As the Road to the Final wound into Eugene, Monaco and London in July, the world’s biggest stars began to hit their peak.
Amid the hot temperatures of high summer in the USA and Europe, the Wanda Diamond League once again played host to a number of performances that rewrote the athletics history books.
Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Britain’s Josh Kerr both broke world records on the track, but they weren’t the only ones who caused a stir in mid-season…
Eugene: Taylor and Hiltz stun the big guns
Following the success of Audrey Werro, Cooper Lutkenhaus and others in June, the rise of a new generation of stars continued into July with a flurry of stunning results at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene.
US teenager Tate Taylor enjoyed an explosive Diamond League debut in the men’s 200m, storming to victory over Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo on the same track where he would take a double gold medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships a few weeks later.
Taylor was not the only surprise winner, as fellow American Nikki Hiltz clocked a world-leading 4:17.49 in the women’s mile, inflicting a first defeat in five years on world record holder Faith Kipyegon.
There were also meeting records for Jamal Britt and Masai Russell in the sprint hurdles, while Australian rising star Cameron Myers continued his electric form with yet another Oceania record in the men’s mile.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the women’s 100m for the second year in a row in Eugene, narrowly beating Sha’Carri Richardson and Adaejah Hodge.
Monaco: Wanyonyi’s emphatic return to form
The Road to the Final returned to Europe with a bang in Monaco a week later, on a night that saw no fewer than nine meeting records.
They included a then Diamond League record of 43.44 from Busang Collen Kebinatshipi in the men’s 400m, a cool 12.20 from Masai Russell in the women’s 100m hurdles and a jaw-dropping 21.51 – the third-fastest time in history – from Julien Alfred in the women’s 200m.
There were also fireworks in the field, as Mondo Duplantis jumped 6.07m to finally claim one of the few Diamond League meeting records that had eluded him and fellow pole vaulter Nina Kennedy set a new Oceania record of 4.95m.
Yet the biggest performance of the night came from Kenyan middle-distance icon Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who marked a an emphatic return to winning ways with the first world record of the season.
The reigning Olympic, world and Diamond League champion had endured a rocky start to his Diamond League campaign in the men’s 800m, suffering defeats in both Rabat and Oslo.
In Monaco, he took on the 1000m for the first time in his career and promptly made history, clocking 2:11.83 to break a world record that had stood since 1999.
It was the first world record of the 2026 Diamond League season, but we wouldn’t have to wait too long to see another one…
London: Kerr makes history
All eyes were on Josh Kerr ahead of the London leg of the Road to the Final on July 17, as the British star prepared to make history in front of his home crowd.
Kerr had announced several months earlier that he would attack Hachim El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old mile world record in London, aiming to become the first man to go under 3 minutes and 42 seconds in what he called “Project 222”.
If some had been sceptical the Scot could pull it off, they were soon corrected as Kerr stormed to 3:42.66, shaving almost half a second off El Guerrouj’s previous record.
It was the standout performance of another enthralling meeting that once again saw several meeting records.
Kanyinsola Ajayi beat world champion Oblique Seville in a heated 100m clash, equalling his own Nigerian record of 9.84.
Karsten Warholm, Julien Alfred and Ja’Kobe Tharp all set meeting records, with the latter claiming his first ever Diamond League win just weeks after his shock world record at the NCAA Championships.
Meanwhile, US discus star Cierra Jackson was moved to tears after she threw a new Diamond League record of 71.72m, inflicting a first defeat in three years on reigning world and Olympic champion Valarie Sion.
