Diamond League Keqiao Delivers Fireworks as Schilder, Russell and Abdilahi Produce World Leads
The 2026 Diamond League season got off to a sensational start in Keqiao on Saturday with a meeting packed full of world leads, national records, meeting records and historic performances across the track and field disciplines. World champions, Olympic medallists and rising stars produced a series of standout moments, highlighted by Jessica Schilder’s massive 21.09m shot put, Mohamed Abdilahi’s stunning German record in the 3000m and Masai Russell’s world-leading sprint hurdles victory. From Armand Duplantis soaring over 6.12m in the pole vault to Faith Kipyegon opening her season with a dominant 5000m win, the opening Diamond League meeting of the year delivered one of the deepest and highest-quality early-season competitions in recent memory.
Women’s shot put:
Reigning world champion Jessica Schilder won the women’s shot put with 21.09m in the fifth round setting a Diamond League record and a world lead. Schilder produced the best throw in the world since 1999. Schilder improved her own Dutch record by 40 cm. She also broke Valerie Adams’ Diamond League record set in 2012 and moved to 29th on the world all-time list.
Two-time world champion Chase Jackson and Sarah Mitton set their seasonal best marks of 20.46m and 20.42m in the fifth round. Fanny Roos from Sweden took fourth place with 19.26m. Schilder, Jackson and Mitton threw again beyond the 20 metres barrier in the sixth round, but the positions remained unchanged.
Schilder set her previous national record of 20.69m at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn in 2025.
Jessica Schilder: “First competition is a big deal for me: it is always something I find quite hard. After my first throws my coach and I were not happy so we tried to change our throws. We try different things and eventually it worked. My coach says a lot and we have to filter it, so as long as he keeps talking, I'm happy I will figure it out. On what it means to join the 21m club, I can't comprehend. It is such a huge thing, it is crazy”.
Men’s discus throw:
European champion Kristjan Ceh took the lead with 70.31m in the second round in the men’s discus throw. Ceh threw beyond the 70 metres mark again with 70.25m in the third round before extending his lead with 70.58m in his fourth attempt, breaking a meeting record that had stood since 2010.
The Slovenian athlete threw 68.09m in the fifth round and held on to his lead in the Final 3. Two-time Diamond League champion Matthew Denny threw 67.54m in the fifth round to place second ahead of world champion Daniel Stahl (66.71m).
Kristjan Ceh: “It was a great competition, three times over 70m and a meeting record. I was feeling quite good. I am really pleased, especially with no wind. I was hoping to throw 70m today. I had gone well in a training camp ahead of today, so I was hoping, but you never know. All went well and I am really happy. Today sets me up well for the rest of the season and I hope I can continue to throw 70m”.
Women’s 100 metres hurdles:
Olympic champion Masai Russell stormed to victory in the women’s 100m hurdles with a world-leading and meeting record performance of 12.25 (+0.4 m/s) against a stacked field featuring world indoor and outdoor champions and the world record holder. Three-time world indoor champion Devynne Charlton improved her national record to 12.38 to take second place ahead of three-time Diamond League champion Tobi Amusan (12.41). Megan Simmonds finished fourth in 12.73 ahead of world champion Ditaji Kambundji (12.82). Two-time world champion Danielle Williams did not finish the race.
Masai Russell: “I was not coming here to come second or third. My only mindset was just to win. During the competition, I proceeded to shut out the noise and focus on what I could control. It was truly a dream come true. The gold medal tonight was just the beginning of the new season. I will execute my training plan and I am looking forward to the upcoming events during the year.”
Men’s 3000 metres:
Mohamed Abdilahi broke away from the rest of the field in the final lap to take the first Diamond League win of the season, smashing Dieter Baumann’s long-standing German record by five seconds with 7:25.77. Abdilahi also set a meeting record and world-leading time.
Reynold Cheruiyot, world bronze medallist in the 1500m in Tokyo 2025, finished second in 7:26.11, while Andreas Almgren clocked a Swedish record of 7:26.48 for third. Four more athletes dipped under 7:28 improving their PBs: Timothy Cheruiyot (7:27.24), Cornelius Kemboi (7:27.46), Mathew Kipsang (7:27.58) and Mexico’s Eduardo Herrera, who set a national record of 7:27.63. Birhanu Balew improved the Asian record to 7:29.60, while Uruguay’s Santiago Catrofe set a South American record of 7:29.72. Fourteen athletes broke the 7:30 barrier, making it the deepest 3000m race in history.
