Emmanuel Wanyonyi made his 1000m debut in sensational style, running 2:11.83* to break the long-standing world record at the Meeting International d’Athlétisme Herculis EBS in Monaco on Friday (10).

With that performance at the Wanda Diamond League meeting, the Olympic and world 800m champion took 0.13 off the world record of 2:11.96 set by his Kenyan compatriot Noah Ngeny in Rieti in 1999.

It was a night of record-breaking performances at the Louis II Stadium. As well as Wanyonyi’s historic mark, meeting records and some of the fastest performances of all time were achieved by Agnes Ngetich, Julien Alfred, Collen Kebinatshipi, Masai Russell and Marileidy Paulino. Meeting records also fell in the field through Miltiádis Tentóglou in a long jump contest of record depth and Mondo Duplantis, while Nina Kennedy set a world-leading Oceanian record of 4.95m in the pole vault.

Wanyonyi followed the pacemakers as the first, Patryk Sieradzki, reached 400m on world record pace in 50.95 as planned. The second pacemaker Louey Ouerrat hit 800m in 1:45.11 before Wanyonyi took over and stormed towards the finish, chased hard by 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman.

Wanyonyi charged over the line in 2:11.83, Wightman followed him in 2:12.77 to move to fifth on the world all-time list and world and Olympic medallist Djamel Sedjati was third in 2:13.94 as the top six all dipped under 2:15.

“This was the first time I ran the 1000m and breaking the world record makes me so happy,” said Wanyonyi. “I want to thank the other athletes who pushed me to my limit.”

Agnes Ngetich also surged up the world all-time list, winning the 3000m in a meeting record of 8:08.95 – the third-fastest performance in history.

The athlete who sits second on that all-time list is her Kenyan compatriot Faith Kipyegon – the world 1500m and mile record-holder who achieved her mile mark in Monaco in 2023. The multiple global gold medallist was also in 3000m action but, continuing her comeback after a hamstring injury following her 5000m win in Shanghai in May, she finished fourth this time in 8:24.21 behind Ngetich, Aleshign Baweke in a PB of 8:23.81 and Senayet Getachew in a PB of 8:24.02.

It was a dominant run by Ngetich in her first track race of the year – a year she started by winning the world cross-country title in Tallahassee in January. Ngetich set off right behind the pacemakers in Monaco and followed Olympic silver medallist Jess Hull, who helped to pace Kipyegon to her 8:07.04 3000m in Silesia in August, as she hit 1000m in 2:41.85.

Ngetich took control with three laps to go and passed 2000m in 5:24.08. She slipped off world record pace over the last couple of laps but managed to hold on to become the third-quickest runner in history.

Alfred No.3 all time with 21.51

A race between the three fastest women of the year produced the third-fastest athlete in history as Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred blazed to a world-leading meeting and national record of 21.51 (0.9m/s) in the 200m.

The Olympic 100m champion powered away to leave Adaejah Hodge, who started as the world leader on 21.68, and Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas in her wake – Hodge finishing second in 21.76 and Thomas, in her first Diamond League race in two years, placing third in 21.84.

Alfred now sits third on the world all-time list. Only Florence Griffith Joyner and Shericka Jackson have ever gone quicker.

“I have been preparing for this for such a long time,” said Alfred. “I didn’t realise how fast it was until I crossed the line. I looked at the clock and saw my time and that’s why I was screaming like at the Olympics.”

Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi ran even quicker than he did to win his world title in Tokyo, clocking a national record of 43.44 to improve the Diamond League record he set in Paris less than two weeks ago by a tenth of a second.

He finished clear ahead of Jacory Patterson and world 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin, Kebinatshipi improving on the PB of 43.53 he set in Tokyo to move to joint sixth on the world all-time list. Patterson was second in 43.96 and Benjamin was third in 44.13.

Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino demonstrated her trademark finishing strength to take another win in the women’s 400m, breaking the meeting record with 48.67. The Olympic champion judged her race to perfection, chasing Lurdes Gloria Manuel and Aaliyah Butler to the final bend before striding past them to take the win. Butler was second in a PB of 48.84 and Manuel was third in 49.44.

Another meeting record fell in the 100m hurdles as USA’s Masai Russell maintained her superb run of form to win in 12.20 (-0.4m/s). The Olympic champion, who ran 12.14 at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen to miss the world record by just 0.02, now owns four of the top seven performances in history. Alaysha Johnson was second in 12.38 and Nadine Visser was third in 12.49.

Jamaica’s world champion Oblique Seville clinched the final win of the evening, taking the 100m in 9.88 ahead of world indoor 60m champion Jordan Anthony and Emmanuel Eseme. Seville, who holds the world lead of 9.82, finished second in his last Diamond League race in Eugene on Saturday but rebounded to edge Anthony in 9.92 and Eseme in 10.00.

Kenya’s Olympic finalist Simon Koech dominated the 3000m steeplechase, winning in 8:03.35 ahead of Japan’s Ryuji Miura in 8:10.30. The 5000m came down to a sprint finish, Switzerland’s Dominic Lobalu winning a fierce fight with USA’s Graham Blanks – 12:52.54 to 12:52.60.

Tentoglou soars 8.61m in competitive clash

The long jump featured record depth during a highly competitive contest. Greece’s two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou achieved the second-best winning mark of his career – 8.61m (0.0m/s), just four centimetres off his PB – in the final round to set a meeting record and world lead. He had led the competition from his very first jump of 8.48m and his impressive series also included leaps of 8.52m, 8.49m and 8.34m.

For the first time in history, five men jumped beyond 8.30m in a single competition. Olympic silver medallist Wayne Pinnock was second on 8.39m, world U20 record-holder Jorge Hodelín was third on 8.38m, world indoor bronze medallist Bozhidar Sarâboyukov was fourth on 8.36m and Simon Ehammer, who started as the world leader after jumping 8.51m during the decathlon at Götzis, finished fifth on 8.32m.

“When you jump 8.50m and then you jump 8.60m – that is just crazy. I do not think it happened many times in history,” said Tentoglou, who improved a meeting record set by Iván Pedroso in 1995. “I know I am in really good shape and to be honest, I wanted a little bit more. The meeting record from Pedroso – that is the most important for me today.”

The Herculis featured both women’s and men’s pole vault contests for the first time and they didn’t disappoint, Nina Kennedy improving the Oceanian record to 4.95m and Mondo Duplantis clearing a meeting record of 6.07m.

Kennedy managed all heights from 4.52m to 4.82m on her first attempts. After one failed attempt at 4.87m, and with the competition won as Amanda Moll knocked the bar twice after passing to that height following one failed attempt at 4.82m, Kennedy had the bar moved straight to 4.95m. She managed that on her first try, too, to move to joint fifth on the world all-time list before taking three attempts at 5.00m. Moll was second thanks to her 4.72m clearance.

The men’s pole vault was not a Diamond League discipline but Sweden’s world record-holder Mondo Duplantis – now a Monaco resident – still put on a show. He cleared 5.70m, 5.85m and a meeting record of 6.07m on his first attempts before taking three unsuccessful attempts at 6.15m.

Cuba’s Leyanis Pérez Hernández achieved the leap of her life to win the triple jump, surpassing 15-metres with a legal wind for the first time with 15.06m (-0.1m/s) in the final round.

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