The Monegasque Federation of Athletics and its president HSH Prince Albert II strive every year to make the Monaco Herculis EBS Meet a momentous event of high-level track and field competitions.
The end of the track and field season has just officially marked the Herculis EBS Monaco meeting, the best meeting in the world in 2018 according to the IAAF ranking. It’s not surprising given the star-studded turn-out of athletes for the meeting. There were more records set in Louis Stade II on July 20th this year than HelloMonaco can remember has happened since 2015. And it was in Monaco too in 2015 that set the athletic’s world talking.
Here is a snapshot of the litany of Records from the Herculis EBS Monaco 2018 Meet and flashbacks to some of the most exciting appearances and performances.
Two IAAF Diamond League Records including the one by Shaunae Miller-Uibo
We had to go almost ten years for the world to see a woman break 49 seconds in the 400 metres. This dry period came to an end in Herculis 2018 Monaco as Shaunae Miller-Uibo won streaking down the track in 48.97, the tenth fastest woman of all-time.
Six Meet Records including the one by Noah Lyles
Lyles had been one of the sprint sensations of 2018. And his celebration when he crossed the line and set a Meet record in the Principality put him in line for an Oscar. By winning here in Monaco with a personal best and World Leading Time of 19.65 s Lyles is now tied for 8th on the all-time list.
One Scintillating World Record by the Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech
World Records are not usually trampled on and destroyed. That’s what happened in Monaco in the 3000 metre steeplechase. Beatrice Chepkoech is now a full 8 seconds faster than every other woman in history. Some will look at Chepkoech’s performance with incredulity. It’s amazing and mind-bending, to say the least.
Fourteen National Records including the French Record smashed by Ninon Guillon-Romarin
The pole vault turned out to be the deepest and strongest competition in history. Before Herculis Monaco 2018, the most women to clear 4.75 meters in one event was four; and it took a world or Olympic final to create the stage for it to happen. In Monaco, staggeringly eight women cleared 4.75 meters, including Ninon Guillon-Romarin who set a French Record in doing so. And finally Russian Anzhelika Sidorova won as the only woman to successfully vault 4.85 meters.
Four Continental records including the record for Oceania by Joseph Deng over 800m in 1:44.21
And how fast was the winner of the men’s 800 metres? The answer is lighting fast. Nijel Amos’s 1:42.14 in Herculis 2018 Monaco was the world’s fastest 800 metres since the awesome 2012 Olympic final.
7 Best Performances of the Year including the victory in the 3000m SteepleChase by Soufiane El Bakkali
Defiantly rising to the challenge to beat the eight-minute barrier Soufiane El Bakkali won in the Principality with a World Leading Time of 7:58.15, which is also the 10th best of all-time.
Monaco Herculis 2018 joins the one of 2015 at the top of the list of Best Athletics Meets of All-Time. Monaco holds the record for the two best meetings since the creation of this ranking.
