As well as Farah, recently crowned world champions and reigning Olympic champions will be in attendance contesting sixteen Diamond League titles in the Letzigrund Stadium, with the remaining finals taking place in Brussels on September 1st.

Six-time world and four-time Olympic champion Farah will take on Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris in the 5000m final, a rematch between the 34-year-old and the man who beat him to gold at the World Championships in London.

World bronze medalist, Paul Chelimo of the USA, leads the challenging pack that includes the top six from London.

Farah, who won his last track race in the UK on Sunday at the 12th Diamond League meet of the season, will focus on road racing and the marathon following Thursday’s final.

Dafne Schippers and Elaine Thompson are joined by Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the 200m final. Schippers, who successfully defended her 200m world title, will hope to finish her season in style with a Diamond League trophy and the US$50,000 on offer to each winner.

However, Jamaica’s Olympic champion Thompson has a point to prove after a disappointing World Championships and comes into the final with a recent victory over 100m in Birmingham.

It will be an interesting final with 400m Olympic champion Miller-Uibo also among the field. The last time the three contested a 200m race Miller-Uibo was the winner.

The World and Olympic champion Caster Semenya goes for a twentieth straight 800m win, starting as the strong favourite in the 800m final. The challengers include world silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui of Kenya.

Meanwhile, in the men’s 1500m final all podium placed athletes at the World Championships line up in the field. Kenya’s world champion Elijah Motonei Manangoi starts as favourite but faces compatriot Timothy Cheruiyot and Norway’s Filip Ingebrigtsen, who won silver and bronze respectively in London, while GB’s Jake Wightman also competes.

USA’s Emma Coburn, who impressively lead an American one-two in London, faces Olympic champion and world record holder Ruth Jebet of Kenya in the 3000m steeplechase final.

Justin Gatlin, the newly-crowned world champion aims for a fourth Diamond League title. The American will face Britain’s CJ Ujah and Adam Gemili, as well as Akani Simbine of South Africa and Jamaican Asafa Powell.

Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas and Isaac Makwala of Botswana lead the field in the men’s 400m final.

Norwegian star Karsten Warholm steps back on the track after his surprise 400m hurdles win at the World Championships.

He goes out hard and holds on for dear life.

Norway’s @kwarholm the dominant force in #IAAFworlds men’s 400m hurdles final. pic.twitter.com/WrKjbAbmj8

— IAAF (@iaaforg) August 9, 2017

Aiming to go one better than the 21-year-old in the 400m hurdles final is the Olympic champion Kerron Clement, and Turkey’s Yasmani Copello, with Britain’s Jack Green also featuring.

World champion Sally Pearson faces Dawn Harper Nelson and Sharika Nelvis and Britain’s Eilidh Doyle in the women’s 400m hurdles final.

Other British athletes in action include the world silver medallists Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryl Neita, reuniting to contest the Zurich trophy in the women’s 4x100m relay against strong American, Jamaican and German teams.

The javelin final sees a duel between Germany’s recent world champion Johannes Vetter and Olympic champion Thomas Rohler.

While in the women’s event, the world and Olympic champions also battle it out, Czech Barbora Spotakova and Croatia’s Sara Kolak. The same theme continues in the women’s shot put, with China’s world champion Gong Lijiao facing American and Olympic champion Michelle Carter.

Colombian Caterine Ibargüen has dominated in women’s triple jump in recent years, however she a new adversary in world champion Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela. The pair will battle it for the Diamond League triple jump title.

Newly-crowned world champions lead the way on in the men’s jumps. Luvo Manyonga of South Africa in the long jump, Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim in the high jump, and Sam Kendricks of the US in the pole vault who will all aim to end their season’s with a Diamond League trophy.

The track and field action in Zurich begins a day earlier, with the women’s pole vault on Wednesday (August 23) evening at Zurich’s central train station.

Olympic and world champion Katerina Stefanidi will take in USA’s Sandi Morris and Robeilys Peinabdo in the non-Diamond League event.

The post Zurich hosts First Diamond League Final, With Mo Farah Facing Edris in Last Track Race appeared first on Fast Running.

The 30-year-old has had a turbulent week to say the least, but hopes to put it all behind him when he races in the 200m final in Thursday evening.

Makwala’s week began with a 48 hour ban from competing, while officials tried to deal with the norovirus outbreak.

The exclusion meant the Bostwanan athlete missed the 200m heats on Monday and the 400m final on Tuesday.

On Wednesday the Makwala story took another twist, when the Botswanan federation requested that he should be allowed to compete in the 200m semi-finals that evening. Makwala’s 48 bar was officially over at 2pm that day.

Following the request, the IAAF granted Makwala permission to run an individual 200m time-trail early on Wednesday evening, in order to qualify for the semi-finals a few hours later.

Makwala progressed from his time-trail successfully – and celebrated by doing a set of press-ups. He later made it thorough the semi-finals, finishing in second place, to set up an intriguing and eagerly anticipated final on Thursday.

Watch Makwala’s solo time trial and press-ups below.

Botswana’s Sports Minister Thapelo Olopeng said: “The president has set aside a certain day for him.

