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The Zurich Diamond League will be the final of this year’s Wanda DL and promises to be a mouth-watering affair on Wednesday and Thursday. 25 champions and 41 other medalists from Tokyo Olympics will be landing in Zurich to end their season on a high note.
The 12th meeting of the summer series offers the gold medalists the prestigious Diamond League trophy and winner’s prize of $30,000. The series winner will also get a wildcard for next year’s World Athletics Championships scheduled for Eugen, Oregon.
Here are some of the key things to look out for at the Zurich Diamond League
'Sprint Face-offs' at Zurich Diamond League
Olympic 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah will be the star attraction in a packed women’s 100m race. She ran a blistering 10.54 seconds in Euguene last month.
However, she will now be a clear favorite after the "Pocket Rocket" Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce pulled out of the Zurich Diamond League.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou, who has run 10.78 this year, and British duo Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita are also on the provisional starting list.
In women’s 200m event at the Zurich Diamond League, world 200m champion Asher-Smith will face stiff competition in Namibia’s Christine Mboma and Shericka Jackson of Jamaica.
Asher-Smith, 25, won bronze in both Paris (100m) and Brussels (200m) after an injury marred the Tokyo Olympics.
In the men's sprints, Canada's Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse and American 100m silver medallist Fred Kerley are named in both events.
'Biggies' at Zurich Diamond League
Norway’s Karsten Warholm will start as the overwhelming favorite in the 400m event. After shattering the world record with a mind-blowing 45.94 to win Olympic gold, he clocked a modest 45.51 in Lausanne. The Norwegian will be eager to end his season on a high in front of a large crowd.
Also Read: Zurich Diamond League 2021 event timings, and live streaming details
His 20-year-old compatriot Jakob Ingebrigtsen is listed for both the 1500m and 5,000m.
If he competes in both, he would run in two different venues. The 5000m event will take place on Wednesday, while 1500m will be held on Thursday.
The 1500m Olympic champion will battle Kenyan world champion Timothy Cheruiyot over the metric mile.
In pole vault Sweden’s Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis will once again be eyeing for an elusive world record of 6.19m. He faces two-time American world champion Sam Kendricks, who was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Games after testing positive for COVID-19.
Elsewhere, Kenya’s Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon (1500m) will face legendary Sifan Hassan. America’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser would also like to end his season with an unbeaten streak in men’s shot put.
The women's high jump at the Zurich Diamond League will feature all three medallists - Mariya Lasitskene, Nicola McDermott and Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
