A winner of ’19 WC silver and ’24 Olympic bronze, Brittany Brown earned a chance to fight for another 200 medal in Tokyo. (DIAMOND LEAGUE AG)
ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND, August 28 — The U.S. contingent contesting the Tokyo furlong grew from a trio to a quartet after Brittany Brown bagged herself a Wild Card to the WC with a gutsy 200 win.
In a reverse of the sharp end of the ’19 WC final, Brown dug deep down the homestraight of the famed Letzigrund Stadium to hold off Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith. The pair clocked 22.13 and 22.18,.
“These last couple of races I’ve been really consistent,” said a delighted and relieved Brown. “Eight months ago, I had surgery [to treat endometriosis that had troubled her for years], so I’m really pleased to make the team. I just needed a little longer, one more shot, to make it.”
The Olympic bronze medalist, who had finished a frustrated 4th at the USATF Championships this summer, added, “There was pressure as there was only one spot because at the U.S. Trials there are usually three spots but I’m really happy with my progression knowing from where I started.”
Paris 100 champion Julien Alfred had her first race since her 21.71 in the 200 at the London DL more than a month ago but showed that rumors of the St. Lucian having hamstring problems might have had an element of fake news.
The former Texas Longhorn flew to a 100 victory in 10.76, edging in front of Jamaica’s fast-starting Tia Clayton in the final 20 with the latter finishing 2nd in 10.84.
Like Alfred, Ackera Nugent’s win in the 100H earned her an enhanced payday as her event had been deemed one of 4 women’s “Diamond+ Discipline” in Zürich. Thus, the win garnered the Jamaican a 1st prize of $50,000 instead of the usual $30,000.
Nugent’s compatriot, 2-time world champion Danielle Williams, was the quickest over the first 5 hurdles but faded over the second half of the race as Nugent (lane 4) and local favorite Ditaji Kambundji, 3 lanes to her outside, battled for the victory.
Nugent, the ’23 NCAA winner, surged in front over the final two barriers and won in a season’s best of 12.30 as Kambundji equaled her Swiss Record with 12.40.
Femke Bol extended her impressive 400H streak to 30 DL races contested, 30 DL races won, when she glided to victory in 52.18. Bol now has 7 of the top 8 times over the barriers this year.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s early season 52.07 punctures that list but the Olympic champion has decided not to contest the 400H in Tokyo.
Here Bol was quickest to the first hurdle and was never headed, with Emma Zapletalová a full second behind in a Slovak NR of 53.18.
Delighting the home crowd, and putting herself into 800 medal consideration in Tokyo, Audrey Werro set her second Swiss Record in 4 days when she held off Britain’s Olympic 1500 bronze medalist Georgia Hunter-Bell to cross the line in 1:55.91.
Werro tucked herself behind the pacemaker who went through the bell in a quick 55.86 and continued to push hard over the third furlong. Coming into the last bend, Hunter-Bell was 5th and just slightly boxed but extracted herself to claw back much of the deficit down the home straight. The Briton’s late move, nonetheless, left her with too much to do and she had to settle for 2nd and a 1:55.96 PR.
In addition to Brown’s 200 triumph, the other U.S. woman to win on the meet’s second day was discus diva Valarie Allman, who almost predictably took her fifth consecutive DL trophy.
In good throwing conditions early in the program, after a first-round foul, Allman took the lead on her next throw with 216-11 (66.12) and followed that up with 220-5 (67.18) and then 227-0 (69.18) before finishing off her series with 219-1 (66.79) and 224-8 (68.49) to win by more than 2m. Four of Allman’s 5 valid throws were better than Jorinde van Klinken’s 220-3 (67.15). The Dutch thrower’s best came in the final round and moved her up from 3rd to 2nd.
“I am really proud of this season,” Allman said. “We have had to produce it one meet at a time, but there is no denying that the Wanda Diamond League Final and the World Championships are the meets that I care about the most and have been the most excited for. So, today I felt nervous, I felt that tension of just wanting to perform and having everything come together.”
Though a two-time Olympic winner, Allman is still missing a WC gold after bronze at Eugene ’22 and silver in Budapest. The latter was her most recent defeat, more than two years ago.
Since then, Allman has put together a 28-meet winning streak and will go to Tokyo as one of the hottest favorites — along with Bol — for gold in the women’s events.
“I know there is a lot more there, and I really want to execute at my best in Tokyo,” Allman added. “That has been my goal, to put up a performance around 70m [230ft], and that hopefully will come away with gold. I feel that the battle that we will have in Tokyo will be so memorable, and [an opportunity] to have that full circle moment, to go back there after my first Olympic Games.”
