At a press conference in Lausanne on Friday, the Athletissima organisers announced the participation of a new lineup of international stars. The women's high jump will feature the world champion and double European champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers, and the bronze medallist from Rome Iryna Gerashchenko.
Last year, these three young women provided a spectacular competition for the Lausanne audience at the City Event: Olyslagers won with 2.02m (it was the world-leading mark and equalled the Oceania record), ahead of Mahuchikh and Gerashchenko (both at 1.97m). A rematch is on the cards for a competition that should go beyond 2 meters.
The champion of the lap (with or without obstacles) Femke Bol will compete in the 400m hurdles in Lausanne. The Dutch athlete, trained by Laurent Meuwly, now a five-time European gold medallist and double world champion, has made it a habit to shine at Athletissima.
While it is generally assumed that the best Swiss athletes will participate in Athletissima, the 2024 edition will have a special dimension. Swiss athletics has never been stronger. In Rome, only Italy, France, and Great Britain performed better.
Seven of the eight athletes who won the nine Swiss medals in the Eternal City (Dominic Lobalu won two) will compete at Athletissima: the gold medalists Lobalu (who will compete in the 1500m), Mujinga Kambundji (100m), Timothé Mumenthaler (200m), Ditaji Kambundji (100m hurdles), Simon Ehammer (long jump), Jason Joseph (110m hurdles), and William Reais (200m).
The 4x100m relay runners, who flirted with the podium on Wednesday, will, of course, also be part of the high-level evening finale.
Among the Swiss stars from Rome, only Angelica Moser will not be able to participate, for the simple reason that the women's pole vault is not on the program.
Among the athletes who participated in Friday's press conference, Timothé Mumenthaler explained his unique journey, marked by various injuries and his studies at the EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne), which do not prevent him from harbouring great ambitions (the Swiss record to beat is 19.98 second). All this under the guidance of Kevin Widmer, who was also "a great" in the half-lap.
