Karsten Warholm, Cordell Tinch, Femke Bol and Salwa Eid Naser all broke meeting records while Noah Lyles claimed a record sixth series title at the second day of the 2025 Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich on Thursday.
Lyles clocked 19.74 to score a narrow victory over Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo in the men’s 200m, claiming his sixth career Diamond Trophy in the process. He is now the most successful track athlete in the series’ history and just one title short of the overall record.
“Six (Diamond Trophies), it is a big number. I heard that is the highest number in track,” he said. “Another record on the list – it is pretty nice to have that. My plan now is to go to Amsterdam, where I am based in Europe, and from there I will go to Japan. I am going there with a lot of energy – I will use that to my advantage.”
The US sprint star was not the only big name to shine in Zurich, however, on a night when 26 Diamond League champions were crowned and four meeting records fell at the Letzigrund Stadium.
Dutch hurdles star Bol broke her own meeting record in the 400m hurdles to maintain a Diamond League win streak that dates back to 2020 and now features five Diamond League titles. On this occasion the world champion won in 52.18 – a time that only she and three other athletes have ever beaten – to secure her 30th successive Diamond League race victory in the 400m hurdles.
Her fellow 400m hurdler Warholm further proved that he is well on track ahead of his world title defence, improving his own meeting record to 46.70 to win his third Diamond Trophy since 2019. That is a time that only world record-holder Warholm, Rai Benjamin and Alison dos Santos have ever beaten, and it followed Warholm’s world lead of 46.28 in Silesia.
In the men’s 110m hurdles, USA’s world leader Cordell Tinch equalled a meeting record that was set in 1989, capping an impressive Diamond League season with another victory in 12.92 (0.3m/s) – the second-fastest performance of his career behind the 12.87 he clocked at the Diamond League meeting in Shaoxing/Keqiao.
That 12.87 moved him to joint fourth on the world all-time list and after opening his campaign with victory in Xiamen he backed up those results with wins in Silesia and Lausanne, before claiming the crown in Zurich.
In another standout performance, Germany’s Julian Weber threw two world leads in the first two rounds of the javelin to claim his first Diamond League title.
His winning throw of 91.51m was the furthest ever at a Diamond League Final and added almost half a metre to the previous world lead and PB of 91.06m he achieved to win the Diamond League meeting in Doha. India’s world champion Neeraj Chopra was his closest challenger with 85.01m.
Alfred defends title
The Diamond League track action started with another meeting record as Bahrain’s 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser won the 400m in 48.70, holding off a late charge by Dominican Republic’s world and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino.
It was Naser’s third Diamond League title and her first since 2019.
Olympic champion Julien Alfred made a statement in her first race since the London Diamond League, winning the 100m in 10.76 (0.3m/s) – just 0.01 off the time that places her second on this season’s top list and just 0.04 off the national record she set when winning her Olympic title in Paris last year.
A hugely competitive 100m hurdles final was won by Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent as she equalled her season’s best of 12.30 (-0.6m/s) to miss the meeting record by just one hundredth of a second.
The world indoor bronze medallist edged ahead over the final three barriers and was chased hard by Switzerland’s world indoor silver medallist Ditaji Kambundji, who delighted the home crowd by equalling her own national record of 12.40 for the runner-up spot.
Nugent is the first Jamaican to win the 100m hurdles Diamond Trophy since Danielle Williams in 2019.
Olympic bronze medallist Brittany Brown retained her Diamond League title in the 200m and – along with the prize money and Diamond Trophy given to winners – will be offered a wild card entry to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 after narrowly missing out through her fourth-place finish at the US Championships.
She clocked 22.13 (-0.4m/s) to beat Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who had earlier placed fourth in the 100m, by 0.05. Ta Lou-Smith matched her position from the shorter race, finishing third in 22.25.
USA’s world indoor bronze medallist Jacory Patterson continued his breakthrough season by dominating the 400m to win his first Diamond League title in a PB of 43.85.
After his series wins in Rabat and Brussels, Patterson had the race of his life to triumph ahead of Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori, who clocked 44.40, and USA’s Vernon Norwood, who finished third in 44.45. Norwood, who finished fourth at the US Championships, will now be in line for a World Championships place after US champion Patterson’s win gained him a wild card.
There was also a US win in the 100m, as Christian Coleman pipped South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Jamaica’s defending champion Ackeem Blake. Just 0.02 covered the top three, Coleman winning in 9.97 (-0.4m/s).
Werro runs Swiss record to take 800m title on home soil
Switzerland’s 2022 world U20 silver medallist Audrey Werro clinched the 800m crown in style, running a national record of 1:55.91 in front of a passionate home crowd and holding off a fierce challenge from Great Britain’s Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell.
Kenya’s Olympic and world bronze medallist Faith Cherotich lived up to her status as favourite in the 3000m steeplechase, running unchallenged to a second consecutive Diamond League title in 8:57.24. She won by more than 13 seconds, Kazakhstan’s 2022 world champion Norah Jeruto following her over the finish line in 9:10.87 as Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani finished third in 9:12.03.