In the other long throw, Greece’s Elína Tzénggo nailed the javelin title with her first-round 211-10 (64.57). Worryingly for the host nation of the forthcoming World Champs, Japan’s big hope for gold in Tokyo continued to struggle to find her best form. Haruka Kitaguchi, the ’23 WC and ’24 OG winner, was unable again to surpass 200ft and could only finish 6th and last with 199-2 (60.72), her last throw and only cast beyond 60m.
Bahrain’s Paris silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser went out hard from the gun in the 400 and on this occasion didn’t tire down the homestraight before crossing the line in a meet record 48.70. The time consigned to history the ’82 Weltklasse best of 48.86 that had belonged for 43 years to 800 WR-holder Jarmila Kratochvílová.
Naser, bouncing back from a poor outing in the Lausanne deluge, turned the tables on Paris champion Marileidy Paulino, whose usual fast finish wasn’t good enough this time. The Dominican Republic runner had to settle for 2nd in 49.23.
Behind the leading pair, Norway’s Henriette Jæger and Chile’s Martina Weil set NRs of 49.49 and 49.72 in 3rd and 4th.
Kenya’s Faith Cherotich produced a seemingly routine win in the steeple. Her 8:57.24 won by more than 13 seconds from Kazakhstan’s Kenyan-born ’22 WC winner Norah Jeruto, who was 2nd in 9:10.87.
In more dramatic fashion, Jessica Hull had a 10-meter lead coming into the homestraight in a Nikki Hiltz-less 1500 but Cherotich’s compatriot Nelly Chepchirchir ran down the tiring Australian with a stunning sprint over the last 50 to take the win at the line, 3:56.99–3:57.02.
Confusion reigned in the 3000 as Ethiopia’s ’24 African 5000 champion Fantaye Belayneh won a 3-way battle in 8:40.59, hitting the front with 70 to go. However, Belayneh competed with her compatriot Aleshign Baweke’s bib and it took officials around 45 minutes before they discovered their mistake and corrected the results.
When everything was finally resolved, Belayneh earned herself a Wild Card to Tokyo and can be added to the Ethiopian 5000 contingent.
Josette Andrews, who made her first U.S. team for a global outdoor champs when she finished 3rd in the USATF 5000, pushed the pace for much of the last kilo and took a good 2nd in 8:40.95.
In the triple jump, Leyanis Pérez led a Cuban 1-2-3 with 48-11 (14.91) in the third round. The mark was just 2cm short of her yearly world lead set in winning the World Indoor title. Her only other valid effort measured 48-10¾ (14.90).
Curiously, none of the ’24 Olympic podium — Dominica’s Thea LaFond, Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts, and ’25 U.S. titlist Jasmine Moore — could make the top 3. They finished 4-5-6.
Italy’s Larissa Iapichino took the long jump title with her third round 22-9 (6.93) but had a nail-biting moment when Germany’s Malaika Mihambo landed just a centimeter short in the final frame.
ZÜRICH WOMEN’S RESULTS, DAY 2
100(0.3): 1. Julien Alfred (StL) 10.76; 2. Tia Clayton (Jam) 10.84; 3. Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith (CI) 10.92; 4. Dina Asher-Smith (GB) 10.94; 5. Jacious Sears (US) 10.96; 6. Zoe Hobbs (NZ) 11.09; 7. Maia McCoy (US) 11.14.
200(-0.4): 1. Brittany Brown (US) 22.13; 2. Asher-Smith 22.18; 3. Ta Lou-Smith 22.25; 4. Anavia Battle (US) 22.49; 5. Amy Hunt (GB) 22.61; 6. Jenna Prandini (US) 22.70; 7. Jessika Gbai (CI) 22.71; 8. McKenzie Long (US) 22.72.
400: 1. Salwa Eid Naser (Bhr) 48.70; 2. Marileidy Paulino (DR) 49.23; 3. Henriette Jæger (Nor) 49.49 NR; 4. Martina Weil (Chl) 49.72 NR; 5. Amber Anning (GB) 49.75; 6. Bella Whittaker (US) 49.99; 7. Lieke Klaver (Neth) 50.23; 8. Natalia Bukowiecka (Pol) 51.06.
800: 1. Audrey Werro (Swi) 1:55.91 NR; 2. Georgia Hunter Bell (GB) 1:55.96 PR; 3. Anaïs Bourgoin (Fra) 1:56.97 PR; 4. Shafiqua Maloney (StV) 1:57.29 NR; 5. Halimah Nakaayi (Uga) 1:58.43; 6. Prudence Sekgodiso (SA) 1:58.57; 7. Sarah Billings (Aus) 1:58.76; 8. Addy Wiley (US) 1:59.14;… rabbit—Lisanne de Witte (Neth) (55.86).
