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≡ HERCULIS MONACO ≡
The Diamond League annual stop for the Herculis Monaco meet had a full house of about 16,000 at the Stade Louis II, with world-leading (outdoor) performances in
● Men/800 m: 1:41.44, Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
● Men/High Jump: 2.34 m (7-8), Sang-hyeok Woo (KOR)
● Men/Triple Jump: 17.52 m (57-5 3/4), Jordan Scott (JAM)
● Women/1,000 m: 2:29.77, Nelly Chepchirchir (KEN)
● Women/400 m hurdles: 51.95, Femke Bol (NED)
All eyes were on the men’s 200 m with Olympic champ Letsile Tebogo (BOT) in lane six and the late-entering World Champion Noah Lyles of the U.S., opening his 200 m season in lane seven. Off the start, the two were even, and Lyles held the advantage into the straight. Tebogo came on and was even, maybe even just ahead, but Lyles powered to the line and was the clear winner in 19.88 (wind: -0.8 m/s) to 19.97 for Tebogo and 19.99 for Auburn’s NCAA runner-up Maka Charamba (ZIM).
Plenty of smiles from Lyles, but no big celebration; he looked strong and had a clear race plan that he executed well when Tebogo came up. Impressive. He said afterwards:
“The audience was amazing and showed a lot of love. That is always helpful for your first race. I put myself in the fire for that one coming back against Tebogo. I didn´t feel any pressure, I don´t see any reason to put pressure on myself, that´s what we love to do. I pray for times like this to be out here and do what I love. I come out here and I give my best.”
The much-anticipated men’s 800 m had the entire Paris final on the line, and Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi stuck close to the lead and took over past the bell, reached in 49.21, on world-record pace. Wanyonyi and Algerian Slimane Moula were 1-2 on the backstraight, but World Indoor winner Josh Hoey of the U.S. moved up hard into the turn and took second. Into the straight, it was Wanyonyi completely in charge and while Hoey gave chase, the Kenyan crossed with a world-leading 1:41.44, the no. 10 performance of all-time.
Hoey was a clear second in a lifetime best of 1:42.01, now no. 2 all-time U.S. with the no. 2 performance (and no. 11 all-time world)! Algerian Djamel Sedjati got third (1:42.20) with Australia Peter Bol scoring a national record of 1:42.55 in fourth. American Record holder Bryce Hoppel was seventh in 1:43.51.
Four were in the men’s high jump at 2:30 m (7-6 1/2), with World Indoor winner Sang-hyeok Woo (KOR) over on his first try, and European silver winner Jan Stefela (CZE) on his second. JuVaughn Harrison of the U.S., the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, missed all three and finished third, with Jonathan Kapitolnik (ISR) fourth; they both cleared 2.27 m (7-5 1/4).
Then, Stefela made 2.32 m (7-7 1/4) as Woo passed. Woo made 2.34 m (7-8) on his first and Stefela missed. So, Stefela went to 2.36 m and missed twice and was second. Woo tried twice at 2.37 m (7-9 1/4), but missed twice, but grabbed the world outdoor lead!
Jamaica’s Paris Olympian Jordan Scott was only third through four rounds of the triple jump, then exploded in round five at 17.44 m (57-2 3/4), a lifetime best and an outdoor world leader! That surpassed Algeria’s 2024 World Indoor runner-up Yassir Triki (17.21 m/56-5 3/4) and World Indoor champ Andy Diaz (ITA: 17.15 m/56-3 1/4).
But Scott wasn’t done, blasting out to 17.52 m (57-5 3/4) in the final round to get a lifetime best! Triki also improved in the final round to 17.23 m (56-6 1/2), as did Diaz, to 17.19 m (56-4 3/4), but still in third.
The women’s 1,000 m had lots of talent, including 800 m World Champion Mary Moraa (KEN) and Paris 1,500 m silver winner Jess Hull (AUS), and Hull took the bell, ahead of Britain’s Jemma Reekie. But the big move came from 2024 Olympian Nelly Chepchirchir (KEN), taking over on the backstraight and into the final turn.
Hull kept close, but Chepchirchir raced away and won in 2:29.77, moving to no. 4 on the all-time list (and the fourth under 2:30). American Addy Wiley charged down the straight and finally passed Hull for second and got an American Record in 2:30.71 (no. 8 all-time), followed by Hull (2:30.96) and then Sinclaire Johnson of the U.S. in fourth (2:31.30). Reekie was fifth in 2:31.44.
Dutch star Femke Bol trailed Rio 2016 champ Dalilah Muhammad of the U.S. through seven hurdles, but took the lead on the eighth and stormed home in a world-leading 51.95. Muhammad remained no.4 in 2025 with a seasonal best of 52.58 and fellow American (and Paris silver winner) Anna Cockrell was a clear third in 52.91, now no. 5 in 2025.
