ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND, August 31 — Cool weather may have dampened some of the speed at the Weltklasse, but a stunning hurdle run by Kyron McMaster produced the upset of the meet. The British Virgin Islander, who won silver in the Budapest 400H, here found himself in lane 6, just inside gold medalist Karsten Warholm.
As he usually does, Warholm got out fast, but McMaster ran faster, leading for the first 6 hurdles. Only at the seventh barrier did the Norwegian pull even. The two battled terrifically down the straight. In the final step, McMaster dug deeper, and crossed the line just 0.03 ahead of Warholm, 47.27–47.30. Alison dos Santos finished 3rd in 47.62, well ahead of American CJ Allen (48.28).
Said McMaster, “It feels good to get this win after the World Championships last week. I executed and did what I had to do.”
For his part, Warholm admitted, “McMaster gave me a really nice fight. I respect him for keeping the fight in the last meters. The next time, it will be my time for a revenge.”
The 1500 was another race that featured an upset of sorts. Gold medalist Josh Kerr followed the pacer through 800 in 1:51.26 but was suddenly left in front with no one to help with the pace. He didn’t flinch, but wasn’t successful in dropping his many pursuers. With 300 left (2:48.42), the Scotsman still had most of the field in striking distance behind him. He continued to drive hard, and on the final stretch, straining to hold off Budapest 4th-placer Abel Kipsang on the outside, he made the mistake of swinging a bit too wide.
That left a small door open for American Yared Nuguse, who snuck by on the inside with a lean to steal a 0.02 win over Kerr, 3:30.49–3:30.51. Kipsang ran 3rd in 3:30.85, with Britain’s George Mills PRing at 3:30.95. Cole Hocker crossed 9th in 3:32.00.
Said Nuguse, “I was going for it when Kerr opened on the inside. It was a great competition, a great time for me. This race was amazing.”
A swift pace from the start characterized the 5000, with steeple silver medalist Lamecha Girma leading at 3000 (7:43.17). The pack had rapidly thinned out, and Grant Fisher, coming back from a stress reaction, was among those who appeared to have lost contact. Up front, Yomif Kejelcha was the only one with an appetite for the fast pace. Soon the Ethiopian was running alone, with a far-back chase pack of 10K bronze medalist Selemon Barega, Luis Grijalva and a back-in-the-mix Fisher.
Kejelcha, who had been 5th at Worlds, would finish unchallenged in 12:46.91, while Fisher caught Grijalva and chased Barega to the line. The Ethiopian ran 12:54.17 to Fisher’s 12:54.49, with Grijalva at 12:55.88.
“My aim today was to break the meeting record [12:41.86],” explained Kejelcha. “When I saw the red line too much in front I knew that I had to accelerate more and head in front like crazy. I was very confident, I believed that I could keep this pace. I came here to show something. I had wanted to show that in Budapest, too, but it did not work.”
Upset-minded fans had plenty to watch in the 200, as world champion Noah Lyles, in lane 6, got to the halfway point of the race and didn’t boast an appreciable lead. Instead, Zharnel Hughes (5), Erriyon Knighton (7) and Kenny Bednarek (8) all looked as if they had a shot. Knighton moved best against the king, who woke up in the last 20m and lifted to a 19.80 win, safely ahead of Knighton’s 19.87. Hughes (19.94) and Bednarek (19.98) followed.
Quipped Lyles, “Everybody wants to beat me and everybody wants the cake and the crown, but I’m not giving it to them.”
Mondo Duplantis delivered some WR attempts in the vault, but that was after Americans Sam Kendricks and KC Lightfoot got ahead of him on the official’s sheet, both having first-attempt clearances at 19-2¼ (5.85) while Duplantis needed two.
At 19-6¼ (5.95), Duplantis got over on his second, and Kendricks celebrated a clutch third-attempt clearance for his highest vault in 3 years. The bar then went to 19-8¼ (6.00) where Mondo made his first and Kendricks was done.
Said Duplantis, “At the 6.23 [20-5¼] attempts I was not tired; it was a different sensation. They felt surprisingly good. After the 6-meter jump I wanted to wake myself up and do something crazy. My energy was low.”
World champion Gianmarco Tamberi only managed 4th in the high jump at 7-5¾ (2.28). Instead, it was Mutaz Barshim who rose to the occasion with a 7-8½ (2.35) clearance. He was pushed by New Zealander Hamish Kerr, who cleared a national record 7-7¾ (2.33) in 2nd. South Korean Sang-hyeok Woo was 3rd at 7-7 (2.31).
In the long jump, world champ Miltiádis Tentóglou of Greece provided the drama. In 3rd at 26-4½ (8.04) at the start of the final round, he came up with a 26-11 (8.20) to move past Tajay Gayle (26-5¾/8.07) and Jarrion Lawson (26-5/8.05) for the win.
Neeraj Chopra struggled in the javelin. While he found his way back from the 5th-place he had been in early, he couldn’t get past Czech Jakub Vadlejch’s fourth-round 281-8 (85.86). On his last throw, the world champion unleashed an impressive 281-2 (85.71), but would remain in 2nd.
ZÜRICH DL MEN’S RESULTS
200(-0.5): 1. Noah Lyles (US) 19.80;
2. Erriyon Knighton (US) 19.87 (x, 10 WJ, AJ);
3. Zharnel Hughes (GB) 19.94; 4. Kenny Bednarek (US) 19.98; 5. Andre De Grasse (Can) 20.26; 6. Aaron Brown (Can) 20.39; 7. Joshua Hartmann (Ger) 20.43.
