St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred blazed to a national record of 10.70 seconds to win the women’s 100 meters at the 2026 Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League at Stade de la Pontaise on Thursday, surpassing her previous national record of 10.72 set at the 2024 Paris Olympics to claim one of the most significant sprint victories of the season.
Alfred, the reigning Olympic champion, held her composure through the final meters to edge world sprint double champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), who also clocked 10.70 in a photo finish that went down to the wire. Jamaica supplied three of the remaining finishers, with Tina Clayton (JAM) fourth in 10.98, Brianna Lyston sixth in 11.13 and Jonielle Smith seventh in 11.14. Richardson (USA) was third in 10.97, Britain’s Amy Hunt fifth in 11.04, New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs eighth in 11.18 and Switzerland’s Géraldine Di Tizio-Frey ninth in 11.21.
Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle and Wayne Pinnock delivered one of the finest Jamaican results of the season in the men’s long jump, with Gayle soaring to 8.43 meters for second place and Pinnock powering out to 8.33 meters for third. Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou edged both Jamaicans with a winning leap of 8.45 meters. Cuba’s Jorge A. Hodelín (CUB) was fourth at 8.32 meters, Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Sarâboyukov fifth at 8.16 meters, Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer sixth at 8.14 meters, Serbia’s Luka Bošković seventh at 8.09 meters, Spain’s Lester Lescay eighth at 7.85 meters, Italy’s Francesco Ettore Inzoli ninth at 7.81 meters and France’s Erwan Konate 10th at 7.79 meters.
Rajindra Campbell (JAM) brought further Jamaican firepower to the field events, launching the shot put 22.22 meters for second place in a competition won by American Jordan Geist with 22.53 meters. Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri was third at 22.16 meters, American Joe Kovacs fourth at 21.65 meters, American Roger Steen fifth at 21.53 meters, New Zealand’s Tom Walsh sixth at 21.48 meters, American Adrian Piperi seventh at 21.32 meters, American Payton Otterdahl eighth at 20.66 meters, Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi ninth at 20.43 meters and Mexico’s Uziel Muñoz 10th at 20.23 meters.
Jamaica’s Danielle Williams (JAM) and Ackera Nugent (JAM) both competed in the women’s 100 meters hurdles in a race headlined by American Masai Russell, who blazed to a world record of 12.09 seconds. Williams crossed fourth in 12.56 and Nugent fifth in 12.69. Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, the previous world record holder (12.12) was second in 12.23, the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser third in 12.34, Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska sixth in 12.70, Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji seventh in 12.82 and Switzerland’s Annik Kälin eighth in 12.87. American Alaysha Johnson was disqualified.
Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton (JAM) ran a gutsy third-place finish in the women’s 400 meters hurdles, clocking 53.17 behind American Anna Cockrell, who won in 52.13. American Dalilah Muhammad was second in 53.16, Portugal’s Fatoumata Binta Diallo fourth in 53.30, Panama’s Gianna Woodruff fifth in 53.79, Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalová sixth in 54.07, Norway’s Amalie Iuel seventh in 54.12 and Britain’s Emily Newnham eighth in 54.81.
Jamaica’s Lamara Distin (JAM) cleared 1.96 meters for joint fourth place in the women’s high jump in a competition won by Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers, who cleared 2.02 meters. Ukraine’s Iryna Gerashchenko was second at 2.00 meters, Montenegro’s Marija Vuković third at 1.98 meters, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh also fourth at 1.96 meters, Australia’s Eleanor Patterson sixth at 1.96 meters, Serbia’s Angelina Topić seventh at 1.93 meters, Poland’s Maria Żodzik eighth at 1.93 meters and Ukraine’s Yuliia Levchenko ninth at 1.89 meters.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters (GRN) surged to second in the men’s javelin throw, launching 86.93 meters behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who won with 92.07 meters. Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott (TTO) was fourth at 83.02 meters. Poland’s Dawid Wegner was third at 85.16 meters, Kenya’s Julius Yego fifth at 81.66 meters, American Marc Anthony Minichello sixth at 80.38 meters, American Curtis Thompson seventh at 80.31 meters, Germany’s Thomas Röhler eighth at 79.86 meters, Switzerland’s Simon Wieland ninth at 75.35 meters and Latvia’s Patriks Gailums 10th at 74.30 meters.
Grenada’s Kirani James (GRN) clocked 44.83 for third place in the men’s 400 meters behind Japan’s Yuki Joseph Nakajima, who won in 44.62. Italy’s Edoardo Scotti was second in 44.70, American Vernon Norwood fourth in 44.92, Switzerland’s Lionel Spitz fifth in 45.29, Switzerland’s Ricky Petrucciani sixth in 45.99, Switzerland’s Manuel Gerber seventh in 46.08 and Switzerland’s Haydn Brotschi eighth in 46.16.
Jamaica’s Bryan Levell (JAM) ran 20.32 for sixth place in the men’s 200 meters in a race won by American Kenneth Bednarek in 19.62. South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile was second in 19.82, Canada’s Andre De Grasse third in 20.03, Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba fourth in 20.10, Puerto Rico’s José Figueroa fifth in 20.32, Switzerland’s Timothé Mumenthaler seventh in 20.34 and Cuba’s Reynier Mena eighth in 20.73.
Jamaica’s Navasky Anderson (JAM) clocked 1:44.31 for seventh place in the men’s 800 meters in a race won by Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi in 1:41.76. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati was second in 1:41.83, compatriot Slimane Moula third in 1:43.52, Britain’s Jake Wightman fourth in 1:43.76, France’s Gabriel Tual fifth in 1:43.89 and Kenya’s Wyclife Kinyamal sixth in 1:44.25.
Elsewhere on a full program, Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos shattered the world record in the men’s 400 meters hurdles, clocking 45.80 to defeat Norway’s Karsten Warholm in 46.69. Sweden’s Armand Duplantis cleared 6.25 meters to win the men’s pole vault from Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis at 6.20 meters. Switzerland’s Audrey Werro clocked 1:53.70 to win the women’s 800 meters from the Netherlands’ Femke Broeders-Bol in 1:54.71.
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