“It will be a public holiday for people to come and meet Makwala and all over the country there will be celebrations with music and dancing. The man has lifted the name of our country higher and higher, and he deserves this welcome as our hero.”

Botswana officials also intend to submit a complaint to the IAAF about the handling of Makwala’s case.

“The way he performed yesterday (in the 200m heats) he showed no signs of ailment and I don’t understand why the IAAF has continued with the same decision,” said Olopeng.

“They should call for a re-run or give him the same opportunity as they did in the 200m (solo time-trial). They have not responded and if they don’t then we will take the matter forward, we have a legal team waiting to give us advice on how far we can take it.

“What happened to our athlete has created a lot of displeasure in the country and we are very unhappy. To me it’s a great disappointment.”

The post Botswana plan to declare a national ‘Isaac Makwala’ holiday, if he wins gold appeared first on Fast Running.

The 21-year-old took the race from the start and produced a perfectly-paced race to cross the line in 48.35 seconds.

The former decathlete’s gold medal is Norway’s first world track gold since Ingrid Kristiansen in 1987.

Turkey’s Tasmani Capello finished strong to take silver, with USA’s Kerron Clement settling for bronze.

Earlier this year, Warholm impressed when he set a personal best of 48.25 to win the Bislett Games in front of a home Norwegian crowd, but no one expected a World Championships gold medal to come this year.

Watch his reaction below.

In the 200m semi-finals, Botswana’s Isaac Makwala and South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk both qualified for the final.

Earlier in the evening, Makwala ran a solo time trial to make the final, after he was barred from Monday’s heats.

Van Niekerk,who won the 400m gold on Tuesday, only made it through as a fastest loser after finishing third in his semi-final, but the 400m world record holder won’t mind how he made it through, as long as he adds the 200m gold to his 400m title.

In the first semi-final, Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake finished third in 20.19 to qualify, while team-mates Danny Talbot and Zharnel Hughes failed to make it through.

With 20 metres to go Shaunae Miller-Uibo was leading the women’s 400m final, before suffering an apparent leg injury, which forced her to seize up. Seeing the opportunity, Phyllis Francis pounced, and powered home to win the gold in 49.92, a personal best for the American athlete.

Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser took silver in 50.06, another national record, with USA’s Allyson Felix taking bronze in 50.08.

The post Former decathlete Karsten Warholm wins 400m hurdles gold appeared first on Fast Running.

The 30-year-old missed the 200m heats on Monday, and the 400m final on Tuesday, after being put on a 48 hour quarantine bar from competition, while officials tried to deal with the norovirus outbreak.

The Bostwanan athlete’s 48 hours bar was officially up today at 2pm (UK time).

The IAAF said in a statement that it received a written request from the Botswanan federation for Isaac Makwala to compete in the 200 metres.

He has now been granted permission to run an individual 200m qualification race at 6:40pm, with the 200m semi-finals at 8:55pm this evening.

To qualify for the semi-finals Makwala will need to run 20.53 or faster.

The statement read: “Given his quarantine period expired at 14:00 hrs today (9 Aug) and following a medical examination which has declared him fit to compete, we have agreed under our existing rules that assuming he makes the qualification time, he will run in the 200m semi-final round this evening.

“Makwala is required to run a time of 20.53 or faster to advance to the semi-finals. He will run at 18:40hrs this evening on his own in lane 7, which was his original lane draw in the opening round.

“No athletes already qualified for the semi-final will be adversely affected.”

Up to 30 athletes and support staff have been affected by the vomiting bug outbreak, including Ireland’s Thomas Barr, who was forced to withdraw from the 400m semi-finals on Monday.

The post Isaac Makwala to run solo 200m time trial to advance to semi-finals appeared first on Fast Running.

All of those affected, including Ireland’s Thomas Barr, were staying at the same official team hotel.

Botswana’s Isaac Makwala, who intended on doubling in the 200m and 400m, withdrew from Monday’s 200m heats after vomiting. Makwala still hopes to compete in the 400m final later this evening, and is waiting to hear from organisers if he can.

The 30-year-old is considered the one athlete who could challenge Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk for 400m gold. 

Ireland’s hurdler Barr was forced to withdraw from Monday’s 400m hurdles semi-finals. Speaking on Monday, the 25-year-old said: I wasn’t feeling great yesterday (Sunday) evening and later in the night I was hit with a bad bout of gastroenteritis.

“My whole year has been focused on the World Championships. The support yesterday was just brilliant and to not be able to go out and compete today for Ireland is beyond disappointing.”

Canadian athletes and German athletes, including triple jumper Neele Eckhardt were among those also affected.

The hotel in question, The Tower Hotel said environmental health officers and the IAAF concluded the hotel itself was not the source of the illness.

A Local Organising Committee statement said: “There have been a number of cases reported by team members residing within one of the official team hotels.

“Those affected have been supported by both team and LOC medical staff. In addition we have been working with Public Health England to ensure the situation is managed and contained.

“As a result, further advice and guidelines have been issued to team doctors and support staff.”

The post 30 suspected to be affected by norovirus outbreak, including Thomas Barr and Isaac Makwala appeared first on Fast Running.