Sprint Showdowns
The women's 400m opens Saturday's track events and appears to be the most predictable race, with Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic entering undefeated after dominating every race this season. Her toughest challenge may come from Aaliyah Butler of the U.S., the only other athlete in the field to have run under 49 seconds this year.[S1]
In contrast, the women's 100m is wide open, with Jamaica's Tina Clayton, the U.S.'s Sha'Carri Richardson, and Great Britain's Amy Hunt among the leading contenders. The depth of the field means almost anyone could win, setting up an electric showdown.[S1]
Later, the hurdles feature the first post-world-record appearances by Masai Russell of the U.S. and Alison Dos Santos of Brazil. Dos Santos lowered the men's 400m hurdles record to 45.80 in Zurich on Aug. 26, while Russell ran 12.09 in the women's 100m hurdles to claim the record she had chased all season. Russell now seeks her first Diamond League Final victory.[S1]
Middle Distance Magic
The women's 800m lost two big names with the withdrawals of Kenya's Lilian Odira and Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson, but Switzerland's Audrey Werro remains undefeated and is closing in on the world record. Her latest attempt came in Zurich, where she ran 1:53.70.[S1]
Werro will face Femke Broeders-Bol of the Netherlands, who has impressed in her first 800m season with a top-10 time of 1:54.71, set in Zurich where she finished second to Werro. This is one of Werro's last chances to claim the world record.[S1]
The women's 1500m is stacked, with Australia's Jessica Hull ranked world No. 1. She faces a deep field including the U.S.'s Nikki Hiltz, who beat Faith Kipyegon at the Prefontaine Classic mile in July with 4:17.49, and Great Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell. Kenya's Dorcus Ewoi, the 2025 World Championship silver medallist, is also in strong form, having finished third in Silesia in August.[S1]
