Audrey Werro celebrates her 1:53.98 800m in Stockholm (© Diamond League AG)
Switzerland’s Audrey Werro stormed to third on the world 800m all-time list as she ran a Wanda Diamond League record of 1:53.98 to win a sensational race against Keely Hodgkinson at the Bauhaus-Galan in Stockholm on Sunday (7).
They pushed each other to two of the six fastest times in history, 22-year-old Werro becoming the first woman to break 1:54 in almost 43 years and Hodgkinson running a British record of 1:54.33 for the fastest ever non-winning time. USA’s Roisin Willis was third in a PB of 1:57.56.
The target time was set at 1:54 and it was Werro who tracked the pacemaker as she reached 400m in 55.54. Hodgkinson kicked off the bend and led until the final straight but Werro, who won the Diamond League title last year, was in hot pursuit.
Werro kicked past the Olympic champion down the home straight, striding over the finish line in 1:53.98 to become just the third woman in history to break 1:54.
“I still need to process. I am still in shock at this performance,” said Werro. “Today I was in great shape, I was ready mentally and physically, so it was a good day for me.
“It was not my main goal to follow the pacemaker, but the race went like that. When they dropped out, I decided to follow Keely as long as possible, and I gave it everything I had. I need some time to process what just happened, but I am so happy with my time.”
Meeting records for Schilder and Bouzayani
Two more meeting records fell in the shot put and 3000m steeplechase.
Dutch world champion Jessica Schilder got her second Diamond League win of the season, following her Diamond League record of 21.09m in Shanghai with a meeting record of 20.89m to triumph by almost a metre in Stockholm. After opening with 20.33m, she threw 20.89m in the fifth round to improve on the meeting record of 20.57m set by Valerie Adams in 2011.
World indoor champion Chase Jackson, fresh from a 20.66m throw to beat Schilder in Turku, finished second this time on 19.91m. Two-time world indoor champion Sarah Mitton was third in both Shanghai and Turku, and she repeated the feat in Stockholm with a best of 19.89m.
Marwa Bouzayani celebrates her steeplechase win in Stockholm (© Diamond League AG)
Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani smashed the meeting record with 8:59.28 to secure her first Diamond League win in the 3000m steeplechase. The world fourth-place finisher showed she meant business, passing the pacemaker and running solo to reach the 1000m mark in 2:55.51. Despite that fierce start, she still managed to hold on and break nine minutes, dipping under that barrier for the third time this year – following her national record of 8:58.09 for third place in Shanghai and 8:59.25 to finish fourth in Xiamen. She won by more than 11 seconds, Elise Thorner coming through to clinch the runner-up spot in 9:11.01.
USA’s world indoor champion Cooper Lutkenhaus impressed again to win the 800m on his Diamond League debut. The 17-year-old became the youngest winner of any event at a World Championships, indoors or out, by taking the world indoor 800m title in March. He picked up from where he left off, winning his first 800m race of the outdoor season in 1:42.70 – the fastest outdoor time in the world so far this year.
In a well-judged race, he tracked 2023 world champion Marco Arop to the home straight and then kicked past him. Arop was second in 1:43.11 and Slimane Moula was third in 1:43.41.
USA’s Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse pipped Australia’s Cameron Myers to victory in the 1500m, edging past in the closing stages to triumph in 3:30.11. Myers settled for second in 3:30.32, while Timothy Cheruiyot was third in 3:30.67. The men’s 3000m steeplechase was won by two-time Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali in 8:10.40.
Kenny Bednarek won his second consecutive Diamond League 200m, the US world and Olympic silver medallist following his 19.69 victory in Rabat with a clear 19.87 (1.0m/s) win in Stockholm.
Kenny Bednarek on his way to 200m victory in Stockholm (© Diamond League AG)
USA’s world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden stormed to victory in her first 100m race of the year, clocking 10.84 (0.8m/s) – her fastest ever season opener. Great Britain’s world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt broke 11 seconds for the first time, her 10.97 securing second place ahead of Patrizia Van der Weken (11.05).
South Africa’s world fifth-place finisher Zakithi Nene won the 400m out of the outside lane, judging his race to perfection to hold off USA’s Jacory Patterson – 44.48 to 44.69. Alison dos Santos led a Brazilian top two in the non-Diamond League 400m hurdles, clocking 47.11 to win ahead of Matheus Lima in a PB of 47.37.
Marschall defeats Duplantis
Australia’s world bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall handed Mondo Duplantis his first defeat in almost three years in the pole vault.
Multiple world and Olympic champion Duplantis improved the world record to 6.28m on his home soil in Stockholm last year and has since taken that mark to 6.31m. But this time his best was 5.80m and so Marschall clinched his first Diamond League win with his third-time clearance of 5.90m.
After one failure each at earlier heights, both Marschall and Duplantis cleared 5.80m on their first attempts. Duplantis passed at the next height and that made the difference, as Marschall managed 5.90m on his final try. Duplantis then had two unsuccessful attempts at 6.00m, a height Marschall skipped. Duplantis used his final attempt at 6.05m and when he also knocked the bar at that height, Marschall was confirmed the winner. The Australian had two attempts himself at 6.05m and then retired with the win secured.
Duplantis had achieved a 40-final win streak since his last loss in Monaco in July 2023, those victories including five world title wins – three indoors and two outdoors – and a second Olympic title win as well as nine world records.
USA’s world and Olympic champion Valarie Sion maintained her reign in the discus, throwing 68.60m in the second round to win by more than two metres. She backed that up with two other throws beyond 68 metres. World silver medallist Jorinde van Klinken was second with 66.57m. Sweden’s three-time world champion Daniel Ståhl got a home win in the men’s discus, throwing 69.60m from his single valid attempt to beat Matthew Denny (69.02m) and Kristjan Čeh (67.67m).
Hilary Kpatcha of France won the long jump by just one centimetre, leaping a wind-assisted 6.85m (2.4m/s) to beat Italy’s Larissa Iapichino with a wind-aided 6.84m (2.1m/s).
