Swiss sprints to landmark title, while Tyri Donovan dives to a personal best on a dramatic night of  action.

While Mondo Duplantis was busy rewriting the pole vault record books yet again, it was on the track where the hurdles provided some of the evening's most thrilling moments at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday (September 15).

The women’s 100m hurdles final was a tightly-contested battle, with Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji producing the race of her life to claim her country’s first-ever gold medal in the event, as Olympic champion Masai Russell missed the podium.

Running a lifetime best of 12.24 (-0.1), Kambundji dipped at the line with her eyes closed, uncertain if she had done enough, but the scoreboard confirmed she had. Along with the world title came a Swiss national record for the 23-year-old, whose sister Mujinga is a double world champion indoors and a global medallist outdoors.

"It's crazy," said Ditaji. "I was giving my all. I tried to focus on myself. I was calm and pretty collected. I knew I had it in me. You could see on my face how happy I was when I realised I won. I was surprised. I thought that I was able to do it, but I was surprised because I knew all my competitors were able to win.

"This is something I have been working for and to run it the way I wanted to is special. Getting a personal best is nice but all that mattered today was the title. This result gives me a lot of motivation to work harder but right now I am just enjoying the title.

"I am sure my sister is excited for me. It's exciting to have her support. I was thinking about her a lot during these days. Our bond is really special. I know she will be thrilled. I am bringing home something really incredible."

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan took silver in 12.29, while American Grace Stark flew out of the blocks and held on for bronze in 12.34. Russell, tipped by many as the favourite, had to settle for fourth, while defending world champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica struggled after clipping the second hurdle and finished seventh. Fellow Jamaican Ackera Nugent, another strong contender, failed to advance from the semi-finals.

The men’s 400m hurdles heats at the World Championships in Tokyo featured no major upsets, with all three medallists from the Paris Olympics safely advancing to the semi-finals.

Karsten Warholm, second in Paris, took a more cautious approach, easing down in the closing stages of his heat and settling for third in 48.65. Known for his front-running style, the Norwegian looked slightly out of rhythm in the final stretch, including a stutter into the last hurdle.

Olympic champion Rai Benjamin and bronze medallist Alison dos Santos were more commanding in their respective heats. Benjamin looked comfortable as he cruised to a 48.15 win, while dos Santos eased down before the line to claim second in 48.48.

Nigeria’s Nathaniel Ezekiel, a breakout performer this season and winner of the Lausanne Diamond League, also looked sharp, winning his heat in 48.37.

Great Britain’s Tyri Donovan provided one of the most dramatic finishes of the round. Making his senior debut for Great Britain, the national champion found himself in a tight pack of five athletes fighting for the four automatic qualifying spots. In a repeat of his British Championships performance, Donovan fully committed to a dive at the line - a move that paid off once again.

His second-place finish in 48.26 was a personal best and moves him to fifth on the UK all-time list, just ahead of fellow Brit Alastair Chalmers, who also secured a spot in the semis, finishing fourth in his heat with 48.86. Seamus Derbyshire missed out, placing seventh in 49.20.

He said: "This is what this sport is about - being gutsy and trying to be brave - and that is what I have been working on this summer, making sure I am being patient to ensure I have that strength down in the last 100m. Credit to my team and the British Athletics staff this week, I am new to this squad and everyone has been so welcoming and kind which really settles me in to that environment to perform.

"You try to make sure you are in that kind form but again anything can happen at this stage. I am new to it all. I want to take everything in my stride, no pun intended, and see where it takes me. Today it gave me a PB and I am grateful and proud of that.

 "Coming here and being in a team environment is amazing because this sport is normally very individualistic and quite isolating so knowing you have the team around you, especially Alastair and Seamus [helps]. We have had so many battles over the years and to be team-mates now, it’s fantastic."

Grant Holloway made it safely through to the next round of the men’s 110m hurdles, but the reigning world champion looked far from his dominant best.

After a strong start in the final heat, Holloway held a clear lead through the early stages, raising hopes that he might be back to full form following a challenging outdoor season. But as the race reached its closing strides, the American couldn’t find the extra gear he’s known for and faded to fourth - just enough to qualify automatically with a time of 13.27.

It was Jamaica’s Tyler Mason who took full advantage, powering through to win the heat in 13.19. Just behind him, Japan’s Rachid Muratake thrilled the home crowd with a strong run for second place in 13.22.

The US contingent had a strong showing overall, with Ja’Kobe Tharp and Dylan Beard both clocking 13.28 to advance, while Cordell Tinch also progressed with 13.31.