CHORZOW (Poland): World 100m champions Oblique Seville and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden roared to victories at the Silesia Diamond League on Sunday, as Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis wrapped up another dominant pole vault display.

The assembled field was outstanding in Poland. Of the 260 athletes appearing in Silesia, 55 were Olympic medallists, 101 have made the podium at world championships, and 68 were European championships medallists.

Quality shone throughout the meet, in front of 40,000 spectators at the Stadion Slaski, none less so than when Jamaica’s Seville blasted to a meet record of 9.83 seconds for victory. Americans Kenny Bednarek (9.87) and Christian Coleman (9.93) completed the podium.

The women’s blue riband event was won by their team-mate Jefferson-Wooden, in the season’s first head-to-head over 100m with Olympic champion Julien Alfred, in a season’s best of 10.78sec. Alfred, of St Lucia, came in second, at 0.05sec.

Duplantis had an uncharacteristic three failures in the pole vault, before girding himself for the business end of the showdown with Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis.

The US-born Swede eventually claimed victory with a best of 6.20m, 20cm higher than Karalis. One attempt at what would have been a 16th world record, at 6.32m, was enough before Duplantis called it a day.

One of the stand-out performances on the track was Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos, unbeaten this season, holding off Karsten Warholm in a thrilling 400m hurdles to win in 46.43sec, the sixth fastest time ever run.

The world-leading time smashed the meet record of 46.82sec set by Warholm last year.

The Brazilian made it four wins from four outings in Silesia and also four wins this season over Warholm, who claimed a fourth European title in Birmingham this month, as well as a second gold as part of Norway’s 4x400m mixed relay quartet.

Warholm’s team-mate Jakob Ingebrigtsen, fresh from winning European 5,000m gold, made his first Diamond League appearance in a 1,500m in two years.

Ingebrigtsen clung on to finish fourth in a race won by American Ethan Strand, in 3:30.77, ahead of Kenya’s Phanuel Kipkosegi Koech and Olympic champion Cole Hocker of the US.

Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (3:55.06) came from behind with a bursting sprint finish to overtake Australian Jessica Hull before the line to win the women’s 1,500m. World silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi took bronze.

Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers, who ensured hammer throw domination for Canada with two golds at last year’s Tokyo worlds, dominated the two events here for victories with bests of 82.92 and 77.09m, respectively.

Olympic and 2023 world champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won the women’s 400m in 48.87sec, but there was no such luck for Morocco’s two-time Olympic 3,000m steeplechase champ Soufiane El Bakkali, beaten into second by Ethiopia’s Gemechu Godana, who clocked a meet record of 8:02.74.

World record holder Ja’Kobe Tharp of the US claimed the victory in the 110m hurdles in 13.05s, while team-mate Alaysha Johnson won the women’s short hurdles in 12.52.

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuc­hikh equalled the meet record to win the women’s high jump in 2.00m.

And Botswana’s world 400m champion Busang Collen Kebina­tshipi smashed the meet record set by world record holder Wayde van Niekerk in winning the one-lap race in an impressive 43.59sec.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026