At the Olympic Stadium on Saturday, Razorback sprinter Nickisha Pryce, competing in her first Diamond League meet as a professional, set a new world record in the 400 meters, snapping the mark with a time of 48.57 seconds.
At No. 13 on the world record, Pryce climbs to the seventh spot among performers. Cathy Freeman of Australia (48.63), Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States (48.70), and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States (48.74) are among the famous people in the event and sport that she passed on the global all-time list.
Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands and Natalie Kaczmarek of Poland broke the meet record of 49.05 set by Richards-Ross in 2006 by finishing ahead of them with a career best of 49.58 and 48.90, respectively.
In fourth place, Amber Anning, the 2024 British champion, ran 49.63, while Laviai Nielson, another sprinter from Great Britain, achieved a new personal best in fifth place with 49.87.
After Pryce’s 48.89 in Eugene, the day after she broke McLaughlin-Levrone’s world record of 48.75 in New York City, Pryce broke her own Jamaican record, which she had set when she won the NCAA championship this season.
Pryce improved her excellent performance with another note while racing in lane 6. When Czechoslovakia’s Jarmila Kratochvílová won the 1981 World Cup in Rome, Italy, she set the previous record for fastest time ever in lane 6. That time was 48.61.
With a time of 48.36, Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas moved up to the second spot in the global all-time top 10 performances, placing Pryce as the second fastest sprinter from the Caribbean.
Prior to this, Miller-Uibo’s 48.97 400-meter mark from the 2018 Monaco meet stood as the best in any Diamond League competition.
After Femke Bol of the Netherlands won the 400-meter hurdles in 51.30 seconds, exceeding her own meet mark of 51.45 set in 2023, Shamier Little finished in second place with a season-best run of 52.78 seconds.
Rushell Clayton, a Jamaican hurdler, finished third with a time of 53.24, while Andrenette Knight beat British hurdler Jessie Knight (54.15) to record a season-best 53.69.
According to Little, “I adore this stadium because it is incredibly loud and truly the essence of track and field.” My goal for today was to maintain my composure, maintain my attention, and have fun.
The team atmosphere of the Olympics and the relay makes me very enthused about the event in Paris. I’m thrilled because I’ve never competed on a relay at this level. Naturally, I want to be included in the fun and medal that Team USA will undoubtedly receive.
After trailing Italian Leonardo Fabbri, who won with a score of 73-10.75 (22.52), Ryan Crouser suffered a rare setback in the shot put competition.
Having opened the competition with a 72-11.25 (22.23) mark, Crouser had three fouls in his series. In the fifth round, Fabbri took the lead while Crouser improved to 73-4.75 (22.37). Crouser came in at 72-6.25 (22.10) in the last round.
Joe Kovacs came in fourth place (72-3.5 | 22.03), and Payton Otterdahl came in third (72-7.25 | 22.13).
“Today was a pretty good day overall,” said Crouser, the two-time defending Olympic gold medallist. Though I was very constant throughout, it wasn’t a horrible day overall. Of course, I would have preferred to win.
The preparation for Paris was well-executed. I can picture myself recovering from my injuries quickly, even if I still have a few weeks left. For the sake of avoiding jet lag when we arrive to the Olympics, I’m staying here until Paris. Although today didn’t go as planned, it was still far better than it could have.
Sandi Morris matched the height cleared by Great Britain’s Molly Caudery in the pole vault, clearing 15-3 (4.65) to tie for third place. The 15-3 bar was cleared by seven out of the nine competitors.
At 15-11 (4.85) in height, Australian Nina Kennedy won the competition; Alysha Newman of Canada finished second at 15-7 (4.75). The first two bars that Morris and Caudery attempted to clear, 14-9 | 4.50 and 15-3 | 4.65, were cleared, but they missed 15-7.
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