Excitement on the track and field is already building less than three weeks ahead of the Paris Olympics, as two new world records were set at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris on Sunday.
2023 World Championships gold medalist, Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, raised the bar to 2.10 meters after securing victory - one centimeter higher than the world record set by Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria at the 1987 World Championships.
Mahuchikh cleared the 2.10m mark on her first try, breaking the women's record that had stood for 37 years. "Coming into this competition, I had feelings that I could jump 2.07m and maybe 2.10m," said Mahuchikh. "Finally, I signed Ukraine to the history of world athletics."
Less than an hour after the high jump feat, Kenyan middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon set a new women's 1,500m world record on the track. Kipyegon crossed the finish line ahead of Australia's Jess Hull and Britain's Laura Muir, revising her own world record with a time of 3:49.04.
The multiple world and Olympic champion had anticipated a good result in the Paris leg, having clocked 3:53.98 at Kenya's Olympic Trials. She now feels more confident for the upcoming Games, sayng, "I was coming here to just run my race and to see what shape I'm in to defend my title at the Olympics."