Preview: Duplantis, Kipyegon, and Dos Santos to Star at Paris Diamond League Meeting in Paris

Posted by: Watch Athletics

The upcoming Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris Charlety, scheduled for Sunday, July 7, promises an exceptional showcase of athletic prowess. The event will feature an impressive roster of competitors including five Olympic champions, six world gold medalists, and twelve reigning European champions. Adding to the high stakes, twenty-five of France’s finest athletes have confirmed their participation, ensuring the Meeting de Paris will be a highlight in this year’s athletics calendar.

Men’s pole vault: 

The men’s line-up features nine of the top ten pole vaulters. Only Austin Miller is missing. Seven athletes have PBs of 6.00m or higher. 

Armand Mondo Duplantis will make his return to Paris Charlety Stadium three years after his last appearance at the Paris Diamond League meeting. 

Duplantis set the Paris Charlety meeting record by clearing 6.01m on 28 August 2021 before making three unsuccessful attempts at 6.19m a few weeks after winning the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. That Paris win helped him to bounce back from a rare defeat in Lausanne, where he had to settle with fourth place with 5.62m on a windy day. 

Duplantis has held the world record since February 2020 when cleared 6.17m in Torun and extended it centimetre by centimetre. He set the eighth world record of his career, when he cleared 6.24m at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen this year. He won three more competitions in Suzhou, Ostrava and Stockolm with 6.00m before claiming his third consecutive European outdoor medal in Rome with a championships record of 6.10m. 

Ernest John Obiena won two world medals finishing third in Eugene 2022 with 5.94m and second in Budapest with the Asian record of 6.00m. Obiena returns to the Charlety Stadium where he finished second to Duplantis with the Asian record of 5.91m in 2021. 

Emmanouil Karalis from Greece finished third at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow with 5.85m and second at the European Championships in Rome with 5.87m. Karalis cleared 5.92m in Bydgoszcz and a national record of 5.93m at the Greek Championships in Volos last week. 

Sam Kendricks won the world indoor silver medal with 5.90m in Glasgow and the US Trials title with a championships record of 5.92m in Eugene. Kendricks showed his good shape during this Diamond League season by finishing second three times in Xiamen and Shouzou with 5.82m and in Stockolm with 5.90m. He won at  the Paris meeting three times in 2017 with 5.82m, in 2018 with 5.96m and in 2019 with 6.00m. 

Christopher Nilsen finished third at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene with 5.87m to qualify for the Olympic Games for the second time in his career. Nilsen won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo with 5.97m and two world medals (silver in Eugene 2022 with 5.94m and bronze in Budapest 2023 with 5.95m). 

Jacob Wooten qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time in his career after finishing third behind Nelsen on countback at the US Trials in Eugene with 5.87m. 

KC Lightfoot won in Oslo with 5.82m and third in Stockolm with 5.80m, but he did not qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris after clearing 5.50m at the US Trials in Eugene and will be looking to bounce back from this disappointment. 

Thibaut Collet from France will receive a strong support from the French crowd. Collet finished fifth at both the World Championships in Budapest 2023 with 5.90m and at the European Championships in Rome with 5.82m. The 25-year-old Frenchman improved his PB to 5.95m in Grenoble on 19 June. His father Phillippe Collet  won the European bronze medal in Stuttgart 1986 behind brothers Sergey and Vassilly Bubka.

French crowd favourite Renaud Lavillenie, Olympic champion in London 2012 and former world record holder,  won seven Diamond League Trophies and claimed seven wins at the Paris meeting. Lavillenie has not qualified for the Olympic Games after finishing fourth at the French Championships in Angers, but he has decided to continue his career. 

The line-up also features three-time world medallist Piotr Lisek, who set a seasonal best of 5.82m in Poznan, Kurtis Marshall from Australia, two-time Commonwealth Games champion and world bronze medallist in Budapest with 5.95m, and Ben Broeders from Belgium, winner at the Paris meeting in 2022 with 5.80m. 

Women’s 1500 metres: 

Double 1500 metres Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion Faith Kipyegon broke the world record in the 5000 metres with 14:05.20 on the historic edition of the Paris meeting, which was also highlighted by two more world records set by Lamecha Girma in the men’s 3000 metres steeplechase and Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 2 miles. Kipyegon’s world record was improved again by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, who clocked 14:00.21 at the Diamond League final in Eugene last September, but the Kenyan athlete ended a very successful 2023 season with her fourth career Diamond League Trophy in the 1500 metres in Oregon in 3:50.72, the third fastest time in her career. 

