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≡ MONACO DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡
The 10th stop on the 2026 Diamond League tour was the annual Herculis Monaco at the Stade Louis II, in warm and humid conditions, that produced a world record and world leads in four other events:
● Men/1,000 m: 2:11.83, Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) ~ World Record
● Men/Long Jump: 8.61 m (28-3), Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE)
● Women/200 m: 21.51, Julien Alfred (LCA)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:08.95, Agnes Ngetich (KEN)
● Women/Vault: 4.95 m (16-2 3/4), Nina Kennedy (AUS)
The rarely-run men’s 1,000 m was designed as a shot at the 1999 world record of 2:11.96 by Noah Ngeny (KEN) and the second pacer Louey Ouerrat (FRA) came through at 1:45.11 for 800 m, so the chase was on.
Wanyonyi, the Olympic 800 m champ and Britain’s Jake Wightman, the 2022 World 1,500 m champ, were the ones battling for the win and Wanyonyi – barely ahead in the final turn – ran away in the final 50 m and got the world record at 2:11.83 with Wightman at 2:12.77 (no. 5 all-time) and then Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati (2:13.94). American Bryce Hoppel was fifth in 2:15.80, now no. 5 all-time U.S.
Wanyonyi said afterwards that this was his first-ever 1,000 m!
With three laps to go in the Steeple, Kenya’s Paris Olympic finalist Simon Koech had the lead behind the pacer and then he and countrymen Edmund Serem and Leonard Bett were 1-2-3 by 2,000 m. But Koech broke away and took the bell all alone and he won by 50 m in 8:03.35. Japan’s Ryuji Miura moved up on the final lap to get second (8:10.30), then Serem (8:11.15) and American Matt Wilkinson (8:11.76). Carson Williams of the U.S. was seventh (8:17.36).
Olympic champ Tentoglou (GRE) was on it in the men’s long jump from the start, taking the lead at 8.48 m (27-10) in round one and extending to a world-leading 8.52 m (27-11 1/2) in round two. Paris Olympic silver winner Wayne Pinnock (JAM) reached a seasonal best of 8.39 m (27-6 1/2) in round one and stood second.
But Tentoglou wasn’t satisfied and blew up the final round with a sensational 8.61 m (28-3)! Cuba’s Jorge Hodelin got up for third in round five at 8.38 m (27-6).
The women’s 200 m had Olympic 1-2 – Gabby Thomas of the U.S. and Alfred – in lanes 7 and 6 and Alfred was out well on the turn. She had a small lead into the straight, but she moved away from Thomas, with collegiate record-holder Adaejah Hodge (IVB) coming up for second. Alfred crossed in a brilliant 21.51 (+0.9), now no. 3 all-time, with the no. 5 performance in history!
Hodge finished in 21.76, then Thomas in 21.84 and Americans Kayla White fourth in 22.04, Cambria Sturgis in 22.40 and Anavia Battle in 22.42. Alfred was amazing.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon was the headliner in the women’s 3,000 m, designed as a shot at the world record. With four laps to go, it was World Cross Country champ Ngetich (KEN) alone behind pacer Jess Hull (AUS: Olympic 1,500 m silver!) and took over at 2,000 m in 5:24.08. Ngetich was all alone – by 80 m – at the bell and finished alone at 8:08.95, the no. 3 performer and performance in history!
Aleshign Baweke (ETH) led the chase pack in 8:23.81, then Senayet Getachew (ETH: 8:24.02) and then Kipyegon (8:24.21).
In the women’s vault, only Kennedy and American Amanda Moll cleared 4.72 m (15-5 3/4), with Emily Grove of the U.S. third at 4.62 m (15-1 3/4). At 4.82 m (15-9 3/4), Kennedy cleared, but Moll missed once and passed to 4.87 m (15-11 3/4) and missed twice and was out. Kennedy missed once, but having secured the win, passed to the world-leading height of 4.95 and made it on her first try. It was a lifetime best and moved Kennedy to equal-fourth on the all-time list!
Tokyo Olympic champ Katie Moon of the U.S. was fifth at 4.62 m and Hana Moll was seventh at 4.52 m (14-10).
