Athletics – Monaco Diamond League 2024 Live Updates (2025)

And we will too, thanks for joining us!

And from us too, that's it for our coverage of the 2024 Meeting Herculis, the Monaco Diamond League.

It was a night of high drama and fantastic action, headlined by records all over:Djamel Sedjati in the men's 800m with a Diamond League record,Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men's 1500m with a European record, and Australia'sJessica Hull in the women's 2000m with aworld record.

Just theLondon Athletics Meet next Saturday, 20 July, stands between the athletes and the Olympic Games.

For us, we'll be back with alive blog of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games starting with preliminary round action in football and rubgy sevens on 24 July.

We hope you'll join us then!

Kerr calls it a night

Three more attempts for Kerr if he wants them. Clap, clap, clap – there it goes again.

Into the bar on his first try – and Kerr calls it.

1. Hamish Kerr (NZL) 2.33m =PB
2. Shelby McEwen (USA) 2.31m SB
3. Stefano Sottile (ITA) / Woo Sanghyeok (KOR) 2.28m

Kerr has set the bar to 2.38m, which would be a new world lead.Gianmarco Tamberi, the Olympic champ, is the world leader at 2.37m.

Hamish Kerr wins men's high jump

McEwen gets the crowd going too. The last jump of the night?

He leaps… and clatters into the bar. That's it, the competition is done. The world indoor champ can't quite clear it.

Kerr could continue and set the bar to a height which would be a new best. Will he?

Kerr over at 2.33m

Clap. Clap. Clap. The crowd are in a rhythm, guided by Hamish Kerr. Two jumps left, one each.

He takes his run up and… yes! He's over! That equals his personal best.

Over to you, Shelby McEwen.

But the competition isn't over just yet. The men's high jump is still going, with two athletes aiming to clear 2.33m.

USA'sShelby McEwen and New Zealand'sHamish Kerr are the two left in the competition, with the bar at 2.33m.

Italian Stefano Sottile and Republic of Korea'sWoo Sanghyeok tied for third at 2.28m.

Julien Alfred takes women's 100m

On your mark.

They're in the blocks.

Set.

The gun goes. It's a good start from St Lucia's Alfred. She's leading all the way into a fairly decent headwind, and she leads start to finish to win in 10.85 seconds.

Davis is second in 10.99, a photo-finish ahead of Asher-Smith also in 10.99.

1. Julien Alfred (LCA) 10.85
2. Tamari Davis (USA) 10.99
3. Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) 10.99

Wind: -1.0 m/s

Time for the women's 100m. Six of the athletes in this final have gone under 11 seconds this season: Tamara Clark, Dina Asher-Smith, Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith, Julien Alfred, Aleia Hobbs, and Tamari Davis.

Final 3 in triple jump

The women's triple jump is down to the final three. The current leader,Leyanis Pérez of Cuba, has a best of 14.96m.

She jumps 14.41, so no improvement. Dominica'sThea Lafond can't improve on her 14.87 best, only getting out to 14.12m despite a big tailwind.

So only Ukraine'sMaryna Bekh-Romanchuk can play spoiler. It doesn't look far enough to me. 14.25, no improvement on her best either.

So that's your top three.

1. Leyanis Pérez Hernández (CUB) 14.96m (+1.7) SB
2. Thea Lafond (DMA) 14.87m (+1.3) SB
3. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR) 14.81m (+2.0) SB

Ingebrigtsen breaks European record in men's 1500m

Here's the bell. Ingebrigtsen is in the lead by a couple of metres. This field is now being strung out.

The Norwegian kicks it into another gear. The others aren't getting close.

Ingebrigtsen is still going. It's fast! It's a personal best, anew European record and a world lead!

A new PB by over four tenths of the second.

1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:26.73 AR WL PB
2. Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN) 3:28.71 SB
3. Brian Komen (KEN) 3:28.80 PB

So it's time for the men's 1500m.

No Josh Kerr and no Jake Wightman, so it's Ingebrigtsen,Yared Nuguse,Oli Hoare,Azeddine Habz, and Ingebrigtsen's teammateNarve Nordås.

Letsile Tebogo takes men's 200m

And so they get into their blocks for this race. Tebogo is probably the biggest name involved after world champion Noah Lyles withdrew to focus on his training camp.

Tebogo is so fast out of his mark and despite a relative lack of action this year – he has been dealing with a personal, family issue – he stays in his rhythm, overpowersAlexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic, and even has time to look across and ease up coming to the line.

1. Letsile Tebogo (BOT) 19.87
2. Alexander Ogando (DOM) 20.02
3. Tarsis Gracious Orogot (UGA) 20.32

Wind: +0.6 m/s

Just three track events left tonight: the men's 200m, featuring world medallistLetsile Tebogo; the men's 1500m includingJakob Ingebrigtsen; and a pretty strong women's 100m field includingDina Asher-Smith.

