In a race where the top six athletes all ran under 12.5s, 2022 world champion Tobi Amusan clocked a season-s best 12.33 to hold off a fast-finishing Jasmine Camacho Quinn and former world record holder Kendra Harrison, who clocked 12.38 and 12.44, for second and third, respectively.
Williams, who was among the early leaders clocked 12.47 with Tapper close behind in 12.48, the same time as the USA’s Alaysha Johnson.
Bol, who boasts a personal best of 51.45, clocked 51.98s after shaking off a brief challenge from American Shamier Little, to shatter the previous meet record of 52.77 set by Dalilah Mohammad two years ago.
The American and Bol were neck and neck with three hurdles to go but Bol unleashed her superior speed and strength to pull away from the rapidly fading Little, who finished second in 53.45 just ahead of the rapidly closing Jamaicans.
Clayton, who won her second bronze medal in Budapest clocked 53.56 to just held off Russell, the two-time Commonwealth Games champion, who stopped the clock in a season’s best 53.60.
At the Eugene Diamond League event, Thompson-Herah, known for her blistering 10.54-second victory in the 100m dash at that same venue two seasons ago, clocked a time of 10.79 seconds, securing a respectable third-place finish.
She faced stiff competition from Diamond League champion Shericka Jackson, who delivered a scorching 10.70 seconds, her second-fastest time ever, and Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, who equaled her lifetime best with a swift 10.75 seconds for second place. Thompson-Herah's performance also surpassed that of world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who settled for fourth place with a time of 10.80 seconds.
Thompson-Herah's journey through the 2023 season was far from smooth, as persistent injuries disrupted her training regimen to the point where she contemplated ending her season prematurely. Her 100m campaign began in late June, recording a time of 11.24 seconds at Jamaica College. In July, her struggles continued as she failed to secure an individual spot on Jamaica's team for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, finishing fifth in the 100m finals with a time of 11.06 seconds at the Jamaican national championships.
However, a significant turning point occurred in Budapest when Thompson-Herah decided to change coaches, temporarily enlisting the expertise of Shannike Osbourne. This adjustment proved to be a catalyst for her rapid improvement. She delivered a remarkable 9.90 relay split, propelling Jamaica into the 4x100m relay final, where they ultimately clinched the silver medal.
Following the conclusion of the championships, the five-time Olympic gold medalist continued her resurgence, running 11.00 seconds for a third-place finish at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich. She further improved her form, clocking 10.92 seconds for victory in Bellinzona and 10.84 seconds for another triumph in Brussels. Her season reached a crescendo with her 10.79-second performance in Eugene, marking her fastest run since May 2022 when she achieved the same time at the Eugene Diamond League.
Reflecting on her challenging season, Thompson-Herah expressed gratitude for her late-season resurgence, saying, "God is awesome. You know, a couple of months ago, I really thought I'd close up the season due to injuries, and I think I have overcome that. I came out on the track to be tough, I am a tough cookie. I got four times, 11 seconds, 10.92, 10.84, and 10.79 today to close off. I think that is amazing. I am grateful to get those times to put me in a position for next year, so I am really happy for that."
Based on her current trajectory, Thompson-Herah seems set to re-take her place at the top of women’s sprinting and cement her legacy as the fastest woman alive.
Goule-Toppin took the Jamaican national record into new territory eclipsing her previous record of 1:56.15 when she clocked 1:55.96 to claim third behind Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson and the USA’s Athing Mu, who battled down the stretch in a desperate bid for the Diamond League trophy.
The American just edged ahead late to win in 1:54.97, a USA national record and world lead. It was also a new meet record and a personal best for Mu.
Hodgkinson finished second in a national record and personal best 1:55.19.
Parchment, the Olympic champion, hurdled his way to a world-leading 12.93s, which is also a personal best for the 33-year-old Jamaican. World champion Grant Holloway, the early leader, had to settle for second place clocking 13.06, 0.01 ahead of compatriot, Daniel Roberts, who clocked in at 13.07.
Parchment’s time also makes him the fastest Jamaican in the world this year, eclipsing the 12.94 set by Rasheed Broadbell at the National Stadium in Kingston in July.
Along with the two senior world records* set in Eugene, there were also five Diamond League records, a world U20 record, nine area records, 14 meeting records and 14 world-leading marks, making the 2023 series final a highly memorable one.
In Eugene on Sunday, Duplantis returned to the scene of his 2022 world title and added a centimetre to the world record he set earlier this year. In what was just his fourth jump of the competition, and in a series without any failures, he cleared 6.23m at the first time of asking.
Perhaps the biggest shock of the meeting, though, came from Tsegay, who took almost five seconds off Faith Kipyegon’s world record to win the 5000m in 14:00.21.
They were the latest standout performances in a 2023 track and field season where eight senior world records were set in individual track and field disciplines.
Kipyegon tore apart the record books in the middle of the season, setting world records for 1500m, 5000m and the mile. Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, meanwhile, set a 3000m steeplechase world record in Paris, while Ryan Crouser broke his own shot put world record in Los Angeles back in May. Little more than a week before winning the mile and 3000m double in Eugene, Jakob Ingebrigtsen set a world 2000m record in Brussels.
As was the case in Eugene, where most of the record-breaking marks came about from enthralling duels among the world’s best athletes, there will be more excitement in store on 1 October when the Latvian capital hosts the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 – the final global event of the year.
Kipyegon will have the opportunity to add a fourth world record to her 2023 tally as she contests the road mile for the first time.
