What does it feel like to be crowned Diamond League champion? What do you say when your hero pays you a compliment? And how cuddly is the Diamond Trophy really? Find out in the third and final part of our best quotes of 2025.
“Rudisha told me it’s my time to shine” – Emmanuel Wanyonyi
Emmanuel Wanyonyi won his third successive Diamond Trophy in 2025, overcoming an onslaught of fierce competition in a season when several men were attempting to become the fastest ever. Wanyonyi remains the frontrunner in the race to break David Rudisha’s world record. As he admitted in Lausanne, he even has the backing of Rudisha himself.
“I’ve shown I have something special” – Oblique Seville
Even a torrential downpour couldn’t stop Oblique Seville in the men’s 100m this year. A few weeks after his stunning victory over Noah Lyles in London, the Jamaican beat the Olympic champion once again in Lausanne, storming to an astonishing 9.87 despite heavy rain. It was the performance of a future world champion, and Seville was delighted to have made a statement ahead of Tokyo.
“I was like: ‘I’m trying to be like you!'” – Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden notched up three Diamond League wins en route to her first World Championships gold medal in 2025. In Brussels, the US rising star spoke about a chance dining room meeting with her hero, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
“I’ve become a greedy b*****d – I always think I can win” – Karsten Warholm
Karsten Warholm may have missed out on the world title in 2025, but he did regain the Diamond Trophy for the first time in four years, notching up a series record in the 400m hurdles and two world bests in the 300m hurdles in the process. In Zurich, the Norwegian found some choice words to underline the fact that he never shies away from battle against the likes of Alison Dos Santos and Rai Benjamin.
“To compete with the best in the world, you have to consider yourself one of them” – Cordell Tinch
2025 was a breakthrough year for Cordell Tinch, which ended with the American winning both the Diamond League and world titles. Yet as he admitted ahead of his trophy-winning run in Zurich, his journey to the top was anything but easy.
“Six is a big number” – Noah Lyles
When he crossed the line a nosehair ahead of Letsile Tebogo in Zurich, Noah Lyles knew he had made Diamond League history. The American’s victory in the 200m series final saw him claim a sixth career Diamond Trophy, making him the most successful track athlete in the series’ history. Even for a customer as cool as Lyles, that was something to get excited about.
“For me, this is better than the Olympic Games!” – Frederik Ruppert
Frederik Ruppert was one of the surprise packages of 2025, landing stunning victories in Rabat and Zurich to become the first non-African athlete ever to win the Diamond League title in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. “Winning a Diamond League Final – I do not have words to describe this,” he said after his late break at the Letzigrund. “Running here in Zurich – for me this is better than the Olympic Games because the crowd pushed me so much.”
“Tonight I will sleep with the trophy in my bed” – Jimmy Gressier
Another European long distance star who wowed the world in 2025 was Jimmy Gressier. After breaking a French record in the 5000m in Monaco, Gressier went on to claim the series title with his first ever Diamond League win in the 3000m at the final in Zurich. It was, he said, a “dream come true”, and one he would take straight back to bed with him that very night.
