American unleashes superb series at Diamond League on Sunday as Daniel Stahl, JuVaughn Harrison, Wilma Murto and Quanesha Burks also impress in the field

World and Olympic champion Ryan Crouser had a superb series in the men’s shot put but was still pushed all the way for much of the contest.

He opened with a 22.07m and then followed with a 22.63m to set a British all-comers, meeting and stadium record.

He was close with 22.60m in the third round, improved to 22.65m in the fourth but then smashed that with 23.07m in the fifth.

That was the ninth best throw of all-time and the only other two shot putters to better that in history are Joe Kovacs and Randy Barnes.

The American finished with a final round effort of 22.66m for one of the greatest series of all time.

He said: “It was a fantastic atmosphere with a great crowd in a beautiful stadium. I felt my performances were consistent today and it’s a good indicator for the World Champs.”

Former world champion Tom Walsh also had a good series with six throws at 21.70m or better.

His peak was a 22.58m in round two which at the time left him just five centimetres down on Crouser and also bettered the previous British all-comers’ record.

Kovacs was third with a 21.87m throw with British No.1 Scott Lincoln a disappointing ninth with 20.48m.

Take another look at Ryan Crouser going 23.07m at the London Diamond League ? pic.twitter.com/TGxvuTeNLD

— Throwers Universe (@ThrowersUni) July 23, 2023

Olympic champion Daniel Stahl won a keenly-contested discus contest with his fourth round throw of 67.03m giving him a narrow advantage over Matt Denny’s 66.77m.

The Commonwealth champion from Australia also set his season’s best in the fourth round.

World champion Kristjan Ceh, who led after rounds two and three with 65.93m and 66.02m respectively, struggled in the second half of the contest and had to settle for third.

Stahl said: “It wasn’t the best performance but it was amazing to be in London in front of a packed stadium as the UK has the best atmosphere in the world.”

British record-holder Lawrence Okoye had an off day and threw 62.59m for sixth.

Mutaz Essa Barshim is already a five-time global champion with one Olympic gold, three world outdoor crowns and one world indoor title – and it seemed a sixth is approaching as the Qatari initially dominated the high jump.

He was clear first time at 2.20m, 2.27m, 2.30m and then made it at the second attempt at 2.33m.

However American champion JuVaughn Harrison pushed him hard, clearing 2.30m at the second attempt and 2.33m at the third.

Barshim was still ahead until Harrison went over a season’s best 2.35m at his second attempt. Barshim seemingly cleared the same height with his next jump, also a second attempt, but the bar fell moments later.

Barshim had his final attempt at 2.37m but failed to clear and this left the 8.47m long jumper Harrison with his third Diamond League win of the season after victories at Doha and Florence.

A surprise third was British champion Joel Clarke-Khan, who equalled his PB with a second-time clearance at 2.27m which gained him the scalp of some of the world’s best including world bronze medallist Andrii Protsenko, Commonwealth champion Hamish Kerr, European silver medallist Tobias Poyte and former world champion Donald Thomas.

Competing with a new pole, European indoor and outdoor champion Wilma Murto won on countback with a second-time clearance of 4.80m from Olympic and world champion Katie Moon.

British champion Molly Caudery was eighth with a 4.51m vault while Holly Bradshaw retired after a single failed jump at 4.36m.

Last year’s World Championships fourth-placer Quanesha Burks set a PB with her opening long jump of 6.98m and won easily from Brooke Buschkuehl and Tara Woodhall-Davis, who both jumped 6.72m.

Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers was a close fourth with 6.67m while former world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson was an encouraging fifth in a season’s best of 6.60m.