At this year’s edition of the Paris meeting Kipyegon will line-up in the 1500 metres. The Kenyan star set the world record over this distance with 3:49.11 at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting in Florence. 

Later last year Kipyegon won two world gold medals in the 1500 meters with 3:54.87 and in the 5000 metres with 14.53.88 in Budapest. 

Kipyegon won the 1500 metres at the Kenyan Olympic Trials with 3:53.98 in mid-June and will test her shape at the Paris meeting one month before targeting her third Olympic gold medal in the 1500 metres in the same city. 

Clara Mageean from Ireland is hoping to take her European Championships form into the Meeting de Paris. Mageean won the European gold medal in Rome in 4:04.66 two years after claiming the silver medal in Munich. Mageean won her first Diamond League in Brussels in 2022 with 3:56.63 and improved her national record to 3:55.87 in the Belgian capital one year later. 

                              

Laura Muir will return to Paris where she won the 1500 metres in 2016 in 3:55.22. The 2021 Olympic silver medallist won the 1500m in Stockolm in 3:57.29 and finished fourth in Eugene in her seasonal best of 3:56.35. 

Georgia Bell won the 1500m European silver medal in Rome and won the British title in Manchester beating Muir in 4:10.69. 

The strong Ethiopian contingent will be led by Freweyni Hailu, who finished fourth in the 1500 metres at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 in 3:57.60 and at the World Championships in Eugene 2022. Hailu improved her PB to 3:55.28 at the World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun. The other Ethiopian athletes in the field are Hirut Meshesha, world indoor bronze medallist in the 1500m in Belgrade 2022, and Nigist Getachew, who improved her PBs to 1:58.81 in the 800 metres and 4:05.93 in the 1500 metres. 

Linden Hall finished sixth in the 1500 metres in 3:59.01 at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and improved her PB to 3:56.92 at the Diamond League Final in Eugene. 

The line-up also features Esther Guerrero from Spain, national champion in La Nucia in 4:02.75, Agate Guillemot from France, European bronze medallist in Rome 2024, Cory Ann McGee, fifth at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene in her PB of 3:57.44, Sarah Healy from Ireland, European under 23 silver medallist in Espoo 2023. 

Men’s 400 metres hurdles: 

Alison Dos Santos from Brazil, world gold medallist in Eugene in a South American record of 46.29, will aim to win his fourth Diamond League race this season following his victories in Doha in 46.86, Oslo in 46.63 (the second fastest time in his career) and Stockolm in 47.01. Dos Santos could threaten the meeting record set by Abderrhamane Samba with 46.98 in 2018. Next August Dos Santos will chase his first Olympic gold medal in Paris three years after finishing second in Tokyo in 46.72 behind Karsten Warholm. 

Malik James-King from Jamaica will make his debut in the Diamond League one week after winning the national title in a PB of 47.42. 

Carl Bengstrom from Sweden will run his first race since winning the bronze medal at the European Championships in Rome in a PB of 47.94. 

The other top athletes in the line-up are Rasmus Magi from Estonia, fourth at the European Championships in Rome in 48.13, Wilfried Happio from France, fourth at the World Championships in Eugene in 47.41 and second at the European Championships in Munich in 2022, Berke Akcam from Turkey, fifth at the European Championships in Rome in 48.17, Gerald Drummond from Costarica, winner at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene in 48.58, Ismail Abakar from Qatar, who improved his PB to 48.68 in Potchefstroom

Women’s high jump: 

The women’s high jump line-up features six women who have PBs of two metres or higher. 

Ukrainian 22-year-old high jump star Yaroslava Mahuchik will be seeking her second win at the Meeting de Paris two years after her victory in 2022 with 2.01m. This year Mahuchik won the silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow with 1.97m and set the world seasonal lead of 2.04m in Cottbus during last indoor season. She started the outdoor season with two wins at the Diamond League meeting in Stockolm with 2.00m and at the European Championships in Rome with 2.01m. 

Mahuchik will go head-to-head against Nicola Olyslagers  from Australia and Angelina Topic from Serbia. 

Olyslagers won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo with 2.02m and the world bronze medal in Budapest with 2.01. The Australian jumper will chase her third win at the Paris meeting after her victories in 2021 with 1.98m and 2023 with 2.00m. She set a seasonal best of 2.03m in Canberra and started her Diamond League season with a fourth place in Stockolm with 1.94m. 

Eleanor Patterson from Australia, world champion in Eugene 2022, will try to improve her seasonal best of 1.95m set at the Australian Championships in Adelaide. She finished second in Turku with 1.94m. 

