Alison dos Santos smashes 400m hurdles world record with 45.80 in Zurich

Alison dos Santos produced a sensational performance at the 2026 Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, August 27, storming to a men’s 400m hurdles world record of 45.80 at the Letzigrund Stadium.

The Brazilian took 0.14 seconds off Karsten Warholm’s previous world record of 45.94, which had stood since the unforgettable Tokyo Olympic final in August 2021. Warholm witnessed the record fall from the adjacent lane, finishing a distant second in 46.69.

Dos Santos attacked the race aggressively and was already clear of Warholm coming off the final bend. Maintaining his rhythm over the last two barriers, the 26-year-old powered away down the home straight before celebrating with the Brazilian flag after seeing the historic time on the scoreboard.

The performance represented an enormous improvement on Dos Santos’ previous lifetime best of 46.29, set when winning the 2022 world title in Eugene. It also established Diamond League and Zurich meeting records and made him only the second man in history to break 46 seconds.

The record-breaking run continued Dos Santos’ unbeaten campaign against Warholm in 2026. He has now defeated the Norwegian in all five of their head-to-head races this season, including at the Silesia Diamond League four days earlier, where he recorded the previous world-leading time of 46.43.

”The crowd and the energy were perfect. I think this night was amazing for me, for those who came to watch - I did it for everybody. Also, for those watching from home. I hope that Brazil stopped to watch this as much as the people here in the stadium. This has been an incredible night, I have no words to explain what happened other than I just broke the World Record. I have been showing a great form througout the season - that I am fast, I am strong. We changed a lot of aspects of my training and racing in the preparation for this. I´m starting faster, I´m finishing stronger, and that is what I have to do to be able to break a World Record. I was looking for my coach since I crossed the finish line. I was the one running, but he is the one who made this possible - someone who believed inmme when I was younger. He helped me to develop both as an athlete and as a person, too. He´s like an older brother, like a dad to me. Bringing my personality to the track is very important. The idea is to to be able to inspire new people: with hair, with jewelry, with energy, with dance moves, knowing that they are a reference. A word to my younger self would be to be patient, because patience is a virtue." dos Santos said.

Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel completed the podium in 47.50, narrowly ahead of Brazil’s Matheus Lima, who finished fourth in 47.57. Abderrahman Samba recorded a season’s best of 47.77, while Slovenia’s Matic Ian Guček lowered his national record to 47.80.

Men's 400m Hurdles Results:

SEE FULL RESULTS HERE.