Bol breaks meeting record and Werro thrills home crowd on day two of Diamond League Final in Zurich

Femke Bol, Audrey Werro, Julien Alfred and Faith Cherotich were among the athletes who lit up the Letzigrund stadium to triumph on an action-packed second day of the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich on Thursday (28).

During an evening that saw 26 Diamond League titles claimed at the Weltklasse Zürich, Dutch hurdles star Bol broke her own meeting record 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.

She won by a second, Slovak Republic’s Emma Zapletalova setting a national record of 53.18 for the runner-up spot and Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight finishing third in 53.76.

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.

Paulino came through for second in 49.23, while Henriette Jaeger improved her Norwegian record to 49.49 to finish third and Chile’s Martina Weil also improved her own national record with 49.72 for fourth.

Olympic champion 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 Saint Lucia record she set when winning her Olympic title in Paris last year.

Jamaica’s Tia Clayton was second in 10.84 and Cote d’Ivoire’s Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith – who ran under protest after initially being disqualified for a false start – was third in 10.92, her time later confirmed as official.

Werro runs Swiss record to take 800m title on home soil

Switzerland’s 2022 world U20 silver medallist Werro clinched her first Diamond League 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.

Werro’s time is one that only Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson has beaten in 2025. Hunter Bell was second in a PB of 1:55.96, while Anaïs Bourgoin was third, also in a PB of 1:56.97, and Saint Vincent’s Shafiqua Maloney ran a national record of 1:57.29 for fourth.

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 0.03 separated the top two in the 1500m, Nelly Chepchirchir chasing down a tiring Jessica Hull to claim 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 titles. 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.

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. USA’s Grace Stark was third in 12.44, the same time as Jamaica’s world champion Danielle Williams in fourth.

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 sprint, finishing third in 22.25.

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. 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 her first Diamond League javelin title, throwing 64.57m to beat Adriana Vilagos with 62.96m and Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ane du Plessis with 62.26m.

Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Results | day one report | day two men's events report