Namibian 18-year-old runs 48.54 for 400m but must now focus on 200m in Tokyo due to her naturally-high testosterone levels that are above World Athletics’ limits

All eyes over the last week were on the Diamond Leagues at Oslo and Stockholm and performances such as Karsten Warholm’s 400m hurdles world record, Eilish McColgan’s British 5000m record and Keely Hodgkinson’s European junior 800m and UK under-23 and under-20 records.

To read about Oslo click here

To read about Stockholm click here

For details of the best of the National league action click here

But there was plenty of other top-class action.

Irena Szewinska Memorial / Bydgoszcz Cup, Bydgoszcz, Poland, June 30
Namibian teenager Christine Mboma sensationally improved the world under-20 400m record and African senior record with a 48.54 clocking in her first ever 400m outside Africa.

The raw talent started fast and looked sure to pay for it but kept moving away throughout and her time was the seventh best in history and destroyed Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo’s 2021 world lead of 49.08.

A good international field led by European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic was left well over three seconds and over 25 metres in arrears in 51.91.

However, Mboma and her fellow 18-year-old Namibian team-mate Beatrice Maslingi (49.53 this summer) won’t be able to run the 400m at the Olympics as reportedly their testosterone levels are too high for the World Athletics gender limits at 400m and 800m and they have been switched to the 200 metres for Tokyo, where there is no set limit.

Unbeaten in her 12 races in 2021, Mboma only first ran 400m in 54.80 last January and she had reduced her best time to 51.57 by December.

In 2021, she improved to 51.59 and 50.97 in March then seemingly world junior records of 49.24 and 49.22 in April before the latest huge breakthrough, although there seems little chance her marks will be ratified now.

She did run two earlier 200m races in the month in Prague (22.67) and Madrid (22.79) while she has also won over 800m with 2:03.27 in Africa in April to show her full range.

World champion Pawel Fajdek confirmed his position as Tokyo hammer favourite with a meeting record 82.77m to comfortably defeat European champion Wojciech Nowicki’s final round 80.00m which denied Ukrainian Mykhaylo Kokhan’s 79.96 PB.

World record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk started the meeting with a mere 74.06m season’s best having won only one of her seven competitions in 2021 and ranked outside the world top 10 for the year.

She opened with a 75.83m to move to fifth in the world rankings before a stunning improvement to 77.93m to go third in the world rankings and move back to being one of the Tokyo favourites. It was her longest throw for almost three years from when she won the European title in 2018.

Fellow Pole Malwina Kopron was second with 75.41m.

American Chris Nielsen cleared 5.92m to win the pole vault ahead of Ernest John Obiena Philippines’ 5.87m record.

World medallist Piotr Lisek and Olympic champion Thiago Braz cleared 5.82m season bests.

Former world champion Tom Walsh won the shot with 21.46m.

In the 800m Kenyan Cornelius Tuwei’s 1:45.76 defeated Jamie Webb’s 1:46.04.

Liege, Belgium, June 30
Ethiopian Aberash Minsewo won the 5000m in 15:05.25 ahead of Kenyan Irene Cheptai 15:05.76 as Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya was unable to qualify for Tokyo as she finished fourth in 15:50.12.

Olympic heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam was fifth in the 100m hurdles in 13.64.

Heusden, Belgium, July 3
Cynthia Bolingo set a Belgian record of 50.72 to win the 400m ahead of Russia’s European under-20 champion Polina Miller’s 52.08.

Kenya’s Cornelius Tuwei won the 800m in a fast 1:43.76 from Collins Kipruto (1:44.33) and Abel Kipsang won the men’s 1500m in 3:33.96 from Australia’s Matt Ramsden’s 3:34.08.

Kenyan Mary Moraa won the 1000m in a world-leading 2:34.71 from Russia’s Aleksandra Gulyayeva (2:35.80) with European indoor 1500m champion Elise Vanderelst third in a Belgian record of 2:35.98.

