Aman in upset in thrilling 800m event
Mohammed Aman Daegu at the World Championship in 2011; he holds the indoor event world title
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Zurich Thursday night 30 August saw Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake break meet records at the penultimate Diamond League athletics season event. Bolt ran the 200 metres in a meet record 19.66 despite a chilly 14C degrees and rain that had just let up. He was threatened for 160m by fellow Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade in a race that thrilled the 26,000 fans packed into Letzigrund Stadium.
Yohan Blake knocked 0.01 seconds off Asafa Powell’s 2006 meet record in the 100m, running it in 9.76 seconds and leaving challengers in the dust.
One of the most thrilling events of the evening was a dramatic upset win by Mohammed Aman, who outran new Olympic champion David Rudisha in the 800m, to win in 1:42.53, a new personal best and national record. Aman and Rudisha were nearly even as they entered the straight, but halfway through Aman suddenly pulled ahead.
Valerie Adams gave the crowds at Zurich’s main station a great show the previous day, where the Olympic shot put champion showed her stuff: the Diamond League event was held a day early, at the station, for the third year running.
