ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND, August 28 — The shuffling of the World Athletic calendar to move the Diamond League Final to a slot before the World Championships makes perfect sense to many, but perhaps left a packed audience at the 64th Weltklasse wondering what happened to their grand old track meet.
The sport’s biggest stars stayed away in droves and match-ups between top-flight performers on the track were few indeed. One event that came through was the final race of the night, the 200 meters, featuring another battle between Noah Lyles and his Olympic conqueror, Letsile Tebogo.
With temps dropping to the mid-60s on a nearly windless evening, Lyles readied himself in lane 6 with Tebogo in 7. The most notable absentee was Kenny Bednarek. In four lifetime meetings with Lyles, Tebogo had only triumphed once, when it counted most in Paris.
Tebogo got out best at the gun, blasting the turn and emerging on the straight ahead of his rival. Lyles pulled even with 70 to go but the Motswana did not fold. Tooth and nail they both fought, and it was only on the lean that fans could see Lyles gaining an inch or two. He took the win, 19.74–19.76 into a 0.6 wind. It was the closest result of any of their 5 races.
The American thus celebrated his sixth diamond trophy: “6—it is a big number. The most important is getting wins. I know if I panicked, I was not going to win. If you are tight you are done for. I saw Letsile lean on the finishline and I leaned on the finishline but I knew I won. I can always ask for more.”
Tebogo says he will have more in Tokyo. “This is not my true potential right now. I feel there is still a lot more in the tank that people need to see. I take this as a big motivation for my training and from tomorrow, until the last day of the 200m final, I have to give it all my best. I have to give all out.”
He added, “He wins today; tomorrow, he can lose it. I believe since Paris, he has been humble, he has not been talking so much… We are equally balanced at the moment.”
Another event that delivered star power was the 800, which featured all the usual suspects. Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi chased the rabbit (49.00) with a 49.5, ahead of Max Burgin and Marco Arop. American Josh Hoey, needing a win to make it to Tokyo, passed the pole in 6th (50.2).
Wanyonyi continued the torrid clip through 600 in 1:15.6, with…
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