Non-DL 400: 1. Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen (Nor) 45.28; 2. Davide Re (Ita) 45.49; 3. Dylan Borlée (Bel) 45.67.
1500: 1. Yared Nuguse (US) 3:30.49 (x, 8 A);
2. Josh Kerr (GB) 3:30.51 (2:48.42); 3. Abel Kipsang (Ken) 3:30.85; 4. George Mills (GB) 3:30.95 PR; 5. Azeddine Habz (Fra) 3:31.36; 6. Niels Laros (Neth) 3:31.63; 7. Stewart McSweyn (Aus) 3:31.92; 8. Raynold Kipkorir (Ken) 3:31.97; 9. Cole Hocker (US) 3:32.00; 10. Mario García (Spa) 3:32.12; 11. Sam Tanner (NZ) 3:32.16; 12. Tom Elmer (Swi) 3:35.03; 13. Mohamed Katir (Spa) 3:40.11;… rabbit—Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (54.84, 56.42 [1:51.26]).
5000: 1. Yomif Kejelcha (Eth) 12:46.91 (10:14.91); 2. Selemon Barega (Eth) 12:54.17;
3. Grant Fisher (US) 12:54.49 (x, 7 A);
4. Luis Grijalva (Gua) 12:55.88; 5. Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (SSud) 13:07.02; 6. Brian Fay (Ire) 13:24.61; 7. Jonas Raess (Swi) 13:27.13; 8. Etienne Daguinos (Fra) 13:29.23; 9. Henrik Børkja Ingebrigtsen (Nor) 13:38.86;… dnf— Lamecha Girma (Eth) (7:43.17), Woody Kincaid (US);… rabbits—Mounir Akbache (Fra) (2:32.54), David Munguti (Ken) (5:07.80).
Non-DL 110H(-0.1): 1. Jason Joseph (Swi) 13.08 NR; 2. Enrique Llopis (Spa) 13.31; 3. Eric Edwards (US) 13.45; 4. David King (GB) 13.60; 5. Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli (I.
400H: 1. Kyron McMaster (BVI) 47.27; 2. Karsten Warholm (Nor) 47.30; 3. Alison dos Santos (Bra) 47.62; 4. CJ Allen (US) 48.28; 5. Wilfried Happio (Fra) 48.42; 6. Trevor Bassitt (US) 49.39;… dnf—Roshawn Clarke (Jam).
Field Events
HJ: 1. Mutaz Barshim (Qat) 7-8½ (2.35) (7-½, 7-2½, 7-4¼ [2], 7-5¾, 7-7, 7-7¾, 7-8½, 7-9¼ [xx], 7-10½ [x]) (2.15, 2.20, 2.24 [2], 2.28, 2.31, 2.33, 2.35, 2.37 [xx], 2.40 [x]); 2. Hamish Kerr (NZ) 7-7¾ (2.33) out NR; 3. Sang-hyeok Woo (SK) 7-7 (2.31); 4. Gianmarco Tamberi (Ita) 7-5¾ (2.28); 5. Ryoichi Akamatsu (Jpn) 7-4¼ (2.24); 6. Shelby McEwen (US) 7-4¼; 7. tie, Loïc Gasch (Swi) & Luis Zayas (Cub) 7-4¼; 9. Tobias Potye (Ger) 7-2½ (2.20); 10. Brandon Starc (Aus) 7-2½.
PV: 1. Mondo Duplantis (Swe) 19-8¼ (6.00) (18-4½, 19-2¼ [2], 19-6¼ [2], 19-8¼, 20-5¼ [xxx]) (5.60, 5.85 [2], 5.95 [2], 6.00, 6.23 [xxx]); 2. Sam Kendricks (US) 19-6¼ (5.95); 3. KC Lightfoot (US) 19-2¼ (5.85); 4. Thibaut Collet (Fra) 19-2¼; 5. Kurtis Marschall (Aus) 19-2¼; 6. tie, Chris Nilsen (US) & Ersu Şaşma (Tur) 18-10¼ (5.75); 8. Ben Broeders (Bel) 18-10¼; 9. Zach McWhorter (US) 18-10¼; 10. EJ Obiena (Phi) 18-4½ (5.60).
LJ: 1. Miltiádis Tentóglou (Gre) 26-11 (8.20) (26-1, 26-4½, 26-1½, p, 26-3, 26-11) (7.95, 8.04, 7.96, p, 8.00, 8.20); 2. Tajay Gayle (Jam) 26-5¾ (8.07); 3. Jarrion Lawson (US) 26-5 (8.05); 4. Radek Juška (CzR) 26-4½ (8.04); 5. Murali Sreeshankar (Ind) 26-2¾ (7.99); 6. Simon Ehammer (Swi) 26-1¾ (7.97); 7. Chris Mitrevski (Aus) 25-7½ (7.81); 8. Will Williams (US) 25-7½ (7.81); 9. Carey McLeod (Jam) 24-11¼ (7.60).
JT: 1. Jakub Vadlejch (CzR) 281-8 (85.86) (f, 273-10, 262-7, 281-8, f, f) (f, 83.46, 80.04, 85.86, f, f); 2. Neeraj Chopra (Ind) 281-2 (85.71) (265-0, f, f, 279-7, f, 281-2) (80.79, f, f, 85.22, f, 85.71); 3. Julian Weber (Ger) 279-0 (85.04); 4. Oliver Helander (Fin) 274-5 (83.65); 5. Edis Matusevičius (Lit) 267-9 (81.62); 6. Anderson Peters (Grn) 265-9 (81.01); 7. Genki Dean (Jpn) 262-3 (79.93); 8. Andrian Mardare (Mol) 259-7 (79.13).
