Derval makes step to world class

Athletics: The Weltklasse, Zürich: probably the most famous athletics meeting in the world, and definitely the most successful.

Since 1959 it's produced 23 world records, 250 national records, and some of the most memorable races of the modern era. No wonder the Weltklasse - which translates simply as "world class" - is also known as the one-day Olympics.

What the Weltklasse prides itself on is that every year, every race is as good as an Olympic final - and the 2006 version is no different. This evening's meeting is also the fourth of six stops in the $1-million Golden League and a special celebration as the farewell to the old Letzigrund stadium, which is set for a complete redevelopment.

Among those invited are all the medal winners from last week's European championships in Gothenburg, including a certain Derval O'Rourke. So a week after mixing it with the best sprint hurdlers in Europe, the Cork athlete gets to mix it with the best in the world - and with that comes the guarantee of a lightning-fast race.

The fact that O'Rourke is even lining up this evening is further proof of how far she has come in 100-metre hurdling this year. Zürich just doesn't do average athletes. In keeping with its reputation then, her race includes the Olympic champion (America's Joanne Hayes), the world champion (America's Michelle Perry), and the newly crowned European champion (Sweden's Susanna Kallur).

Perry is also the fastest in the world this year, with 12.43 seconds. Four others have run sub-12.50 - Hayes (who has a best of 12.37), her American compatriots Virginia Powell (12.48) and Damu Cherry (12.44) and Jamaica's Brigitte Foster (12.49). Kallur has run 12.52, and the last athlete on the line is Germany's Kirsten Bolm - who of course shared the silver medal with O'Rourke in Gothenburg - and she has run 12.65 this summer. That truly is a world-class race.

What that also means is that the superb Irish record of 12.72 seconds O'Rourke pulled out to win her silver medal a week ago still ranks her the slowest of the eight starters.

Having missed the early part of the season O'Rourke is quietly confident of going a little quicker, maybe breaking 12.7, although that won't be easy given the weekend celebrations that followed her silver-medal run.

At this stage only four athletes remain in contention for the Golden League jackpot: the Americans Jeremy Wariner and Sanya Richards (men's and women's 400 metres), Jamaica's Asafa Powell (100 metres) and Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba (5,000 metres) - and all four look capable of winning this evening, with only Brussels and Berlin to come.

Setanta have live coverage from Zürich, with the 100-metre hurdles set for 8.15pm Irish time.