The best specialists in the world know it well: the Herculis EBS Meeting in Monaco has always favoured great performances in the middle distance. It is even the only one, among all the stages of the Wanda Diamond League, to have served as the setting for four current world records:
12’35”36 in the 5,000m by the Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei in 2020,
3’50 ” 07 in the 1,500m by the Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba in 2015,
4’12”33 in the mile by the Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan in 2019,
8’44”32 in the 3,000m steeplechase by the Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech in 2018.
The poster proposed by the organizers for the 2021 edition, Friday 9 July at the Stade Louis II, promises to be a classic. Just three weeks before the start of the athletics events for the Tokyo Games, the Monegasque meeting will offer Olympic medal candidates one of the very last tests before the Japanese meeting.
800m Women
She created a sensation at the 2019 Worlds in Doha by winning the 800m final, in 1’58”04, her personal best. Since then, Ugandan Halimah Nakaayi has seen her progress, and her competition schedule, severely disrupted by the pandemic. She made a smooth comeback, with a time of 2’00”62 on June 19 at the Décines meeting. Three weeks before the Games, her outing on the Monaco track promises to be one of the attractions of the evening. Watch out for Rénelle Lamote, back to her best level, the Frenchwoman could take this opportunity to beat her personal best after having attained two lap times in 1’58 this season (5th in the 2021 global rankings)!
Meeting record: 1’54’’60 – Caster Semenya (South Africa) – July 20, 2018
Best World performance of the Year: 1’56”67 – Werkwuha Getachew (Ethiopia) – June 8 at Hengelo (Netherlands)
800 metres Men
Duel at the top of the Men’s 800m, with two regulars on the Stade Louis II track. On the one hand is Nijel Amos, holder of the meeting record since 2019. The Botswanan, 2012 Olympic vice-champion, has not yet run this season, but there is no doubt that he will come determined to add one more success to his record in a stadium where he feels at home. Lined up against him is Amel Tuka, vice-world champion in Doha, who will not let victory escape him. Timed in 1’44”76 at the end of May, he is looking to lower his mark before Tokyo.
Meeting record: 1’41”89 – Nijel Amos (Botswana) – July 12, 2019
Best World performance of the Year: 1’43”17 – Clayton Murphy (USA) – June 21 in Eugene (USA)
1,500m Women
A shock. Explosive and uncertain. On the starting line, the Dutch Sifan Hassan, the world champion and record holder, victorious over the mile at the Herculis EBS Meeting in Monaco in 2019; and the Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, Olympic champion in 2016 in Rio, world gold medalist the following year in London. The two young women met this season in Florence, on June 10, for a first showdown. Safan Hissan won by almost nothing over Kipyegon (3,53’63 to 3,53’91). Revenge Friday July 9 at the Stade Louis II.
Meeting record: 3’50”07 – Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) – July 17, 2015
Best World Performance of the Year: 3’53’63 – Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) – June 10 in Florence (Italy)
1,500m Men
Timothy Cheruiyot, the reigning world champion, knows the Herculis EBS Meeting in Monaco well. He has won over the last three years over 1,500m, each time breaking the 3’30 ” barrier: 3’28”41 in 2018, 3’29”97 in 2019, 3’28 ‘ ’45 last year. Number 1 in the season’s global record since winning the Diamond League on May 28 in Doha (3’30”48), the Kenyan will still be the man to beat. But the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the youngest of the Scandinavian siblings, is a serious rival. Fourth at the Worlds in 2019, he has not yet lined up this season over 1,500m, but his victory over 5,000m on June 10 at the Florence meeting, in 12’48”45, his personal best, says a lot about his state of form.
Meeting record: 3’26’69 – Asbel Kiprop (Kenya) – July 17, 2015
Best World Performance of the Year: 3’30”38 Timothy Cheruiyot (Kenya) – May 28 in Doha (Qatar)
3,000m steeplechase Women
Beatrice Chepkoech loves Monaco. And the Principality returns the love. The Kenyan made a page in the history of the EBS Herculis Meeting in 2018 by setting the world record in the 3,000m steeplechase. She has since erased another world record, but on the road this time, scoring 14’43 over 5 km on February 14 in the streets of Monaco. World champion in 2019 in Doha, she has never yet won an Olympic medal but intends to fill this gap next August in Tokyo. She prioritized the EBS Herculis 2021 Meeting as a decisive step before flying to Japan.
Meeting record: 8’44’32 – Beatrice Chepkoech (Kenya) – July 20, 2018
Best World Performance of the Year: 9’00’’67 – Norah Jeruto (Kenya) – May 28 in Doha (Qatar)
3,000m steeplechase Men
Djilali Bedrani is a regular at the Herculis EBS meeting. He distinguished himself there several times, even breaking his personal best in 2019, crossing the line in 8’09”47. This year should not be an exception, and the Toulouse runner will aim to lower his best performance of the season (8’15”87 in Florence, 9th world performance of the year).
Meeting record: 7’53”64 – Brimin Kipruto (Kenya) – July 22, 2021
Best World Performance of the Year: 8’08”54 – Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco), June 10 in Florence (Italy)
