Lhe Zurich meeting hosted the Diamond League finals on 7 and 8 September and their procession of stars for the last major meeting of the athletics season, two months after the Eugene Worlds in July. In total, Africa has collected eight medals, a good harvest while waiting for 2023.
Eight coronations for the African continent
It’s done: Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali is the new undisputed king of the world 3,000m steeplechase. It thus puts an end to the unchallenged reign of Kenyan athletes over the discipline. With a time of 8’07’68, he beat Ethiopian Getnet Wale (8’08’56) and Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot (8’08’61), respectively fourth and fifth in the world championships.
World champion, Olympic champion, he adds a line to his record, where only the continental coronation is missing to complete the loop. After the 2001 Golden League won by Hicham El Guerrouj, Soufiane El Bakkali is the first Moroccan athlete to triumph at the annual series of international meetings.
Undoubtedly the African athlete of the year, Tobi Amusan (Nigeria, 100m hurdles W) is writing the history of Nigerian and African sport more than ever. After defending her African title in June (12’57), she became world champion after setting the African record in the first round (12’40), then the world record in the semi-finals (12’12 ). She misses the new world record not approved due to too favorable a wind (+ 4.0 m/s), but with an incredible time of 12’06 in the final. After defending the retention of the Commonwealth Games title (12’30), she finally won the Diamond League final (12’29), a new meeting record, overtaking the legendary American sprinter Gail Devers and her record 22 years old (12’39), this is the fourth best performance of the season. She is ahead of Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, undefeated before the Diamond League final. The apotheosis for the Nigerian sprinter.
Silver medalist in Eugene, Werkuha Getachew (Ethiopia, 3,000m steeplechase F) made up for it with a first title won in the Diamond League. In a race where the Kazakh world champion of Kenyan origin Norah Jeruto did not show up, she was the big favorite and was able to confirm her rank. The second best performer in the world of the year won with a time of 9’03’57, ahead of Winfred Mutile Yavi (Bahrain) and Faith Cherotich (Kenya).
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Kenya, true to its tradition
World champion and reigning Olympic champion, Emmanuel Korir (Kenya, 800 m H) continues to dominate the discipline. Well hooked by the Canadian Marco Arop, bronze medalist in Eugene, he won in a final sprint in 1’43’26 (compared to 1’43’38 for the Canadian), a better time than that achieved in the final of the world championships (1’43’71’) and the best world performance of the year. Fourth in the Tokyo Games, seventh in the Eugene World Championships and silver medalist in the Commonwealth Games, Nicholas Kipkorir (Kenya, 5,000 m H) won his first major title in world athletics. With a victory in 12’59’05 in a race where the leaders of the discipline were missing, such as the Norwegian Jakob Ingrebrigtsen, Jacob Krop (Kenya), Oscar Chelimo (Uganda) or Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda). A first significant victory despite everything for this young 23-year-old rider.
Considered by many to be the best runner of all time in her discipline, Faith Kipyegon (Kenya, 1,500 m F), double world champion and double Olympic champion, has once again confirmed her rank. Intractable, she managed to win her second consecutive Diamond League by winning in 4’00’44, ahead of the Irish Ciara Mageean and the Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu, without forcing, with a time far from the performance accomplished at the championships of Eugene’s world (3’53’96), proof of the margin she has over the rest of her opponents. This is the third diamond won for the Kenyan runner.
Among the women, Mary Moraa (Kenya, 800m), bronze medalist at the Worlds, made up for it well to close this Diamond League season, winning ahead of Briton Keely Hodgkinson, vice-world champion and Olympic vice-champion. American Athing Mu, who has won everything over the past two seasons, did not take part in the final. African champion, vice-world champion, then winner of the Commonwealth Games, Beatrice Chebet (Kenya, 5,000m) won the first diamond of her career by winning a race organized in the heart of downtown Zurich. Wednesday. Her victory was decided in a sprint ahead of her compatriot Margareth Kipkemboi, the Ethiopian world champion Gudaf Tsegay and the Dutch champion of Ethiopian origin Sifan Hassan. She achieves her personal best with a time of 14’31’03 and the fifth best performance of the year.
Some notable performances should be noted, such as in the 100m, the Ivorian Marie-Josée Ta Lou took third place in the 100m (10’91), behind the untouchable Jamaican duo Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who descended seven times under 10’70 this season and stronger than ever at the age of 35, and Shericka Jackson.
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The Burkinabé Hugues Fabrice Zango could only grab 4th place in the triple jump with a triple jump at 17.43m. We also note the fine performance of South African Olympic champion and world champion Wayde Van Niekerk in the 400m, who achieved his best time since 2017 and his injury having deprived him of competition for more than two years.
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