...

Athlétisme - Zurich - Finales Diamond League 2021

 

...

Les start list ICI

...

Les résultats complets ICI

 

...

Mercredi 8 septembre / Les principales performances

Pour cette première journée des finales, les organisateurs ont frappé fort en construisant une piste longue de 560m, au centre ville, autour de l'opéra de Zürich. Ceci en ajoutant également un sautoir et un lançoir.

L'objectif étant d'amener l'athlétisme vers le grand public et non le contraire, comme ce sera le cas jeudi, avec plus de 20 000 fans qui viendront prendre place dans le fameux stade du Letzigrund, là où de nombreuses légendes ont écrit l'histoire.

* Une belle occasion pour Ryan Crouser (USA) de s'offrir un nouveau succès au poids avec 22.67m, devant un public conquis.

* Francine Niyonsaba (BUR), intouchable sur cette fin de saison, remporte le 5000m (disputé sur cette piste d'un soir) en 14'28"98 juste devant Hellen Obiri (KEN).

...

* La perf de la soirée sera pour la championne olympique Mariya Lasitskene (RUS) qui passe 2.05m à la hauteur, MPM 2021. Une hauteur incroyable et nécessaire pour battre sa jeune rivale Yaroslava Mahuchyk (UKR) et ses 2.03m.

"It is an unbelievable feeling. Jumping with spectators is fantastic. Thank you so much for making it possible. I am so happy about the meeting record, I am so lucky here in Switzerland.

The venue here is difficult and fantastic at the same time - difficult because of the track and fantastic because of the spectators. Yet, for some attempts I asked them to be quite because I needed to concentreate. This season was a really fantastic one."

...

* Victoire du Suédois Thobias Montler en longueur avec 8.17m et son homologue Serbe Ivana Spanovic chez les dames avec 6.96m.

...

* Fin de soirée avec le 5000m masculin et le succès de Berihu Aregawi (ETH) avec un superbe chrono : 12'58"65.

"It was a really good performance, a really good race. The pace maker did a great job. The time was excellent, I did not expect such a fast time, such a PB. I am very happy. This venue in the city is good.

It is the first time I did this and it was wonderful. Yet, the curves were a bit difficult for me."

 

...

Jeudi 9 septembre

* Anzhelika Sidorova (RUS) battue par Katie Nageotte aux JO, s'impose avec un superbe saut à 5.01m, MPM 2021 et surtout 4e MPM de tous les temps.

"I think this is really the right place to jump high. But coming to the stadium, I did not feel like it was coming today. I think we are all a bit tired already after a long season and in the warm up I did not feel 100 percent ready for a jump over 5m.

I just wanted to do some jumps and did not think of a perfect technique and perfect conditions. I still cannot believe I got the 5 m barrier today. I really like jumping here because I have become an European champion here and also jumped here many times after, and now I am coming home with my first Diamond League Trophy.

It is a great stadium, great track, great spectators and I am so happy I can share this moment with so many people in the stands. I am happy I can do this sport for them, for my coach, for my family. It is a great day. I will jump on Saturday in Innsbruck - one more competition and then finally vacation.

The Trophy is very beautiful and important for me especially after Olympics. Now I can go for vacation with a good feeling. I just need some time to understand what I did today."

...

* Pedro Pichardo (POR), médaillé d'or à Tokyo, enlève le triple avec un saut magnifique à 17.70m. Ceci lors de son 6e et dernier essai.

* Michael Cherry, en vue sur cette fin de saison, gagne le 400m en 44'41 avec un centième de marge sur Kirani James.

* Gros chrono pour Tina Amusan (NIG) qui bat tout simplement le record d'Afrique sur 100m haies en 12'42. Juste derrière Nadine Visser (HOL) améliore son record national en 12'51 (+0.4m/s)

"It's great, it is a great feeling. Looking back, I did not win a medal at the Olympics. It was a very challenging time for me afterwards, but I never gave up, and I came out here and I was like... if I did not get a medal in Tokyo, the least I can do is to get a Diamond League Trophy - I did just that!

The hurdles is a very mental event. and my coach is always telling me I need to focus on myself and execute. Once you execeute, you don't have a problem going over the hurdles. I'm glad I came out with a win. I have one more meeting in Zagreb, and I can go take the season off. I am really lookimng forward to it."

...

* Quelques minutes plus tard Devon Allen (USA) et Ronald Levy (JAM) sont départagés aux millièmes lors de l'arrivée du 110m haies. Tous deux sont crédités d'un excellent 13'06.

...

* Le chaud et connaisseur public du Letzigrund continue de se régaler avec Yulimar Rojas (VEN) au triple saut dames. La recordman du monde va réussir un saut sublime à 15.48m lors de sa dernière tentative.

"In all honesty, I feel I have always demonstrated that I can be a queen - I can lift myself up, regardless of the circumstances, and today was not an exception. I was able to take the Diamond League Trophy, and I am very pleased to have the chance of being here and to show dreams do come true.

It is important to enjoy the moment as much as possible, and if in the end I can accomplish what I came here for, even better. I believe I still have a lot more to give, but our goal is to make good progression year after year, celebrating every single achievement.

This year I was able to throw 15 metres fairly easily, and I hope next year I am in an even better shape, and to continue to enjoy being out here on the field. I love the crowd, and to see the stadium this full. For us athletes, this support makes it worth investing in sport because of the huge impact this can have. When you see a full stadium and this level of Athletics, I just hope we will be able to have more moments like this going into next year."

...

