpson is the only American entered in the women's 1,500 meters. She will face world-leader Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands and the Nike Oregon Project, who ran 3:55.30 en route to her 4:12.33 mile world record in Monaco. Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia, the 1,500-meter world record holder, is also in the field. In all, there are eight women, including all of the above, who have broken 4:00 this season.

Paul Chelimo returns to action in the 5,000 meters in Zurich following his runner-up finish at the USATF Outdoor Championships. He will be joined by Ben True who will be challenging the Ethiopian quintet of Selemon Barega, Telehun Haile Bekele, Hagos Gebrhiwet, Abadi Hadis and Yomif Kejelcha. Four of those five men have run under 13:00 this year.

The men's pole vault features a trio of Americans, including world leader and American record holder Sam Kendricks. He cleared 19-10.50 (6.06m) to win at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Joining him from the U.S. are Cole Walsh and Chris Nilsen.

Other athletes to watch in the pole vault are Mondo Duplantis from Sweden, Poland's Piotr Lisek and Renaud Lavillenie of France. Duplantis has cleared 19-8.25 (6.00m) twice this season, including Saturday at a meet in Stockholm. Lisek has cleared 19-9 (6.02m) earlier this season. Lavillenie has struggled this year, but he is the indoor world record holder at 20-2.50 (6.16m) and has a season's best of 19-2.25 (5.85m).

The women will also be pole vaulting, but not as part of the Diamond League final. Instead, they will take over a train station Wednesday for their competition. Sandi Morris and Katie Nageotte will take on Greece's Katerina Stefanidi and Canada's Alysha Newman.

It was announced Monday that Zurich will play host to the singular Diamond League final in 2020 and 2021. This is part of the Diamond League format changes that are set to go into effect next year.