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Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain, Tia Clayton of Jamaica, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of Ivory Coast, Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland, and Daryll Neita of Great Britain, from right, cross the finish line during the 100m Women during the World Athletics Diamond League Athletissima athletics meeting at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland, Thursday, August 22, 2024. (KEYSTONE/Laurent Gillieron)
Lausanne

What you need to know before the Diamond League returns

The Diamond League season kicks off on April 26 in Xiamen, China, and is set to deliver plenty of excitement and new features. Will the Swiss athletes, in top form, be able to match their historic performances from last year, which saw them claim ten podium finishes? On a global scale, the increase in prize money is expected to intensify the race for records.

A total of $18 million (around 16 million Swiss Francs) will be distributed across the fifteen stages of the 2025 Wanda Diamond League (including the Zurich finale), with half of it allocated as prize money and the other half for appearance fees. The prize money for each event before the final, including Athletissima on August 20, will be $500,000.

Among the exciting new developments this year, each event will feature certain disciplines labeled “Diamond League Plus,” which will have their prize money doubled compared to the usual amounts. These events will be chosen based on their attractiveness to the organizing committees, which may prioritize disciplines where local athletes are particularly strong.

Athletissima, in this regard, will have plenty of options, as Swiss athletes are coming off an outstanding indoor season, with nine podium finishes at the European Indoor Championships and World Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn and Nanjing.

In 2024, the Diamond League proved to be incredibly successful for Switzerland. Five Swiss athletes collected a total of ten podiums, a historic feat. This included three wins: Ditaji Kambundji in Doha in the 100m hurdles, Angelica Moser in Marrakech in the pole vault, and Dominic Lobalu in London in the 3000m. Additional podiums came from Simon Ehammer (four times!) in the long jump, including in Lausanne, Mujinga Kambundji in the 100m (in Lausanne), and Angelica Moser and Dominic Lobalu, each with a second-place finish.

This year, among the Swiss athletes hoping to join the ranks of podium contenders, we can add Audrey Werro (800m) and Annik Kälin (long jump) to the mix. Get ready!