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≡ STOCKHOLM DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡
The Diamond League circuit was in Stockholm (SWE) for the annual Bauhaus Galan, with excellent conditions, clear skies and tremendous performances, including five world leads:
● Men/800 m: 1:41.95, Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
● Men/5,000 m: 12:44.27, Andreas Almgren (SWE)
● Men/400 m hurdles: 46.54, Rai Benjamin (USA)
● Men/Vault: 6.28 m (20-7 1/4), Mondo Duplantis (SWE) ~ World Record
● Women/Vault: 4.82 m (15-9 3/4), Sandi Morris (USA)
The men’s vault was all about Swedish superstar Mondo Duplantis, who said in Oslo he was looking for a world record on home soil. It took 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) to shake off the challengers, with Kurtis Marschall (AUS: 5.90 m/19-4 1/4) finishing second and Menno Vloon (NED: 5.80 m/19-0 1/2) in third. Americans Keaton Daniel and two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks were fifth (5.70 m/18-8 1/2) and eighth (4.60 m/18-4 1/2).
Duplantis then moved the bar to a world-record 6.28 m (20-7 1/4) and thrilled his home crowd with a first-attempt clearance to break his own mark of 6.27 m (20-6 3/4) set indoors in France in February. For Duplantis, it’s his 12th world record – the first time in Stockholm – and he’s still just 25!
The meet highlight – beyond Duplantis, of course – was slated to be the men’s 400 m hurdles, with 2022 World Champion Alison dos Santos (BRA), Paris Olympic champ Rai Benjamin (USA) and Tokyo Olympic champ Karsten Warholm (NOR) lined up in lanes 5-6-7. Warholm had overcome Benjamin in the final meters to get a 300 m world record in Oslo on Friday.
Warholm got out like a shot, as usual, shadowed by Benjamin and dos Santos and they stayed that way into the turn. Benjamin closed in into the straight, took over by the ninth hurdle and rolled in with a world-leading 46.54, the no. 10 performance in history (he has five of the 10).
Dos Santos got past Warholm for second in 46.68, with the Norwegian fading to third in 47.41.
The men’s 800 m featured Kenya’s 800 m Olympic champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who has won off of all kinds of pacing and he was being chased again on the final lap. But he remained in front with 200 m to go and could not be caught, finishing in a world-leading 1:41.95, with Algeria’s 2022 Worlds silver star Djamel Sedjati second (1:42.27) and World Indoor champ Josh Hoey of the U.S. getting a lifetime best of 1:42.43 in third, the top three times in the world for 2025. American Record holder Bryce Hoppel was ninth in 1:47.59.
Hoey moved to no. 3 all-time U.S., with the no. 3 performance ever!
Swede Andreas Almgren and Ethiopia’s Kuma Girma led the men’s 5,000 through 3,000 m, then through 4,000 m, with Australian Ky Robinson the closest challenger. Almgren kept pressing and had a big lead at the bell, and rolled home with a spectacular win in an outdoor world lead of 12:44.27! It’s a European record and he’s now no. 11 all-time! His best coming in was 12:50.94. Wow!
Girma followed well back in 12:57.46, then Robinson in 12:58.38. Americans Cole Hocker and Morgan Beadlescomb finished 7-8 in 13:09.36 and 13:13.37.
The women’s in-city pole vault on Saturday was another win for two-time World Indoor champion Sandi Morris of the U.S., who cleared a seasonal best – and world outdoor-leading – 4.82 m (15-9 3/4) on her second try. Swiss Angelica Moser cleared 4.63 m (15-2 1/4) for second; Americans Gabriela Leon (4.53 m/14-10 1/4) and Emily Grove (4.23 m/13-10 1/2) were fourth and sixth.
Lots of attention on the women’s 100 m with Olympic champion Julien Alfred (LCA) running and she delivered a brilliant performance, taking the lead quickly and cruising to a 10.75 win (wind: +0.9 m/s), the no. 2 time in the world this season. Well behind was Britain’s 2019 World 200 m champ Dina Asher-Smith (10.93) and then Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV) at 11.00.
The U.S. also got wins in the women’s 400 m, 100 m hurdles and long jump:
Bella Whittaker of the U.S. was looking for a second straight Diamond League win in the women’s 400 m, but 2024 World Indoor silver winner Lieke Klaver (NED) had the lead at 200 m and around the turn. But Whittaker came on in the straight and won in 49.78, repeating the 1-2 finish from Oslo with Henriette Jaeger (NOR) pulling up for second in 50.07. Britain’s Amber Anning passed Klaver, 50.17 to 50.35, for third.