Just three 0.03 separated the top two in the 1500m, Nelly Chepchirchir chasing down a tiring Jessica Hull to clinch the crown – 3:56.99 to 3:57.02. Hull – the Olympic silver medallist who has run 3:52.67 this year – went straight behind the pacemaker and she eased into the lead as the pacer stepped aside, chased by Chepchirchir.
The pair broke away, Australia’s Hull leading by a few strides at the bell before increasing her advantage. But Chepchirchir hadn’t given up and as her rival faded on approach to the finish line, Chepchirchir dug in and pipped her on the line to keep the crown within Kenya, following in the footsteps of her five-time Diamond League champion compatriot Faith Kipyegon, winner of the past four crowns. Hull’s compatriot Linden Hall was third in 3:57.44.
The women’s 3000m was a tactical affair and Ethiopia’s Fantaye Belayneh judged her finishing kick to perfection to take the title in 8:40.56. USA’s Josette Andrews was to the fore as they hit the bell, a stride ahead of Caroline Nyaga and Georgia Griffith.
But Belayneh was ready to pounce and she went wide off the final bend, surging past her rivals to clinch the biggest win of her career so far. Andrews was second in 8:40.95 and Likina Amebaw was third in 8:41.06.
Wanyonyi, Laros and Gressier impress
Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi won a fight with Great Britain’s Max Burgin to secure his third successive Diamond League 800m crown.´
Wanyonyi, who set a world lead of 1:41.44 in Monaco, led off the final bend but Burgin launched an attack. Wanyonyi had saved enough for a final surge, though, and he held off his rival – 1:42.37 to 1:42.42. Canada’s world champion Marco Arop was third in 1:42.57.
After series wins in Oregon and Brussels, Niels Laros saved his best performance for when it mattered the most – breaking the Dutch record with 3:29.20 to claim a decisive win in the 1500m.
World leader Azeddine Habz of France moved straight behind the two pacemakers, ahead of USA’s Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse who was on the hunt for a wild card for Tokyo. Kenya’s 18-year-old Phanuel Koech then moved into second place between the pair, and that’s how things stayed as they reached the bell. Laros was in fourth place but comfortably passed his rivals, one by one, surging off the bend and judging his race to perfection to win clear ahead of Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot, who also finished fast to set a PB of 3:29.91. Koech was third in 3:30.02.
After seven laps of the track, the men’s 3000m came down to a frantic sprint finish and it was French record-holder Jimmy Gressier who prevailed. Sweden’s Andreas Almgren had the slight advantage as they hit the home straight, but his rivals were ready to strike and Gressier did it best to win in 7:36.78. USA’s double Olympic bronze medallist Grant Fisher chased him over the finish in 7:36.81, while Almgren was third in 7:36.82.
Germany’s Frederik Ruppert – who broke through with an 8:01.49 runner-up finish in Rabat – continued that fine form to clinch the biggest win of his career so far in the 3000m steeplechase.
He took the lead on the penultimate lap and was followed by Kenya’s world U20 champion Edmund Serem, whose brother Amos won last year’s Diamond League title. They battled over the final water jump, but Ruppert managed to hold his lead and won in 8:09.02 to Serem’s 8:09.96. Morocco’s Salaheddine Ben Yazide was third in 8:14.10.
USA’s Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman secured her fifth successive Diamond Trophy, throwing 69.18m to win the first Diamond League final of the day. Three of her five valid throws would have been enough to win, as she backed up that third-round 69.18m with throws of 68.49m and 67.18m, as Jorinde van Klinken finished second on a season’s best of 67.15m.
A single centimetre separated the top two in the long jump, Italy’s Larissa Iapichino retaining her title after a battle with two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo. Iapichino soared 6.93m in the third round and Mihambo had a strong response in the final round but her mark of 6.92m saw her narrowly miss out on a second Diamond Trophy.
Cuba’s Leyanis Perez was also defending her title and although it took her until the third round to record a valid mark, she made it count. Her leap of 14.91m launched her into the lead and that’s where she stayed – winning ahead of her compatriot Liadagmis Povea, who jumped 14.72m.
Greek 2022 European champion Elina Tzengko won the javelin title, throwing 64.57m to beat Adriana Vilagos with 62.96m and Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ane du Plessis with 62.26m.
Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna added a first discus Diamond Trophy to a CV that already included the world record, two world medals and an Olympic silver. He had three valid attempts but any of them would have clinched the win – his best of 68.89m coming in the third round. The 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh was second with 67.18m.
Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo showed his intent with an opening round leap of 17.47m as he started his triple jump title defence. But he couldn’t respond when world leader Andy Diaz managed 17.56m in the fourth round and the Italian secured his third Diamond League title.
There was a first Diamond Trophy for New Zealand’s Olympic champion Hamish Kerr in the high jump as he cleared 2.32m to take the title ahead of Oleh Doroshchuk with 2.30m.
World Athletics
