The Wanda Diamond League returned from its summer break in spectacular fashion, with the meetings in Lausanne and Silesia producing a succession of records, world-leading performances and thrilling head-to-head battles as the road to the Diamond League Final gathered pace.
Werro leads record-breaking night in Lausanne
The action resumed at Athletissima in Lausanne on Friday, where three meeting records fell on a memorable night in Switzerland.
Local favourite Audrey Werro produced the standout performance, winning the women’s 800m in 1:55.33. The Swiss star, who claimed the Diamond League title in Zürich last year, held off a determined challenge from Femke Broeders-Bol, who crossed the line just 0.08 seconds later in a Dutch record of 1:55.41. Ethiopia’s Saida Tsehaye completed the podium in a personal best of 1:56.92.
Masai Russell extended her remarkable winning streak in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.27 to set her fifth meeting record of the season. Nadine Visser was second in 12.42, with Alaysha Johnson third in 12.49.
Winfred Yavi also produced a meeting record, winning the 3000m steeplechase in 9:00.04. The Olympic champion comfortably held off world champion Faith Cherotich, who finished second in 9:01.90, while Marwa Bouzayani was third in 9:05.55.
The men’s 800m provided another high-quality battle as Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed his first Diamond League victory over the distance this season. Wanyonyi came through strongly to win in 1:42.19, ahead of Djamel Sedjati in 1:42.31 and Brandon Miller in 1:42.55.
There were also impressive wins for Emma Zapletalová in the 400m hurdles, Letsile Tebogo in the 200m and Kayla White in the women’s 200m, where White secured the first Diamond League victory of her career in 22.18.
The field events were equally competitive. Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won the men’s javelin with 88.14m, edging Neeraj Chopra’s season’s best of 88.05m. Haruka Kitaguchi claimed the women’s javelin with a season’s best 64.90m, while Hana Moll cleared 4.84m to deny home favourite Angelica Moser in the pole vault.
And the Lausanne drama began even before the main meeting. On Thursday, Mondo Duplantis cleared 6.21m in the pole vault, improving his own meeting record and beating Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, who cleared 6.16m.
Alekna headlines historic Silesia meeting
Just two days after Lausanne the record-breaking continued at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Silesia.
Mykolas Alekna produced the biggest performance of the afternoon in the men’s discus, throwing 72.58m to break his own Diamond League record. The Lithuanian world record-holder was in dominant form, with all four of his valid throws exceeding 71 metres. Olympic and world medallist Kristjan Čeh finished second with 68.93m, while Daniel Ståhl was third at 68.25m.
The 400m hurdles delivered another extraordinary clash. Alison dos Santos lowered his own world-leading mark to 46.43, defeating world record-holder Karsten Warholm, who ran 46.52. The two performances rank among the fastest ever recorded, with only dos Santos, Warholm and Rai Benjamin having gone quicker.
Benjamin then returned to the 400m flat, finishing second behind world champion Collen Kebinatshipi. Kebinatshipi set a meeting record of 43.59, while Benjamin broke 44 seconds for the first time with a personal best of 43.83.
The sprint program was no less spectacular. Oblique Seville won the men’s 100m in a meeting record of 9.83, narrowly beating Kenny Bednarek in 9.87. Remarkably, all nine finalists broke 10 seconds, setting a new benchmark for depth in the event.
In the women’s 100m, world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden continued her winning run over Olympic champion Julien Alfred, equaling her season’s best of 10.78. Alfred ran a season’s best 10.83, while Sha’Carri Richardson finished third in 10.96.
Marileidy Paulino dominated the women’s 400m in 48.87, securing her fifth Diamond League victory of the season. In the 1500m, Tsige Duguma produced a world-leading personal best of 3:55.06, while Ethan Strand won a star-studded men’s race in 3:30.77 ahead of Phanuel Koech, Cole Hocker and returning two-time Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
There was another surprise in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, where 20-year-old Gemechu Godana defeated Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali. Godana set a personal best and meeting record of 8:02.74, handing El Bakkali his first Diamond League defeat of the season.
The road to the Final heats up
Across two meetings, Lausanne and Silesia underlined the depth and quality of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season. From Werro’s home triumph and Alekna’s record-breaking discus throw to the latest sprint clashes and a series of world-leading performances, the stakes are rising with every meeting.
With the Diamond League Final approaching, the results in Switzerland and Poland have reshaped the momentum across several disciplines. The battle for places in the Final is now entering its decisive phase with the world’s best athletes set for another crucial test in Zürich on August 27.
