The 2023 World Athletics Championships have been run and won but the Diamond League series is building to a perfect crescendo, as reigning world champion Nina Kennedy brings the athletics fever to Zurich when leading the world’s biggest names including 10 Australians.

Thursday, August 31:

1:30am - Women’s Pole Vault:

For the very first time, Nina Kennedy (Paul Burgess) will be introduced as the reigning world champion at the Zurich Diamond League, alongside Katie Moon (USA) after the duo split a historic gold in Budapest.

Set to take place inside Zurich train station on the opening night of the two-day meet, Kennedy will jump free of pressure with the world title locked away, fresh off clearing back-to-back national records en route to gold – entering the top-10 all-time with a 4.90m clearance.

The field of 10 features nine of the 12 women who qualified for the Women’s Pole Vault Final at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, spearheaded by Kennedy and Moon, while Wilma Murto (Finland) will be out to upgrade her bronze.

The 26-year-old Australian already has one Diamond League win to her name in 2023 after taking out top spot in Paris, with Kennedy drawing on good memories in Zurich after being crowned the 2022 Diamond League champion at this very competition last year.

Friday, September 1:

2:48am - Men’s High Jump:

Brandon Starc (Alex Stewart) will look to put a frustrating 2023 World Championships campaign behind him in Zurich, after qualifying for the final and claiming eighth place in Budapest.

It’s a strong result for most, but the equal Australian record holder’s holds himself to lofty standards. The two-time Olympic finalist finds the perfect opportunity to serve up an immediate reply to his global rivals on the Diamond League circuit, as the likes of reigning world champion Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy) and equal world leader Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) look to continue their dominance.

Starc’s two Diamond League appearances to date in 2023 have reaped two fourth-place finishes, with the 29-year-old determined to salvage further results and continuity in the back half of his campaign after an interrupted year due to injury.

3:18am - Men’s Pole Vault:

Kurtis Marschall (Paul Burgess) ticked off a lifetime goal when flying to global bronze at the World Championships in Budapest, but the Western Australian would love nothing more than to cap off his breakout year with a six-metre clearance in Zurich.

Vaulting an equal personal best of 5.95m on his first attempt to clinch the Budapest bronze alongside Christopher Nilsen (USA), Marschall confirmed his career-best form and cemented his status as a heavyweight of global pole vault.

The world rank number five will once again meet world record holder Armand Duplantis (Sweden) and six-metre vaulter Ernest John Obiena (Philippines) who took gold and silver respectively at the World Championships, along with four other finalists including Nilsen.

If Marschall can overcome the elusive six-metre barrier, he will become the fourth Australian man in history to do so.

4:24am - Men’s Long Jump:

After a 13^th place finish on the world stage, long jumper Chris Mitrevski (John Boas) is ready to launch into his Dimond League debut in Zurich.

The Budapest 2023 World Championships saw Mitrevski narrowly miss the Men’s Long Jump Final by a gruelling one centimetre when producing a season’s best leap of 7.99m. Mitrevski will have little doubt as to whether his best form is good enough, possessing a personal best of 8.21m which would have landed him in the top-five in Budapest – out to prove that he belongs amongst the biggest names in Zurich.  

In a stacked field, the world’s best jumpers are backing it up after performances at the World Championships. The 27-year-old will be seeking to continue his form against current world champion, Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece) who took out the world title with a performance of 8.52m.

The world rank number 17 jumped a windy 8.19m (+2.2) in Finland this June, and his Diamond League debut presents as a key opportunity to hone his craft under pressure.

4:41am - Men’s 1500m:

Returning to the 1500m after being sent packing in the heats at the Budapest World Championships, Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) is ready to stamp his presence in a star-studded field in Zurich.

Australia’s first man in history to shatter 3:30 over 1500m, McSweyn is poised to tackle reigning world champion Josh Kerr (GBR) and long-time rival Mohamed Katir (Spain), while the lineup also includes Yared Nuguse (USA), Narve Nordas (Norway) and rising teenager Niels Laros (Netherlands).

The King Island product has historically gone unfazed by those standing next to him on the start line, forging a reputation of front-running and not getting caught up in the tactical games behind him. McSweyn bounced back in Budapest to finish in 13^th place of the Men’s 5000m, after taking a tumble in the heats but being advanced.

Fellow Australian and World Championships teammate Matthew Ramsden (Nic Bideau) will pace the race.

4:53am - Women’s 800m:

2023 has witnessed Catriona Bisset (Ned Brophy-Williams) become the first woman from Oceania to shatter 1:58 over 800m, before posting consecutive sub two-minute performances in the heats and semi-finals at the Budapest World Championships.

While Bisset is edging towards her maiden global final at her own pace, tonight’s Diamond League showdown in Zurich features a compact field, with the Australian ranked fifth in the field on seasons best – only 0.33-seconds behind top seed Raevyn Rogers (USA).

One athlete not accounted for on that list is Olympic silver medallist over 1500m, Laura Muir (GBR) who is yet to contest an 800m in 2023. Bisset’s record indicates that she is more suited to the fast-paced and organised nature of Diamond League races, recording four top-four finishes this year.

Fellow Australian and World Championships teammate Ellie Sanford (Terri Cater) will pace the race.

5:52 - Women’s 4x100m:

The Australian 4x100m women will be out to prove their progress in 2023 after crashing out of the heats at the World Championships after an unsuccessful second changeover. Set to run with the same quartet of Ebony Lane (Matt Carter), Bree Masters (Ryan Hoffman), Kristie Edwards (David Reid) and Torrie Lewis (Andrew Iselin), Australia will compete against six other countries.

By Lachlan Moorhouse and Hugh Parrott, Athletics Australia
Posted: 30/8/2023