Whether it’s trash talk or track talk, the Diamond League is never short of a good one-liner. In part one of our best quotes of 2025: a pearl of wisdom from Letsile Tebogo, a defiant Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and some straight talking from George Mills.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day” – Letsile Tebogo
Fresh from his Olympic triumph in Paris the previous year, Letsile Tebogo was asked if he add any advice for young athletes when he kicked off his Diamond League campaign in Xiamen. His answer? Patience.
“We are not curing cancer, we are entertaining people” – Karsten Warholm
Karsten Warholm may have set two world bests and won his third Diamond League title in 2025, but he also retained his unshakeable sense of perspective. In Keqiao, he reminded us why sport is the simultaneously the best and least important thing in the world.
“When women turn 30 and have a child, people put them in a box. I think of Doha as a place where I defied the odds.” – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made her first Diamond League appearance in three years in Doha last May. As she noted at the time, that meant returning to the site of perhaps the greatest and most inspiring triumph of her storied career.
“It’s a little bit bittersweet” – Neeraj Chopra
After years of trying, Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra finally broke the 90-metre mark in Doha. But the triumph proved bittersweet, as German rival Julian Weber pipped him to victory.
“The world record is possible” – Beatrice Chebet
Amid a flurry of early-season records, Kenyan distance star Beatrice Chebet was in a buoyant mood after her victory in Rabat. It proved also to be a clairvoyant mood, as she later smashed the 5000m world record in Eugene.
“The ring is my stage” – Valarie Allman
Once a ballerina always a ballerina. For five-time Diamond League champion and lifelong dancer Valarie Allman, the discus is just another art form.
“I can be a role model like Usain” – Julien Alfred
St. Lucia’s 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred met up with fellow Caribbean sprint legend Usain Bolt after her victory in Oslo in June.
“I put my ***** on the line” – George Mills
George Mills’ father Danny Mills was one of the toughest footballers of his generation. In Oslo, his son had to dig deep to break Mo Farah’s 5000m British record.
