Three world records, eight national records, five meeting records and six world leading times were set across two days of thrilling action, which saw brilliant battles between the world’s best and the leading athletes in Great Britain give the home crowd plenty to cheer for.
Below are some of the highlights from this year’s two-day event:
Two world records in 10 minutes for Adenegan and Hahn
Spectators on Sunday had only just settled into their seats when they witnessed two world records being broken in the space of 10 minutes.
Teenage superstar Kare Adenegan (coach: Job King) broke the T34 100m world record; becoming the first female ever to break the 17-second barrier. The 17-year-old’s time of 16.80 seconds was nearly 0.4 seconds quicker than the previous record set by 10-time world champion Hannah Cockroft (Jenni Banks) at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships, who finished second in London.
Just moments later, the London Stadium were back on their feet as Sophie Hahn (Joe McDonnell) lowered her own world record in the T38 200m to claim victory in 25.93 seconds.
Six sprinters go below 10 seconds in sprint showdown
In one of the events of the weekend, Ronnie Baker came within 0.2 seconds of his world-leading personal in a hotly-contested men’s 100m final.
Baker was one of six athletes to break the 10-second barrier in the final; the most in any 100m event anywhere in the world for the last seven years.
An injury to 60m world record holder Christian Coleman in the warm-up prevented Baker and Coleman renewing their rivalry, but that didn’t stop a super quick men’s 100m final.
Roared on by a raucous home crowd, Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills) pushed Baker all the way in London, producing another impressive run in a time of 9.93 seconds; 0.2 seconds outside the personal best he set in June.
Best of Britain in women’s long jump
British record holder Shara Proctor hit her best form of 2018 to dominate a high-class women’s long jump competition.
The 2015 world silver medallist put together a brilliant series of jumps of 6.82m, 6.80m, 6.87m, a season’s best 6.91m and 6.83m to claim the victory.
British champion and current world leader Lorraine Ugen (Shawn Jackson) saved her best jump to last, but her final jump of 6.88m was three centimetres short of Proctor’s best. Katarina Johnson-Thompson (5th) and Jazmin Sawyers (6th) ensured there were four British athletes in the top-six.
Stadium record for Manyonga as Rutherford bids farewell
The standard in the men’s long jump was also incredibly high, which was perhaps not surprising considering the field included Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champions.
World and Commonwealth champion Luvo Manyonga set a new stadium and meeting record of 8.58m to repeat his victory from last year’s World Championships ahead of his compatriot Ruswahl Samaai (8.42m).
Whilst Manyonga certainly gave the spectators plenty to cheer about, Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff) received the biggest ovation of the two-day event as the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion competed in the London Stadium for the final time.
Rutherford managed a best of 7.55m, but he ensured the crowd left with plenty of memories as he posed for photos with spectators.
Millicent Fawcett Mile provides thrilling finale
The first ever edition of the Millicent Fawcett Mile provided a thrilling finale to the 2018 Müller Anniversary Games, commemorating 100 years since British women first secured the right to vote.
The Netherland’s Sifan Hassan set the third fastest time ever to become the first recipient of the Millicent Fawcett trophy. Her world leading time of 4:14.71 was also a new Diamond League, meeting and national record.
The Dutch athlete was one of four athletes to set national mile records in London. Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Laura Muir was the first Briton across the line, finishing just under two seconds outside Zola Budd’s 33-year-old British record.
Brilliant battle in women’s high jump
The women’s high jump produced two of the best battles of the weekend. After the rest of the field failed at 1.95m it left only Mariya Lasitskene and Elena Vallortigara to battle it out for victory in the women’s high jump.
Lasitskene was successful on her second attempts at both 2.00m and 2.02m, but successful final efforts from Vallortigara at both heights, smashing her personal best in the process, kept the pressure on Lasitskene.
Lasitskene thrived under the pressure clearing 2.04m at the first attempt to set a world leading height this year and claim the win, after Vallortigara retired following two failed attempts at 2.04m.
World leading times in men’s 800m, women’s 100m hurdles and men’s 4x100m relay
Emmanuel Korir ran the fastest 800m since David Rudisha’s world record run at London 2012 as he stormed to victory in the men’s 800m. Korir’s personal best time of 1:42.05 was the sixth quickest run of all-time and lowered Rudisha’s meeting record from 2011.
In a lightning-quick race, the top nine athletes all set either personal or season bests.
There was also a world leading time for the USA’s Kendra Harrison in the women’s 100m hurdles. Harrison has always run well in London – setting a world record in this event in 2016 – and on Sunday she set the quickest time of anyone in the world this year to beat a high-quality field.
Featuring three of the four athletes who were crowned world champions last summer, the British quartet of CJ Ujah (Stuart McMillan), Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills), Adam Gemili (Rana Reider) and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake set a world leading time in the men’s 4x100m relay. Their time of 37.61 was the second fastest time ever by a British relay squad.
National records and race victories for Warholm and Haroun
Karsten Warholm and Abdallelah Haroun both set national records en-route to victories in the men’s 400m Hurdles and 400m respectively.
Norway’s world champion Warholm secured a comfortable 400m Hurdles victory with a fine 47.65 national record-setting run, breaking the meeting record in the process.
Qatar’s Abdalleleh Haroun set a national record of 44.07 as he was victorious in the men’s 400m.
Tom Bosworth walks into the record books…again
Saturday got off to a record-breaking start as British race walker Tom Bosworth (Andi Drake) broke the 3000m race walk world record in a time of 10:43.84. At last year’s event, he set a new mile world record and twelve months later he added another accolade to his impressive CV, breaking Giovanni de Benedictis’ 28-year-old record.
South Africa’s Lebogang Shange set a new African record with his time of 10:47.08; which was also inside the previous world record time.
