When the world’s best athletes line up at the biggest one-day meetings on the planet, world records tend to wobble.
Over the last four seasons, the Wanda Diamond League has seen no fewer than 20 world records, pushing the sport to new frontiers in both track and field.
That trend continued this season, with four new world records set at Diamond League meetings in the course of 2026.
Josh Kerr’s “Project 222”
The first world record of the season was also one of the boldest the series has ever seen, as British distance star Josh Kerr set out to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old mark in the men’s mile.
Kerr had teed up the attempt as early as March in what he called “Project 222”: the bid to become the first man to run a mile in 222 seconds.
With a 60,000-strong home crowd behind him at the London Stadium, the Scottish star defied the doubters and shaved 0.47 seconds off El Guerrouj’s record with a breathtaking 3:42.66.
Wanyonyi’s kilometre cruise
Emmanuel Wanyonyi was under pressure when he arrived in Monaco in July, having suffered surprise defeat in all of his opening three Diamond League races in the men’s 800m.
The Olympic, world and Diamond League champion had a point to prove, and he did so emphatically in the men’s 1000m at Herculis.
Though he had never run the distance before, the Kenyan cruised to an incredible 2:11.83, breaking compatriot Noah Ngeny’s previous mark from 1999.
It proved to be the jumpstart his season needed, as he went on to win the 800m in Lausanne, Zurich and Brussels, claiming his fourth successive Diamond League title.
Dos Santos stuns Zurich
While some records fall after months of hype, others arrive when nobody is expecting it.
So it was in the men’s 400m hurdles in Zurich, as Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos dramatically ripped the world record from his long-time Norwegian rival Karsten Warholm.
Warholm had been hoping to bounce back in Zurich after suffering three defeats to Dos Santos earlier in the season.
Instead, he was left stunned as the Brazilian clocked 45.80, shaving 0.14 seconds off his world record.
Russell’s patience pays off
When one world record falls at a Diamond League meeting, another is often around the corner. In August, Zurich became the fourth meeting in four years to see two world records on a single night.
Less than 40 minutes after Dos Santos’ stunning performance in the 400m hurdles, the USA’s Masai Russell clocked 12.09 in the women’s 100m hurdles, breaking Tobi Amusan’s previous mark of 12.12 and becoming the first woman ever to go under 12.10.
Russell had been chasing the world record all season, after coming within 0.02 seconds of breaking it in Xiamen in May.
Amid a string of unbelievably consistent performances that saw her break a meeting record in all seven of her Diamond League appearances, the American’s patience finally paid off in Zurich.
