Brazilian clocks 45.80 at the Weltklasse during an emphatic victory over the European champion.
Alison dos Santos produced the performance of his career at the Wanda Diamond League's Weltklasse Zürich on Thursday (Aug 27), lowering Karsten Warholm's world 400m hurdles record to 45.80 to cap an unbeaten season against his great rival.
The Brazilian, 26, went into the meeting off the back of a world-leading 46.43 in Silesia four days earlier and had already beaten Warholm in Xiamen, Oslo and over 300m hurdles in Shanghai/Keqiao this season. At the Letzigrund Stadium he went one better still, taking 14 hundredths of a second off the 45.94 Warholm had held since the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
The time also stands as a Diamond League record and a meeting record, beating the 46.70 Warholm ran in Zurich last year.
The Norwegian, 30, again had to settle for second, clocking a season's best of 46.69. Ezekiel Nathaniel came through for third in 47.50, with fellow Brazilian Matheus Lima fourth in 47.57. Abderrahman Samba was fifth in a season's best 47.77, Matic Ian Guček sixth in a Slovenian record 47.80, Switzerland's Dany Brand seventh with a PB of 48.92 and Chris Robinson last in 51.41.
Speaking before the race, Warholm – the first man to run inside 46 seconds for the event – had reflected on how hard it had become to stay ahead of dos Santos this season. "He's beaten me on all occasions," he said. "It's actually been super close, most of them, just nine hundredths in Poland. I'm thinking more about 45.94 – I'm still very happy that I was the first to go sub-46, and I dream about doing it again."
Those words take on fresh significance now dos Santos has taken his world record too.
Both men have already qualified for the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 4-5, where Warholm will look to respond and dos Santos will chase a third Diamond Trophy.
