The Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League meeting on Aug. 27 has once again added one of the world’s best athletes to its roster, further strengthening what is shaping up to be one of the season’s most competitive meets. In an already stacked women’s 800m field, Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson announced she will compete, setting the stage for a rematch against the reigning European champion Audrey Werro.
At just 24, Hodgkinson is one of the most accomplished 800m runners of her generation, but was forced to settle for silver at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Friday. Werro front-ran the race for a commanding win and her first European title in a championship record 1:54.81. Now, Hodgkinson will get another chance to challenge Werro in a field where any of the athletes could contend for the victory.
Switzerland’s Audrey Werro at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships. Photo: Kevin Morris
The best of the best
Hodgkinson and Werro have already faced each other twice outdoors this year, with Werro winning both races and Hodgkinson finishing second. Their third matchup is shaping up to be another exciting showdown. While the two headline the field, the rest of the start list is equally impressive, and Hodgkinson said she couldn’t resist the opportunity to race against the world’s best.
“I signed myself up for Zurich because I knew everyone was in it but me,” Hodgkinson told the BBC. “I want to be in with the best, and I think that’s going to bring out the best in me. There’s no point in me going to a race and time-trialling at the front. The more fun is when you’ve got everyone together, everyone’s going at it, and you don’t know which way it’s going to go.”
Hodgkinson’s training partner, Georgia Hunter Bell of Great Britain, will also compete after winning the women’s 1,500m at the European Championships on Sunday in 4:07.78. Joining her is Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol, the European 800m bronze medallist who continues to make a name for herself at the distance. Reigning world champion Lilian Odira of Kenya is also expected to line up. She defeated Hodgkinson at the Prefontaine Classic, although Hodgkinson had suffered a hard fall earlier that week, which it was speculated may have affected her performance.
Lilian Odira of Kenya wins the women’s 800m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn
All five runners have posted strong performances this season, and with a collection of major championship medals, world leads and near-WR performances among them, the race is shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated events of the meeting.
Even more star power
The women’s 800 metres isn’t the only event bringing together some of the world’s best. The men’s 800 and 1,500 metres are also expected to feature deep fields, while the hurdles events are loaded with star power.
Reigning world champion Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland is the latest addition to the women’s 100m hurdles, and although she has had a quieter outdoor season, she will be a contender in a stacked field.
Canada’s Mariam Abdul-Rashid and American hurdler Masai Russell in the semi-finals of the women’s 60mH at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Photo: Kevin Morris
Among those she will face is American Olympic champion Masai Russell, who is undefeated this season and posted the second-fastest time ever at the Shanghai Diamond League in May, clocking 12.14. Only Nigerian star Tobi Amusan’s WR time of 12.12 (set in 2022) is faster, and she will also be in attendance. Three-time world indoor 60-metre hurdles champion Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas will also line up. Charlton won her third consecutive world indoor title in March and equalled her own world record of 7.65 in the process.
Weltklasse Zürich takes place on Aug. 27 at Letzigrund Stadium. The final start list has not yet been confirmed.