This Week In Athletics we have Brits staring in a Diamond League Classic and the National Athletics League set's up it's most dramatic finish in it's history.

Hughes, Hudson Smith and Hunter Bell impress at Iconic Pre Classic

When the lineup for the 50th anniversary of the Prefontaine Classic began to roll out Track and Field fans were able to tell that Saturday’s meeting at Hayward Field would be one for the ages.

But many could not have predicted the level of drama that unfolded over two scintillating hours in Eugene. 

Matthew Hudson Smith emerged as the only British winner from a meet that saw Faith Kipyegon smash her 1500m world record and Beatrice Chebet do the same in the 5000m. 

The Olympic silver medalist played to his strengths in a field with the likes of last years Diamond League Champion Charlie Dobson, Kirani James, Khaleb Mcrae and Alexander Doom. 

But it was American Christopher Baily who was matching Hudson Smith stride for stride before the brit pulled away and took the win by .05s (44.10).

Georgia Hunter Bell (3:54.75) finished in a strong fourth place in what many will argue is now the greatest 1500m race in history. Faith Kipyegon took the win in a World Record time of 3:48.68, just 9 days after her attempt to become the first women to run a sub four minute mile. Diribe Welteji came home in second (3:51.44) with Jessica Hull crossing in third (3:52.67). 

Fellow Brit Erin Wallace was on for a new personal best before falling in the final straight coming home in a time of 4:06.27. 

Honourable mention goes to 2022 1500m World Champion Jake Weightman who took out a PB in the Bowerman mile in 3:47.82. Which was won by Neils Laros with an incredible last stitch lunge over the line to deny Yared Nguse a home victory. 

Britain's fastest ever man Zharnel Hughes impressed once again in the men’s 100m. A stacked field showcasing the depth in talent of 100m running globally saw four athletes cross the line in under 10 seconds but it was Jamaican Kishane Thompson who took the win in a time of 9.85. Hughes finished strongly in second in 9.91 as the Anguillan looks to build towards claiming another World Championship medal in September. 

The days other major headline came from the Shot Put where eight Women threw over 19.20 in the same competition for the first time since the 1988 Olympics. With Eight men over 21.50m for the first time since the Budapest World Championships in 2023.

Big Shake-Ups in Latest World Athletics Rankings: McLaughlin-Levrone and Lyles Drop Out of Top 10July 1, 2025 – In the latest update of the World Athletics (WA) World Rankings, several high-profile athletes have seen significant changes in their standings, with shifts driven by a combination of outdated performances and recent competition results.

Notably, U.S. stars Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Noah Lyles have both dropped out of the overall Top 10 rankings. Their exits come amid strong showings at the European Team Championships and Jamaican World Trials, which significantly impacted the standings. They were replaced by Faith Cherotich and Dajmel Sedjati, respectively.

In event-specific changes, Malaika Mihambo reclaimed her No.1 spot in the long jump, overtaking Tara Davis-Woodhall. Three new athletes rose to No.2 in their disciplines: Brittany Brown (200m), Jessica Schilder (shot put), and Anna Cockrell (400m hurdles), with Schilder and Cockrell edging out Sarah Mitton and McLaughlin-Levrone.

In the triple jump, Hugues Fabrice Zango climbed to No.3, while Jordan Díaz dropped out of the Top 10 entirely. In the hammer throw, veteran Anita Wlodarczyk made a notable rise from 7th to 5th.

The Top 10 saw several new entries. Among women, newcomers include Ditaji Kambundji (100m hurdles), Ayomide Folorunso and Janieve Russell (400m hurdles), Agate De Sousa (long jump), DeAnna Price (hammer), and Flor Ruiz Hurtado (javelin).

On the men’s side, fresh faces include Andre De Grasse (200m), Dylan Beard (110m hurdles), Yual Reath (high jump), Bozhidar Saraboyukov (long jump), Thomas Gogois (triple jump), Ralford Mullings (discus), Thomas Mardal (hammer), and Roderick Genki Dean and Oliver Helander (javelin).

Harrow On The Verge of History 

Since the National Athletics League was formed in 2019, there has only been one name etched into the Premiership trophy as Thames Valley Harriers have taken five consecutive title. But Saturday’s second round in Derby saw the narrative completely flipped on its head. 

After taking Match 1 by a small margin Harrow AC headed to Derby looking to stop TVH turning the tide in similar fashion to that of 2024 where the defending champions lost the first match but stormed to victory in the second and third to take the title. 

The meets biggest headline came in it’s opening race as Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow athlete Tyri Donovan clocked a personal best and World Championship qualifying time of 48.46 in the Men’s 400m Hurdles.

Throughout the meet Thames Valley seemed determined to reduce the deficit with consistent victories across the majority of the short sprints and sprint hurdles but big performances from the likes of GB relay runner Poppy Malik in the 400m and 4x400m and Olympic Discus Finalist Nick Percy Harrow edged to a 2 point match victory. Harrow’s 640 points to Thames Valley’s 638 laid out a clear two horse race for the title as Birchfield harriers in third scored over 200 points less with 427. 

Both teams will head into the final round in Alexander Stadium, Birmingham with it all on the line as Harrow seek a maiden NAL title.

Catch up on all the weekend's action on vincosport.com and watch the National Athletics League Premiership finale live from Birmingham on August 16th only on Vinco.

More Stars Set For London 

With just two weeks to go till the eyes of the athletics world descend on the capital for the London Diamond League one more name has been added to the already stacked line up. 

In an interview at the European Team Championships in Madrid last weekend, Olympic and World High Jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh confirmed that she will be joining the likes of Noah Lyles, Femke Bol, Josh Kerr, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Molly Caudery and Keely Hodgkinson MBE at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on the 19th July.