Slovak athlete Emma Zapletalová also triumphed in her fourth performance in the Diamond League this year.
19.06.2026 19:09 , updated: 21:01
At Friday’s meet in Doha, Qatar, she won the 400m hurdles with a time of 52.30s, improving her world performance of the year, the meet record and the national record.
She reached the finish line in first place ahead of Rushell Clayton from Jamaica and Kemi Adekoya from Bahrain.
The bronze medalist from last year’s WC in Tokyo was already certain of participating in the final meeting of the Diamond League in Brussels at the beginning of September after winning a hat trick in Rabat, Rome and Oslo.
At the start, just like nine days ago in Norway, star Americans Anna Cockrellová and Dalila Muhammadová were absent.
The biggest competitor of the 26-year-old Zapletalová was Rushell Clayton in the hot Qatari conditions.
She had two third and one second place in this season’s Diamond League meetings.
Even in Qatar, where the date of the event was moved from May 8 due to the military conflict in the Middle East, the 33-year-old Jamaican was not enough to be the holder of the world performance of the year.
Zapletalová leads in the overall order of the discipline with a full number of 32 points.
“I am very happy with my personal best and the national record. I am satisfied that we achieved it the way my coach and I planned. When I start, I always focus on myself and do my best.
I know it is not easy to win the race because there are other very good runners. I always focus on my work and when I do it well, it can be a very nice result,” said Zapletalová after the sixth best time in history.
In the European tables, she ranks second behind the phenomenal Femke Bolová. Zapletalová will also receive a $5,000 bonus from Qatar for breaking the meeting record.
Diamond League in Doha
women
400 m cross.: 1. Emma ZAPLETALOVA (SR) 52.30 s – world performance of the year, 2. Rushell Claytonová (Jam.) 53.05, 3. Kemi Adekoyaová (Bahr.) 53.67
