July 21, 2023, 11:32 p.m
The Diamond League moved to the Principality of Monaco. Czech athletics fans were delighted by Jakub Vadlejch, who dominated the javelin competition. Kenyan Faith Kipyegon broke the world record for the third time this year. The midfielder Filip Šnejdr had the best Czech performance this year.
This year’s third saint for Kipyegon
The absolute highlight of the ninth installment of the Diamond League was the women’s one-mile race. In it, an attack on the world record, which had been held by Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands since 2019 with a time of 4:12.33, was announced in advance. However, a hot candidate to beat this record was her Kenyan rival and the best middle distance runner in recent years, Faith Kipyegon. She maintained machine pace throughout the race, running around 62 seconds in each of the four laps, and the resulting time was spectacular, as it was 4:07.64, beating the world record by almost five seconds, which is truly unprecedented. This is the third world record held by Kipyegon this season. Earlier, new historical world records were set on the 1500 and 5000 meter tracks.
Other female competitors in the ranking also made significant contributions to the long-term statistics. Ireland’s Ciara Mageean ranked fifth in history with a national record of 4:14.58. Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu (4:14.79), Great Britain’s Laura Muir (NR 4:15.24) and Australia’s Jessica Hull (AR 4:15.34) rank sixth through eighth all-time.
Vadlejch’s sixth diamond primate
The spearman also has a successful performance in the Principality of Monaco Jakub Vadlejch. He secured his sixth victory at the Diamond League with the very first attempt, which reached 85.95. He then reached eighty-five meters in the third series, when he recorded 85.37 and became, after ten years, the next Czech male javelin thrower who was able to win in Monaco.
The last time it was done was in the 2013 season by Vítězslav Veselé. “I am very happy for the victory. “I managed to complete the podium finishes at this year’s Diamantovce, when I was second in Doha and third in Lausanne. The first attempt was such a hedging and surprisingly it flew quite far. The weather was great, but the competition was a little strange today. It took quite a long time because there were some complications with the measurements. Of course, winning the Diamond League is good for confidence before the World Cup, but I try to keep my head the same. I’m a little sad that Neeraj Chopra was not there, with whom I wanted to measure my strength even before Budapest. Now I will compete at the MČR in Tábor, and then I have the final preparation before the World Championships.”
outlined his immediate plans.
The fast lane was beneficial to Šnejdr
The second Czech representative at the meeting was a midfielder Filip Šnejdr. The protégé of Jakub Holuš competed in the B run of 800 meters and used the fast tracks in Monaco to move this year’s best Czech performance to 1:46.12, which is fifteen hundredths faster than the current national statistics leader Jakub Dudycha. This run was won by the Dutch junior Niels Laros, who with a time of 1:44.78 became the fourth fastest European in history under the age of 20, while his specialty is the 15-meter race.
The A’s run was even significantly better. Kenyan Wyclife Kinyamal reigned supreme in this year’s world best performance of 1:43.22, finishing five hundredths ahead of compatriot Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who lost his unbeaten streak this year when he finished eighth in 1:44.35. Algerian Slimane Moula (1:43.40) and Canadian Marco Arop (1:43.51) reached imaginary medal positions.
Warhol continues to dominate
The expected confrontation between the Olympic champion Karsten Warholm from Norway and the Brazilian world champion Alison dos Santos took place in the quarter of obstacles. While Warholm already had two very high-quality starts at this distance this year, for Santos it was his debut this year after problems with his meniscus. In the end, Warholm emerged victorious from this duel, who improved his own Diamond League record with a time of 46.51, as well as this year’s best world performance by one hundredth. And all three of his times this year belong to the TOP 10 in history.
Santos was able to keep pace with Warholm until the eighth hurdle. However, his leg broke on the ninth and with a painful grimace he finished the race in second place in 47.66. With the upcoming world championships in mind, let’s hope he hasn’t re-injured his knee again, as a battle between him, Warholm and Rai Benjamin would surely be one of the highlights of the championship, as it was in the Tokyo Olympic final, when these fighters recorded the three fastest times in history.