Mohamed Abdilahi: “I was thinking about the German record ahead of the race, but of course you don't know how strong your opponents are. During my final workout in the training camp with Andreas Almgren I was a little bit stronger than him and we all know how strong he is, so that gave me confidence and showed my training is going well. It was my third race of the year and my third national record and now 7:25 for 3000m, it is unbelievable.”
Men’s 300 metres hurdles:
Alison dos Santos, world champion in Eugene and two-time Diamond League winner in the 400m hurdles, won the men’s 300m hurdles in a world lead of 33.01 holding off world record holder Karsten Warholm, who finished second in 33.05 after setting two world all-time bests last year. Matheus Lima improved his PB to 33.75 for third ahead of USA’s Trevor Bassitt, who improved his PB to 34.02.
Alison Dos Santos: “It was a great race, it was fun. This year I've focused on getting faster and developing more speed and I think I have shown I have more speed, so I'm happy. We could feel that I was moving fast during the race and Karsten was there. I think this sets me up well for the rest of the season and shows the speedwork is paying off.”
Men’s pole vault:
Armand Duplantis cleared 6.12m on his first attempt to improve his own meeting record by one centimetre. Duplantis then failed three attempts at the world record height of 6.32m. World bronze medallist Kurtis Marshall cleared 5.80m on his second attempt to take second place. Thibaut Collet, Sam Kendricks and Menno Vloon shared third place with 5.70m.
Armand Duplantis: “I thought it was really fun. I really enjoyed it. I love jumping in the stadium. The 6.12m jump was good. I'm glad that I was able to take the meeting record. That was the main goal. The attempts at the world record were okay, but we will take some better ones next year.”
Women’s 5000 metres:
Faith Kipyegon won the non-Diamond League women’s 5000m in a world-leading 14:24.14 in her opening race of the season. Likina Amebaw finished second in a PB of 14:24.21 ahead of fellow Ethiopians Senayet Getachew (14:24.71) and Medina Eisa (14:24.76).
Faith Kipyegon: “I feel so good, it was a good race. A positive season opener. My main goal was to see where we are placed and where we can adjust and continue with the same spirit. I will continue to do both 1500m and 5000m.”
Women’s 3000 metres steeplechase:
Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai edged world champion Faith Cherotich by just one hundredth of a second to win the women’s 3000m steeplechase in a meeting record of 8:51.47. Marwa Bouzayani broke nine minutes for the first time with a national record of 8:58.09 for third, while Kena Tufa clocked 8:59.66 for fourth. It was only the third time in history that four women dipped under nine minutes in the same steeplechase race.
Women’s 1500 metres:
Birke Haylom claimed her first Diamond League win in the women’s 1500m since Oslo 2023, setting a world lead and meeting record of 3:55.56 in a race where 11 women broke four minutes. Haylom erased the previous meeting record set by Faith Kipyegon in 2016.
Olympic 800m silver medallist Tsige Duguma finished second with a PB of 3:55.71 in just her second race over the distance. Abbey Caldwell finished third in a PB of 3:56.12.
Men’s 100 metres:
Gift Leotlela claimed his first Diamond League win in a seasonal best of 9.97, narrowly defeating African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala and Kenneth Bednarek, who both clocked 9.98. The top five were separated by just four hundredths of a second.
Women’s 400 metres:
Nickisha Pryce won a thrilling women’s 400m in 49.75 ahead of USA’s Aaliyah Butler (49.78). Roxana Gomez finished third in 50.24.
Women’s 200 metres:
Two-time world champion Shericka Jackson clocked a seasonal best of 22.07 to win the women’s 200m, her fastest performance since the 2023 Diamond League Final in Eugene. Two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo returned with 22.26 for second in her first Diamond League appearance since 2023.
Men’s long jump:
World outdoor champion Mattia Furlani won the non-Diamond League men’s long jump with a PB of 8.43m, missing Andrew Howe’s Italian record by just four centimetres.
Men’s 800 metres:
Two-time European silver medallist Mark English unleashed a late kick to win the men’s 800m in a meeting record of 1:43.85 at the age of 33. Kethobogile Haingura finished second in 1:43.89 ahead of USA’s Brandon Miller (1:44.00).
Men’s 110 metres hurdles:
Jamal Britt produced one of the biggest surprises of the meeting by equalling his PB of 13.07 to win the men’s 110m hurdles. Cordell Tinch finished second in 13.10 ahead of Japanese record holder Rachid Muratake (13.18).
