The madness in the men's 800m continued in the Monaco Diamond League on Friday (12) evening with the red-hot Djamel Sedjati from Algeria consolidating his victory in Paris with an even faster time in the Louis II Stadium, one of four world leading marks to be set tonight.
Sedjati kicked away from the pack in the home straight for back-to-back Diamond League victories this month, stopping the clock at a sparkling 1:41.46 to improve his world lead and eclipse David Rudisha’s long-standing Diamond League record of 1:41.54 from Paris 2012, just five weeks before he went on to set the still-standing world record of 1:40.91 at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Sedjati, who is unbeaten this season, is looking to follow in the footsteps of the great Kenyan by winning the Olympic 800m title in the Stade de France. And he is coming for the world record too.
“Now I am thinking of the world record, I hope to run it at the Olympic Games. I have two more weeks to prepare for it. I will focus on that and put in the necessary work so that I can achieve my goal. I will keep the preparation the same. My mindset is that the hard work I have put in will pay off,” said Sedjati.
And behind Sedjati, the depth was phenomenal with six athletes breaking the 1:43-barrier to confirm the Louis II Stadium’s reputation as a magic carpet for middle distance runners.
Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui was a surprise second, slashing more than two seconds off his lifetime best with a national record of 1:42.04 while European champion Gabriel Tual accomplished his target of backing up his French record of 1:41.61 in Paris with a third-place finish in 1:42.10.
And despite fading at the top of the home straight, reigning world champion Marco Arop still came away with a 1:42.93 clocking in sixth, the second fastest time of his career.
World 2000m record for Hull
Five days after chasing Faith Kipyegon home in Paris where she broke her world record in the 1500m, Australia’s Jessica Hull achieved her very own place in the history books by breaking the world record in the 2000m and becoming the first woman to break the 5:20-barrier for the distance.
Hull followed the pacemakers with intent and the Australian stuck with the wave-lights when the pacemakers stepped aside, gritting out a hard final kilometre to stop the clock at 5:19.70, improving the previous mark of 5:21.56 set by Francine Niyonsaba in 2021.
“It was incredible, when I was on my own in the last lap, everyone was cheering for me. The wavelights also helped, I was just looking at the lights hoping that they wouldn't catch me. It is amazing to be called a world record holder now. The last 200m was a long way, I didn’t want to let down the spectators,” said Hull.
Eight of the 11 finishers set national records including Cory McGee who was fourth in a North American record of 5:28.78 while Uruguay’s Maria Fernandez improved the South American record with 5:50.21.
But not to be outdone, Jakob Ingebrigtsen showed that he is not only back but better and faster than ever after injury with a solo demonstration in the 1500m.
Ingebrigtsen kicked hard just before the bell and the 23-year-old motored to a last lap of 54.06, crossing the line in a world lead of 3:26.73 - just 0.04 shy of the Diamond League and meeting record - to break his European record and became just the fourth athlete in history to break the 3:27-barrier.
With the exception of Josh Kerr, all of Ingebrigtsen’s main rivals were on the start-line and the reigning Olympic champion beat them all by a convincing margin.
Kenyans Timothy Cheruiyot and Brian Komen were second (3:28.71) and third (3:28.80) respectively with Yared Nuguse, who pushed Ingebrigtsen in the mile in the Diamond League final in Eugene last September, fourth in 3:29.13.
However, there was a Kenyan win in a tactical women’s 5000m for Margaret Akidor in a lifetime best of 14:39.49.
Benjamin pips Warholm in their first head-to-head of 2024
Rai Benjamin defeated his two principal rivals in a fast and thrilling men's 400m hurdles clash which began the track programme.
For the first time outside of a major championships and a Diamond League final, Benjamin lined up alongside world record-holder Karsten Warholm and 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos from Brazil and the America came away with the bragging rights with an Olympic Games re-match to follow in just over three weeks.
Warholm started aggressively and led by a fraction coming into the home straight but Benjamin overhauled the Norwegian off the final barrier for victory in 46.67 to Warholm’s 46.73 with dos Santos third in 47.18.
"Paris is going to be madness," said Benjamin. "I have to win there. I believe I can do it. I will go back home and try to get as sharp as possible."
In the men’s 400m, recently crowned US champion Quincy Hall became the first sprinter this year to break the 44 second-barrier with a lifetime best and world lead of 43.80 while Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke also achieved the first Diamond League win of her career in the women’s 400m with victory in 49.17 ahead of Lieke Klaver from the Netherlands who was rewarded with a lifetime best of 49.64.
Elsewhere on the track, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo took a nonchalant victory in the 200m in 19.87; world champion Grant Holloway won the 110m hurdles in 13.01; and world indoor champion Julien Alfred from St. Lucia closed the track programme with victory in the 100m in 10.85.
Kennedy wins a thriller from Moser in the pole vault
Joint world champion Nina Kennedy from Australia was pushed all the way by Switzerland’s recently crowned European champion Angelica Moser in a pulsating pole vault competition which saw three athletes attempt a world lead of 4.93m.
Kennedy found herself languishing down in third place after watching Moser and world indoor champion Molly Caudery go clear at 4.83m on their first attempts but the Australian, who needed two attempts at 4.83m, regained the ascendency by virtue of a first-time clearance at 4.88m.
Having already cleared one Swiss record at 4.83m, Moser set her second national record of the night with a third-time clearance at 4.88m to move ahead of Caudery who failed once before passing her two remaining attempts.
The triumvirate all unsuccessfully attempted 4.93m which would have bettered Caudery’s current world lead of 4.92m.
The run of success for Oceanian jumpers continued in the high jump with world indoor champion Hamish Kerr from New Zealand producing a clutch third-time attempt at an outdoor lifetime best of 2.33m to defeat Shelby McEwen from the United States (2.31m) and Italy’s Stefano Sottile (2.28m).
In the highest quality women’s triple jump competition of the year, Cuba’s Leyanis Hernandez Perez produced the two longest jumps of the competition - 14.95m and 14.96m - for victory over world indoor champion Thea Lafond from Dominica (14.87m) with Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk making an auspicious season’s debut after an ankle injury with a third-place finish with 14.81m.
Reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi produced more sixth round magic to take the victory in the women's javelin.
Australia's Mackenzie Little set the standard in the first round with a season's best of 64.74m but just as she did at the World Athletics Championships last summer, Kitaguchi saved her best with her last throw of the competition, recording a season's best of 65.21m for the victory.
