Crouser will fire shots in Lausanne

It seems that the world record breakers of 2023 are working on shift. Kenyan queen Faith Kipyegon, who broke the 1500 and 5000 metres records in consecutive Diamond League meets earlier this month, has gone home to her adoring countrymen, juicy financial rewards from her government and the fifth birthday of her daughter.

Ethiopian Lamecha Girma, who dismantled the men’s 3000m steeplechase record on the same night in Paris when the little Kenyan clocked 14.05.20 for the 5000m, is off duty too as the Diamond League rolls into Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 30.

While they bask in the glory of their achievements, the season’s other world record breaker, Ryan Crouser, will step into the throwing circle in Lausanne. The massive American extended his own mark from 23.37 to 23.56 metres in Los Angeles in May as part of a super six-throw series. It was so consistent that you can’t rule out the possibility of more records.

His six marks were 23.23, 23.31, 22.94, 23.56, 22.80, and 22.86 metres.

Last year, Crouser threw 22.81m in Lausanne. This year, it will be a disappointment if he doesn’t register his eighth 23-metre throw and challenge his world record.

The Jamaican record is 21.96m by 2015 World bronze medallist O’Dayne Richards.

If Crouser is off his game, two-time world champion Joe Kovacs, who won the silver at last year’s World Championships and Olympic bronze medal winner Tom Walsh will keep him honest. Even that is unlikely. Earlier this week in Ostrava, a jetlagged Crouser reached 22.63m, which was more than enough to tag Walsh, 22.15m.

Richards’ MVP teammate, Tajay Gayle, the 2019 World long jump champion, will be there as most Jamaicans have left the professional circuit for home and final preparation for next week’s National Championships.

The Swiss fans may see 400m hurdler Femke Bol go close to the 52 seconds barrier a week after she won the flat 400m in 49.82 seconds at the European Games. In addition, sprint fans will get another brief glimpse at Marie-Josée Ta Lou, the Cote d’Ivoire flash who beat Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson in Oslo with a world-leading 100m time of 10.75 seconds.

AUTOMATED PACEMAKER

The last individual race might be a WaveLight special, with this tireless automated pacemaker pulling a fast time out of Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway. Under similar circumstances at home in Oslo, he became the sixth fastest man of all time with a searing run timed in three minutes 27.95 seconds. The performance kick-started talk about Hicham El Guerrouj’s world record – 3.26.00.

The Norwegian had announced his readiness for the season with a world best for two miles in Paris.

Bol and Ingebrigtsen are right alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Mondo Duplantis, Noah Lyles and Kipyegon as the sport’s brightest stars, but in Lausanne this week, hopes for a world record lie in the capable hands of Ryan Crouser.

Hubert Lawrence is the co-founder of the National Hurdles and Field Events Championships.