Zurich, Switzerland - Good weather, the annual full-house of spectators, and some of the deepest, highest quality start lists of the season, await us tomorrow evening in the 'Weltklasse Zurich' - TDK Golden League - meeting in the Letzigrund Stadium.

There is a slim possibility that the predicted 25 degree temperatures could be accompanied by a thunderstorm but whatever meteorological electrics occur above, competitive sparks are sure to fly in this the 76th year of the famous Weltklasse Zurich.

Bursting with talent

The line-ups include 8 out of the Top-10 IAAF World Ranked athletes in the men's 800m, 400m Hurdles and Discus events, and 7 out of the Top- 10 in the Event Rankings for the men's 100m, 1500m, and Steeplechase. The deepest start lists by this formula in the women's programme are the 100m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles and High Jump.

In total, there will be fourteen 2003 World Championship gold medallists and eight Sydney Olympic champions on show.

From the start of the first international race, the B women's 100m Hurdles to the conclusion of the competition programme, the women's 400m Golden League race, this year's Weltklasse Zurich offers us just over four hours of Athletics magic. It is impossible to comprehensively cover every event in this preview of this annual feast which has so often been called the "Olympics in one day".

This week we have already dealt separately with the topics of the remaining TDK Golden League Jackpot contenders, Maria Mutola (800m), Ana Guevara (400m) and Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Steeplechase), and so now we pick out just one or two other main event highlights.

Men's 100m

Since his 9.91 sizzling dash which took him to the US Title, reigning Olympic champion Maurice Greene has been talking a good race and also running one.

Unfortunately, though on both occasions since, first in Paris and then in London, he has been out performed by Francis Obikwelu (POR) and Asafa Powell (JAM) respectively.

Perhaps the loss in Paris to the Portugese was understandable since Greene was heavy legged due to jetlag but Powell's 9.91 win over Greene's 9.98 in London must have rung some alarm bells in the former World record holder's pre-Olympic thoughts.

"Let's put it this way," said Greene today in Zurich. "Asafa Powell is the first person who made me change my race and you can give him credit for that. In London, I just messed it up. I wasn't pushing straight, I lost the race with all the side to side movements I did when I came out of the blocks."

"Asafa is young, strong and very powerful. It's gonna be fun racing him again in Zurich. His technique is good but mine is better!"

"I am still trying to find the beginning of my race. I have been practicing a lot to get it right."

"What drives me is perfection. Until I reach it I will keep searching. I haven't run the perfect race yet but when I do it's going to be so awesome that you guys are going to talk about it for the next 50 years. But I still haven't run it yet so there is nothing to talk about just yet."

"I am trying to go someplace I've never been before. I don't put limitations to myself. I don't target a specific time. The World record, it'll come back to me when I run a good race. Whatever happens you will see a fantastic show both in Zurich and in Athens. It will be something special," concluded Greene.

Men's Triple Jump

Even more surprisingly defeated last week was Sweden's World indoor and outdoor Triple Jump champion Christian Olsson.

The 24 year-old World Indoor record holder succumbed to a shock 17.30 to 17.28m loss thanks to Romania's Marian Oprea last week. Most embarrassingly of all for Olsson, the defeat took place in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Yet Olsson reflecting in Zurich today believes that the defeat is perhaps just the rude awakening which he required if he is to successfully continue his TDK Golden League Jackpot campaign, let alone win at the Athens Olympics.

"My motivation shot through the roof after my defeat last week," confessed Olsson with delight. "I am focussed like never before. Ok, I am not unbeatable. I can be beaten which means it can happen in the Olympic Games also, so I have to do even more to make myself better, and that is now my new motivation. I am now training again like I was number two in the world rather than number one. There is a hunger back."

"I think as a result of the defeat there is a little less pressure on me. There can be no more talk of my winning streak of 29 wins. Even in Sweden I am no longer a gold medal certainty anymore. I am now a gold medal hope."

"So yes, maybe I can now work a little bit more in peace, and focus on what is really important in my training rather than concentrating on what the press are writing about me."

