Held from 13–14 August at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, it was the twelfth leg of the inaugural IAAF Diamond League – the highest level international track and field circuit.

[1][2] Despite this, 2008 Paralympics champion Oscar Pistorius for South Africa, running in the men's T44 (below knee amputee) 400 metres event, set a new world record with a time of 47.04 seconds.

Though the time was slower than his personal best set in Italy in July of the same year, 46.02 seconds, his personal best had not been run in an International Paralympic Committee sanctioned race, making his 47.04 seconds race on 14 August the official world record.

[3] However, Bolt declined to participate, claiming he would lose more money than he would make because of British taxes, and Powell withdrew the day before the race with injuries to his hamstring and back.

Gay's time was also a stadium and meeting record, and his victory made him the top ranked 100 metres sprinter for the season.