Jemma Reekie hung on tight to Hodgkinson through 700m and came away with a PB by 1.29 seconds of 1:55.61, equalling Ajee’ Wilson as the 22nd-fastest woman in history. The fourth-place finisher from Tokyo now has a strong case to claim her first outdoor medal on the global stage. Add in 17-year-old wunderkind Phoebe Gill, who beat out Reekie to claim the British title last month, and multiple medals in this event for Great Britain is a distinct possibility.

Third place today went to Georgia Bell, who shaved close to four seconds off her 800m PB – only set in May. It was Bell’s finish that was key to this huge performance, as she moved from fifth to third and covered the final 100m in 14.5 seconds. The British champ will be headed to Paris to contest the 1500m, and when you consider this mark (1:56.28) and her 1500m PB of 3:56.54 from two weeks ago in Paris, she will be a strong podium contender in her first outdoor global championships.

Just like we’ve become accustomed to on the men’s side, the depth of this field was incredible. Laura Muir finished eighth, over three seconds behind the winner… and still ran 1:57.63. Halimah Nakaayi ran a Ugandan record of 1:57.26… and finished sixth. 1:58.89 managed only 10th. We’ll say it again: the 800m has leveled up.

Hudson-Smith sees Hall’s 43.80; raises him 43.74.

For more reasons than just what he did on the track, Quincy Hall set the world on fire with his 43.80 world lead in the men’s 400m last week in Monaco. Waiting in the wings, however, was European record holder Matthew Hudson-Smith, who hadn’t contested a 400m since late May after dealing with a minor injury. It was clear he was in good form after winning the British 200m title in a PB performance at the end of June, but we wouldn’t know just how good that form was until he toed the line this morning.

Hudson-Smith got out like a rocket, making up the stagger on the then-second-fastest man in the world Christopher Morales-Williams before coming out of the first turn. He never let off the gas and came away with a win and world lead of 43.74. He became the first European man to crack the 44-second barrier, and he now sits as the T-12th-fastest man ever with Kirani James. After these two races, the margin is so slim between MHS and Hall, but the slight edge has to go to the silver medallist from Budapest who now has run slightly faster. Regardless of your pick, their duel in Paris (with addition of the likes of Michael Norman and Steven Gardiner) will be must–watch television.

Behind Hudson-Smith, Vernon Norwood finished second in a PB of 44.10. After 16-year-old Quincy Wilson and 2023 U.S. champ Bryce Deadmon’s battle to the line last night at the Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville, Team USA is now leaving men who have run 44.10, 44.20 (Wilson), and 44.23 (Deadmon) off the team for the open event in Paris. That is simply absurd depth.

The third- and fourth-place finishers also picked up PBs this time out, with Trinidadian Jereem Richards clocking an impressive 44.18 and Brit Charlie Dobson continuing his breakout season in 44.23. Dobson hadn’t broken 45 seconds coming into 2024, but his only performance this year above that barrier came in a win in the heats of British Trials. It’s a crowded medal picture for Paris, but Dobson has a strong chance to at least make the final.

American sprint stars make their statements before Paris.

The last two events on the schedule today were headlined by a pair of Team USA stars, and they delivered in every sense of the word.

First up was the women’s 200m, where Gabby Thomas entered as the world leader, but was guaranteed to face some stiff competition. A middling start for the reigning World silver medallist gave her some work to do, as she sat in sixth through most of the bend. She was still in fourth as late as the 140m mark, but she showed unparalleled strength throughout the final 50m, eventually overtaking Julien Alfred in what seemed like the final step to win in 21.82.

Thomas ran faster than that time twice at the U.S. Trials, but given that those were both run with marginal-to-significant tailwinds, and this one came into a headwind (-0.9 m/s) against strong competition, it’s perhaps her most impressive race of the season. It’s incredibly difficult to say Thomas is the Olympic favorite until we see exactly how Shericka Jackson looks in Paris, but Thomas has done everything she can to make the case and has yet to give fans a reason to think she’s vulnerable.

There were a handful of incredibly impressive runs behind Thomas, led by Alfred breaking her own St. Lucian record with a time of 21.86. The World Indoor champ over 60m from March has now run 10.85 and 21.86 into significant headwinds in back-to-back weeks. After finishing fifth (100m) and fourth (200m) in Budapest despite already having an incredibly busy collegiate season in her legs, the 23-year-old will surely be a force to be reckoned with in Paris. Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita kept the home crowd happy with season’s bests of 22.07 and 22.20, respectively, to finish third and fourth. Earlier on in the program, they were part of a 4x100m team that equalled the British national record of 41.55, setting a new world lead in the process.

Moving to the men’s 100m, Noah Lyles answered the impressive recent times from Kishane Thompson with a PB of 9.81 into a small headwind of -0.3 m/s. Lyles looked in control throughout most of the race and, most importantly, didn’t have as much work to do in the second half as we sometimes see from him. It was remarkable to see Lyles handily dispense the silver and bronze medalists from Budapest 2023 in Letsile Tebogo and Zharnel Hughes. Tebogo even equalled his lifetime best of 9.88 in the process.

South Africa’s Akani Simbine finished second in 9.86, just a hair off his 9.84 PB from 2021. Simbine has placed fifth and fourth at the last two Olympics, but he’s shown in 2024 that he’s in the shape necessary to finally land on his first global podium, it’ll just be a matter of getting the job done when the lights are brightest.

If wind correction conversions are something you believe in, Lyles’s time is practically inseparable from Thompson’s 9.77 with +0.9 m/s at his back. But wind conversions don’t win gold medals. Comparing times from different races doesn’t win gold medals. The most hyped event in track and field will be on the sport’s biggest stage – with no clear favorite. Talk about must-watch TV.

Pryce moves up to 7th on 400m all-time list.

Nickisha Pryce is a special talent – no ifs, ands or buts about it. That was more than evident after her collegiate record performance of 48.89 last month to win the NCAA title while representing Arkansas, but she’s moved into the conversation for gold medal favorite after her Diamond League debut today.