The 2023 World Athletics Championships witnessed some of the greatest performances we’ve ever seen in the sport. Many records have been shattered, and athletes like Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Shericka Jackson have showcased landmark athleticism at the championship. While the world championships have concluded, these mavericks have another platform to showcase their prowess in a few days. As the fans and the athletes are gearing up for the 2023 Zurich Diamond League, aka Weltklasse Zurich, here’s some background on some must-see performers at the event.

The two-day league is scheduled to kick off on August 30th and conclude on August 31st and will be held in the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland. The first day of the league will have the women’s pole vault, while the final day will have a long list of events like 100-meter and 200-meter heats, triple jump, hurdle races, steeplechase, etc.

The event will be organized at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, and a long list of global athletes are all set to compete in the league. The newly crowned track and field world champions would be looking to hold their ground, while the newcomers would strive to create upsets. The world witnessed Noah Lyles win the first double of his career while Sha’Carri Richardson claimed the 100-meter title, leaving behind legends like Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

But Jackson came back stronger at her 200-meter heat and left her counterparts behind by a huge margin. Their remarkable performances are fueling the anticipation for the Zurich league. As the excitement for the Swiss event peaks here is a list of track and field runners to watch out for.

Sha’Carri Richardson

This 23-year-old runner from Dallas, Texas, has established herself as the next big thing in women’s athletics. Her career graph has only been moving upward since she stepped foot on the track. She came under the notice of the track and field world in 2019 when she broke the 100-meter university-level competition record and crossed the finish line in 10.65 seconds.

With this record, she also entered the list of the top ten fastest women in the world. In 2021, she became the sixth-fastest woman athlete when she bettered her record and ran a personal best of 10.72 seconds.

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Sha’Carri Richardson became the 100-meter national champion this year in July when she crossed the finish line in 10.82 seconds at the USATF. She won her first Diamond League in May this year and also posted a new meeting record of 10.76 seconds in Doha. On August 22, Sha’Carri Richardson made history when she became the 100-meter world champion after a 10.65-second finish.

On August 26, Richardson once again breezed through finish line in the 200-meter heat and clinched a bronze for the USA. She is one of those athletes who is known for her rivalry with the Jamaican sprinters like Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. With her recent performances, she is definitely an athlete to keep an eye on in the upcoming Diamond League.

Noah Lyles

This young American runner is constantly looked at as the one who can shatter Usain Bolt’s records. Lyles is one of the best runners in the modern era, with exceptional technical prowess.

He is a five-time Diamond League champion and is among the fewest athletes to have won the double in this league. In addition to this, he won the 100-meter and 200-meter heats in the Diamond League in 2019. It looks like Diamond League is totally his thing, and he loves to compete in this high-pressure events.

Lyles won the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics and is a six-time world champion. He won the 200-meter title in the 2022 World Championships and was also part of the 4×400-meter relay team that finished second in the championships. He even broke Usain Bolt’s record for most 200-meter heats finished under 20 seconds.

He made headlines in August 2023 when he became the world champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter events. In the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Lyles became the 100-meter champion after clocking an incredible finish of 10.83 seconds. In the 200 meters, this American sensation crossed the finish line in 19.52 seconds and became only the eighth man in history to win a world championship double. Now, he is all girded up to make his mark in the upcoming Diamond League.

Shericka Jackson

Jackson has been a dominant force in the women’s track and field. She has multiple accolades to her name, which also include being the fastest woman alive in 200 meters and the second fastest in the world after Florence Griffith Joyner.

Jackson won the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 100 meters and also won gold in the 4×100 relay and bronze in the 4×400 relay at the same event. She participated in the 2022 World Championships and won a silver in the 100-meter heat and a gold in the 200-meter heat.

Going by her talent, she claimed the title of 200-meter runner after a dominating finish of 21.41 seconds on the tracks of Budapest. With this time, she also became the fastest woman alive in 200 meters. In the same championships, she fell short of her American rival, Sha’Carri Richardson, and finished second with a time of 10.72 seconds. 29-year-old Jackson is definitely going to be an athlete that the world will have its eyes on. However she’ll only compete in 200 meter heat and will skip 100 meter event.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

This 36-year-old Jamaican holds a unique place in the track and field world and has earned the tag of a legend with her resilience and dedication. Fraser-Pryce is one of the most prominent figures in athletics, and her career spans over two decades. 100-meter heats are regarded as her territory, as she has won two Olympic gold medals in this category and is also a five-time world champion in 100 meters.

