World Records Fall in Thrilling Night of Track and Field at Zurich Diamond League

Brazil's Alison dos Santos and America's Masai Russell delivered record-breaking performances, while Armand “Mondo” Duplantis secured a historic pole vault victory during an electrifying night of track and field at the Zurich Diamond League.

A raucous sellout crowd of 25,000 at the Letzigrund Stadium enjoyed ideal weather conditions for the penultimate Diamond League meet of the season. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe praised the electric atmosphere, noting it felt like the Olympic Games.

Alison Dos Santos opened the night by clocking a sensational 45.80 seconds in the men's 400m hurdles, breaking the previous mark of 45.94 seconds set by Norway’s Karsten Warholm at the Tokyo Olympics. Karsten Warholm finished second in what he described as a "crazy event," while the Brazilian praised the amazing track and favorable weather.

Shortly after, Masai Russell claimed victory in the women's 100m hurdles with a time of 12.09 seconds, eclipsing the previous best of 12.12 seconds set by Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan at the Eugene world championships in 2022. Both Alison dos Santos and Masai Russell each earned $80,000 for breaking their respective records.

The historic evening continued with a thrilling pole vault competition won by Armand “Mondo” Duplantis. The United States-born Swede fended off intense pressure from Greece's Emmanouil Karalis, who cleared a personal best of 6.20 metres. Armand “Mondo” Duplantis ultimately cleared 6.25 metres for the win, marking the first time in vaulting history that two athletes surpassed the 6.20-metre mark in the same event.

In the women's 800 metres, Switzerland’s Audrey Werro delighted the home crowd by registering the third-fastest time ever in the two-lap race at 1:53.70, coming close to Jarmila Kratochvilova’s long-standing Cold War world record. Femke Broeders-Bol finished second in the event. Meanwhile, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi held off Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati to win the men's 800 metres in a world lead of 1:41.76.

Other notable winners included Cole Hocker in the men's 1,500 metres, Anna Cockrell in the women's 400-metre hurdles ahead of Dalilah Muhammad, Parker Wolfe in the 3,000 metres, Kenny Bednarek in the 200 metres, and Nicola Olyslagers in the women's high jump.