Barshim back to his best after victory in Zurich

Qatar’s high jump superstar Mutaz Barshim showed glimpses of returning to his best after winning the Zurich Diamond League title at the Stadion Letzigrund on Thursday.
The Olympic champion cleared 2.35 metres to win and earn a bit of redemption after his disappointing bronze at the Budapest World Championships last week. New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr was runner-up after clearing 2.33m for national record and his personal best. South Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo took third spot at 2.24m, beating newly-crowned world champion Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy on countback.
Barshim went clear at 2.15 and 2.20 but needed second attempt to go past 2.24. But thereafter the 32-year-old was clinical until 2.35. Once the victory was in his bag, Barshim made an attempt at 2.37 twice and 2.40m once but it wasn’t meant to be.
Barshim, also a three-time World Champion, said he wasn’t at his best physically or mentally but was ‘proud’ of his victory. “I had some solid jumps today – to jump 2.35 – and I am not the freshest coming from the World Championships physically and mentally a bit tired but I am proud of myself today,” the Qatari legend after his victory.
“It felt good and it was a good competition. You know, last week it was really hot today so this weather feels pretty cold. To win one event, it does not mean anything, you need to prove it. That is the sport – sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. So I am very glad for the win today.”
“I really felt like I found something that was missing in my jumps. I would say I am kind of a family guy – boring one – always at home with my family and my friends. I travel a lot so whenever I can spend some time with my family with them and they give me an extra energy to have them here,” he added.
Barshim said now his main priority is to retain the Asian Games gold in China later this month, while also hoping to triumph at the Diamond League Finals, which will be held in Eugene, USA on September 16 and 17. “Now, Eugene is probably on the schedule but for us, the Asian Games is very important too so I need to talk to my agent first,” Barshim said.
Lyles, Richardson back up
world titles in Zurich
Meanwhile, Americans Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson cemented their status as fastest in the world this year with victories in Zurich on Thursday. Richardson, who captured her first world 100m title in Budapest last week in a sizzling 10.65 seconds, pulled away from the field over the final 30 metres in Zurich to cross in 10.88.
Lyles, golden in the sprint treble of 100, 200 and 4x100 relay in Hungary, held off American teammate Erriyon Knighton to win the 200 in 19.80, an impressive time in the chilly 16C conditions. Knighton clocked 19.87 in second.
Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson maintained her dominance over 200m with an easy victory. Four days after her jaw-dropping 21.41 time in Budapest – the second fastest in history – she ran 21.82. “I have two more races,” Jackson said. “This full house is wonderful, I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot. I wanted to come out here and perform.”
But there was a first Diamond League defeat in five years for Norway’s hurdler supreme Karsten Warholm, as Josh Kerr (1500m) and India’s Neeraj Chopra (javelin) were also pushed off the top of the podiums after success in Budapest.
Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands handed world record holder Warholm his first 400 hurdles loss this season, taking victory in 47.27 to edge the weary-looking world champion Norwegian who crossed in 47.30. Warholm, whose last Diamond League defeat came way back in September 2018 – also in Zurich and also to McMaster, set the meet record of 46.92 in 2019, but was far off that as he clocked 47.30sec, three-hundredths of a second off the fast-finishing winner.
“The next time, it will be my time for revenge but we are all very good competitors,” Warholm said. “The level is so high, I cannot have bad days anymore. The world championship was the most important thing, but I want to win everything.”
Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela won the women’s triple jump and, unlike the world championships where she barely squeaked into the final before securing victory with her final attempt, the Olympic champion and world record holder leapt 15.15 metres to win by almost half a metre.
Armand Duplantis of Sweden sailed over 6.00 metres to win the pole vault. The Olympic champion and twice reigning world champion failed on three attempts at 6.23 – what would have been the seventh time he has bettered the world record.
Yared Nuguse of the US pipped Briton Kerr at the line to win the men’s 1,500m by two hundredths of a second. Kerr’s upset of Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen over the same distance was one of the highlights of last week’s worlds.
While Indian superstar Chopra came second to Czech javelin thrower Jakub Vadlejch. Winfred Yavi of Bahrain passed world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya with a lap remaining in a carbon copy of her world victory to win the women’s 3,000 steeplechase. Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia won a men’s 5,000 race in which Lamecha Girma, the world record holder in the 3,000 steeplechase, dropped out with two laps to go.