Meeting records by Azeddine Habz, Rai Benjamin, Marileidy Paulino and Grace Stark plus a thrilling 3000m steeplechase win by Faith Cherotich lit up the Meeting de Paris, this season’s eighth Wanda Diamond League meeting, on Friday (20).
Racing in front of a home crowd, France’s Habz was roared to a world-leading national record of 3:27.49 – a time that moves him to sixth on the world all-time list and improves on the meeting record of 3:28.38 that had been set by world record-holder Hicham El Guerrouj in 2001.
The men’s 1500m might not have been a Diamond League discipline in Paris but Habz and his challengers made sure the event secured the spotlight. As the 31-year-old French athlete stormed over the finish line in record-breaking fashion, he was followed by Kenya’s 18-year-old Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech who made history of his own by running a world U20 record of 3:27.72. Great Britain’s George Mills clocked a PB of 3:28.36 for third place and he was followed by a host of athletes achieving personal best and national record-breaking performances, with the top six all dipping under 3:30 and the full 14-strong field running 3:32.25 or faster.
“It’s incredible, there’s no other word for it,” said Habz. “I came to this Paris meeting with the goal of breaking the French record. I thought I’d do 3:28, that was my ambition. With these 10,000 people supporting me, I felt like I had wings.”
USA’s Benjamin secured a second 400m hurdles win following his success in Stockholm, setting a meeting record of 46.93 to beat the previous meeting record-holder, Abderrahman Samba.
Qatar’s 2019 world bronze medallist Samba clocked 46.98 in Paris in 2018 and although he pushed Benjamin in the closing stages this time, he couldn’t catch the Olympic champion as he strode over the finish line to take 0.05 off the meeting record. Samba followed in 47.09 – his fastest time since 2018 – and USA’s Trevor Bassitt was third in 48.14.
USA’s Stark scorched to equal fifth on the world 100m hurdles all-time list with her meeting record of 12.21 (0.7m/s). The Olympic fifth-place finisher took a tenth of a second off the PB she set in Eugene last year to leap from joint 13th to joint fifth in history, beating Nigeria’s world record-holder Tobi Amusan in the process.
Amusan was runner-up in 12.24 and Jamaica’s world indoor 60m hurdles bronze medallist Ackera Nugent was third in 12.30 – the fastest time ever recorded for a third-place finish.
Another meeting record fell in the women’s 400m as Dominican Republic’s Paulino opened her Diamond League season in style. She clocked 48.81, narrowly holding off world leader Salwa Eid Naser who finished fast and clocked 48.85. There was a third national record in as many races for Chile’s Martina Weil as she dipped under 50 seconds for the first time with 49.83 for third place.
Kenya’s Olympic and world bronze medallist Cherotich became the sixth-fastest women’s 3000m steeplechaser in history as she held off Uganda’s Tokyo Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai to win in 8:53.37.
Cherotich might still be only 20 years of age but she raced with great experience, responding to Chemutai’s challenge on the last lap and kicking away to win by a second – a world-leading 8:53.37 to 8:54.41. Ethiopia’s world U20 champion Sembo Almayew was third in 9:01.22.
The meeting also featured a non-Diamond League men’s 3000m steeplechase and that saw Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma make a winning return as he competed for the first time since the Paris Olympics, where he suffered a heavy fall. Back at the scene of his 7:52.11 world record from 2023, the multiple world and Olympic silver medallist clocked 8:07.01 for a clear victory.
Girma’s compatriot Yomif Kejelcha took command of the 5000m and looked on for something special but, running solo, he couldn’t maintain the pace. While he faded in the closing stages, he managed to hold off a charging Birhanu Balew of Bahrain and won in 12:47.84 to Balew’s Asian record of 12:48.67. USA’s Graham Blanks was third in 12:49.51 and Jimmy Gressier was fifth in a French record of 12:51.59.
Mohamed Attaoui won the 800m with a home straight attack on the inside. The Spanish Olympic finalist passed USA’s Josh Hoey in the closing stages and pipped him to the line – 1:42.73 to 1:43.00. USA’s Bryce Hoppel was third in 1:43.11.
USA’s 2022 world silver medallist Trey Cunningham dipped to victory in the 110m hurdles, equalling his PB with 13.00 (1.1m/s) to gain the first Diamond League win of his career so far. After clocking 13.10 to finish third in his heat, he rebounded to win the final by 0.02 ahead of his compatriot Dylan Beard, whose performance was a PB. Jason Joseph equalled his Swiss record with 13.07 to finish third, ahead of Rachid Muratake in fourth and three-time world champion Grant Holloway in fifth.
USA’s Anavia Battle maintained her win streak in the 200m, following her Diamond League victories in Xiamen, Shanghai/Keqiao and Rome with another in 22.27 (0.9m/s) – her quickest of the lot. Great Britain’s Amy Hunt was second in 22.45.
Kenya’s outdoor world leader Nelly Chepchirchir impressed again, winning the 1500m in 3:57.02 ahead of a fast-finishing Sarah Healy of Ireland who placed second in a PB of 3:57.15. The top 11 all finished inside four minutes.
Australia’s two-time world indoor champion Nicola Olyslagers was another athlete who secured back-to-back wins, following her 2.01m clearance in Stockholm with 2.00m in Paris to prevail over Ukraine’s world and Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
Back at the Stade Charlety, where Mahuchikh set a world record of 2.10m last year, the 24-year-old cleared a best of 1.97m this time to finish second on countback ahead of Australia’s Eleanor Patterson.
India’s Neeraj Chopra turned the tables on Germany’s Julian Weber after their clash in Doha, the world champion getting the win this time thanks to an opening throw of 88.26m. Both athletes surpassed 90 metres in Doha, Weber getting the win there, but this time he had to settle for second with a best of 87.88m.
USA’s Valarie Allman saved her best until last to clinch a last-gasp win in the discus. In third place on 64.88m as the final three took to the circle for their final attempts, the two-time Olympic champion watched as Yaime Perez and Jorinde van Klinken were unable to improve on their respective marks of 65.03m and 66.42m.
Allman managed 67.56m from the final throw of the competition to move into top spot and maintain a win streak that dates back to September 2023.
Jamaica’s Jordan Scott secured his third Diamond League triple jump win of the season with a 17.27m leap, while two-time world champion Katie Moon pipped her US compatriot Sandi Morris to win the pole vault. Both athletes managed to clear 4.73m but Moon clinched the win on countback.