Menno Vloon cleared 5.75m to win the men’s pole vault.

Lignano. Italy, July 3
Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah won the 100m in 11.03 ahead of team-mate Natasha Morrison (11.33).

Her fellow Jamaican Nigel Ellis defeated Mike Rodgers in the men’s 100m, 10.21 to 10.23 with Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake third ion 10.33.

World champion Yaime Perez won the discus with 64.20m.

Aby, Sweden, July 2
Ernest Obiena won with a 5.80m vault on countback from Thiago Braz with Andrew Irwin also clearing 5.80m in third.

Polina Knoroz won the women’s competition with a 4.70m leap.

Doha, Qatar, June 29
Femi Ogunode clocked an Olympic standard 20.16/1.0 in the 200m.

Brno, Czech Republic, July 4
Egyptian Bassant Hemida set national records at both 100m (11.14/0.8) and 200m (22.79/-0.2).

Orange, France, June 30
World heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson cleared 1.84m in the high jump in her first competition of the year following an Achilles injury.

Mannheim, Germany July 3-4
In this traditional junior meeting, Steven Richter gained a 20.34m shot and 62.14 discus double while Merlin Hummel threw 81.77m in the hammer.

Peachtree 10km, Atlanta, July 3
Sara Hall won in 31:41 from Emily Durgin (31:49) and Annie Frisbie (32:06). Olympic marathon runner Aliphine Tuliamuk was sixth in 32:43 in her first race after maternity leave.

Sam Chelanga won the men’s race in 28:45 from Fred Huxham (28:46) and Clayton Young (28:49). Olympic athletes Galen Rupp finished eighth in 29:06 with Abdi Abdirahman 15th in 29:47.

La Route du Louvre Half Marathon, Lens, France, July 4
Kelvin Kiptum led home a Kenyan clean sweep in 59:35 from Kenneth Renju (60:07) and Leonard Barsoton (60:20)
It was similar domination in the women’s race with Irene Kimais in 67:17 from Judith Korir (67:22) and Daisy Cherotich (68:31).

Voronovskoye Cup, Russia, July 3
Doha 20km silver medallist Vasiliy Mizinov won the men’s 10km walk in 38:10.

BMC Gold Standard Races, Stretford, June 29
Alex Botterill won the 800m in 1:47.70 as under-20 Daniel Howells set a PB of 1:48.16 in second as did fellow juniors David Locke who ran 1:48.50 in fourth and England under-20 champion Daniel Joyce in sixth in 1:48.60 which was his first time under the 1:49.00 European Under-20 Championships standard and means seven athletes have bettered that mark this year.

Fast 5km, Wigan, June 30
There was a Scottish double for Adam Craig (14:22) and Morag Millar (16:00).

The women’s favourite Kate Avery finished fourth after a quick start having set a PB in the Muller British Championships 1500m a few days earlier.

SVHC 5km, Clydebank, June 30
Multiple masters record-breaker Fiona Matheson’s 18:43 bettered the previous UK W60 5km best by 34 seconds and is believed to be a world best beating American Kathy Martin’s 19:04.

It was the 60-year-old Scot’s fastest time since 2017 and won her the women’s race as M35 Colin Reilly was first overall in 15:47.

Sonning 10km, Berkshire, July 4
In her first race since before the lockdowns, South of England cross-country champion the leading woman Jess Gibbon was second quickest overall with a 36:04 effort.

Great North 10km, Gateshead, July 4
Chris Thompson (above) warmed up for the Olympic marathon with a clear win in 29:44 over two minutes clear of Conrad Franks.

The Masters International cross-country winner Kirsty Longley finished sixth overall in 35:11 to be the leading woman.

Dublin, June 26
In this previous overlooked result Nick Griggs of the Mid Ulster club ran 8:11.15 for 3000m which is two seconds faster than one of the oldest British records on the books – Barrie Moss’s under-17 mark of 8:13.42 set within the AAA Championships which formed the 1972 British Olympic Trials.