LONDON — The London Athletics Meet lit up the Diamond League calendar with a wave of record-breaking performances on Saturday, as athletes tore through the UK’s all-comers’ lists with historic flair.
Leading the charge was Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna, who unleashed a colossal 71.70m throw in the discus — the longest ever recorded in Diamond League history. After early sparring with Kristjan Ceh, Alekna’s fourth-round missile silenced the competition and signaled his dominance on the global stage.
On the track, Gudaf Tsegay clocked 4:11.88 in the women’s mile — the second-fastest time in history and a new Ethiopian national record. Australia’s Jess Hull clung valiantly to Tsegay’s pace, rewarded with a 4:13.68 Oceanian record.
In the sprints, Julien Alfred scorched the curve and never looked back, winning the 200m in a world-leading 21.71 seconds. Behind her, training partner Dina Asher-Smith (22.25) and Amy Hunt (22.31 PB) gave the home crowd reasons to roar. The trio later joined forces in the 4x100m, setting a world lead of 41.69.
Kenya’s teenage prodigy Phanuel Koech stunned in the men’s 1500m, cruising to victory in 3:28.82 — the fastest time ever run on British soil. In the 800m, fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi held off world champ Marco Arop to win in a meet record 1:42.00, capping a breathtaking duel that saw three men dip under 1:43.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Femke Bol splashed her way to another dominant victory in 52.10, her third consecutive win in London, despite a soggy track.
The men’s 100m delivered a shock: Jamaica’s Oblique Seville blasted a 9.86 to beat Olympic champion Noah Lyles, who opened his 100m season with a modest 10.00. The men’s 400m was another thriller, with Britain’s Charlie Dobson closing hard to win in a personal best 44.14.
Australia’s Rose Davies continued her rise in the 5000m, placing third in a new Oceanian record of 14:31.45, behind Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa and Fantaye Belayneh in one of the deepest 5000m races in history — 13 women broke 14:40.
Field events brought upsets too. Olivia McTaggart of New Zealand won a four-way tie in the pole vault, edging world champ Katie Moon on countback. In the high jump, Morgan Lake shocked Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh with a lone 1.96m clearance.
Both long jump finals were decided by a single centimeter: Germany’s Malaika Mihambo edged Italy’s Larissa Iapichino, while Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock bested Greek Olympic champ Miltiadis Tentoglou 8.20m to 8.19m.
In a meet that mixed established names with breakout stars, London proved once again why it remains one of the sport’s most electric stages.
