Olympic-Caliber Rematches and World Record Attempts Highlight Festivities

By Scott Bush

The second to last stop of the IAAF Diamond League gets underway Thursday in Zurich at the Weltklasse Zurich meeting, with a clash of champions across a variety of events. As one of the final two Diamond League events of the season, numerous Diamond League champions will be crowned.

The Quest for Sub-13

Only six Americans have ever dipped under the 13-minute barrier over 5000m, the last being Galen Rupp's 12:58.90 effort in 2012. Bernard Lagat broke the 13-minute barrier in 2013 with a 12:58.99 clocking, but he'd broken the barrier before. Fast forward to Thursday when four U.S. men will line up in Zurich and take their shot at breaking the barrier.

Olympic silver medalists Evan Jager and Paul Chelimo, along with Hassan Mead and Jager’s Bowerman Track Club teammate Ryan Hill go after history, while fellow American Bernard Lagat, who’s broken the 13-minute mark already, compete against a loaded field fully capable of having a dozen men eclipse the mark.

Jager enters the contest coming off his runner-up 3000m steeplechase performance in Rio. Jager owns a 13:02.40 personal best from 2013 and seems more than ready to take a crack at the mark. For Mead, he currently ranks US#10 all-time with his 13:02.80 best from 2014. Mead finished eleventh in the 5000m in Rio and it’s only seemed a matter of time before both he and Jager run sub-13.

The two wild cards are Chelimo and Hill. Chelimo is coming off his surprising and heroic 5000m runner-up finish in Rio. The U.S. Army runner owns a personal best of 13:03.90 set this season.

For Hill, he’s out to reassert his edge in American distance running having failed to make the Olympic Team earlier in the summer. He has a 13:05.69 personal best and ran a US#4 all-time 3000m performance in Paris last week of 7:30.93. Only Lagat, Rupp and Bob Kennedy have run faster and it should be said that all three of those men have run sub-13.

Lagat has already bested the mark, including the American record of 12:53.60 from 2010. However, his best from this season is 13:06.78 and you know the 41 year old wants to give sub-13 one more shot.

The American contingent is joined by Jager’s and Hill’s teammate Mo Ahmed of Canada. Ahmed ran 13:01.74 at the Prefontaine Classic earlier this summer and hopes for a sub-13 effort Thursday. The Ethopian contingent of Muktar Edris, Yomif Kejelcha, Hagos Gebrhiwet and Imane Merga will be in the running to win, as will Kenyans Thomas Longosiwa and Edwin Soi.

This race is going to be good…count on it!

Felix Seeks to Unseat 200m Champions

It’s not every day you get the last four Olympic gold medalists in one event in the same race, but that’s exactly what fans will see in the women’s 200 meter event. Reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson (JAM), along with 2012 champion Allyson Felix (USA) and 2008/2004 champion Veronica Campbell Brown (JAM) are set to square off and adding to the intrigue is reigning world champion Dafne Schippers (NED), as well as Olympic fifth and sixth place finishers Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) and Michelle-Lee Ahye (TTO).

That’s a loaded, super-star race, which means just about anything can happen.

World Record Watch for Harrison and Taylor

Arguably the most impressive world record of the year in 2016 is Keni Harrison’s (USA) 100m hurdle mark of 12.20. The young pro has dominated the hurdle world this season, running eight of the nine fastest times, including recent 12.42 and 12.44 performances in Lausanne and Paris in last week’s Diamond League action. It’s incredible to think that the woman having one of the best, if not the best, year in hurdle history didn’t even make the U.S. Olympic Team. Needless to say, Harrison has talked about running under 12 seconds and has given no reason to doubt her.

Another athlete poised to take a legit stab at a world record is Christian Taylor (USA) in the men’s triple jump. Taylor spoke earlier in the season about possibly breaking Jonathan Edwards’ 18.29m mark, set in 1995, at the Olympics. While Taylor didn’t best the world record, he did win yet another gold medal, adding to his growing legacy.

Last year, Taylor leapt four of the top ten marks in history, including his #2 all-time performance of 18.21m. The 26-year old has shown he’s close to breaking the record on numerous near misses this year, so if he can just hit the board with a bit of room to spare don’t be surprised to see the record fall.

Olympic 4x100m Relay Rematch

It’s uncertain who will run in the women’s 4x100m relay in Zurich, which is the final event of Thursday evening, but what is known is fans will be delighted by a USA v. Jamaica rematch. The Americans won gold in Rio, while Jamaica settled for silver, but the two square off again on the track this time with late-season bragging rights on the line. Will it be Team USA continuing to roll or Team Jamaica getting revenge?

Olympic Pole Vault Rematch…in a Train Station

While most of the Diamond League action in Zurich takes place on Thursday, the women’s pole vault contest occurs on Wednesday, in a train station. That’s right. Olympic gold medalist Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) and silver medalist Sandi Morris (USA) will renew their rivalry, with Morris hoping to get the better of Stefanidi this time around. The train station match-up is not a Diamond League event, but it is sure to provide plenty of theatrics.