Penultimate Wanda Diamond League meet goes Thursday at Zürich Weltklasse meet...
One of the biggest meets of the post-Olympics calendar this season happens Thursday as the Weltklasse Zürich, the fourteenth meet of the fifteen-meet Wanda Diamond League series, takes center stage.
The meet actually started Wednesday with the women's pole vault, contested away from Letzigrund Stadion at the Zürich train station.
Former Pullman resident and Washington State University volunteer coach Katie Moon (Paul Merca photo) finished third with a best of 15-9.75 (4.82m).
Olympic champion Nina Kennedy of Australia took the victory with a jump of 15-11.75 (4.87m).
Olympic 1500 meter silver medalist Josh Kerr of the Brooks Beasts is one of the headliners of the Weltklasse meet. The native of Edinburgh, Scotland who trains in Seattle, faces off against Oregon alum and Olympic champion Cole Hocker, Notre Dame alum and Olympic bronze medalist Jared Nuguse, along with fourth placer Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, who won the 5000 in Paris after his disappointment in the 1500.
Also competing in the Zürich Weltklasse meet is Kerr's former Brooks Beast teammate Nia Akins.
The two time US national champion and Paris Olympian, who left the Beasts and opted out of her contract with Brooks after the Olympics, is entered in the women's 800 in what is arguably a crowded field of thirteen athletes.
The field includes Olympic 1500 bronze medalist and former Cal standout Georgia Bell of Great Britain; Olympic 800m bronze medalist and reigning world champion Mary Moraa of Kenya; Olympic 800m finalist Jemma Reekie of Great Britain; and American Addy Wiley, who ran 1:56.83 on August 28th.
Washington State alum CJ Allen, who is currently second in the Wanda Diamond League standings in the 400 hurdles with 28 points, goes in his specialty in his first race since the Paris Olympics.
Allen goes against a stacked field that includes former Olympic champion Karsten Warholm of Norway, Olympic bronze medalist and current Diamond League points leader Alison dos Santos of Brazil; Abderrahman Samba of Qatar; and Rasmus Mägi of Estonia.
Peacock ($) will stream the meet starting at 11 am Pacific time.
BOTH WESTERN WASHINGTON VIKING SQUADS IN USTFCCCA NATIONAL TOP 15...
The Western Washington men's and women's cross country teams start the 2024 season in the national top 15 in the USTFCCCA Division II pre-season coaches poll released Wednesday.
The Viking women were ranked number 9 in the coaches poll, after finishing 14th at the NCAA championships last year.
The Division II women's top five teams are in order: Adams State, defending champion Grand Valley State, Western Colorado, Augustana (South Dakota), and Colorado State University-Pueblo.
The University of Alaska is the only other school in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference ranked in the national top 30.
Western Washington's men's squad, which like the women, are the defending GNAC champions, goes into the 2024 season ranked number 12 in the pre-season poll.
The national men's pre season top 5 are in order: defending national champion Wingate, East Central (Oklahoma), Colorado School of Mines, West Texas A&M, and Grand Valley State.
The Vikings are the only GNAC school ranked in the top 30.
In the coming days, paulmerca.blogspot.com will publish a preview of the four Washington NCAA Division II teams, including Western Washington.
Western Washington opens its season on September 14th when it travels to Lakewood to compete in the Green River Gator Invitational at Fort Steillacoom Park.
NOTE: The Wanda Diamond League, the Weltklasse Zürich, and the USTFCCCA contributed to this report.
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