Every performance, every news story, they were all building up to something this week. Something bigger, something faster, something, in any case, entirely unknown. That’s what tension is all about. That’s what the week before Diamond League season is all about. Excitement feeds on excitement. And this week provided plenty to keep us going.
1. The London Marathon sets yet another record
It’s been two weeks since the 2026 London Marathon took place, and yet ever since Sabastian Sawe crossed the finish line in under 2 hours, the record-setting hasn’t stopped. Men’s marathon world record, women’s-only marathon world record, world’s largest ever marathon with 59,830 finishers, and now this.
In the public ballot for the 2027 London Marathon, over 1.3 million applications were registered, an 18% increase. Last year, 1 million was reached for the first time. This year, over a million people applied from the UK alone. Which, to put into context, is equivalent to around 1% of the total population. In 2024, 578,304 people applied for the London Marathon. That number has now more than doubled.
What hasn’t doubled, and has instead more likely halved, is the chance those people have of actually stepping foot on the London Marathon course. Say the capacity is at 60,000. That’s 4% of 1.3 million, and not even all of those 60,000 spots will be filled via public ballot. Only around 20,000 will, and that’s where we see the odds drop even lower. 1.5% isn’t exactly promising. But you have to be in it to win it, and clearly that’s the spirit that possessed so much of the UK population last week. That and the thought that if Sabastian Sawe can break 2 hours, maybe anything is possible.
Speaking of possible, it’s looking like that two day London Marathon proposal for 2027 might just have gone from idea, to necessity.
2. Jimmy Gressier sets his sights on the 1 hour world record
It’s been one month since his near-attempt at breaking the 5km world record in Lille and Jimmy Gressier has already found a new target. The one hour world record. A distance of 21.33km set by Great Britain’s Mo Farah in 2020. It might sound strange, but the premise is simple. You just keep running around the track until the time runs out.
So what exactly is this race? And why is it even run in the first place? It might sound surprising but the one hour run is actually one of the earliest recognised running events, dating back as far as the 17th century. Its simplicity was its main point of attraction, alongside the fact that unlike traditional distances, the one hour is above all a challenge. In those days of course what that really meant was a breeding ground for betting, but nowadays we see it as more of a test of endurance. The key is being able to judge your pace without knowing in advance exactly how far you’ll end up running. It’s a skill in itself.
Or at least it was. In the 17th century there was one important difference. Wavelight technology hadn’t been invented. You actually had to follow your instincts, and not blue flashing lights. If you know the distance of the previous world record like Jimmy Gressier does, all you have to do is set the wavelights to a pace that will take you slightly further, and cruise.
There’s no incentive to run significantly faster when the aim is just to run slightly further. That’s all it takes to break the world record. Unless, of course, Jimmy Gressier does want to do more than is strictly necessary. Having wavelights may defeat the object of the one hour run being a test of skill, but it can still be a test of endurance if he really wants it to be.
3. The International Pegaso Meeting sees 3 new meeting records
The International Pegaso Meeting hasn’t seen this much speed in a while. 3 meeting records were set at the 2026 edition, the highest number since 2022, and the previous marks weren’t just broken, they were shattered.
Amy Hunt kicked things off in the women’s 100m with her first win of the outdoor season, an 11.17 to improve on the previous 11.33 and beat the rest of the field by a considerable margin. Then it was Zakithi Nene, fresh off anchoring South Africa to 4x400m world relay silver, who took over a second off the 400m meeting record with a season’s best performance of 44.44. And finally, one for the home crowd. Nadia Battocletti, in her first track race since winning the world indoor 3000m title, ran a solo effort to take the 1500m win in 4:03.75, breaking the meeting record by almost one second, and beating the rest of the field by 13 seconds.
The International Pegaso Meeting may only be a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger event, but this year’s field was gold level.
4. Anna Cockrell goes 2nd all-time over 300m hurdles
Three of the 2025 400m hurdle World Championship finalists returned to the hurdles this weekend. Not to the 400m, but the 300m instead. All three came out with personal bests, and one of them in particular, Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell, also came out with an American record.
Femke Broeders-Bol holds the 300m hurdle world best of 36.86, set 4 years ago in 2022, and Anna Cockrell now lies not far behind her with 37.40, only the second woman to ever break 38 seconds. Now you might be wondering where 400m hurdle world record holder Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone fits into all this, and while it was her who held the previous American record of 38.90, it was set in 2017 when she was 17 years old. And she hasn’t raced the 300m hurdles since. Her time still stands as a record, but just for the U20 age group, and not at a senior level.
Behind Anna Cockrell were Gianna Woodruff and Dalilah Muhammad, who with 38.30 and 38.55, moved themselves up to 4th and 6th on the all-time list respectively. And just like that, we’re one step closer to a Dalilah Muhammad 400m hurdle post-retirement comeback. A retirement that so far, has lasted the better part of 8 months.
5. Shanghai Diamond League- startlist preview
The suspense just keeps on building towards the 2026 Diamond League season. This time last year we’d already had 2 meets, and yet here we are in May 2026 still waiting for number one. But it is coming, and the line-up for Saturday’s event in Shanghai is not likely to leave anyone disappointed.
There are a lot of big names, and a podium finish is a small door to fit through, but when it comes to the women’s 200m, it looks there might be slightly more room for negotiation. Of the 9 women on the line-up, 6 have personal bests under 22 seconds. Of those 6, 3 have yet to open their season. Shericka Jackson, the 2nd fastest woman of all-time. Sha’carri Richardson, former 100m world champion. Anavia Battle, 4th at the Tokyo World Championships. We have no idea what kind of 200m shape they’re in, and a race you can’t predict is a race you can’t afford to miss.
Sprint finish
4 days left. This week was a worthy distraction, but now it’s time for the main event. See you next week, for the full breakdown post-Diamond league.
Written by- Rosana Ercilla
