Salwa Eid Naser wins epic battle against Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino for third career Diamond League title

Quarter-mile queen Salwa Eid Naser is back in her perch to winning ways after an epic victory over Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino to win her third career Diamond League title in Zurich.

Competing against a stacked field seeking her first win since April over her fierce Dominican rival, the Bahraini star athlete led from the blast of the gun and held on to the lead, crossing the finish line in an exceptional meeting record of 48.70s.

Paulino, despite her trademark top-end speed, couldn't match up to the brilliant pace of Naser as she settled for second in 49.23s, while Henriette Jaeger and Martina Weil clocked respective national records of 49.49s and 49.72s for third and fourth.

The race lived up to the hype on what to expect at the World Championships in Tokyo, as six women impressively went under the 50-second mark, with Amber Anning and Isabel Whittaker running 49.75s and 49.99s.

With Naser's victory, the 2019 world champion will be basking in confidence ahead of Tokyo, as her mark is her fourth time under 49 seconds this year, which equals the most ever in a single season. (48.67s, 48.70s, 48.85s, 48.94s). The last time this happened was back in 1984 when Marita Koch also did it four times (48.16, 48.26, 48.86, 48.89).

While Paulino remains the favourite for the world title in Tokyo, Naser has shown she has peaked again at the right time and will be ready to challenge for the gold medal and write her name in the history books again.

In the men's 400m event, Jacory Patterson powered to a new Personal Best (PB) of 43.85s to win his first career Diamond League title in Zurich.

The American finished well clear of Botswana's Bayapo Ndori in second, clocking 44.40s, while Vernon Norwood was third in 44.45s and Zambia's Muzala Samukonga fourth in 44.49s.