The China Mail - Werro basks in new status, shelves world record talk

It is the oldest world record in track and field: Jarmila Kratochvilova of the then-Czechoslovakia stormed to 1min 53.28sec over two laps of the Munich track back in 1983.

The mark remains highly contested, having come during a period when systemic doping of athletes was prevalent. Kratochvilova, however, never failed a doping test.

Nadezhda Olizarenko, of the then-Soviet Union, is second in the all-time list, 0.15sec slower when winning gold in the 1980 Olympic final in Moscow.

Next up in that list is Werro, whose 1:53.80 clocked at the Paris Diamond League in June bettered by 0.18sec her previous best set in Stockholm just days beforehand.

The 22-year-old Swiss sensation, basking in her role as one of the star attractions for Thursday's Diamond League in Zurich, now owns three of the 10 fastest times ever run in the gruelling event.

It is an astonishing rise for an athlete whose career has bloomed since ending her studies and concentrating full-time on her track activities.

"The biggest difference this year was that I finished school like one year ago," said Werro, who outgunned Britain's Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson for European 800m gold in Birmingham earlier this month.

"Now I'm just focused on athletics and I just have more time for the competition, the training, the recovery, everything.

"So it's just easier, also mentally, to just be focused on one thing."

Werro won her first Diamond League event at last year's meet in Zurich, something not lost on the Swiss athlete given what that victory heralded.

"It's clear that my status has changed from last year, and some crazy things happened this year," she said.

"I won the Diamond League in Lausanne last week, so this is my goal tomorrow: to win another Diamond League. And it's in Switzerland. There's a lot of Swiss fans in the public, so it will just be a great performance for them to watch."

- Strong field to go faster -

Hodgkinson was a late withdrawal from Thursday's meet in Zurich, stating that her body had not recovered from the European champs.

But her training partner Georgia Hunter Bell, the Commonwealth 800m champion who also won European 1,500m gold, will be in the field, along with the fast-improving Femke Broeders-Bol, who won European bronze as she continued her transformation from the 400m hurdles.

"For me it's really exciting because I really like when there is a lot of strong athletes," Werro said of Hunter Bell's presence.

"It really pushes us to go faster and faster. So for me it's really cool to have her there tomorrow."

Werro said she "had no reaction" to Hodgkinson's absence.

"It's life," she said. "I know some athletes are really tired after the year and it's always hard to go back to running.

"It would be a little bit more exciting if she was there, but it's not a problem."

Werro played down talk of a tilt at Kratochvilova's world record, saying she had already exceeded expectations for the season.

"My goal for the season was the European championships, so now it's just fun, and I will just run more for that," she said.

"It has all happened really fast and I was not prepared for a world record this year. It's just crazy, but really great.

"I just want to focus on running fast, winning some races."

Werro added: "With this mentality, the world record will fall one day. I just don't know when."

Y.Parker--ThChM