Topic won the first two Diamond League competitions of the season in Doha with 1.94m and in Rabat with a national record of 1.98m. The Serbian 18-year-old jumper won the European silver medal in Rome with 1.97m. She collected European under 18 and under 20 gold medals in Jerusalem in 2022 and 2023. 

The European podium of Rome 2024 is completed by Iryna Geraschenko from the Ukraine, who won the bronze medal with 1.95m. 

Nafissatou Thiam from Belgium won her third European gold medal in the heptathlon in Rome last June with a world lead of 6848 points. In that competition she cleared 1.95m in the high jump. She will test her form in Paris one month before the Olympic Games in Paris, where she will bid for her third gold consecutive medal in the heptathlon. 

The line-up also features Morgan Lake from Great Britain, fourth at the World Championships in Budapest with 1.97m, Nadezhda Dubovitskaya, world indoor bronze in Belgrade 2022 with 1.98m, and Lamara Distin from Jamaica, Commonwealth Games champion in Birmingham 2022 and fifth at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest with 1.94m. 

Women’s long jump: 

The Meeting de Paris will be an Olympic dress rehearsal for Olympic and European gold medallist Malaika Mihambo. The German long jumper won her second European gold medal in Rome with a world lead of 7.22 last June. Mihambo won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo with 7.00m and two world titles in Doha 2019 with her PB of 7.30m and in Eugene 2022 with 7.12m. 

Mihambo will renew her rivalry with European silver medallist Larissa Iapichino from Italy and reigning world champion Ivana Spanovic. 

Iapichino won the European silver medal in front of Italian fans with 6.94m in Rome, missing her outdoor PB by just 1 cm. The Italian long jumper added this medal to her collection that includes the European indoor silver medal in Istanbul with a national indoor record of 6.97m and the European under 23 gold medal with 6.93m. The Italian jumper won three Diamond League competitions in Florence, Stockolm and Monaco last year. 

Spanovic will make her come-back after being sidelined by an injury. The Serbian jumper won the world gold medal with her outdoor PB of 7.14m in Budapest 2023. Last year she won her sixth Diamond League Trophy in Eugene with 6.85m. Serbia will be also represented by 2017 European under 20 champion Milica Gardasevic, who set a seasonal best of 6.76m in Chorzow. 

Ese Brume from Nigeria and Marthe Koala from Burkina Faso will renew their recent rivalry from the African Championships. Brume, two-time world medallist and third at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, won the African title with 6.73m beating Koala by just one centimetre.

French fans will cheer on Auriana Lazraq Khlass. European silver medallist in the heptathlon with her PB of 6615 points in Rome 2024, and Hillary Kpatcha, winner at the European Team Championships in Chorzow with 6.75m in 2023. 

The other athletes to watch are Fatima Diame from Spain, sixth at the World Championships in Budapest with 6.82m last year, Quanesha Burks, fourth at both the World Championships in Eugene 2022 and the US Olympic Trials in 2024 with 6.80m, and Natalia Linares from Colombia, world under 20 silver medallist in Cali 2022 and winner at the Ibero American Games this year with 6.82m. 

Women’s 400 metres: 

World champion Marileidy Paulino will clash against Natalia Kaczmarek in the women’s 400 metres. 

Paulino returns to the track of the Charlety Stadium, where she won the 400 metres twice in 49.20 in 2021 one month after claiming the Olympic silver in Tokyo and in 2023 in 49.12 beating Sydney McLaughlin Levrone. The athlete from Dominican Republic won the world gold medal in Budapest in a national record of 48.76. This year she collected three Diamond League wins in Xiamen in 50.08, in Suzhou in 50.89 and in Oslo in 49.30 and one win in the Continental Tour in Los Angeles in 50.27. 

Kaczmarek won the European gold medal in the 400m in Rome last June in 48.98 breaking the Polish record held by Irena Szewinska since the Olympic final in Montreal 1976 with 49.28. This year Kaczmarek finished second to Paulino in Xiamen in 50.29 and in Oslo in 49.80. The Polish athlete won the world silver medal behind Paulino in 49.57 in Budapest 2023.  

Alexis Holmes will compete for the first time since the US Olympic Trials, where she finished third in 49.78. Holmes won the bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in 50.24 and the gold medal with the 4x400 mixed relay at the World Championships in Budapest 2023. 

Lieke Klaver from the Netherlands won the silver medal in the 400 metres and the gold medal with the 4x400 relay at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow 2024. During the summer the Dutch athlete finished third in 50.08 in the 400 metres and first with the 4x400 relay at the European Championships in Rome. 

