China’s Yan Ziyi and the USA’s Masai Russell both set new Diamond League records on a dramatic night at the second leg of the 2026 season in Xiamen on Saturday.
Yan and Russell achieved the second-best performances of all time in the javelin and 100m hurdles respectively.
They did so in the very first and last Diamond League events of the programme – Yan throwing 71.74m in the javelin and Russell storming to 12.14 in the hurdles.
Yan launched herself into the history books again, throwing that Asian record of 71.74m in the first round of the competition on her season debut. Only Czechia’s Barbora Špotáková, who set her world record of 72.28m in 2008, has ever thrown farther. The Chinese teenager becomes just the sixth athlete to ever surpass 70 metres and the fourth to go beyond 71 metres.
Giving herself a late birthday present, Yan – who won the world U20 title in 2024 and was a finalist for the World Athletics Women’s Rising Star Award in 2025 – achieved the feat one day after turning 18, improving her own world U20 record of 65.89m set last year with a performance that also surpassed the Diamond League record of 69.57m that had stood since 2011.
“I came here with the goal of throwing 65 metres, so it really blew my mind to see that result,” she said. “After that very first throw, I decided to pass the rest as I felt it would be smart to save some energy since I have quite a few international competitions coming soon.
“What I want for myself now is consistency. I don’t want this 71.74m to be just a one-time thing. I will see how it will go for the next couple of years and prepare for breaking the world record.”
USA’s Olympic champion Russell edged even closer to the world 100m hurdles record – her 12.14 (0.5m/s) just two hundredths of a second off the 12.12 set by Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan in Oregon in 2022.
Russell already sat second on the world all-time list with 12.17 from Miramar last year but she consolidated that position by going 0.03 quicker with a North American and Diamond League record that saw her leave a sensational field in her wake.
Amusan was second in 12.28, while Bahamian world 60m hurdles record-holder Devynne Charlton further improved her national record to 12.37 for third place. Tokyo Olympic medallist Megan Simmonds was fourth, world champion Ditaji Kambundji was fifth, last year’s Diamond League champion Ackera Nugent was sixth and two-time world champion Danielle Williams was seventh.
Brazil’s 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos made a statement in the 400m hurdles – winning a fierce head-to-head against Norway’s world record-holder Karsten Warholm for the second consecutive race after their 300m hurdles clash in Shanghai.
This time dos Santos improved the world lead by more than a second, clocking 46.72 – a tenth of a second ahead of three-time world champion Warholm. USA’s Caleb Dean was third in 47.75.
Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai led from start to finish to clinch her second consecutive Diamond League win in the 3000m steeplechase – following her victory in Shanghai with another world-leading performance of 8:51.06, the eighth-fastest performance of all time.
The race had been billed as a world record attempt, with the pace lights set at 8:44 to challenge Beatrice Chepkoech’s 8:44.32 from 2018. Things got off to an aggressive start, with Chemutai going straight to the front – ahead of the pacemaker and ahead of the pace lights. She led through 1000m on world record schedule in 2:53.75 but the pace dipped over the next kilometre as 2000m was reached in 5:51.99.
Chemutai, the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist, was followed by Bahrain’s Paris Olympic champion Winfred Yavi and Kenya’s world champion Faith Cherotich and they were all in contention at the bell. Chemutai maintained her leading position and held off a challenge from Yavi, who stuttered at the final barrier and had to settle for second place in 8:51.54 on her season debut ahead of Cherotich in 8:52.53.
Botswana’s world 400m champion Collen Kebinatshipi stormed to the first Diamond League win of his career, running a world-leading meeting record of 43.92 – his third-fastest ever time and his quickest outside of a major championships. In his first race since anchoring Botswana to 4x400m victory at the World Relays on home soil, Kebinatshipi judged his race to perfection and passed Olympic bronze medallist Muzala Samukonga down the home straight. Samukonga held on for second place in 44.04 ahead of Zakithi Nene in 44.40.
Jamaica’s two-time world champion Shericka Jackson backed up her win in Shanghai with another 200m victory, improving on her mark there with a meeting record of 21.87 (0.2m/s) – just 0.01 off Julien Alfred’s world lead and Jackson’s fastest time since the 2023 Diamond League Final (21.57). Bahamian two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo was second in 22.04 and USA’s Anavia Battle was third in 22.29.
USA’s Jamal Britt was another athlete to repeat his feat from Shanghai, winning the 110m hurdles again in another PB-equalling 13.07 (0.5m/s) – a time he has achieved four times already so far this season. Further demonstrating his consistency, it was his fifth 110m hurdles win out of five finals so far this year. Japanese record-holder Rachid Muratake was second in 13.13 and Jamaica’s world silver medallist Orlando Bennett was third in 13.20.
Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala turned the tables after finishing runner-up to South Africa’s Gift Leotlela in Shanghai, winning the 100m in 9.94 (0.2m/s) to Leotlela’s 10.00. USA’s Trayvon Bromell was third in 10.03, the same time as Kenny Bednarek in fourth.
Greek two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou matched the world lead of 8.46m to win the long jump. He opened with 8.37m and followed with 8.46m in the third round before deciding to pass his remaining attempts. Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle was second with 8.32m, while Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Sarâboyukov was third with 8.29m.
Italy’s world champion Mattia Furlani, who jumped a PB of 8.43m to win in Shanghai, finished fourth on 8.28m after retiring from the competition in the fifth round. He later shared a photo on social media that showed him receiving medical treatment.
Jamaica’s Olympic bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell dominated the shot put contest, improving his national record by three centimetres to 22.34m for his first Diamond League win. Any of his three valid throws would have been enough to win as he backed up that fifth-round 22.34m with 21.80m in the second round and 21.88m in the third. USA’s world indoor silver medallist Jordan Geist was second with 21.52m while world record-holder Ryan Crouser was third with 21.41m in his first Diamond League competition since September 2024.
USA’s Olympic and world champion Valarie Sion threw 68.45m to win the discus by more than three metres. She also surpassed 67 metres with three of her other attempts. China’s 2022 world champion Feng Bin was second on 65.03m and Dutch world silver medallist Jorinde van Klinken was third on 64.27m.
Ukraine’s world indoor silver medallist Yuliia Levchenko won the high jump thanks to her third-time clearance of 1.99m. Her compatriot Iryna Gerashchenko, the Olympic bronze medallist, was second on 1.97m.
Ethiopia’s 2022 world U20 champion Addisu Yihune pipped Germany’s surprise Shanghai 3000m winner Mohamed Abdilaahi to win the 5000m, clocking a world-leading meeting record of 12:57.32 to Abdilaahi’s 12:57.90. Biniam Mehary also dipped under 13 minutes, finishing third in 12:58.51.
Australia’s Abbey Caldwell overtook Ethiopia’s longtime leader Birke Haylom in the closing stages to win the 1500m – 3:57.26 to 3:57.79 – one week on from Haylom’s world lead of 3:55.56 to triumph in Shanghai. USA’s Emily Mackay followed them home for third in 3:58.13.
World Athletics