Perdita Felicien celebrates winning gold in the 100m Hurdles (Getty Images)"I was a little bit tired after Paris, and just couldn't perform to my usual standard but sure it hurts that I could not give my best and provide the home crowd with a win in Stockholm, on home territory."

"But I am hardly in bad shape. In Stockholm I did five jumps over 17 metres, so it was still a good competition but I just feel I should be doing better," confirmed Olsson.

The presence of both Marian Oprea, and USA champion Melvin Lester in the field tomorrow should ensure that Olsson has to do exactly that - get better - if he is to win.

Men's 800m and 1500m

If we are talking quality line-ups in Zurich, well it doesn't come much better than the men's middle distances.

Twelve of the fifteen fastest runners of this season around the two laps take part including Kenya's Wilfred Bungei who is the fastest (1:43.72), and World 800m record holder Wilson Kipketer of Denmark (1:43.88), the second quickest in 2004. Bungei is the Kenyan Olympic 800m Trials winner, while Kipketer won in the Rome Golden League and is making only his second and final outing prior to contesting the Olympics later this month.

Hestrie Cloete of South Africa wins the High Jump in Rome Golden League meeting (Getty Images)In the 1500m, Hicham El Guerrouj, Morocco's quadruple World champion has sprung back to form with his 3:29.18 win in Heusden (31 July). He faces the only other man who has dipped under 3:30 this summer, Bernard Lagat of Kenya (3:29.21) who won at the last TDK Golden League in Paris. Another three in tomorrow's race - Paul Korir, Mehdi Baala and Issac Songok - are all under 3:32 this summer.

400m Hurdles

Depth is also present in the one lap hurdles with fourteen of the world's top 20 fastest ready to negotiate the barriers across the "A" and "B" races. Felix Sanchez, the double World champion will no doubt prevail and keep his TDK Golden League Jackpot quest on course.

Discus

Another of the Jackpot contenders, Virgilijus Alekna, also faces one of the strongest fields of the night but we have seen nothing this season to indicate that the World and Olympic Discus champion is likely to be overawed by the experience.

Women's 100m and 400m Hurdles

Perdita Felicien of Canada is the fastest in the world and IAAF World Ranked number one in the women's sprint Hurdles. Without her closest potential Olympic rival, USA's Gail Devers in the line-up, we should expect the World indoor and outdoor champion to triumph, even with another six of the top ten fastest women this season on show.

Jana Pittman, who is the World champion over the 400m Hurdles, is presently second World Ranked in her event, and only the fifth fastest this year (53.43) but leading into the Olympics this is surely the moment when the Australian intends to 'up her game'. Americans Brenda Taylor (53.36), Sandra Glover (53.40) and Lashinda Demus (53.43) will no doubt try to contest otherwise.

Women's High Jump

The other deepest quality women's event is the High Jump. After her 2.03 personal season equalling best of 2.03 in London last Friday, and with world leader Russia's Yelena Slesarenko sitting this one out, it would be shock if the South Africa's Hestrie Cloete lost. Yet the double World champion was taken to the wire in Paris by Ukraine's Viktoriya Styopina (1.99). She returns to face Cloete again, along with Croatia's outstanding Blanka Vlasic (2.02). Ukraine's Irina Mikhalchenko (2.01) is another threat.

And the rest...

We should also mention -

In the men's programme, Francis Obikwelu (POR) tries for another TDK Golden League meeting sprint double (100m/200m), Allen Johnson goes again against Terrence Trammell in the 110m Hurdles, Toby Stevenson this season's 6m jumper performs in the Pole Vault, 2001 World champion Richard Limo takes on a quality field in the 5000m, while American Breaux Greer competes with some of the top Finns and Germans in the Javelin.

In the women's programme, Christian Arron of France runs in a classy women's dash, there is a competitive 1500m field, while Edith Masai goes in the 3000m, a race which also features Sonia O'Sullivan and Benita Johnson.