Weltklasse Zürich

Weltklasse Zürich (English: World Class Zurich) is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it now serves as a final of the Wanda Diamond League, alongside Memorial Van Damme between 2010 and 2019. In 2021 and 2022, Weltklasse Zürich served as the sole final of the Diamond League,^[2] and this is also planned for 2025^[3] and 2027.^[4] So far, 27 world records have been set at Weltklasse Zürich. In 1988, Carl Lewis won the 100-meter duel against Ben Johnson. The time of 9.93 seconds was upgraded to a world record a year later, following Johnson’s doping case.^[5][6]

Weltklasse Zürich
The host stadium – Letzigrund
Date	August – September
Location	Zürich, Switzerland
Event type	Track and field
World Athletics Cat.	GW/DF[1]
Established	12 August 1928; 96 years ago (1928-08-12)
Official site	Diamond League Zürich
2025 Weltklasse Zürich

One of the first large-scale international athletics events (outside the Summer Olympics), it is sometimes referred to as the one-day Olympics. With a budget of about ten million Swiss francs, Weltklasse Zürich ranks among the most expensive events in athletics. Every year, it draws around 25,000 fans to Letzigrund Stadium, with competitions broadcast in up to 135 countries.^[7] Since 2014, Christoph Joho and Andreas Hediger have led the organization as co-directors.^[8][9]

Weltklasse Zürich first took place on 12 August 1928. In the beginning, the meeting was nicknamed by the public the "Nurmi meeting" after the most admired and celebrated participant at the time, Paavo Nurmi. On 21 June 1960, on the Letzigrund track, Armin Hary became the first human to run the 100 m dash in 10.0 seconds.^[10]

UBS has supported Weltklasse Zürich as its main sponsor since 1981.^[11] Other sponsors are Vaudoise Assurances, Migros, Le Gruyère Switzerland, Medica, Omega, Swiss, Lexus, Erdgas and Puma.^[12]

History

The meeting was conceived in 1924 by the athletic section of the FC Zürich which became the Leichtathletik Club Zürich in 1934, and was first held at the Letzigrund on a dirt track on 12 August 1928 as the Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting in Zürich.^[13][14] Since 1935 it also became known as the "American Meeting",^[15][16][17] similar to the Bislett Games, and this continued into the 1950s.^[18][19] A notable hiatus occurred after the 1952 meeting^[20] until the rebuilt Letzigrund Stadium opened in 1958,^[21] although a meeting had still been planned for August 1954.^[22] The name "Weltklasse Zürich" was adopted in 1959.^[23] The meet would not be held regularly on an annual basis until 1973, and the Weltklasse introduced electronic timing the following year.^[13]

During 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Weltklasse Zürich from taking place, instead an event called Inspiration Games was held.^[24]

Track surface

The first surface was made of dirt in 1928, and the first synthetic track surface in Europe was installed in 1968.^[25][13] The number of lanes was increased to eight in the early 1970s which forced the Weltklasse to be put on hold for two years for the construction to take place.^[26][13]

The current surface at the Letzigrund Stadium was developed in 2014 by the Swiss company CONICA.^[27][28][29] The new surface was installed in June 2014 at a cost of 800,000 CHF and was paid for by the city of Zurich, which owns Letzigrund Stadium.^[30]

Editions

Some of the earliest editions were bilateral matches that are not counted among the 29 "Internationales" and Weltklasse meetings organized from 1928 til 1977.^[31]

