WORLD NEWS
Two hurdles world records in under 40 minutes in Zurich: 45.80 and 12.09 seconds in one night
Two hurdles world records fell less than 40 minutes apart at one athletics meet in Zurich, Switzerland. Brazil’s Alison dos Santos ran the men’s 400m hurdles in 45.80 seconds, while the United States’ Masai Russell ran the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.09.
One athlete did not set both records, and they were not run over the same distance. They came in separate men’s and women’s events at the Zurich Diamond League on August 27, 2026, and both World Athletics and the official meet results marked them as world records (WR).
How much faster were the two records?
Dos Santos’ 45.80 lowered the 45.94 set by Karsten Warholm at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by 0.14 seconds. Russell’s 12.09 was 0.03 faster than Tobi Amusan’s 12.12 from the semifinals of the 2022 World Championships. Those margins may look small, but hundredths of a second decide places in sprint events.
Why does the wind matter for the women’s 100m hurdles?
A straight sprint performance such as the 100m hurdles cannot qualify as a world record when the following wind exceeds 2.0 metres per second. Zurich’s official result listed 0.0m/s for Russell’s race. The men’s 400m hurdles goes around a full lap and is not governed by the same wind limit, so the two rules should not be confused.
What does “under 40 minutes” mean?
World Athletics reported that Russell produced the second record less than 40 minutes after dos Santos set the first. It does not mean the athletes ran continuously for 40 minutes. Their separate finals were scheduled close together during the same evening programme.
Is this the same as an Olympic record or a Diamond League title?
The records were set at a regular-season Diamond League meeting in Zurich, not at the Olympics. World-record status depends on requirements including the event distance, equipment, timing, wind and doping control, rather than the meet name alone. It is also separate from winning the overall Diamond League season, whose final follows on another date.
What should be checked next?
The meet and World Athletics reports announced both performances as WR. Record-list and ratification procedures then confirm timing, competition rules and doping-control documentation. Readers can follow the World Athletics athlete records and official results for the final status; whether either athlete lowers the mark again is a separate question.
Primary sources and independent checks
World Athletics official meet report
Weltklasse Zurich official women results