The Diamond League history books were rewritten in 2023, with a total of 13 series records set in the Diamond Disciplines over the course of the season. Of the 32 current Diamond League records, almost half have now been standing for less than a year.
Some records, though, have proven tougher to beat. From Valerie Adams' 21.03m in the women's shot put to Aries Merritt's 110m hurdles world record of 12.80, there are still a handful of series bests which have stood for over a decade.
The longest-standing Diamond League record belongs to Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake, whose 19.26 in Brussels in 2011 has now stood for 12 years.
Blake was a rising star at the time, having picked up his first ever Diamond League win in London earlier that season, before blasting his way to the 100m world title at the tender age of just 22.
Under the league format which was then in place in the Diamond League, he had little to no chance of claiming the series title when he arrived in Brussels for the 200m. Yet Blake still wanted to prove that he was not just the man to beat over 100m, but also over the longer distance.
"It was really cold on that day," he remembered, looking back on the race in an interview earlier this year, and added that pre-race "butterflies" meant he got a slow start out of the blocks.
"I started slow because I was so nervous. But when I came off the turn, my mind just changed and I started to fly."
After falling behind in the first few strides of the race, Blake turned on the gas as he came out of the bend, tearing past the rest of the field to cross the line with the OMEGA clock reading 19.26.
It was the fastest time in the world that year and the second fastest ever after Usain Bolt's world record of 19.19. "I didn't believe it myself," said Blake.
The Diamond League record has stood ever since, although it has begun to wobble in recent years. US star and five-time Diamond League champion Noah Lyles has come closest to breaking it, coming withing 0.3 seconds of the mark on no fewer than six occasions in the last three years. His closest attempt came in Monaco in 2022, when the American clocked 19.46.
Until now, however, Blake remains the standout male sprinter in Diamond League history. The Jamaican also still holds the series record in the men's 100m, with the 9.69 he ran in Lausanne in 2012. He also continues to compete regularly on the circuit, making six appearances in 2023.