Weltklasse Zürich editions

Ed.	Meeting	Series	Date	Ref.
	1928 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		12 Aug 1928	[13][14]
	1929 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		13 Aug 1929	[32]
	1932 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		3 Sep 1932	[33]
	1934 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		12 Aug 1934	[34]
	1935 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		8 Aug 1935	[15]
	1937 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		29 Aug 1937	[35]
	1939 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		13 Aug 1939	[36][37]
	1946 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		18 Jul 1946	[38][39]
	1947 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		5 July 1947	[40][41]
	1948 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		21 Aug 1948	[42]
	1949 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		21 Aug 1949	[43][44]
	1951 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		19 Jun 1951	[45][46]
			28 Jul 1951	[18][47]
	1952 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		12 Aug 1952	[48]
	1958 Internationales Leichtathletik-Meeting		1 Jul 1958	[49][50]
			17 Jul 1958	[19]
1st	1959 Weltklasse Zürich		7 Jul 1959	[51][52]
2nd	1960 Weltklasse Zürich		21 Jun 1960	[53]
3rd	1961 Weltklasse Zürich		27 Jun 1961	[54]
4th	1962 Weltklasse Zürich		10 Jul 1962	[55]
5th	1963 Weltklasse Zürich		2 Jul 1963	[56][57]
6th	1964 Weltklasse Zürich		23 Jun 1964	[58][59]
7th	1965 Weltklasse Zürich		29 Jun 1965	[60]
8th	1966 Weltklasse Zürich		30 Jun 1966	[61]
9th	1967 Weltklasse Zürich		4 Jul 1967	[62]
10th	1968 Weltklasse Zürich		2 Jul 1968	[63]
11th	1969 Weltklasse Zürich		4 Jul 1969	[64][65]
12th	1970 Weltklasse Zürich		3 Jul 1970	[66][67]
13th	1973 Weltklasse Zürich		6 Jul 1973	[68][69]
14th	1974 Weltklasse Zürich		16 Aug 1974	[70]
15th	1975 Weltklasse Zürich		20 Aug 1975	[71]
16th	1976 Weltklasse Zürich		18 Aug 1976	[72]
17th	1977 Weltklasse Zürich		24 Aug 1977	[67]
18th	1978 Weltklasse Zürich		16 Aug 1978	[67]
19th	1979 Weltklasse Zürich		15 Aug 1979	[67]
20th	1980 Weltklasse Zürich		13 Aug 1980	[67]
21st	1981 Weltklasse Zürich		19 Aug 1981	[73]
22nd	1982 Weltklasse Zürich		18 Aug 1982	[67]
23rd	1983 Weltklasse Zürich		24 Aug 1983	[73]
24th	1984 Weltklasse Zürich		22 Aug 1984	[73]
25th	1985 Weltklasse Zürich	1985 IAAF Grand Prix	21 Aug 1985	[67]
26th	1986 Weltklasse Zürich	1986 IAAF Grand Prix	13 Aug 1986	[67]
27th	1987 Weltklasse Zürich	1987 IAAF Grand Prix	19 Aug 1987	[67]
28th	1988 Weltklasse Zürich	1988 IAAF Grand Prix	17 Aug 1988	[74]
29th	1989 Weltklasse Zürich	1989 IAAF Grand Prix	16 Aug 1989	[75]
30th	1990 Weltklasse Zürich	1990 IAAF Grand Prix	15 Aug 1990	[76]
31st	1991 Weltklasse Zürich	1991 IAAF Grand Prix	7 Aug 1991	[77]
32nd	1992 Weltklasse Zürich	1992 IAAF Grand Prix	19 Aug 1992	[78]
33rd	1993 Weltklasse Zürich	1993 IAAF Grand Prix	4 Aug 1993	[79]
34th	1994 Weltklasse Zürich	1994 IAAF Grand Prix	17 Aug 1994	[80]
35th	1995 Weltklasse Zürich	1995 IAAF Grand Prix	16 Aug 1995	[81]
36th	1996 Weltklasse Zürich	1996 IAAF Grand Prix	14 Aug 1996	[82]
37th	1997 Weltklasse Zürich	1997 IAAF Grand Prix	13 Aug 1997	[83]
38th	1998 Weltklasse Zürich	1998 IAAF Golden League	12 Aug 1998	[84]
39th	1999 Weltklasse Zürich	1999 IAAF Golden League	11 Aug 1999	[85]
40th	2000 Weltklasse Zürich	2000 IAAF Golden League	11 Aug 2000	[86]
41st	2001 Weltklasse Zürich	2001 IAAF Golden League	17 Aug 2001	[87]
42nd	2002 Weltklasse Zürich	2002 IAAF Golden League	16 Aug 2002	[88]
43rd	2003 Weltklasse Zürich	2003 IAAF Golden League	15 Aug 2003	[89]
44th	2004 Weltklasse Zürich	2004 IAAF Golden League	6 Aug 2004	[90]
45th	2005 Weltklasse Zürich	2005 IAAF Golden League	19 Aug 2005	[91]
46th	2006 Weltklasse Zürich	2006 IAAF Golden League	18 Aug 2006	[92]
47th	2007 Weltklasse Zürich	2007 IAAF Golden League	7 Sep 2007	[93]
48th	2008 Weltklasse Zürich	2008 IAAF Golden League	29 Aug 2008	[94]
49th	2009 Weltklasse Zürich	2009 IAAF Golden League	28 Aug 2009	[95]
50th	2010 Weltklasse Zürich	2010 Diamond League	18–19 Aug 2010	[96]
51st	2011 Weltklasse Zürich	2011 Diamond League	7–8 Sep 2011	[97]
52nd	2012 Weltklasse Zürich	2012 Diamond League	29–30 Aug 2012	[98]
53rd	2013 Weltklasse Zürich	2013 Diamond League	28–29 Aug 2013	[99]
54th	2014 Weltklasse Zürich	2014 Diamond League	28 Aug 2014	[100]
55th	2015 Weltklasse Zürich	2015 Diamond League	2–3 Sep 2015	[101]
56th	2016 Weltklasse Zürich	2016 Diamond League	31 Aug, 1 Sep 2016	[102]
57th	2017 Weltklasse Zürich	2017 Diamond League	23–24 Aug 2017	[103]
58th	2018 Weltklasse Zürich	2018 Diamond League	29–30 Aug 2018	[104]
59th	2019 Weltklasse Zürich	2019 Diamond League	28–29 Aug 2019	[105]
	2020 Inspiration Games	2020 Diamond League	9 Jul 2020	[106]
60th	2021 Weltklasse Zürich	2021 Diamond League	8–9 Sep 2021	[107]
61st	2022 Weltklasse Zürich	2022 Diamond League	7–8 Sep 2022	[108]
62nd	2023 Weltklasse Zürich	2023 Diamond League	30–31 Aug 2023	[109]
63rd	2024 Weltklasse Zürich	2024 Diamond League	4–5 Sep 2024	[110]

