The people of Zurich call it “the Bellevue”, the two connected central squares of their metropolis between the opera house and Lake Zurich.

And this name says it all for all kinds of festivities that can be celebrated on Bellevueplatz and Sechseläutenplatz opposite the lake promenade.

From the circus tent to the ferris wheel, everything has been seen that can attract people.

So why not give athletics a big stage too?

Especially since she visits one of her biggest events in the city every year: the final of the Diamond League in the Letzigrund stadium, which has been used immodestly as “Weltklasse Zürich”.

Achim Dreis

Sports editor.

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And so a perfect Swiss-style stage was set up: for high and long jumpers, shot putters, and even 5000 meter runners.

It has been quite common for some years now to outsource individual disciplines to city centers.

Zurich had already dared to do it, with pole vaulters in the station hall.

But the construction of a circular track for long distance runners was just as new as it was ambitious.

“Our sport has to survive thanks to innovations,” said Sebastian Coe, President of the World Athletics (WA), at the start of the event. And seemed very satisfied with the “little Letzigrund” by the lake, originally intended for 10,000 spectators, but ultimately only allowed for 2,500 due to the pandemic regulations. But they could see well. Seven disciplines in two hours left more time to enjoy than the other 25 competitions in close succession within four hours on the following evening in the stadium.

On Utoquai, the main traffic artery on the lake, which passes the Sechseläutenplatz, the cars rolled through the evening traffic at walking pace, while the athletes were hardly slower on the specially laid track: Berihu Aregawi from Ethiopia needed 12: 58.65 minutes for his victory over 5000 meters. An average speed of 23.1 kilometers per hour. To do this, he rounded the square in front of the opera house 8.8 times. Usually the 5000 meters have to be completed over twelve and a half stadium laps of exactly 400 meters.

The Swiss course, on the other hand, measured exactly 563 meters when the plastic track was completely laid, which was due to the local conditions. And then the track had to be provided with sloping curves so that the runners could get around in the tight radii. Any records would therefore not have been recognized, but that was not the point. The contact with the audience could hardly have been closer. That counted.

This closeness apparently also spurred the best high jumpers, who offered an Olympic-worthy competition on Wednesday and flew even higher than in Tokyo. At the end of the season, Mariya Lasitskene, who started as a neutral athlete, rose by one centimeter to her world best of the year: 2.05 meters. A difference of two centimeters made the difference to the $ 30,000 prize money for the Russian Olympic champion and against the Ukrainian Yaroslawa Mahutschich (2.03).

On the other hand, long jump Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo, who had to be content with fifth out of six participants after a disappointing competition and a meager 6.56 meters, did not fly again. Also penultimate was an evening later at the original location in Letzigrund Gesa Krause, who crossed the 3000 meter obstacle after 9: 32.69 minutes, 25 seconds behind, came ninth out of ten and confessed: “The air is slowly out. At some point you reach your limits. "

Javelin thrower Johannes Vetter had not shifted his limits as hoped this season.

After throwing the second best distance ever achieved last year with 97.76 meters, he dreamed of the first one hundred meter blow.

Nothing came of it.

In Zurich he won the Diamond League with 89.11 meters, as did his discipline colleague Christin Hussong (65.26 meters) in the women’s category, thus creating a perfect “cliff hanger” for the coming year.

With the victory in the Diamond League, the start authorization for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene is connected, which throws good prospects for the coming year, in which Vetter is aiming for nothing less than the European Championship title and World Cup victory.

Both seem at least more realistic than a javelin throwing competition at Bellevue.