The men and women's 200m as well as the pole vault are again set to be the flagship events at Athletissima 2021, taking place on August 26 in Lausanne. Following discussions with the Diamond League, Athletissima has been given events that will see a flood of stars.
Another satisfying element is the date: the meeting will take place 18 days after the end of the Tokyo Olympics, providing enough time for athletes to recover from the emotions and effort. The event will take place two weeks before the Diamond League’s Grand Final scheduled in Zurich.
The 14 events that will take place at Athletissima are: for the men, the 200m, 800m, 3000m, 110m hurdles, pole vault, shot put and javelin, and for the women, the 100m, 400m, 1500m, 400m hurdles, high jump, long jump, and triple jump. A women's 4x100m relay will also be on the program, but it will not be officially part of the Diamond League.
| Men | Women |
| 200 m | 100 m |
| 800 m | 400 m |
| 3000 m | 1500 m |
| 110 m hurdles | 400 m hurdles |
| Pole Vault | High Jump |
| Shot Put | Long Jump |
| Javelin | Triple Jump |
Lea Sprunger's latest at the Pontaise
The women’s 400m and 400m hurdles guarantee seeing in Lausanne, for one last time, Lea Sprunger, the reigning European champion in the 400m hurdles. The Swiss has announced that 2021 will be her last season. In Lausanne, she will have the choice between the two events.
The two number 1 athletes in 2020, that were both crowned “Athlete of the Year” last weekend by World Athletics, will potentially and even probably be there: The Swede, Armand Duplantis, is expected to participate in the pole vault, and the Venezuelan, Yulimar Rojas, in the triple jump.
The latter (women’s triple jump) is one of the five events brought back by World Athletics, after the backlash from dissatisfied athletes after they were dropped in 2020 from the Diamond League.
Among these events is also the 200m, and that's good: “The turn at La Pontaise is exceptional, as Usain Bolt himself has always stated”, noted the meeting’s Director, Jacky Delapierre. A guy like the American, Noah Lyles, star of the U-turn, is sure to set the tone in Lausanne.
In general, the organisers welcome the resurgence of European athletics, which has regained a lot of ground and, in some cases, even surpassed American athletics in recent months.
Don’t miss out in nine months on the shores of Lake Geneva!
