{"id":18399,"date":"2025-09-26T16:16:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T16:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/?p=18399"},"modified":"2025-09-29T08:53:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T08:53:34","slug":"2025-review-warholm-and-weber-wow-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/2025-review-warholm-and-weber-wow-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Part I: Warholm and Weber wow the world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>From the rise of new sprint legends to another flurry of world records in both track and field, 2025 was another vintage year in the Wanda Diamond League. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between April and August, the world&#8217;s best athletes crossed four different continents in athletics&#8217; premier one-day series as they honed their form ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the first part of our season review, we look back at the highlights from the first three meetings of the season in Xiamen, Keqiao and Doha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Xiamen: Warholm&#8217;s world best<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2025 season got off to a typically bombastic start as Norwegian star Karsten Warholm made hurdles history in Xiamen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The season opener in China saw a new innovation, with the 300m hurdles held as a Diamond Discipline for the very first time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Warholm made it an evening to remember, clocking the fastest time ever recorded in the discipline with 33.05.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was the first of two 300m hurdles world bests set by the Norwegian over the course of the season, as he returned to world-beating form after a few years plagued by injury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was a little bit surprised by how easy my legs were feeling off the last bend,\u201d he said. \u201cOf course you feel it a little bit in the end, but I managed to really push in the last 45 metres. This shows that the speed is there and the speed over the hurdles is there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Xiamen also saw superb performances from Kenyan distance stars Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kipyegon came agonisingly close to breaking the 1000m world record, clocking the third-fastest time ever with 2:29.21. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her compatriot Chebet smashed the 5000m meeting record with 14:27.12 to kickstart a brilliant run of form in the first half of the season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload smush-lazyload-video smush-lazyload-youtube\" style=\"--smush-video-aspect-ratio: 500\/281\" data-bg-image=\"url(https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=smush_video_thumbnail&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FB-pFUddhdyU%3Ffeature%3Doembed&#038;video_width=500&#038;video_height=281)\" ><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Xiamen 2025 - Extended Highlights - Wanda Diamond League\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B-pFUddhdyU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\"><\/iframe><span class=\"smush-play-btn\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play video\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<span tabindex=\"0\" class=\"smush-play-btn-inner\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Play<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keqiao: Tinch embarks on road to gold<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The hurdles were front and centre once again as the Road to the Final continued a week later with the second meeting of the series in Keqiao. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This time, it was US sprint hurdler Cordell Tinch who grabbed the headlines, racing to a superb 12.87 to become the fourth-fastest man in history in the 110m hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tinch had already won in Xiamen, and his world-leading performance in Keqiao proved to be the next step en route to both the Diamond League and world titles in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt sounds pretty good (to be joint fourth on the world all-time list). I just wanted to go out there and compete after winning last week,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt like I was going to run something fast, but it is matter of trying to finish those races when I get out well.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pole vault world record holder Mondo Duplantis also showed his class in Keqiao, jumping a meeting record of 6.11m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Swedish star was one of several to break a meeting record, with Warholm, Akani Simbine and Yaroslava Mahuchikh among the other record-breakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload smush-lazyload-video smush-lazyload-youtube\" style=\"--smush-video-aspect-ratio: 500\/281\" data-bg-image=\"url(https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=smush_video_thumbnail&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FwrK4OOhj0pA%3Ffeature%3Doembed&#038;video_width=500&#038;video_height=281)\" ><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shanghai\/Keqiao 2025 - Extended Highlights - Wanda Diamond League\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wrK4OOhj0pA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\"><\/iframe><span class=\"smush-play-btn\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play video\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<span tabindex=\"0\" class=\"smush-play-btn-inner\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Play<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Doha: Weber and Chopra break 90 metres<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>All eyes were on Neeraj Chopra ahead of the third meeting of the season in Doha, with the Indian javelin star hoping to finally break the elusive 90-metre mark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An Olympic and Diamond League champion already, Chopra was still yet to join the 90-metre club and was counting on the support of Qatar&#8217;s sizeable Indian community to help him over the line in Doha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He didn&#8217;t disappoint, throwing 90.23m in round three to set a new Indian record and reach a major career milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet Chopra&#8217;s celebrations were cut short when German rival Julian Weber suddenly arrived to spoil the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the final round of the competition, Weber launched a staggering 91.06m to snatch victory away from Chopra and begin his journey to the Diamond League title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was only the seventh time in history that two men have thrown further than 90 metres in the same competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe conditions here in Doha with the backwind is great for us javelin throwers. If you make the right adjustments and throw a little higher, it just flies great,&#8221; said Weber. \u201cI was really happy for Neeraj because he had been fighting for that 90-metre throw for some time and it was really special to achieve it tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other impressive performances in Doha included a world lead from Jamaica&#8217;s Tia Clayton in the women&#8217;s 100m and an impressive victory from Kenya&#8217;s Faith Cherotich over Olympic champion Winfred Yavi in the women&#8217;s 3000m steeplechase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload smush-lazyload-video smush-lazyload-youtube\" style=\"--smush-video-aspect-ratio: 500\/281\" data-bg-image=\"url(https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=smush_video_thumbnail&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Ff9Snn9dv9jo%3Ffeature%3Doembed&#038;video_width=500&#038;video_height=281)\" ><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Doha 2025 - Extended Highlights - Wanda Diamond League\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f9Snn9dv9jo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\"><\/iframe><span class=\"smush-play-btn\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play video\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<span tabindex=\"0\" class=\"smush-play-btn-inner\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Play<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In part one of our 2025 season review, we take a look at explosive early-season performances...","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":18409,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1280,1143,1137,1279,1142,1141],"tags":[1096,1212,6,63,889,1226,1200,1114,904,570,624,928],"city":[1158,1195,1190],"class_list":["post-18399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2025-season-review","category-doha","category-flashback","category-season-review","category-shanghai-keqiao","category-xiamen","tag-1096","tag-beatrice-chebet","tag-diamond-league","tag-doha","tag-faith-kipyegon","tag-julian-weber","tag-karsten-warholm-2","tag-keqiao","tag-neeraj-chopra","tag-season-review","tag-wanda","tag-xiamen","city-doha","city-keqiao","city-xiamen"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18399"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18417,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18399\/revisions\/18417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18399"},{"taxonomy":"city","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/city?post=18399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}