World records

Over the course of its history, numerous world records have been set at Weltklasse Zürich.^[111]

World records set at the Weltklasse Zürich

Year	Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality
1959	200 m hurdles (bend)	22.5 h (+1.2 m/s)	Martin Lauer	West Germany
	120 yd hurdles	13.2 h (+1.9 m/s) / 13.56	Martin Lauer	West Germany
	110 m hurdles
1960	100 m	10.0 h	Armin Hary	West Germany
1969	110 m hurdles	13.2 h	Willie Davenport	United States
1973	110 m hurdles	13.1 h	Rod Milburn	United States
1975	Discus throw	70.20 m	Faina Melnik	Soviet Union
1979	1500 m	3:32.1 h	Sebastian Coe	United Kingdom
1980	1500 m	3:52.47	Tatyana Kazankina	Soviet Union
1981	Mile	3:48.53	Sebastian Coe	United Kingdom
	110 m hurdles	12.93 (−0.2 m/s)	Renaldo Nehemiah	United States
1984	100 m	10.76 (+1.7 m/s)	Evelyn Ashford	United States
1985	Mile	4:16.71	Mary Slaney	United States
1988	400 m	43.29	Harry ("Butch") Reynolds	United States
1989	110 m hurdles	12.92 (−0.1 m/s)	Roger Kingdom	United States
1991	4 × 100 m relay	37.67	Michael Marsh Leroy Burrell Dennis Mitchell Carl Lewis	United States
1992	3000 m steeplechase	8:02.08	Moses Kiptanui	Kenya
1995	5000 m	12:44.39	Haile Gebrselassie	Ethiopia
	3000 m steeplechase	7:59.18	Moses Kiptanui	Kenya
1996	Mile	4:12.56	Svetlana Masterkova	Russia
1997	800 m	1:41.24	Wilson Kipketer	Denmark
	3000 m steeplechase	7:59.08	Wilson Boit Kipketer	Kenya
	5000 m	12:41.86	Haile Gebrselassie	Ethiopia
2006	100 m	9.77 (+1.0 m/s)	Asafa Powell	Jamaica
2009	Pole vault	5.06 m	Yelena Isinbayeva	Russia

