Dos Santos and Russell break world records at Diamond League in Zurich
Alison dos Santos and Masai Russell each set world records at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich on August 27, 2026, with dos Santos lowering the men's 400m hurdles mark and Russell rewriting the women's 100m hurdles standard.
Two world records were recorded in Zurich less than 40 minutes apart during the Diamond League session. Dos Santos and Russell arrived with major titles between them: dos Santos is the 2022 World champion and a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, while Russell is the 2024 Olympic gold winner. Both athletes were competing at the meeting that staged the double breakthrough.
In the men's 400m hurdles, dos Santos crossed the line in 45.80 seconds, a mark the report says took 0.14 seconds off the record set by Karsten Warholm of Norway at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Warholm finished second in the race in 46.69s and described their discipline as a “crazy event”. Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel was third in 47.50s. “I have been showing great form throughout the season... I am fast and I am strong,” said a confident Dos Santos.
In the women's 100m hurdles, Russell clocked 12.09 seconds, 0.03s faster than the previous world record held by Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan. Amusan finished second in a season-best 12.23s and European champion Nadine Visser placed third in 12.34s. “When I heard that Alison dos Santos broke the World record, in the back of my mind, I was trying to focus and be locked in. But I knew that the track was hot,” Russell said. “I got a lot of motivation from him,” added the 26-year-old.
Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Pathirage produced a 92.07m throw to win the event, delivering the leading mark on his sixth attempt. The report described the reigning Commonwealth Games champion as finishing well clear of Granada’s Anderson Peters, who reached 86.23m, while Poland’s Dawid Wegner took third with a personal-best throw of 85.16 m.
Both Dos Santos and Russell will leave Zurich with a cheque for $80,000 each. Their world-record performances took place at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich on August 27, 2026.
