Alekna Breaks Diamond League Record In Discus; Dos Santos Defeats Warholm; Tharp Bounces Back In Hurdles

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Diamond League AG

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won perhaps the biggest matchup of the year in the women's 100 meters on Sunday at the Silesia Diamond League meet in Poland, defeating Olympic champion Julien Alfred. 

Jefferson-Wooden was in the lead by 40 meters and continued to accelerate to the finish line, crossing it in 10.78 seconds, matching her best time of 2026. 

Alfred, of St. Lucia, was second in 10.83 seconds, which was a season's best. 

Sha'Carri Richardson was third in 10.96. 

"It was a good day. It was a little cool today, so I cannot complain about having run a 10.7, equalling my season best." Jefferson-Wooden said. "Julien pushed me, but before the race my coach told me to just control the race and focus on my own lane. I did that, did not panic, I think I did a good job."

Ethan Strand won his first Diamond League 1,500 meters and defeated a loaded field, including Olympic champions Cole Hocker and Jakob Ingebrigtsen to do it. 

Strand ran 3:30.77 and rolled off the final curve and put the field away with his kick. 

Phanuel Kipsogei Koech of Kenya was second (3:31.14), Hocker was second in 3:31.16 and Ingebrigtsen was fourth in 3:31.19. 

"This victory is a surprise for everyone, me included," Strand said. "Beating these great runners here is incredible. But I ran it the hard way, I used too much energy running in outside lanes. It is still a lack of practice. I am so comfortable at the back of the races. I found myself right behind Jakob, the moment I saw him move, I knew it was time to go. I am proud of this race. It means something. Winning these meetings is a big milestone in my journey." 

World record holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania, and the University of Oregon, broke the Diamond League record in the men's discus with a throw of 72.58m (238-1). Any of Alekna's four legal throws, which all sailed past 70 meters, would have won. 

"I feel amazing. I turned the frustration from the European Championships into motivation," Alekna said, referring to his second-place finish 10 days ago in Birmingham, England. "I just tried to move as fast as I can, I did not do any major chamges. I always try to throw the same in any conditions. The stadium is a closed stadium which is not bad for discus throw. I am happy that I bounced back after the European championships, I am happy with this result."

Brazil's Alison dos Santos won a big matchup Karsten Warholm of Norway in the men's 400-meter hurdles. Dos Santos won it and lowered his own world lead to 46.43 seconds and Warholm was second in a season's best 46.52.

Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma ran a world-leading time of 3:55.06 to hold off Australia's Jessica Hull (3:55.20) in the women's 1,500 meters. 

Poland's Klaudia Kazimierska, a former Oregon runner, delievered a national record for the home crowd with 3:55.59 for fourth place. 

Emily Mackay of the U.S. was fifth in 3:56.24 and Nikki Hiltz was 10th in 4:00.52.

World champion Busang Collen Kebinatshipi of Botswana ran a meet record time of 43.59 to win the men's 400 meters and defeat top American Rai Benjamin, who ran a new personal best 43.83 for second place. 

Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won a deep women's 400 meters race in which seven of the nine women in the race went under 50 seconds. Paulino ran 48.87, missing her own meet record by two-tenths of a second. 

Jamaican Nickisha Pryce was second with 49.49 and Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser finished third in 49.57.

Jamaica's Oblique Seville, the world champion, won the men's 100 meters in 9.83, defeating Americans Kenneth Bednarek (9.87) and Christian Coleman (9.93). 

World record holder Ja'Kobe Tharp, just a couple of days after hitting a hurdle and finishing last in Lausanne, won the men's 110-meter hurdles with a clean 13.05 to defeat Trey Cunningham (13.08), Jamal Britt (13.09) and Cordell Tinch (13.22). 

Alaysha Johnson of the U.S. won the women's 100-meter hurdles with 12.52 seconds. 

In a race where Ethiopians took six of the top eight spots, Italy's Nadia Battocletti outkicked the field and won the women's 5,000 meters in 14:54.09 for her first Diamond League victory. 

Ethiopia's Gemechu Godana upset Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase and won in a personal best and meet record time of 8:02.74.

Nathan Mountain of the U.S., in his Diamond League debut, was 12th in 8:16.18.

Ethan Katzberg of Canada asserted his dominance in the men's hammer by launching five throws that would have won the competition. The best of them, 82.92m (272-0) won by more than a meter. 

Bence Halasz of Hungary, the new world leader at 84.25m (276-5) after his victory at the European Championships, was third with 79.44m (260-7). 

"Bence taking the world lead from me at the European Championships makes me want to reclaim it," Katzberg said. "Competing at the World Ultimate Championship in Hungary against him is going to be a fantastic experience, with him in top shape and all the other guys throwing as well as they are. It will be the highest level of competition possible."

Fellow Canadian Camryn Rogers dominated the women's hammer and won it with 77.09m (252-11). She, too, had the five longest throws of the competition. 

DeAnna Price of the U.S. was second with 75.23m (253-4). 

Sweden's Mondo Duplantis won the men's pole vault by going over 6.20m (20-4). He made two bars that nobody else could and took one new attempt at a world record height of 6.32m (20-8.75). 

Sondre Guttormsen from Norway and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece tied for second with 6.00m (19-8.25). 

Leonardo Fabbri of Italy was the only thrower to surpass 22 meters in the men's shot put and his 22.08m (72-5) beat four Americans: Jordan Geist (21.96m/72-0), Joe Kovacs (21.86m/71-8), Payton Otterdahl (21.80m/71-6) and Adrian Piperi (21.64m/71-4). 

Yaroslava Mahuchikh tied her own meet record in the women's high jump when she cleared 2.00m (6-6.75). It was a 1-2 finish for Ukraine with Mahuchikh and Iryna Gerashchenko (1.98). American Vashti Cunningham was 11th. 

Saly Sarr from Senegal broke the national record and won the women's triple jump with a mark of 15.08m (49-5.75). 

City Events

In Saturday's outside-the-stadium schedule, Chase Jackson broke the meet record in the women's shot put and defeated world leader Jessica Schilder of The Netherlands with a big second-round mark of 20.92m (68-7.75). It was a season's best by seven inches and Jackson had the three farthest throws of the competition. 

Schilder was second with 20.20m (66-3.25). 

NCAA and U.S. champion Alyssa Jones won the women's long jump on a tiebreaker after she and Agate de Sousa of Portugal botth jumped 6.98m (22-10.75). Monae Nichols also went past Jasmine Moore's meet record (6.85m) with a mark of 6.95m for third. 

Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy outlasted a strong field with a clearance over 2.31m (7-7) to win the men's high jump. 

Romaine Beckford of Jamaica was second with 2.29m and U.S. jumper and world leader JuVaughn Harrison tied for third with 2.26m.