Emmanuel Wanyonyi delivered a historic performance at the Monaco Diamond League, shattering the men’s 1000m world record. He completed the race in 2:11.83, surpassing the previous record of 2:11.96, which was held by fellow Kenyan Noah Ngeny for 27 years. This achievement marks Wanyonyi as only the second man in history to run the distance in under two minutes and 12 seconds.
The event, officially known as the Meeting International d’Athlétisme Herculis EBS, saw Wanyonyi make his 1000m debut in a sensational manner. His record-breaking run took 0.13 seconds off Ngeny’s previous mark, which was set in Rieti in 1999. Wanyonyi, who is also the Olympic and world 800m champion, expressed his joy at breaking the world record in his first attempt at the 1000m distance, acknowledging the push from other athletes.
Record-Breaking Night in Monaco
The Louis II Stadium witnessed multiple record-breaking performances during the Wanda Diamond League meeting. Alongside Wanyonyi’s historic achievement, several meeting records and some of the fastest performances of all time were recorded by athletes such as Agnes Ngetich, Julien Alfred, Collen Kebinatshipi, Masai Russell, and Marileidy Paulino. Field events also saw new meeting records set by Miltiádis Tentóglou in the long jump and Mondo Duplantis in the pole vault, while Nina Kennedy established a world-leading Oceanian record in the pole vault.
In Wanyonyi’s race, he closely followed the pacemakers. The first pacemaker, Patryk Sieradzki, reached 400m in 50.95, maintaining a world record pace. The second pacemaker, Louey Ouerrat, led through 800m in 1:45.11 before Wanyonyi took the lead. He surged towards the finish line, with Britain’s Jake Wightman, the 2022 world 1500m champion, in close pursuit.
Wightman finished second with a time of 2:12.77, placing him fourth on the all-time list. Djamel Sedjati, a world and Olympic medallist, secured third place with a time of 2:13.94. The top six athletes in the race all managed to finish under 2:15, highlighting the competitive nature of the event.
Other Notable Performances
Agnes Ngetich also made significant strides in the women’s 3000m, winning with a meeting record of 8:08.95. This performance ranks as the third-fastest in history. Ngetich, who began the year by winning the world cross-country title in Tallahassee, demonstrated her dominance in her first track race of the year. She took control of the race with three laps remaining, passing 2000m in 5:24.08, and despite slipping off world record pace towards the end, she secured her place as the third-quickest runner ever in the event.
Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia delivered the third-fastest time in history for the 200m, clocking a world-leading meeting and national record of 21.51. The Olympic 100m champion outpaced Adaejah Hodge, who finished second in 21.76, and Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas, who placed third in 21.84. Alfred expressed her surprise at her speed, noting her excitement upon seeing her time.
In the men’s 400m, Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi set a national record of 43.44, improving his own Diamond League record. He finished ahead of Jacory Patterson and Rai Benjamin, moving to joint sixth on the world all-time list. Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won the women’s 400m with a meeting record of 48.67, showcasing her strong finishing ability. USA’s Masai Russell continued her excellent form by winning the 100m hurdles in 12.20, claiming another meeting record.
The long jump competition featured remarkable depth, with Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou achieving the second-best winning mark of his career with 8.61m. This performance set a meeting record and a world lead. For the first time in history, five men jumped beyond 8.30m in a single competition. In the pole vault, Nina Kennedy improved the Oceanian record to 4.95m, and Mondo Duplantis cleared a meeting record of 6.07m. Cuba’s Leyanis Pérez Hernández won the triple jump with a leap of 15.06m.
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Source: the-star.co.ke