Meeting records

Men

Men's meeting records of the Weltklasse Zürich

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Meet	Ref.
100 m	9.76 (+1.4 m/s)	Yohan Blake	Jamaica	30 August 2012	2012	[112][113]
200 m	19.52 (−0.6 m/s)	Noah Lyles	United States	8 September 2022	2022	[114]
400 m	43.29	Harry ("Butch") Reynolds	United States	17 August 1988	1988
800 m	1:41.24	Wilson Kipketer	Denmark	13 August 1997	1997
1500 m	3:26.45	Hicham El Guerrouj	Morocco	12 August 1998	1998
Mile	3:45.19	Noureddine Morceli	Algeria	16 August 1995	1995
3000 m	7:32.54	Said Aouita	Morocco	13 August 1986	1986
5000 m	12:41.86	Haile Gebrselassie	Ethiopia	13 August 1997	1997
110 m hurdles	12.92 (−0.1 m/s)	Roger Kingdom	United States	16 August 1989	1989
400 m hurdles	46.92	Karsten Warholm	Norway	29 August 2019	2019	[115]
3000 m steeplechase	7:56.54	Saif Saeed Shaheen	Qatar	18 August 2006	2006
	7:53.17 X	Brahim Boulami	Morocco	16 August 2002	2002
High jump	2.40 m	Charles Austin	United States	7 August 1991	1991
Pole vault	6.07 m	Armand Duplantis	Sweden	8 September 2022	2022	[116]
Long jump	8.65 m (−0.5 m/s) DLR	Juan Miguel Echevarría	Cuba	29 August 2019	2019	[117]
Triple jump	17.80 m (+0.1 m/s)	Christian Taylor	United States	1 September 2016	2016	[118]
Shot put	23.23 m DLR	Joe Kovacs	United States	7 September 2022	2022	[119]
Discus throw	71.12 m	Virgilijus Alekna	Lithuania	11 August 2000	2000
Hammer throw	83.24 m	Andrey Abduvaliyev	Uzbekistan	17 August 1994	1994
Javelin throw	92.28 m	Raymond Hecht	Germany	14 August 1996	1996
4 × 100 m relay	37.45 DLR	Trell Kimmons Wallace Spearmon Tyson Gay Michael Rodgers	United States	19 August 2010	2010

Women

Women's meeting records of the Weltklasse Zürich

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Meet	Ref.	Video
100 m	10.65 (+0.6 m/s)	Elaine Thompson-Herah	Jamaica	9 September 2021	2021	[120]
	10.65 (−0.8 m/s)	Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce	Jamaica	8 September 2022	2022	[121]
200 m	21.66 (−1.0 m/s)	Merlene Ottey	Jamaica	15 August 1990	1990
400 m	48.86	Jarmila Kratochvílová	Czechoslovakia	18 August 1982	1982
800 m	1:54.01	Pamela Jelimo	Kenya	29 August 2008	2008
1000 m	2:32.70	Jolanta Januchta	Poland	19 August 1981	1981
1500 m	3:52.47	Tatyana Kazankina	Soviet Union	13 August 1980	1980
Mile	4:12.56	Svetlana Masterkova	Russia	14 August 1996	1996
3000 m	8:22.34	Almaz Ayana	Ethiopia	3 September 2015	2015	[122]
5000 m	14:09.52	Beatrice Chebet	Kenya	5 September 2024	2024	[123]
100 m hurdles	12.29 (−0.3 m/s)	Tobi Amusan	Nigeria	8 September 2022	2022	[124]
400 m hurdles	52.80	Femke Bol	Netherlands	9 September 2021	2021	[125]
3000 m steeplechase	8:55.29	Ruth Jebet	Bahrain	24 August 2017	2017	[126]
High jump	2.05 m	Mariya Lasitskene	ANA	8 September 2021	2021	[127]
Pole vault	5.06 m (outdoor)	Yelena Isinbayeva	Russia	28 August 2009	2009
	4.91 m (indoor)	Nina Kennedy	Australia	30 August 2023	2023	[128]
Long jump	7.39 m (+0.3 m/s)	Heike Drechsler	East Germany	21 August 1985	1985
Triple jump	15.48 m (+0.3 m/s)	Yulimar Rojas	Venezuela	9 September 2021	2021	[129]
Shot put	20.98 m [130]	Valerie Adams	New Zealand	28 August 2013	2013	[131]
Discus throw	70.20 m	Faina Melnik	Soviet Union	20 August 1975	1975
Javelin throw	69.57 m DLR	Christina Obergföll	Germany	8 September 2011	2011	[132]
4 × 100 m relay	41.60	Sherone Simpson Natasha Morrison Elaine Thompson Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce	Jamaica	3 September 2015	2015	[133]

See also

• Athletissima
• Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern