American Olympic champion Masai Russell has broken Tobi Amusan’s world record in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Zurich Diamond League, producing one of the standout performances of a thrilling night of athletics.
Russell clocked 12.09 seconds to improve on the previous world record of 12.12 seconds, set by Nigeria’s Amusan at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
The record-breaking run was one of two world records set during Thursday’s meeting at the Letzigrund Stadium, where a capacity crowd of 25,000 witnessed a spectacular evening of athletics.
Brazilian Alison Dos Santos also produced a world-record performance, while Swedish pole vault star Armand “Mondo” Duplantis secured another historic victory.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was among those watching the action and had high expectations for the penultimate Diamond League meeting of the season.
“I expect the Olympic Games in two hours,” Coe said of his expectations of the penultimate Diamond League meet of the season.
Russell Shatters Amusan’s 100m Hurdles Record
Russell, the reigning Olympic champion from the United States, delivered the second world record of the night when she stormed to victory in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Her time of 12.09 seconds was three hundredths of a second faster than Amusan’s previous record of 12.12 seconds, which the Nigerian set at the Eugene World Championships in 2022.
The performance further underlined Russell’s status as one of the world’s leading sprint hurdlers and added another major achievement to her career.
Dos Santos Breaks Warholm’s 400m Hurdles Record
Earlier in the evening, Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos made history in the men’s 400m hurdles.
Dos Santos stopped the clock at 45.80 seconds, breaking the previous world record of 45.94 seconds set by Norway’s Karsten Warholm when he won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games.
“I have been showing great form throughout the season — that I am fast, I am strong,” said a confident Dos Santos, with Warholm finishing second and dubbing their discipline a “crazy event”.
The Brazilian said the conditions in Zurich helped him produce the outstanding performance.
“As soon as I knew I was coming here, I was excited. The weather’s good, the track’s amazing,” the Brazilian added.
Duplantis Wins Thrilling Pole Vault Contest
The world records were followed by a dramatic pole vault competition featuring Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis.
Karalis produced a personal best of 6.20 metres, putting significant pressure on the Swedish star.
Duplantis ultimately cleared 6.25m to claim victory before both athletes attempted a potential world-record height of 6.32m.
The contest marked the first time in pole-vault history that two athletes had cleared 6.20m or higher.
“It’s not every day two people go for the world record, so that was nuts,” said Karalis.
Werro Closes in on 800m World Record
Swiss middle-distance star Audrey Werro delighted the home crowd with another exceptional performance in the women’s 800m.
The 22-year-old clocked 1:53.70, the third-fastest time ever recorded in the event, bringing her closer to Jarmila Kratochvilova’s long-standing world record of 1:53.28, set in Munich in 1983.
“It was crazy; I am very proud. Thank you, everybody!” the 22-year-old beamed.
Femke Broeders-Bol finished second as she continued to make progress after switching from the 400m hurdles, an event in which she has twice been crowned world champion.
“Being in a great event with a great time — amazing,” the Dutch athlete said.
Wanyonyi Wins Tight Men’s 800m
Kenya’s world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi held off Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati in a closely contested men’s 800m.
Wanyonyi has previously compared the challenge of breaking David Rudisha’s world record of 1:40.91 to running a marathon in under two hours.
The record remained out of reach in Zurich, although Wanyonyi produced a world-leading 1:41.76 to secure victory. Sedjati finished only 0.07 seconds behind.
“When I see the world records being broken, I know my time will come. There is time for everything,” said Wanyonyi.
Hocker Wins High-Quality 1,500m
American Olympic champion Cole Hocker, who is also the reigning world champion over 5,000m, won a competitive men’s 1,500m in 3:31.71.
Kenya’s Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech finished behind him, while Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen came fifth as he continues his comeback from an Achilles tendon injury that required surgery.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell broke Broeders-Bol’s meeting record from last year by 0.05 seconds.
Cockrell won in 52.13 seconds, finishing ahead of fellow American Dalilah Muhammad.
More Zurich Diamond League Highlights
American Parker Wolfe smashed the meeting record in the men’s 3,000m, an event that is not included in the Olympic programme.
Wolfe recorded a personal best of 7:27.43, beating Moroccan legend Said Aouita’s previous meeting record from 1986 by more than five seconds.
American Kenny Bednarek also produced a world-leading performance in the men’s 200m, winning the race in 19.62 seconds.
In the women’s high jump, Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers, the world champion and two-time Olympic silver medallist, secured victory with a season-best clearance of 2.02m.
The Zurich meeting delivered a remarkable combination of world records, personal bests and thrilling finishes, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the Diamond League season.
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