Kerr Delivers Performance Of His Life; Jackson Ends Sion's Diamond League Streak; Ajayi Beats Seville, Again

By Kit Holden for DyeStat/Vinco

Ken Martinez Photos

The London Diamond League delivered a flurry of records and big-name shocks, with Josh Kerr’s stunning world record in the men’s mile grabbing the headlines. 

Here’s what we learned at the 2026 Novuna London Athletics Meet:

Kerr enters the history books

Josh Kerr had gone all in with his mile world record attempt, and the gamble paid off handsomely in London. After months of meticulously documented preparation and a feverish media build-up, the British runner delivered one of the greatest performances in the history of the sport in front of a rapturous home crowd. With 3:42.66, the former 1500-meter world champion not only broke Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old record and became the first man ever to go under 3:43. He also delivered a perfectly executed act of sporting theater. However long the new record stands, nobody in the 60,000-strong London crowd will ever forget that earsplitting race for the finish line on Saturday afternoon. 

Jackson a real threat to Sion

While Kerr’s heroics rightly took center stage on Saturday, Cierra Jackson’s stunning victory in the women’s discus was almost as impressive. The U.S. thrower couldn’t hold back the tears after she landed 71.72 meters in the final round of the competition, improving her personal best by almost four meters and breaking Sandra Elkasevic’s Diamond League record. As well as catapulting Jackson to a new level, the throw also inflicted a first Diamond League defeat in three years on Olympic and world champion Valarie Sion, ending her 16-competition winning streak in the series. Jackson admitted she “couldn’t breathe” when she saw the mark on Saturday. For her part, Sion may be wondering if the air is about to get a little thinner at the top of the world rankings. 

Duplantis shows vulnerability 

The first sign that Mondo Duplantis was a little out of sorts came when he failed his first attempt at 5.85 meters. A few minutes later, after sailing over 5.95 meters, the world record holder lay on his back on the pole vault bed for several seconds before wincing as he got back up. That was that for Duplantis, who withdrew from the competition with a hamstring strain shortly afterwards, subjecting himself to a second Diamond League defeat this season. Though undoubtedly the right decision, the withdrawal was a rare show of vulnerability from the usually dominant Olympic and world champion. “I need to go back, re-assess and maybe get a scan. I am sorry to the fans for not putting in a good performance together,” he said. 

Ajayi and Seville lock horns

Kayinsola Ajayi’s win in the 100 meters was his second over world champion Oblique Seville in the space of two weeks, with the Nigerian clocking the same 9.84 time that had seen him beat the Jamaican in Eugene on July 4. If his reaction on the finish line was anything to go by, the win may have marked the beginning of a new rivalry in the men’s sprints. Ajayi roared in Seville’s face as he crossed the line a fraction ahead of his rival, admitting later that the two had exchanged words in the build-up to the race. Seville laughed it off in the moment, but he will no doubt be smarting and desperate to bounce back when he returns to the 100 meters in Silesia next month. 

Hodgkinson’s resilience shines through

It has been a rollercoaster season for Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson. After talk of a possible world record bid in 2026 at the start of the campaign, the Olympic 800-meter champion has instead played second fiddle to Swiss rival Audrey Werro, falling to defeats in Stockholm and Eugene and suffering a freak injury setback after falling on a metal grate in training in early July. The British star is nothing if not resilient, however, and she returned to winning ways in front of her home crowd in London, beating Femke Broeders-Bol comfortably with a solid 1:56.21. “Life is sometimes tough, and it doesn't always go the way you want it to. I dream big, but I am living in the present,” she said.