The 200 is first up.

Akidor sets 5000m PB in tactical race

It's a slow, tactical race in the women's 5000m.

The pace of the race has come right down after the pacemakers completed their work.

Youngster Marta Alemayo of Ethiopia, just 16 years old, takes the bell in the lead on the inside.

But she's squeezed towards the middle of the pack as they come down the back straight.

Kenya'sMargaret Akidor hits the front and kicks, she timed it perfectly, and comes home to win in a new PB: 14:39.49.

1. Margaret Akidor (KEN) 14:39.49 PB
2. Likina Amebaw (ETH) 14:40.44
3. Tanaka Nozomi (JPN) 14:40.86 SB

Kennedy wins women's pole vault

No-one goes over at 4.93m, which would have been a new personal best for each of the three women left in the competition.

It means, on count back, world championNina Kennedy of Australia wins the women's pole vault with a clearance of 4.88m – just 0.02m lower than her current PB, set at the World Championships last year.

1. Nina Kennedy (AUS) 4.88m SB
2. Angelica Moser (SUI) 4.88m NR PB
3. Molly Caudery (GBR) 4.83m

Mutaz Barshim announces Paris 2024 to be last Olympics

He's not in action tonight, but speaking of the men's high jump, some news to bring you.

One of the two current Olympic champions in the event, Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, has announced that Paris 2024 will be his final Olympic Games.

This is a translation of the post:

I am very proud that I achieved my sporting dream of being an Olympian and proud to raise the flag of my country Qatar in three consecutive Olympic Games in a journey that extended over nine years and began with my first Olympic participation in London 2012 and the silver medal 🥈, Rio 2016 also a silver medal 🥈 and then Tokyo 2020 gold medal 🥇.

I enjoyed my Olympic journey in all its sweet and bitter stages and all its difficulties and challenges, from which I gained great experiences and learned countless lessons, which I hope to pass on to future generations in the future.

Reactions from Monaco Diamond League 2024

Some quotes to bring you from the earlier events:

Kitaguchi Haruka, women's javelin throw winner and current world champion:

This season has been a struggle for me. I am missing my confidence a lot. But throws above 65m bring back the confidence. I will go to the Diamond League in London next and after I will focus on the Olympic Games. I want to win the Olympic gold.

Rai Benjamin, men's 400m hurdles winner:

I did not run the race I wanted to execute but it was all about getting in and seeing what do I have in me. I did not run the home straight so strong as I usually do but that is ok as I won. I still need to get back home and prepare for the rest of the season. Paris is going to be madness. I have to win there. I believe I can do it. I will go back home and try to get as sharp as possible.

Djamel Sedjati, men's 800m winner and world leader:

I am thinking of the World Record, I hope to run it at the Olympic Games. I have two more weeks to prepare 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.

Jessica Hull, women's 2000m winner and new world record holder:

oday the goal was just to be strong, even if my legs were very heavy. I ran at a different pace and level of fatigue I have never been before. 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 don't catch me. It is amazing to be called a world record holder now. The last 200m were a long way, I didn't want to let down the spectators. I ran hard for this record, I worked extremely hard for this too. There are for sure some women who can run that 5:19, but for now I have my place in the history books.

Field events check

A quick check elsewhere while we prepare for the night's longest track race in the women's 5000m:

In the women's pole vault,Nina Kennedy has a new season's best at 4.88m, whileAngelica Moser has extended her Swiss national record and personal best to that same height.Molly Caudery has passed at this height after one miss.

In the women's triple jump, Ukraine'sMaryna Bekh-Romanchuk leads on 14.81 (+2.0) with the help of a big tailwind, just within the limit for records.

And the men's high jump is being led by four men, with six clear at 2.21m.

Holloway wins again in the men's 110m hurdles

Back into the blocks they go.

Set and they're off. Holloway leads from the start and into a headwind, takes the race all the way.

At the back, Japan's Izumiya Shunsuke took quite a big tumble and went crashing into a couple of hurdles. Hopefully he's ok.

Zhoya is back in fifth, having lost his rhythm and clipped most or the hurdles.

1. Grant Holloway (USA) 13.01
2. Lorenzo Simonelli (ITA) 13.08
3. Cordell Tinch (USA) 13.10

Wind: -0.7 m/s

It's the men's 110m hurdles next, including the likes of Grant Holloway and Sasha Zhoya.

Holloway, the reigning world champ, is aiming to avenge an upset loss to Hansle Parchment at the Olympic Games.

But before that, he has this race.

The athletes get into their blocks but a bit of noise in the crowd sees Holloway put his hand up for a reset.