Following a defeat to Julien Alfred at the Monaco Diamond League on 10 July, Gabby Thomas got a chance to prove to the world why she is the reigning Olympic 200m champion. Alfred took the show in Monaco, with a world-leading 21.51, while Thomas was third in 21.84. But just days later at the Gyulai István Memorial 2026 in Budapest, Thomas answered back.

Thomas went back to the track on July 14 at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix to deliver a dominating performance in the women’s 200m. The 29-year-old finished in 21.83 seconds ahead of the other two Americans, Kayla White (21.92) and Anavia Battle (22.21).

The victory was even more impressive considering the quality of the field, something Thomas highlighted after the race. “It was a really strong and impressive field, so winning against that level of competition feels great,” Thomas said.

“I had just come off the plane, so I’m proud of the effort I put in. I’m already looking forward to my next race. I’m really happy with where I am at this stage of the season. This is the best I’ve ever looked in the middle of a season throughout my career, so I think that’s a great sign heading into September.”

Thomas added that “I’m hoping to run a little faster in my next race,” she said. She did not face Julien Alfred in this race. But at the same time, Julien also made a statement in the 100m.

Saint Lucian powered to victory in 10.87 seconds. In the process, she beat Tina Clayton, who clocked 10.97. However, multiple Olympic gold medallist and fastest woman alive, Elaine Thompson-Herah, finished fourth in 11.04 seconds. This is a surprising setback for the fastest woman alive, who continues her return to top-level competition and won the Boris Hanžeković Memorial and advanced to the Jamaican Nationals finals last month.

Also, in the 110MH, Olympic champion Masai Russell won the race in 12.33 seconds. She led an American sweep, with Rayniah Jones finishing second in 12.47 seconds and Alaysha Johnson third in 12.49 seconds. Women’s sprint competition was as spectacular as the men’s events.

Mondo Duplantis chases history while Ja’Kobe Tharp announces his arrival

Mondo Duplantis came to the Gyulai István Memorial 2026 with the dream of making history. Last year, he set a new world pole vault record of 6.29m in the same place and was hoping to have another record-breaking moment in the city this year.  However, the record attempt would have to wait.

Instead, Duplantis had to battle through one of the strongest pole vault competitions of the season before securing another victory. The men’s pole vault turned into a six-metre showdown, with six athletes still competing when the bar reached 6.00m. Kurtis Marschall, Emmanouil Karalis and Sondre Guttormsen had already cleared 5.90m, setting up a thrilling contest.

Duplantis missed his opening attempt at 6.00m, but he quickly responded under pressure. The Olympic champion then showed his class, clearing 6.00m on his second attempt before moving into the lead with a first-time clearance at 6.07m.  While the biggest names in athletics battled in Budapest, Ja’Kobe Tharp delivered one of the most impressive performances of the night.

The American hurdler then sealed his amazing breakthrough with victory in the men’s 110m hurdles race in 12.85 seconds. Tharp beat one of the nation’s top fields of hurdlers, such as world champion Cordell Tinch, who came in third with a time of 13.06 seconds, and Jamal Britt, who finished runner-up in 13.01 seconds.

Tharp’s win was the first in the event since the NCAA Championships, where he clocked a stunning 12.75 seconds in the semifinals, which is the all-time best in the event. What’s interesting is that his 12.85-second finish in Budapest is now the fifth fastest ever recorded, which shows that the young American is not only destined to be a future star, but is already a top contender on the world circuit.