Everyone was on world-record watch in the men’s vault, of course. Five were jumping in the men’s vault at 5.92 m (19-5), with Swedish superstar Mondo Duplantis, Greece’s Olympic bronzer Emmanouil Karalis and Australia’s Kurtis Marschall over, London 2012 Olympic winner Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) out and two-time Worlds winner Sam Kendricks of the U.S. missing twice and passing to the next height.
At 6.00 m (19-8 1/4), Kendricks missed and was out, Marshall missed all three and Duplantis cleared on his first try. Duplantis cleared 6.05 m (19-10 1/4), then Karalis missed once, and twice at 6.10 m (20-0) and was out. So, the Swede headed for world-record tries at 6.29 m (20-7 1/2), but missed three times.
The U.S. claimed one more win in the men’s 110 m hurdles. Cordell Tinch of the U.S. came in as the only sub-13 performer this season, but 2022 Worlds silver medalist Trey Cunningham had the lead by the second hurdle. Tinch moved up, fellow American Dylan Beard moved up, but Cunningham held on and got to the line first in 13.09 (-0.9). Tinch was a tight second in 13.14, then NCAA champ Ja’Kobe Tharp (13.17), as Beard faded to fifth in the run-in, also in 13.17!
There was a lot more action, including a couple of world-record tries:
The line-up showed a possible challenge to two-time Olympic champion Soufiane El-Bakkali (MAR), but he was out to make a world-record challenge and had more than 40 m on the field with two laps left. But El-Bakkali slowed, and Japan’s Ryuji Miura moved up hard on the final lap, and actually got the lead after the final barrier! But El-Bakkali sprinted back into the lead and won, 8:03.18 to 8:03.43, a national record for Miura. Edmund Serem (KEN) got third in a lifetime best of 8:04.00; Americans Matthew Wilkinson (8:10.23 lifetime best), James Corrigan (8:14.76) and Kenneth Rooks (8:28.23) finished 9-11-15.
Four men broke away at the 2,800 m mark in the men’s 5,000 m, with two-time World Indoor 3,000 m winner Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) leading world leader Andreas Almgren (SWE). Kejelcha pushed and crossed 3,000 m in 7:39.47, with Almgren stepping off the track. With four laps to go, Kejelcha’s lead expanded, with countryman (and 2016 Olympic bronzer) Hagos Gebrhiwet and Birhanu Balew (BRN) 50 m behind!
The lead was 80 m and growing with two laps to go, and Kejelcha took the bell all alone and finished in 12:49.46. The chasers were caught and it was France’s Jimmy Gressier who got second in 12:53.36, with Balew third in 12:53.51 and Mohamed Abdilaahi (GER) got a national record of 12:53.63 in fourth.
Australian teen sensation Gout Gout won the U-23 men’s 200 m in 20.10 into a 1.9 m/s headwind, ahead of Botswana’s Busang Kebinatshipi (20.28).
Olympic women’s 100 m champ Julien Alfred (LCA) had to work hard out of the blocks, just behind American Jacious Sears, but she zoomed to the lead by 40 m and won going away in 10.79 (-1.4), with Sears second in 11.02. Zoe Hobbs (AUS) was third in 11.02, then American Aleia Hobbs in 11.14. Maia McCoy of the U.S. was seventh in 11.19.
NCAA women’s 400 m champ Aaliyah Butler looked ready to upset Paris Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino (DOM), running up on her in the first 200 m and leading off the turn. But Paulino kept coming and got to the lead in the final stride, crossing in 49.06, with Butler getting a lifetime best of 49.09 (no. 3 in 2025 and no. 5 all-time U.S.), followed by Jamaican champ Nickisha Pryce, with a seasonal best of 49.63.
Devynne Charlton (BAH) and Grace Stark (USA) had the early lead in the women’s 100 m hurdles, but Stark hit a hurdle, and Jamaica’s Tokyo Olympic bronzer Megan Tapper took over and won easily in 12.34 (-1.1), equaling her lifetime best! Swiss Dita Kambundji came up for second in 12.43, with Americans Masai Russell (12.57), Stark (12.64) and Alia Armstrong (12.68) finishing 4-5-6.
In the women’s shot, Canada’s Sarah Mitton took the lead in round two at 20.00 m (65-7 1/2), but was passed by world leader Chase Jackson of the U.S. at 20.06 m (65-9 3/4) in round five. But it was two-time European champ Jessica Schilder who came up aces in the sixth, exploding to 20.39 m (66-10 3/4) to steal the victory!
Maggie Ewen of the U.S. was sixth (18.98 m/62-3 1/4) and Jaida Ross was seventh (18.83 m/61-9 1/2).
The Diamond League continues in London (GBR) on the 19th, then takes a month off.
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