The best for last?

As the name suggests, “Weltklasse Zürich” already has the highest standards.

In any case, the organizers of the traditional athletics event in the Letzigrund are not displaying false modesty.

But why?

After all, the best of the best are at the start – and only they.

Achim Dreis

sports editor.

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No heats, no qualifications, only finals: that evening, winners were chosen in such quick succession that even die-hard experts occasionally didn't know which direction to look first: 26 decisions between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

"Olympic Games within three hours" - that's what Sebastian Coe, President of the World Athletics Federation, called the ambitious program.

Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic set a world record for the year over 400 meters in the first decision of the evening in 48.99 seconds.

Later, the Norwegian miracle runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen managed an equally strong year-end performance in 3:29.02 minutes over 1500 meters.

Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis (Sweden) sets a meeting record of 6.07 meters.

All in all, it banged with top performances so constantly that even the fireworks at the end almost seemed like a self-affirmation.

Mihambo cannot convince

Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo was also there, but this time she was far from able to confirm her exceptional position.

First attempt: invalid.

Second attempt: invalid.

Third: omitted.

Then finally not overstepped: 6.53 meters.

After all.

It should be her only valid attempt and in the end was only enough for fourth place.

Like in Munich, European champion Ivana Vuleta (Serbia) was unbeatable and scored 6.97 in her first attempt.

In a grueling tour of twelve meetings around the world between mid-May and early September, the elite were filtered out of 32 disciplines.

Only the six best in a point classification qualified for throws and jumps, eight for sprints and middle distances up to 800 meters, and ten for the longer runs.

A total of 252 track and field athletes competed for the 32 symbolic diamonds and a substantial $30,000 for each winner.

A total of 1.92 million dollars was distributed, so it was worth competing again after a grueling season with world and European championships - and even postponing the honeymoon.

Just like Gianmarco Tamberi, the high jump champion, who triumphed the night before at the outsourced event with six decisions on the Sechsläutenplatz.

Eleven locals also took part, but only three Swiss who qualified regularly: decathlete Simon Ehammer took fifth place in the long jump, as did Mujinga Kambundji over 200 meters.

Eight other Swiss were able to enjoy wildcards - also to give the field of participants a local touch.

And the other Germans?

In addition to Mihambo, only three others had qualified for Zurich.

European javelin champion Julian Weber took third place with 83.73 meters.

The two discus throwers Kristin Pudenz and Claudine Vita threw 61.45 and 61.34 meters respectively and finished fourth and fifth.

In addition, Maximilian Thorwirth, as pacemaker, was allowed to lead the 5000-meter runners for two kilometers the evening before.

After the great World Cup disappointment in Eugene and the glorious days of the European Championships in Munich, the question ultimately arose not only as to how well the German track and field athletes are doing on a world scale?

But also what role the Europeans play?

Only 96 of the 252 reported came from the old continent - that is 38 percent.

And when they were digging for diamonds, they rarely had their hands on the trophies.

Just eight of the 32 trophies went to Europe – interestingly, from eight different nations.

In addition to Vuleta, Tamberi, Duplantis and Ingebrigtsen, high jumper Jaroslawa Mahuchikh (Ukraine), hurdler Femke Bol (Netherlands), long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece) and discus thrower Kristjan Ceh (Slovakia) also won.

Incidentally, not only honor and money were tangible incentives for late top performances: The 32 winners in Zurich also received a wild card for the 2023 World Championships in Athletics in Budapest.

From a German point of view, only Malaika Mihambo has this personal access authorization so far - because she is still the current world champion.