In the 100 m hurdles, a recall resulted in a yellow card for Alaysha Johnson of the U.S. Off the re-start, Olympic fourth-placer Nadine Visser (NED) got to the lead in mid-race, but was passed on the run-in by a surging Grace Stark of the U.S. and Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, both Olympic finalists in Paris, in 12.33 and 12.37 (+1.4). Visser ended up third in 12.49 with Devynne Charlton (BAH) fourth in 12.59. Keni Harrison of the U.S. was fifth (12.69) and Johnson was eighth (12.84).
Olympic champ Tara Davis-Woodhall ended the women’s long jump early, with the no. 2 mark in the world – 7.05 m (23-1 3/4) – in the first round. No one got close, with world leader Larissa Iapichino (ITA) reaching 6.90 mw in the third (22-7 3/4w) and Olympic bronze winner Jasmine Moore of the U.S. was third at 6.76 m (22-2 1/4). World Indoor winner Claire Bryant of the U.S. was fifth at 6.74 m (22-1 1/2) and Monae Nichols finished eighth at 6.55 m (21-6).
And there was a lot more:
The men’s 200 m suffered two recalls, but on the third try, Cuba’s Reynier Mena won with a strong home straight effort, in 20.05 (+2.0), for his second straight Diamond League win. Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh made his usual late rush for second (20.32), ahead of Kyree King of the U.S. (20.49).
Slovenia’s 2022 Worlds discus gold medalist Kristjian Ceh is on a roll and won his sixth straight meet, reaching 69.73 m (228-9) in the third round. Tokyo Olympic champ Daniel Stahl (SWE) was closest at 69.53 m (228-1) and Olympic bronzer Matt Denny (AUS) got third at 68.14 m (223-7).
The women’s 800 m was closely bunched with a 58.2 2 first lap, but with American Addy Wiley, 2023 World Champion Mary Moraa and British star Jemma Reekie at the front with 200 m to go. But everyone was close and while Prudence Sekgodiso (RSA) moved well off the turn, it was Olympic 1,500 bronzer Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR) who had the most speed on the straight and won in 1:57.66. The next six crossed in 1.2 seconds, with Moraa second (1:57.83), then Sekgodiso (1:58.00). Wiley faded to seventh, but still in 1:58.86.
Kenya’s Caroline Nyaga led the women’s 3,000 m at 2,000 m in 5:40.61, and was battling Ugandan Sarah Chelangat most of the way, but Australia’s Linden Hall had plenty left on the final lap and sailed by both on the way to an 8:30.01 win, with Chelangat at 8:31.27. Nyaga faded to fifth (8:34.79), as Britain’s Innes Fitzgerald (8:32.90) and Hannah Nuttall (8:33.82) passed her in the final 200 m.
World Champion Femke Bol (NED) and Rio 2016 Olympic winner Dalilah Muhammad of the U.S. faced off in the 400 m hurdles. Muhammad got off to her usual fast start, but Bol was in front by the fifth hurdle and built her lead. She crossed first with a convincing win in 52.11, second this year only to American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 52.07 in Miramar in May. Muhammad got a season best of 52.91, followed by Panama’s Gianna Woodruff, in 53.99.
For Muhammad, 35, who said she will retire at the end of the season, it’s her fastest time since 2021!
Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) made her first four jumps in a row to lead in the women’s high jump at 1.99 m (6-6 1/4), along with two-time Olympic silver star Nicola Olyslagers (AUS). Poland’s Maria Zodzik was third at 1.93 m (6-4) and Vashti Cunningham of the U.S. tied for fourth, at 1.91 m (6-3 1/4). At 2.01 m (6-7), Olyslagers cleared and Mahuchikh missed twice, then asked for the bar to go to 2.03 m (6-8) and missed, giving the Australian the win.
The women’s discus was won by Germany’s Tokyo Olympic silver winner Kristin Pudenz with her opening throw of 64.85 m (212-9), over Jorinde van Klinken (NED: 64.33 m/211-0). American Lagi Tausaga, the 2023 World Champion, was eighth at 59.79 m (196-2).
Next up for the Diamond League is the Meeting de Paris, coming quickly on 20 June (Friday), at the Stade Charlety.
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