Two world records, outstanding Swiss performances and plenty of excitement: Weltklasse Zürich 2026 treated the crowd at the Letzigrund Stadium to a memorable evening of athletics.
25,000 spectators, a sold-out stadium and the world’s athletics elite visiting Zurich: on 27 August 2026, Weltklasse Zürich went from one highlight to the next, turning into one of those evenings when the Letzigrund really begins to buzz. The crowd cheered the athletes on as they crossed the finish line, Swiss flags filled the stands, and time and again all eyes were fixed intently on the scoreboard. In the end , there were two world records, five meeting records and one Swiss record – and countless moments that will be remembered for a long time to come.
Two world records and some spine-tingling moments for Switzerland
Alison dos Santos provided the first historic moment. In the 400m hurdles, the Brazilian pulled away from the field early on and stormed across the finish line in 45.80 seconds. As the time appeared on the scoreboard, the celebrations at the Letzigrund knew almost no bounds: a world record. Dos Santos beat Karsten Warholm’s previous record by 14 hundredths of a second – sparking the first world record celebrations in the stadium since 2009. In the midst of this historic race, Dany Brand also made his mark for Switzerland, setting a personal best of 48.92 seconds.
Less than 40 minutes later, the 25,000 spectators were already witnessing the next historic moment. Masai Russell sprinted to a world record of 12.09 seconds in the 100m hurdles. The American herself spoke afterwards about the special atmosphere in the stadium and said she couldn’t have imagined a better place to set her world record. Two world records in the space of a short time – the Letzigrund was in a state of absolute frenzy.
And then came Audrey Werro. In the 800 metres, the Fribourg native was carried forward by the Swiss crowd on the final lap. Amidst a sea of flags at the Letzigrund, she surged past the competition and ran to victory in 1:53.70 minutes. Swiss record, meeting record, Diamond League record, European U23 record and world best of the year – and one of the most emotional home moments of the evening. Werro fell just 42 hundredths of a second short of the oldest surviving world record in athletics.
There were also plenty of other reasons for Swiss fans to celebrate: Marcel Hug triumphed in the 1,500 metres in a wheelchair, Jason Joseph won the 110-metre hurdles and subsequently enjoyed a long lap of honour in front of the vociferous home crowd, whilst Fabienne Hoenke had already secured the first Swiss victory of the evening in the 200 metres during the preliminary programme. Ditaji Kambundji, Annik Kälin and Simon Ehammer rounded off a strong Swiss performance on the world-class stage.
Anticipation before the start: the women’s 100 m at Weltklasse Zürich 2026. (Photo: Natalie Skorupa, Letzigrund Stadium)
The record-breaking evening at a glance
Alison dos Santos 🇧🇷 · 400 m hurdles · 45.80 s – WORLD RECORD & MEETING RECORD
Masai Russell 🇺🇸 · 100 m hurdles · 12.09 s – WORLD RECORD & MEETING RECORD
Audrey Werro 🇨🇭 · 800 m · 1:53.70 min – SWISS RECORD & MEETING RECORD
Anna Cockrell 🇺🇸 · 400 m hurdles · 52.13 s – MEETING RECORD
Parker Wolfe 🇺🇸 · 3000 m · 7:27.43 min – MEETING RECORD
Armand Duplantis 🇸🇪 · Pole vault · 6.25 m – MEETING RECORD
Duplantis, in particular, provided yet another thrilling moment: the Swede cleared 6.25 metres – a height never before achieved on Swiss soil – and subsequently even had the world record height of 6.32 metres set up for him.
From the world’s elite to the stars of tomorrow
The final cross of the finish line marked the end of an extraordinary, world-class evening – but not the end of the sporting weekend at the Letzigrund. Just two days later, the focus shifted from the world stars to the stars of tomorrow: At the Swiss final of the UBS Kids Cup, the big stage belonged to some 575 young talents from all over Switzerland. They competed in the 60-metre sprint, long jump and ball throw on the very same track where world records had been celebrated just moments before.
On Sunday, the stadium finally showed a completely different side to itself. At the Pink Ribbon Charity Walk, the focus was neither on seconds nor centimetres, but on community and solidarity in the fight against breast cancer.
In the space of just a few days, the Letzigrund showcased the full spectrum of what sport can be: world records and home victories, young athletes’ dreams and shared commitment.
That was WORLD-CLASS. And a weekend full of special moments at the Letzigrund Stadium.