There were many more highlights:
World Champion Oblique Seville (JAM) was in lane five, with Olympic 200 m champ Letsile Tebogo (BOT) was in four in the men’s 100 m. Off the gun, the field was close through 30 m, but Seville took control cleanly after mid-way and won clearly in 9.88 (+0.2). American World Indoor 60 m champ Jordan Anthony was strong in the final 20 m and was second in 9.92, ahead of Emmanuel Eseme (CMR: 10.00). Tebogo was fifth in 10.04; Sam Blaskowski of the U.S. was seventh in 10.06.
Botswana’s 400 m World champ Collen Kebinatshipi was in the lead on the backstraight, but American 2025 World Indoor bronzer Jacory Patterson came into the lead off the final turn. No problem for Kebinatshipi, who pushed hard on the straight and won easily in 43.44, a lifetime best and now no. 4 all-time!
Patterson was second in 43.96, a seasonal best and Olympic 400 m hurdles champ Rai Benjamin of the U.S. was third in 44.13, moving up in the final 50 m.
Swiss European champ Dominic Lobalu had the lead in the men’s 5,000 m at the 3,000 m mark at 7:43.48, then Kenyan Cornelius Kemboi in front with two laps to go. Seven were together at the bell, with 2022 Worlds silver winner Jacob Krop in the lead and Krop and American Graham Blanks were 1-2 into the final turn. Lobalu and Blanks were 1-2 into the straight and it looked like Blanks would win with 25 m to go, but Lobalu found speed in the final meters and won in 12:52.54. Blanks finished in 12:52.60, then Birhanu Balew (BRN: 12:52.91) and Krop (12:53.71). American Abdi Nur was ninth in 13:09.49.
Only three cleared 2.26 m (7-5) in the high jump – Oleh Doroshchuk (UKR), Sarvesh Kushare (IND) and Kimani Jack (GBR) – then at 2.28 m (7-5 3/4), Jack cleared on his first, then Doroshchuk cleared on his third. On to 2.30 m (7-6 1/2), Jack was over again on his first, and Doroshchuk on his second. At 2.32 m (7-7 1/4), Doroshchuk upped the ante with a first-try clear, and that was good enough to win.
American JuVaughn Harrison was fourth at 2.23 m (7-3 3/4).
The non-Diamond League men’s Vault had only six jumpers and three cleared 5.85 m (19-2 1/4): Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis, France’s Baptiste Thiery and two-time Worlds bronzer Kurtis Marschall (AUS). Thiery and Marschall failed at 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) and Duplantis moved on to 6.07 m (19-11), then went to 6.15 m (20-2), but missed all three.
Olympic champ Marileidy Paulino (DOM) was only third off the final turn in the women’s 400 m, but made a charge past rising Czech star Lurdes Manuel and then had to fight off American Aaliyah Butler in the final 50 m to win in a meet record 48.67, with Butler getting a lifetime best in second at 48.84! That moves Butler to no. 4 all-time U.S. and improves on her prior best of 49.09 from this meet in 2025.
Manuel was third in 49.44; American Jasmine Jones was eighth in 51.09, a lifetime best for the 400 m hurdles star, in only her second race at the distance!
The women’s 100 m hurdles was all over quickly, as Olympic champ Masai Russell of the U.S. was in charge right away and ran a clean race, rolled cleanly and won easily in 12.20 into a headwind of 0.4 m/s. It’s the equal-sixth performance all-time; she has four of the seven!
American Alaysha Johnson was second in 12.38, with Nadine Visser (NED: 12.49) third; Rayniah Jones of the U.S. was fifth in 12.54.
World Indoor champ Leyanis Perez (CUB) had the lead in the women’s triple jump almost from the start at 14.80 m (48-6 3/4), but then exploded in the final round to a lifetime best of 15.06 m (49-5) to win. She needed to, since Saly Sarr (SEN) had the lead after round four; after the Perez took the lead, Sarr got a personal record right behind her at 14.99 m (49-2 1/4). Olympic champ and world leader Thea LaFond (DMA) was third at 14.79 m (48-6 1/4). Perez is now the 30th woman to jump 15 m or more!
In the women’s javelin, China’s 18-year-old star, Ziyi Yan, won her fourth Diamond League meet this season, taking the lead in the second round, but saving her best for the sixth at 68.75 m (225-6). Two-time European silver winner Adriana Vilagos (SRB) was a distant second at 63.18 m (207-3).
The Diamond League moves to London next Saturday (18th).
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