Audrey Werro, Collen Kebinatshipi and Marileidy Paulino all broke Diamond League records at the Meeting de Paris on Sunday (28), as the Wanda Diamond League reached its midway point.
A heatwave across most of France had put the meeting in doubt, but thankfully the elite disciplines were able to go ahead. And once the competition got underway, the performances rose to match the conditions.
Werro continued her superb run of form to win a remarkable women’s 800m in 1:53.80 – the third-fastest time in history.
The pacemaker led through the first lap in 55.35, with Werro just a few strides behind in about 55.8. The Swiss athlete took up the running at 500m, with two-time world 400m hurdles champion Femke Broeders-Bol and Anaïs Bourgoin battling for position behind her as Werro passed 600m in 1:25.27.
Bourgoin moved into second with 100 metres to go, but Broeders-Bol fought back down the home straight as Werro pulled clear to achieve a historic victory, becoming the first woman to break 1:54 on more than one occasion.
“I wasn’t expecting to be running so fast this season,” said Werro, who also won in Stockholm earlier this month in 1:53.98. “I feel that the biggest change in my life is the fact that I have become a professional athlete. I am no longer at school, and I must say it was tough to juggle both activities. Now, there is no excuse as I have all the time in the world to just focus on training, recovering, and the sport itself.”
Broeders-Bol finished second in a PB of 1:55.60, moving to 24th on the world all-time list and just 0.06 shy of Ellen van Langen’s Dutch record. Bourgoin was third in a French record of 1:55.65, while Prudence Sekgodiso was fourth in 1:56.83 and Renelle Lamote fifth in 1:56.93. Australia’s Sarah Billings set an Oceanian record of 1:57.01 in sixth, with all of the top six setting PBs.
Just moments earlier, Kebinatshipi broke the men’s 400m Diamond League record, clocking 43.54 to win a high-quality race.
Olympic silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith led into the home straight but Kebinatshipi timed his finish to perfection as the versatile sprinter from Botswana charged through the line.
The world champion’s time was just 0.01 shy of the PB he set when winning his global title and took 0.06 off the previous Diamond League record set by Michael Norman in 2022. South Africa’s Zakithi Nene finished second in 43.89, with USA’s Chris Bailey third in 44.06. Hudson-Smith faded to fourth in a season’s best of 44.09.
Paulino completed the trio of Diamond League records in the women’s 400m. The Olympic champion moved up a gear with 150 metres to go and powered away to win in 48.48.
It was the third-fastest clocking of Paulino’s career, behind only the times she ran at the 2024 Olympic Games and 2025 World Championships, and it took 0.09 off the Diamond League record set by Nickisha Pryce in 2024. World indoor champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel finished second in 49.37, with Stacey Ann Williams third in 49.51 and Lieke Klaver fourth in 49.97.
Meeting records broken and threatened
Mondo Duplantis also added a record-breaking performance to the evening, clearing 6.13m to break his own Meeting de Paris pole vault record from 2021.
The world record-holder needed just three jumps to secure victory, clearing each height on his first attempt. He was the only athlete to go clear at 6.03m, and then went 10 centimetres higher. He ended his series with three attempts at a would-be world record of 6.32m, but the Swede was more than happy to return to winning ways after his surprise recent defeat in Stockholm. France’s Baptiste Thiery finished second with 5.93m.
Jamal Britt produced another standout performance in the men’s 110m hurdles, coming from behind to win in 12.89 (0.8m/s), moving him to equal eighth on the world all-time list. Japan’s Shunsuke Izumiya came through for second in 13.01, ahead of Trey Cunningham (13.07).
Marco Arop dominated the men’s 800m. The 2023 world champion went through the first lap in about 50 seconds, then moved up a gear and opened a huge lead on the rest of the field. He faded only in the final 40 metres, but still won by almost two seconds in a world-leading 1:41.84, the third-fastest time of his career.
Niels Laros finished second in a PB of 1:43.60, with Tobias Gronstad third in 1:43.63.
Less than three weeks after turning 20, Cameron Myers impressed in the men’s 1500m to break the Oceanian record with a world-leading 3:28.00.
The Australian began a long run for home at 1000m, then dropped Azeddine Habz with 200 metres to go before winning by almost two seconds. Habz finished second in 3:29.80, with 2022 world champion Jake Wightman third in a season’s best of 3:29.95.
Tobi Amusan came through over the final three barriers to win the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.28 (0.7m/s). Grace Stark was second in 12.38 and Alaysha Johnson third in 12.39. Nadine Visser led during the first half of the race but faded to fourth in 12.41, with the top five women all setting season’s bests.
World indoor champion Georgia Hunter Bell once again showed impressive tactical awareness to win the women’s 1500m in 3:55.63, just 0.07 shy of the world lead.
Jessica Hull followed the pacemaker through the first half, then held the lead after the pacemaker stepped aside with 600 metres remaining. Freweyni Hailu closed the gap, with Hunter Bell and Agathe Guillemot also breaking away from the rest of the field by the bell.
Hailu took the lead with 250 metres to go, but Hunter Bell responded and moved ahead with 150 metres remaining before going on to win. Hailu was second in 3:55.92, while Guillemot set a French record of 3:56.24 in third. Hull finished fourth in a season’s best of 3:57.22.
Bromell takes 100m, Fisher wins 5000m
Trayvon Bromell won the men’s 100m from lane eight, clocking a season’s best of 9.91 (0.1m/s). Noah Lyles was second in 9.92, with 2021 Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs third in a season’s best of 9.96.
The men’s 5000m had originally been billed as an attempt on the European record by world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier, but the pack fell off the desired pace in the early laps and the focus shifted to the race for victory.
Final pacemaker Etienne Daguinos led through 3000m in 7:46.27, by which time the main pack was almost 30 metres behind, but a large group was still in contention at the bell. In the closing stages, USA’s Grant Fisher emerged from the pack to win in 12:54.80 from Kenya’s Jacob Krop (12:55.22) and Andreas Almgren (12:55.38). Burundi’s Egide Ntakarutimana set a national record of 12:56.06 in fourth, while Gressier faded to seventh in 12:57.79.
In the men’s 3000m steeplechase, four athletes were still in contention at the bell: African champion Gemechu Godana, Edmund Serem, Samuel Firewu and Karl Bebendorf. Bebendorf kicked with 200 metres to go and went on to win in a PB of 8:05.55, moving to second on the German all-time list behind Frederik Ruppert, who broke the European record earlier this year. Godana, contesting his first steeplechase outside Africa, held on for second in 8:05.86, a PB by nine seconds.
Angelica Moser won the women’s pole vault with 4.77m. Eliza McCartney had led up to and including 4.70m with first-time clearances, but couldn’t get over 4.77m. Olympic champion Nina Kennedy was third, also with 4.70m. Moser had one attempt at 4.90m but lost her grip and had an awkward fall, so opted not to take any further attempts.
In the women’s javelin, Yan Ziyi threw 67.44m in the first round, a mark that proved enough to win by almost four metres. She had one other measured throw, 60.52m in the third round, then passed her final three attempts.
Sarah Mitton won a close women’s shot put contest with 19.99m, finishing ahead of Olympic champion Yemisi Mabry, who threw 19.93m, and world leader Jessica Schilder, who reached 19.88m.
World Athletics
