A staggering 18 gold medalists from the World Athletics Championships in London will be in action at the Diamond League meet in Zurich on August 24th.

The meet in Zurich is a highly important one, with it being the first of two Diamond League finals (the other is in Brussels) and that is shown by the fact that every event being held has a world champion competing; 16 of them are Diamond League events, whilst the Women’s Pole Vault, featuring Katerina Stefanidi , and the Men’s 5,000-meters, featuring Mo Farah, will not contribute to the Diamond Race in those events.

The meet in Zurich is one of three final Diamond League events being held this year, with a meet in Birmingham four days beforehand and the second final in Brussels, which is being held on September 1st

World Champions in both track and field set to be in action

The final Diamond League meets of the year in Zurich and Brussels always attract a strong field, and that is even more notable this time following the recent Championships in London.

Some established stars who added to their success last week will be looking to secure the Diamond League titles. Dafne Schippers will be looking to continue her good form in the 200m, whilst Wayde Van Niekerk will be looking to extend his dominance over the 400m. Van Niekerk’s fellow South African Caster Semenya will be looking for a strong end to her impressive season in the 800m, with surprise 100m champion Justin Gatlin and high jump gold medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim both in action as well.

Two-time world champion Dafne Schippers will be in action (Getty/Matthias Hangst)
Two-time world champion Dafne Schippers will be in action (Getty/Matthias Hangst)

Newer stars of the sport will also be in action, including the American duo of Emma Coburn and Sam Kendricks who won steeplechase and Pole Vault gold respectively in London. Johannes Vetter, who became the second-longest javelin thrower in history, will be in action once again as will long jumper Luvo Manyonga, one of the most popular gold medalists at the World Athletics Championships, and Karsten Warholm, who stormed to the 400m hurdles title. 1500m champion Elijah Manangoi and 5,000m champion Muktar Edris are also racing.

Two of the most successful athletes in history, javelin thrower Barbora Spotakova and 100m hurdler Sally Pearson, will also be in action one final time in 2017 after success in London, with shot putter Lijiao Gong and triple jumper Yulimar Rojas both in action as well. Meanwhile, Stefanidi will be in action in a special Pole Vault on Wednesday night whilst Farah will be racing on the track one final time.

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About the author
Oliver Dickson Jefford
20. English Literature student at the University of Southampton. Aspiring sports journalist from Hertfordshire.