At 22, Jakob Ingebrigtsen is already one of the greatest runners of all time. Olympic champion in the 1’500m, world champion in the 5’000m and quadruple reigning European champion over these two distances, the Norwegian shines both in Championships and in meetings. Last year in Lausanne, he set a world leading (WL) performance over 1’500m, in 3'29''06. This year, he is back to run even faster.
Joshua Cheptegei's meeting appearances are less frequent. The performance of the Ugandan flying at Athletissima, over 5’000 m, will be interesting. In a tactical or a record race, Cheptegei is (almost) always the best: he is double world champion in the 10’000m, Olympic champion in the 5’000m and world record holder for both distances. He intends to do much better this year than when he last came to Lausanne (4th in the 5’000m in 2019), where his best result was 3rd place in 2017.
Femke Bol will run the 400m hurdles, in what is currently one of the hottest events. The Dutchwoman coached by Laurent Meuwly is more than ever in full form after her resounding and unprecedented triple in the history of athletics, last year at the European Championships in Munich, where she won gold in the 400m, 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay. This winter, she smashed the world indoor record in the 400m (49''26), which Jarmila Kratochvilova had held for more than 40 years. Femke Bol will attempt the “hat-trick” in Lausanne after her successes in 2021 and 2022, in the 400m hurdles.
The Swiss public will have their eyes on Mujinga Kambundji as well as Simon Ehammer. Kambundji, double European gold medallist in recent months in the outdoors (200m in Munich) and the indoors (60m in Istanbul), will challenge the best sprinters from across the Atlantic, over 100m.
Simon Ehammer will perform for the first time in Lausanne. The Swiss decathlon star will face specialists in the long jump, a discipline in which he won the bronze medal at the 2022 Worlds in Eugene (USA).
For Athletissima, other big names will be announced over the coming weeks.
