Chasing Diamonds | Zurich Diamond League Review

They say that diamonds are made under pressure and that certainly rings true for last night's Diamond League final in Zurich, with three Australians registering podium finishes in front of a bumper crowd at the most prestigious annual athletics meeting.

Kelsey-Lee Barber (Mike Barber) was the highest placed Australian with a second place finish, whilst Nicola McDermott (Matt Horsnell) and Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) were at their brilliant best to finish third in their respective disciplines.

Barber has developed a reputation as one of the world’s fiercest competitors when it comes to the big stage, and tonight’s Diamond League final proved no different as the reigning world champion and Olympic bronze medallist hurled the javelin 62.68m to beat all bar Germany’s Christin Hussong.

“I just absolutely love to perform! If you ask me to be my best on the biggest stage - I thrive. I want to be challenged and rise to the occasion. I want to be the best. I will find a way to get everything out of my body on the day,” she said.

The performance capped off a sensational season for Barber, who will now turn her attention to defending her world title at the World Championships in Eugene next year.

“There are technical and physical capacities which I need to set me up to defend my world title, but I fully believe I am capable of doing that and more,” she said.

In the high jump it was McDermott who went agonisingly close to clearing a stunning 2.05m, forced to settle for third place with a leap of 2.01m as her Olympic rivals Mariya Lasitskene and Yaroslava Mahuchikh brought their best.

“The 2.05m attempts today were amazing. I will learn the right timing to clear the bar in the near future. It’s such an exciting reality!” she said.

Recording her first miss of the competition at 2.03m, the clean card to 2.01m is reflective of just how far McDermott has come in 2021 – holding a personal best of 1.98m leading into the season.

“Matt [Horsnell] and I are always celebrating the process more than the result. I think that’s the key to success, remaining critical in doing the hard work regardless of how high I jump, yet always being encouraging and holding on to hope that there’s higher heights in the future,” she said.

Eleanor Patterson (Alex Stewart) finished in sixth place of the event when clearing 1.87m, battling a niggle in the lead in to the Diamond League final. 

McSweyn was up to his typical hard-nosed antics in the 1500m, throwing down the gauntlet to archrivals Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot one final time. Crossing the line in third place in a time of 3:32.14 behind the accomplished pair, the King Island product closed an outstanding season on the track that began in Penguin with a 3:50.61 mile on December 29.

McSweyn competed in 10 of a possible 12 Diamond League meets this season along with several standalone international meets, with his consistency at the top level a credit to his rigorous preparation over a number of years.

Fellow Australian Oliver Hoare (Dathan Ritzenhein) finished closely behind McSweyn in fourth place, collecting a swift new personal best of 3:32.66. Hoare raced patiently before making an assertive move to latch onto the lead pack as the race approached the business end, hanging on for fourth place in the world class field.m

The new personal best is a fitting reward for the US-based Australian, who has taken his craft to another level in 2021 to make the Olympic final on debut and lower personal bests across the board.

Rohan Browning’s (Andrew Murphy) second career Diamond League appearance came at the final in Zurich, where he clocked 10.18 (-0.4) to finish in sixth place behind many of the world’s most accomplished sprinters.

“I’m definitely not satisfied with the result, but I came to Europe to test myself against the best in the world week in and week out. I’m satisfied with the lessons I have taken away from the experience. Tonight gave me a good idea of where I sit in the world and what it takes to be one of the best,” he said.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season which saw him win his Olympic heat in 10.01 to become the second fastest Australian man in history, but he says the year is only a foundation for future success.

“I’ve been consistent this year, there’s nothing glamorous about it, but that’s the base you need to be competitive at the world class level. Hopefully next year I can start to win some of these big races,” he said.

Linden Hall raced aggressively in the 1500m as she has done all season, on this occasion mowed down by her rivals over a brutal final lap. Hall finished in sixth place in a time of 4:03.50 after leading through the bell, with the bold tactic only admirable from the Australian who has cemented herself as one of the nation’s great middle-distance women.

Catriona Bisset (Peter Fortune) punched in her sixth sub-two minute 800m performance of the season, crossing the line in seventh place of the high calibre field. The fastest of those time was a scorching 1:58.09 national record in Poland prior to the Olympics, with the long season appearing to finally catch up with the Australian in recent races.

Only a handful of meets remain on the European circuit, follow Athletics Australia’s socials to stay up to date with remaining competitions.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 10/9/2021