* Joli coup pour Faith Kipyegon qui remporte le 1500m féminin en 3'58"33 devant la championne olympique Sifan Hassan.

"I knew it would be a tactical race today. It was really my plan to win today. We gave the leading girl a big gap. I was controlling the pace in front. I was confident that in the last lap I could do better and it worked.

This is my second Diamond League Trophy and my first as a mother. My family is wathing tonight from home. I started my season well and I finished it well, I won almost all my competitions, especially the Olympic final. I am so grateful. The atmosphere was wonderful, we are so grateful to run in front of a crowd after last year."

...

* Magnifique duel sur le 1500m avec Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN) qui prend sa revanche sur Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) dans la dernière ligne droite. Le tout avec un chrono superbe  de 3'31"35.

...

* Elaine Thompson Herah soulève les 20 000 spectateurs en réussissant un 100m de feu. La quintuple championne olympique s'impose en 10'65 (+0.6m/s) devant Asher Smith 10'87 et la locale Del Ponte 10'93.

"It has been a crazy season, a long one and a tiring one. I was so consistent because I was just keeping the faith in me and did not allow any negativity. I am really happy and grateful. I am tired now but this is my job.

I would describe this season with one word: amazing, yet it had ups and downs. I have to give God thanks that I am healthy and that I could finish such a long season. The audience was very warm and cheerful, I wished we had so many people to cheer in Tokyo on the finish line.

This year, it was a long season with ups and downs, but next year, the world record is definitely on my mind."

...

* Fred Kerley, vice champion olympique, vient chercher la gagne sur le 100m masculin dans la deuxième partie de course. Il s'impose en 9'87 (-0.4m/s). Andre De Grasse 2e en 9'89, Ronnie Baker 3e en 9'91.

...

* Le champion olympique du 3000m steeple Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR) se fait pièger dans le dernier tour par le Kenyan Benjamin Kigeng vainqueur en 8'17"45, un chrono modeste mais une course intéressante.

* Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) gagne le 800m féminin en 1'57"98 et s'offre une belle récompense. Quelques minutes plus tard Emmanuel Korir (KEN) fait parler son finish pour remporter la course masculine en 1'44"56.

...

* Retour à l'excellence avec une nouvelle performance de choix pour Femke Bol (HOL) qui domine le 400m haies en 52'80, record du meeting à la clé.

"I am really happy. Before the race I made a plan with my coach to get a good time and win with the MR and I got both. On the last 100m I was full of lactic acid, I had to push so hard. I wanted to win so badly, I heard the crowd cheer.

It gave me so much energy, also when they cheered for Lea Sprunger, my training partner. It is great to run such a time this late in the season. It is amazing - I won all the Diamond League meetings and I won here.

My season is really a dream! Everything I could dream about came true this season. I will go on holiday for three weeks in Sardegna, then I will have another week off before restarting the training. This is a wonderful and crazy atmosphere."

...

* Magnifique Karsten Warholm qui s'impose pour la 21e fois consécutive sur 400m haies en 47'35. Un sacré chrono malgré deux faux départs du Turc Copello qui ont pas mal retardé cette course.

"I had a plan, and my plan was to go very very hard the first eight hurdles, and after that, I was just going to tight it all. That was the important thing, to get the win - and to be able to do it was a big achievement for me - I think!

I have few more small meets, and Nationals and those things, but this was my last one which was really important to win, and I am very happy to win it. I just want to go back to training - that's what I love to do, and what I got to do, but it's also going to be very nice to have a break from competition."

...

* Doublé Allemand au javelot avec l'immense Johannes Vetter qui lance à 89.11m et Christine Hussong victorieuse chez les dames avec 65.26m.

...

* Record du monde juniors, record d'Afrique pour Christine Mboma sur 200m avec un temps canon de 21'78 (+0.6m/s). Comme à son habitude, la Namibienne (privée de 400m, sa discipline, pour cause de testostérone trop élevée), a terminé sa course comme une fusée, juste devant Shericka Jackson et ses 21'81.

"When I crossed the finish line, I did not know that I won. Then I just saw my name and I was like: Wow, I won! 

This season was quite tough and very busy. I did a lot of races so now, I am feeling a bit tired. I see some supporters here and I know some of them. It is nice to see the stadium packed, I really like it.

This Trophy means a lot to me. I am glad I was able to run here and get this victory. But still have some two more competitions in my schedule. About the indoors, I will see how my body responses."

...

* La dernière course de cette belle soirée, le 200m, se termine par une magnifique victoire de Kenneth Bednarek en 19'70 (+0.6) devant le champion olympique De Grasse 19'72 et Kerley 19'79, sans doute le podium le plus rapide de l'histoire du Weltklasse.

"This was what I expected for this Diamond League Final. I knew I had to execute it, and to maintain the lead - and that's what I did, and what I got. This is what I wanted to do, and this season is done after this this.

I am taking a break, and going to Hawaii with my girlfriend, so I will come back strong next year, and get ready for Worlds. Honestly, my goal is to win gold at the World Championships back home, and set a personal best - I wan to run 19.40 next year."

...

* Gianmarco Tamberi, le champion olympique de la hauteur, véritable showman, a régalé lui aussi le public Suisse avec un bond à 2.34m suffisant pour gagner. Ceci malgré un entrainement en mode pause depuis sa médaille d'or à Tokyo.

* Le phénoménal Armand Duplantis s'offre le record du meeting avec un bond majestueux à 6.06m. Quelques instants plus tard, dans un stade debout, sous les encouragements de Warholm et de Tamberi, le Suédois tente par trois fois le record du monde à 6.19m, malheureusement sans succès.