Keely Hodgkinson delivered an emphatic statement and showed that she is the woman to beat in the Paris Olympic 800 metres when she took more than half a second off her own British record with a dominant 1:54.61 victory at the London Diamond League on Saturday.
A sellout crowd of 60,000, easily the largest on the circuit, were on their feet to acclaim a spectacular British 1-2-3 in the race -- the last Diamond League event before Paris.
Still only 22, Tokyo silver medallist Hodgkinson is favourite for Olympic gold after Athing Mu failed to qualify following a fall in the U.S. trials.
Hodgkinson was already the only athlete to go under 1.56.00 this year and was joined by compatriot Jemma Reekie (1:55.61), who edged Georgia Bell (1:56.28), both with personal bests, in the second and third fastest times in the world.
Femke Bol of the Netherlands easily won the women's 400-metre hurdles in 51.30 seconds, cementing her status as another gold-medal contender in Paris. The 24-year-old world champion, who won bronze in Tokyo, dominated the race from the start, with Shamier Little finishing second in 52.78, a season's best for the U.S. athlete.
In the men's race, Brazil's Tokyo bronze medallist and former world champion Alison dos Santos won in 47.18.
The flat 400s were also top-quality as Jamaica's Nickisha Pryce looked very impressive in running a world-leading time of 48.57 to win the women's, and home favourite Matthew Hudson Smith won the men's in a spectacular 43.74 -- a European record and world lead.
Italy's Leonardo Fabbri caused a surprise in the shot put, throwing 22.52 metres to beat Ryan Crouser of the U.S., who had been talking up his chances of breaking his own record at the last competition before the Olympics open on Friday. Crouser threw 22.37, more than a metre off the record of 23.56.
Australia's Mackenzie Little won the javelin with a big personal best of 66.27 metres, the second-best in the world this season.
Britain's women's 4x100 metres relay squad, bronze medallists at Tokyo, scorched round in 4.55 seconds, equalling the national record and the fastest of the world, with Dina Asher-Smith leading them out and in-form Daryll Neita anchoring.
The British men had no such luck, messing up their final changeover when leading, allowing a slick Japan to take it in 38.07 seconds.
Noah Lyles was due to run in the day's final race, the 100 metres, later on Saturday.