Alison dos Santos delivered the defining run of the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, winning the 400m hurdles in 45s80 to set a new world record and take another big step in what has already been a remarkable 2026 season.
The Brazilian had already been collecting Diamond League victories this year, but Zurich was the night when he went beyond that and rewrote the record books. Karsten Warholm's previous mark of 45s94, set at the Tokyo Olympics final in 2021, was finally beaten, and this time it was dos Santos who finished ahead of the Norwegian again.
The record-breaking performance
The most striking detail is the time itself. 45s80 is not just a winning mark; it is a clear statement in one of track and field's most demanding events. It came off the back of a season in which dos Santos had already been in strong form, including a Troféu Brasil win in São Paulo about a month before Zurich in 46s48.
That makes the Zurich run feel less like a shock and more like the next stage of a steady rise. He had already shown he could win on the Diamond League circuit in 2026, and on Thursday he added a fifth title of the year. In a race that had the feel of a top-level showdown, he did not just win; he broke the standard everyone else was chasing.
Warholm, Lima and the chasing pack
Warholm was again part of the story, but not the finishing touch. The verified result confirms that dos Santos beat him once more, reinforcing the sense that this rivalry remains central to the event. Matheus Lima also featured in the race, but Zurich belonged to the Brazilian who produced the fastest 400m hurdles performance ever recorded.
After the finish, dos Santos summed up the moment with a line that fit the tone of the night: “O novo dono está na casa.” It was a bold message, but one backed up by the stopwatch.
For dos Santos, the significance goes beyond one meet in Switzerland. A world record, a fifth Diamond League title of 2026, and another win over Warholm add up to a season that now has real historical weight. The question from here is not whether he belongs at the top of the event. It is how far he can push it next.
