Valerie Vili at the New York Diamond League (© Victah Sailer)
For the first time, part of the Weltklasse Zürich action will take place in downtown Zurich.
On 18 August, the world’s best shot putters will be lining up to compete at the impressive main hall of the city’s Main Station. For the women, it will be the Samsung Diamond League final event.
As part of the new Samsung Diamond League, the Weltklasse Zürich will also feature disciplines that had not been staged at Letzigrund Stadium for some years.
Meeting Director Patrick K. Magyar explained, “The Shot Put tends not to get the attention it deserves when staged at its traditional stadium location, simply because the action is too far away for the spectators. That’s a pity, because the shot put is not only an aesthetic discipline, but also exciting to follow as a competition. We have opted for Zurich Main Station as a competition site, as this special location will allow people to take a closer look at the event.”
For once, the shot putters will therefore take centre stage. A large audience will have the opportunity to have a unique view of the athletes and the competition. In the women’s event, Olympic and World champion Valerie Vili of New Zealand, a Samsung Diamond League Ambassador, who has been battling all season with arch rival Nadezhda Ostapchuk, Belarussia’s World indoor champion, for supremacy in their discipline’s Diamond Race, will be looking for a win to derail her rival’s hopes.
Click here for Women's Shot Put Diamond Race point standings
Even though the men’s event is not a Diamond League event this year at Weltklasse Zürich, the field of athletes will be star-studded: Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski from Poland and US star Christian Cantwell both have confirmed to be there for this extraordinary downtown event.
Werner Günthör, Coach Jean-Pierre Egger, and Nik Hartmann of Radio DRS 3
Nik Hartmann of DRS 3 (a Swiss national radio station) will be the host for the athletics show at RailCity. Two experts - triple world champion Werner Günthör and his former coach Jean-Pierre Egger - will help him guide the spectators through the action.
Samsung Diamond League