An exciting duel over obstacles
The 100-meter hurdles race was clearly dominated by American sprinters. Nia Ali and Kendra Harrison had an exciting fight for the victory. While the first-named had a better start, the second flashed with a great finish. Only one hundredth separated the two at the finish line, which spoke in favor of Ali. She reigned in this year’s best world performance and personal record of 12.30, which ranks her ninth in the historical world charts. At the same time, she also broke the year-old meeting record of Gail Devers, who was twelve hundredths slower here in the 2002 season. Harrison could be satisfied with the performance of 12.31, as it is among the fastest in her rich career. The American dominance was underlined by other top times in third place by Alaysha Johnson (12.39) and fourth by Tia Jones (also 12.39).
The rod king humbled
There was a big surprise in the pole vaulting sector. Here, the sovereign of this discipline, Armand Duplantis, was again expected to push the boundaries. But that didn’t happen. Duplantis only managed to overcome his basic height of 572 centimeters and finished fourth. It was his first defeat since last year’s Diamond League in Brussels, and after twelve races he lost his invincibility. In the last four years, it is only his fourth defeat out of 63 final races he has entered, which is still an admirable record. In Monaco, the American Chris Nilsen rejoiced at the victory in an even season maximum of 592 centimeters.
More great sprinting feats on the track
In the women’s 200, there was also supposed to be a very attractive duel between the second fastest woman in history, Shericka Jackson from Jamaica, and the leading woman in this year’s world charts, Gabbi Thomas, who is fourth in historical statistics with this year’s personal best of 21.60. However, this fight was absolutely clear. While Jackson clearly dominated in 21.86, Thomas finished seventh in 22.67. On the contrary, Julien Alfred from Saint Lucia presented himself with a very nice time of 22.08.
In the shortest sprint of 100 meters, Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala confirmed his role as the main favorite, who flew through the straight in a time of 9.92. However, it was not easy for him at all. The second Botswanan Letsile Tebogo was only a hundredth slower (9.93). The pair of Jamaicans Ackeem Blake (10.00) and Yohan Blake (10.01) lined up behind them.
On a smooth fourth quarter, four competitors reduced their time to under 50 seconds. Thanks to an excellent finish, Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek won in 49.63. The American Shamier Little, who jumped from fourth in the hurdles, could enjoy a new personal best of 49.68. Lieke Klaver from the Netherlands and Rhasidad Adeleke from Ireland ran 49.99. The fifth Sada Williams from Barbados managed one circuit in exactly 50 seconds.
Successful diamond premieres
Jamaican junior triple jump world record holder Jaydon Hibbert made his first ever start at the Diamond League and almost topped it off with a victory over a host of illustrious opponents. Until the final series, he led with a performance of 17.66. The indoor world record holder Hugues Fabrice Zango got in front of him only with the last possible jump, when he jumped to 17.70, and the discovery of this season, who competed for the first time in Europe, lost his precious laurel at the last moment.
Kenyan steeplechaser Simon Koech had never even raced on a track other than Nairobi before the race in Monaco. That is, if we do not count one start on the road five in Germany. Koech took full advantage of the absence of two of the event’s main stars and ran a great personal best 8:04.19 for the win. With a completely sovereign and fearless performance, when he moved his career best by more than 14 seconds, he rose to third place in this year’s current world standings, behind world record holder Lamech Girma and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali.
What else happened?
An attack on the world record was also announced in the men’s 5000 meter race. However, the packed starting field remained relatively far behind Joshua Cheptegei’s record entry. Even so, there were very good times to be seen. The first three places belonged to Ethiopians. Thanks to a personal best of 12:42.18, the winning Hagos Gebrhiwet moved up to the eighth place in the historical charts, and the third Telahun Bekele was right behind him in 12:42.58. Berihu Aregawi (12:42.58) was wedged between these two fighters in Monaco. However, he ran faster this year. The Spaniard Mohamed Katir ran a new European record of 12:45.01. He deprived Nor Jakob Ingebrigtsen of this record, whose continental maximum he knocked down by more than three seconds.
The ruler of the long-distance sector this time was the Italian Larissa Iapichino, who reached 695 centimeters for the new outdoor personal, ahead of the American Tara Davis-Woodhall (688) and the Serbian Ivana Vuleta (688).
Australian Nicola Olyslagers was the only high lifter who successfully went over 199 centimeters and thus took the well-deserved diamond first place. The other four competitors jumped 196 centimeters.
The results
