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World champ Blake races to Zurich 100m win

Newly-crowned Jamaican world 100m champion Yohan Blake raced to victory on Thursday in timing a personal best 9.82sec at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich.

Published: 9 September 2011 09:55 CEST
World champ Blake races to Zurich 100m win
Erik van Leeuwen/www.erki.nl

Blake, 21, had raced to gold at the worlds in Daegu in 9.92 following the sensational disqualification of favourite and world record holder Usain Bolt.  

Thursday’s showing was a new personal best for Blake by 0.07sec as he ousted compatriot Asafa Powell by 0.13sec and American world silver medallist Walter Dix (10.04).

Bolt skipped Zurich while Powell was making his return to the track after missing Daegu with a troublesome groin injury.  

Grenadian teen Kirani James also managed a personal best time of 44.36sec in the men’s 400m to add to his just-garnered world title.  

“I am not surprised to win in a personal best time, even though I am just back from Daegu,” Blake told reporters.  

“Usain Bolt told me I’d win tonight but to make sure I do it sub-10 seconds,” Blake added speaking to BBC Sport.  

“The future looks good for me. I’m looking forward to the Olympics next year,” Blake concluded.  

James was for his part delighed to show that his own Daegu success was no flash in the pan as he hared down the home stretch to see off LaShawn Merritt once again and in the process knock a quarter of a second off his personal best.  

“I ran a perfect race. The conditions were better than in Daegu and that’s why I was able to better my personal best. It’s been a great season,” said an exultant James.  

Jamaica’s Jermaine Gonzales was third in 45.39sec.  

Elsewhere, Cuban star Dayron Robles bagged the 110m hurdles in 13.01sec, edging out world champion Jason Richardson to erase some of his Daegu disqualification disappointment.  

“I felt great today until the seventh hurdle – otherwise I’d have run under 13sec,” insisted Robles. “But it’s very satisfying after what happened in Daegu.”  

Australian world champion Sally Pearson was again too good for all comers as she won the women’s 100 metres hurdles in 12.52 ahead of US rival Dawn Harper (12.81) and Canada’s Phylicia George (12.84) while Carmelita Jeter, the 100m world champion, took the women’s 200 metres in 22.47sec, going one better than her Daegu showing at that distance.  

Allyson Felix of the United States was second in 22.40 and Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser completed the podium in 22.59.  

In the women’s 800m gold went to Russia’s world champion Mariya Savinova in 1:58.27 with silver claimed by American Alysia Johnson in 1:58.41. Britain’s Jennifer Meadows took the bronze in 1:58.92 but South Africa’s Caster Semenya could only manage fifth in 1:59.77.  

World champion Ezekiel Kemboi won the 3,000m steeplechase with fellow Kenyans Silas Kiplagat and Haron Keitany completing the podium.  

Another world champion winner Thursday was Vivian Cheruiyot, who bagged the women’s 5,000 metres in 14:30.10 ahead of Sally Kipyego and Linet Chepkwemoi Barasa in another Kenyan one-two-three.

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SWITZERLAND EXPLAINED

Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

Have you heard of Schwingen? Switzerland's national sport involves jute shorts, sawdust, and a whole lot of wrestling,

Published: 7 February 2024 14:19 CET
Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

While relatively unknown outside of Switzerland, and largely concentrated in the country’s German-speaking cantons, Schwingen is Switzerland’s homegrown form of wrestling.

In a sawdust ring, two competitors aim to throw each other onto their backs, with both shoulders touching the ground. Each time this is achieved, a point is awarded to the victor.

All this throwing is achieved by grabbing the leather belt attached to the jute shorts worn by the combatants.

As simple as this sounds, there are several styles of Schwingen and hundreds of recorded holds and grips. Size and strength play a significant role in Schwingen, but flexibility cannot be discounted as a factor in determining a champion. 

A proud history 

Like any martial art, the origins of Schwingen are lost to history, but it’s safe to say that just like the Schuhplattler of neighbouring Bavaria – that’s the slappy lederhosen dance – it’s been around for thousands of years, practised by mountain tribes, and later shepherds tending mountain flocks.

The first depictions in art date from the 13th century and the first written records from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, when local church authorities sought to crack down on the rowdy celebrations that these competitions were associated with.

Indeed, Schwingen was massively restricted for hundreds of years, under the fear that it was leading to drunkenness and all manner of other sinning. The large majority of Schwingen meets at this time took place in isolated areas, far from prying eyes. 

All of this changed with the arrival of industrialization, railways and tourism. With many flocking to rural Switzerland for the beauty of outdoor spaces and quaint local customs, Schwingen was brought back to the cities by fascinated spectators and became so popular that it needed to be codified and organized to regulate it.

To this end, the Schwingerverbandes, or Federal Wrestling Association was founded in 1895.

Read More: Schwingen: Everything you need to know about Switzerland’s ‘national sport’

More popular than ever 

Schwingen is now a very popular sport within Switzerland, practised by a dedicated core of amateurs and professionals, and watched by far, far more,

Experiencing a further boom throughout the 20th century, boosted by broadcast media, it became mass entertainment. It’s a televised sport, revolving around several key meets, at the canton and federal levels. In addition to youth Schwingen, there have been women’s competitions since 1980.

The Federal Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival is the apogee of competitive Schwingen, held every three years – think of it like a Swiss Olympics. The next will be in Glarnerland in 2025. 

Another massive event for Schwingen fans is the Unspunnenfest, held every twelve years in Interlaken. The next of these will be held in 2029.

Crowned in 2022, Joel Wicki from the canton of Luzern is the current Swiss Schwingen champion. Topping out at just over six feet, and weighing in at 110kg, he’s far from the biggest contestants – but then again, it’s not always strength that matters in a Schwingen bout. 

Want to get involved? 

While Schwingen isn’t exactly the kind of thing that international visitors generally involve themselves in, there is a fully packed calendar of events throughout the year for spectators.

These range from indoor events in the winter months, to the larger outdoor competitions during the summer. You can find out more on the Federal Wrestling Association’s website.

You can also track Schwingen competitions, and find out where to watch them on TV or online, via Sport.ch.

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