Brazil's Alison Dos Santos sets new men's 400m hurdles world record / Photo: © AFP
Brazil's Alison Dos Santos sets new men's 400m hurdles world record
Brazil's Alison Dos Santos smashed the world record in the men's 400m hurdles at the Diamond League meet in Zurich on Thursday.
Dos Santos clocked a sensational 45.80 seconds to beat the previous mark of 45.94sec set by Norway's Karsten Warholm when winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Asked whether he thought he might break the world record, Dos Santos was in no doubt: "I did, I did!
"As soon as I knew I was coming here, I was excited. The weather's good, the track's amazing."
Dos Santos, the 2022 world champion who won world silver last year as well as two Olympic bronzes, will leave Zurich with a cheque for $80,000 for having broken the record.
Dos Santos, drawn in lane six inside Warholm, kept early track on the traditionally fast-starting Norwegian.
The pair were neck-and-neck coming into the final 150 metres, before Dos Santos put on the afterburners down the home straight, immediately dropping Warholm.
From there, it was just a race between the 26-year-old Brazilian and the line.
He did not hold back, crashing through to finish in amazing style.
Warholm swept in on his coattails in 46.69sec, which also beat his meet record set last year, while Nigeria's Ezekiel Nathaniel was third (47.50).
R.Andazola--LGdM