1500: 1. Nelly Chepchirchir (Ken) 3:56.99; 2. Jessica Hull (Aus) 3:57.02; 3. Linden Hall (Aus) 3:57.44; 4. Sinclaire Johnson (US) 3:57.80; 5. Heather MacLean (US) 3:59.43; 6. Susan Ejore-Sanders (Ken) 3:59.48; 7. Birke Haylom (Eth) 3:59.70; 8. Sarah Healy (Ire) 3:59.90;… rabbit—Catriona Bisset (Aus) (61.36).
3000: 1. Fantaye Belayneh (Eth) 8:40.56; 2. Josette Andrews (US) 8:40.95 PR; 3. Likina Amebaw (Eth) 8:41.06; 4. Georgia Griffith (Aus) 8:41.36; 5. Aleshign Baweke (Eth) 8:42.35; 6. Marta García (Spa) 8:42.63; 7. Caroline Nyaga (Ken) 8:43.43; 8. Hannah Nuttall (GB) 8:44.74.
St: 1. Faith Cherotich (Ken) 8:57.24; 2. Norah Jeruto (Kaz) 9:10.87; 3. Marwa Bouzayani (Tun) 9:12.03; 4. Courtney Wayment (US) 9:14.91; 5. Gabrielle Jennings (US) 9:15.56; 6. Daisy Jepkemei (Kaz) 9:15.98; 7. Olivia Markezich (US) 9:22.20; 8. Lea Meyer (Ger) 9:26.08.
100H(-0.6): 1. Ackera Nugent (Jam) 12.30; 2. Ditaji Kambundji (Swi) 12.40 =NR; 3. Grace Stark (US) 12.44; 4. Danielle Williams (Jam) 12.44; 5. Nadine Visser (Neth) 12.45; 6. Tonea Marshall (US) 12.49; 7. Devynne Charlton (Bah) 12.52; 8. Keni Harrison (US) 12.72.
400H: 1. Femke Bol (Neth) 52.18; 2. Emma Zapletalová (Svk) 53.18 NR; 3. Andrenette Knight (Jam) 53.76; 4. Gianna Woodruff (Pan) 54.24; 5. Naomi Van Den Broeck (Bel) 54.83; 6. Amalie Hammild Iuel (Nor) 55.34; 7. Ayomide Folorunso (Ita) 55.77.
Field Events
LJ: 1. Larissa Iapichino (Ita) 22-9 (6.93) (f, 22-1½, 22-9, f, p, f) (f, 6.74, 6.93, f, p, f); 2. Malaika Mihambo (Ger) 22-8½ (6.92) (22-4¼, f, p, 21-6¼, f, 22-8½) (6.81, f, p, 6.56, f, 6.92); 3. Hilary Kpatcha (Fra) 22-1¾ (6.75); 4. Claire Bryant (US) 21-10¼ (6.66); 5. Annik Kälin (Swi) 21-6 (6.55); 6. Monae’ Nichols (US) 21-2 (6.45).
TJ: 1. Leyanis Pérez (Cub) 48-11 (14.91) (f, f, 48-11, 48-10¾, f, f) (f, f, 14.91, 14.90, f, f); 2. Liadagmis Povea (Cub) 48-3½ (14.72) (f, 48-3½, f, 48-½, 46-11½, 48-½) (f, 14.72, f, 14.64, 14.31, 14.64); 3. Davisleidis L. Velazco (Cub) 48-¾ (14.65) (f, 47-9, f, 48-¾, f, 47-3¾) (f, 14.55, f, 14.65, f, 14.42); 4. Thea LaFond (Dom) 47-11¾ (14.62); 5. Shanieka Ricketts (Jam) 47-1 (14.35); 6. Jasmine Moore (US) 46-8¾ (14.24).
DT: 1. Valarie Allman (US) 227-0 (69.18) (f, 216-11, 220-5, 227-0, 219-1, 224-8) (f, 66.12, 67.18, 69.18, 66.79, 68.49); 2. Jorinde van Klinken (Neth) 220-3 (67.15); 3. Yaimé Pérez (Cub) 216-9 (66.08); 4. Sandra Elkasević (Cro) 213-7 (65.10); 5. Cierra Jackson (US) 211-3 (64.40); 6. Lagi Tausaga (US) 208-4 (63.51).
JT: 1. Elína Tzénggo (Gre) 211-10 (64.57); 2. Adriana Vilagoš (Ser) 206-7 (62.96) ; 3. Jo-Ané Du Plessis (SA) 204-3 (62.26); 4. Mackenzie Little (Aus) 203-3 (61.96); 5. Flor Dennis Ruiz (Col) 199-8 (60.86); 6. Haruka Kitaguchi (Jpn) 195-11 (59.72).
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