As far as her Diamond League appearances are concerned, she has won gold medals in the 100 meter in the years 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2022. She has also won a gold in the 200 meter in the 2013 Diamond League.

Apart from this, she holds multiple Diamond League medals. She also went through many ups and downs over these years, but she kept going with her head held high. She also embraced motherhood during her career and still kept winning races. In the 2023 World Athletics Championships, she finished third in the 100 meter with an impressive time of 10.77 seconds. She is still going strong and is the one who can pull out miracles at any point in time.

Andre De Grasse

No one will ever forget that Usain Bolt and De Grasse moment at the 2016 Rio Olympics 200-meter semi-finals. De Grasse is one of the most looked-up-to athletes in the track and field world and has been a consistent performer for the last few years. He is a six-time Olympic medalist and the Canadian record holder in the 200 meter with a time of 19.62 seconds.

He is also the first Canadian runner to win three Olympic medals in a single event. This 28-year-old runner won a gold medal in the 200-meter dash at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2015, he was part of the Canadian team that won the bronze medal in 4×400 meters at the World Championships, and later in 2022, he was also there on the track when Canada clinched the world title in 4×400 relay.

In 2016, De Grasse won the 100 meters in the Oslo Diamond League and the 200 meters in Rome. He also participated at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and finished sixth with a time of 20.14 seconds. Even though De Grasse did not win the race, his talent cannot be ignored, and he can be a real threat to anyone at any time.

Elaine Thompson-Herah

She is the fastest woman alive in 100 meters and is definitely going to be a much-buzzed-about athlete at the Zurich Diamond League. She is often regarded as one of the greatest runners of all time. This 31-year-old Jamaican has won five Olympic gold medals and is only the second runner after Usain Bolt to win 100-meter and 200-meter golds at two consecutive Olympics.

Like every other athlete, she also had to face injuries in her decorated career, which affected her performance at the Worlds in 2017 and 2019. But she came back stronger in the 2020 Summer Olympics, claiming 100-meter and 200-meter golds with new heat records. She has won three gold medals in the Diamond League in 100-meter heats in the years 2016, 2017, and 2021.

She currently holds the world record of 10.54 seconds in 100 meters that she set in the 2021 Prefontaine Classic. She has also been named Sportswoman of the Year and World Athletics World Female Athlete of the Year. She has won every championship that is there for an athlete to win and is still striving to win more.

Rai Benjamin

This American hurdler and 100-meter sprinter is the second fastest man in the 400-meter hurdle race. He is one of those few athletes who won an Olympic medal in his first participation. He also won gold medals in the 4×400-meter relay heats in 2019 and 2021. This 26-year-old runner was part of the team that set the indoor record of 3:00.77 in the 4×400 relay in 2018.

His individual relay time of 44.35 seconds is the fastest ever in an indoor race. In June 2018, he played a vital role in the NCAA’s victory in the 4×400 relay. He rose to prominence when he became the three-time New York State Public High School Athletic Association champion in the 400-meter hurdles in 2015.

The very same year, he also won a silver medal at the CARIFTA Games in 400 meters. He was also part of the team that won gold in the 4×400 relay at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha. This year, he played a crucial role in the victory of the United States in the 4×400-meter relay at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. He is one of the most promising track and field athletes out there, and Team USA will be hoping for him to perform at the Zurich Diamond League.

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As the athletes prepare to showcase their prowess, the spotlight falls on the new generation, like Richardson’s undeniable speed and Lyles’ potential to rewrite records. Jackson’s versatility, Fraser-Pryce’s enduring legacy, De Grasse’s constant threat, Thompson-Herah’s blazing speed, and Benjamin’s hurdling excellence contribute to a breathtaking lineup. Each athlete’s journey, from breakthroughs to overcoming obstacles, is a testament to their dedication and determination.
With the Zurich Diamond League just around the corner, the world holds its breath for moments of pure athleticism, unbridled determination, and feats that will undoubtedly leave fans in awe. The stage is set, and as these remarkable athletes step onto the track, the anticipation for more records to be shattered and legends to be forged continues to grow.

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