The line-up also features Salwa Naser from Barhein, world champion in Doha 2019 in 48.14 and second behind Kaczmarek at the Memorial Irena Szewinska in 50.32, Andrea Miklos from Romania and Laviai Nielsen from Great Britain, who finished fifth and sixth respectively at the European Championships in Rome, and Amandine Brossier from France, French champion in the 400 metres in Angers and fifth with the 4x400 relay at the European Championships in Rome.  

Women’s 100 metres: 

Gina Bass Bitaye, Ewa Swoboda, Mujinga Kambundji, Zaynab Dosso and Tamara Clarke will highlight the women’s 100 metres. 

Bass Bittaye from Gambia, world championships finalist in the 200 metres in Doha 2019 set the fastest time this season among the entrants with her national 100 metres record of 10.93 set in Forte de France. She won her first Diamond League race in Stockolm in 11.15 and the African title in 11.14. 

Swoboda won two silver medals at the World indoor Championships in Glasgow in 7.00 and at the European Championships in Rome in 11.03. The Polish sprinter claimed the national 100m title in 11.11 in Bydgoszcz. 

Kambundji won her seconds consecutive European gold medal in the 200 metres in Rome in 22.49 and scored the 100m-200m double at the Swiss Championships in Winterthur clocking 11.01 and 22.42. 

Zaynab Dosso won two bronze medals at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in the 60 metres in 7.05 and at the European Championships in Rome in the 100 metres in 11.03 after improving her own Italian record by 0.01 in the semifinal. She followed her bronze medal in Rome with two win at the Triveneto meeting in Trieste in 11.17 and at the Italian Championships in La Spezia in 11.20. 

Tamara Clark is the only US sprinter in the field. Clark finished sixth in the 100m in 10.95 and fifth in the 200m in 22.20 at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene. 

Patrizia Van de Weken from Luxembourg finished seventh in the 60 metres at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow and fourth at the European Championships in Rome in the 100 metres after setting a national record of 11.00 in the semifinal. 

French fans will cheer on Gemima Joseph, who won two titles in the 100m in 11.01  and in the 200 metres in 22.62 and finished sixth in the 100 metres in 11.08 at the European Championships in Rome. 

Men’s 200 metres: 

Tarsis Orogot from Uganda leads the entry list with his national record of 19.75 set at the Southeastern Conference Championships in Gainesville. Orogot finished fourth at the NCAA Finals in Eugene in 20.14. 

The other two sub-20 sprinters in the field are Alexander Ogando from Dominican Republic, fifth at the World Championships in Eugene in 19.93, and Cheikna Traoré from Ivory Coast, who clocked a PB of 19.93 and won the NCAA title in 19.95 in Eugene. 

Olympic 4x100 relay champion Filippo Tortu will run his first 200 metres race since the European Championships in Rome, where he won the silver medal after setting his seasonal best of 20.14 in the 200 metres. Tortu anchored the Italian 4x100 relay team to the European gold medal in 37.82. Tortu will renew his rivalry against William Reais from Switzerland, who won the European 200m bronze medal in Rome. Reais won two Swiss titles in the 100m in 10.26 and 200m in 20.27 in Winterthur last week. 

The hopes of the French crowd will be carried by Pablo Mateo, who improved his PB to 20.03 in the 200 metres, Ryan Zeze, who holds PBs of 10.06 and 20.18. 

Women’s discus throw: 

Olympic champion Valarie Allman will return to Paris, where she won at last year’s edition of the Paris Meeting with 69.04. Allman set her seasonal best of 70.89m in the qualifying round of the US Olympic Trials in Eugene before winning the final with 70.73m. Allman won three Diamond League meetings in Xiamen (69.80m), Suzhou (69.86m) and Eugene (67.36m). 

Croatian discus thrower Sandra Perkovic Elkasevic targets a record-equalling seventh Diamond League title and her fifth win at the Paris meeting after claiming victories in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021. Elkasevic won her seventh European gold medal in Rome with 67.04m and finished second in Oslo with 66.48m. 

Yaimé Perez from Cuba set the world lead with 73.09m in Ramona (Oklahoma) and won at the Continental Tour in New York with 68.31m. 

Jorinde Van Klinken from the Netherlands won two silver medals in the discus throw and in the shot put at the European Championships in Rome. 

Kristin Pudenz from Germany won silver medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 and the European Championships in Munich 2022. This year the German thrower won the national title in Braunschweig with a seasonal best of 65.93m. 

The line-up features Liliana Ca, European bronze medallist in Rome with 64.53m, Melina Robert Michon from France, Olympic silver medallist in Rio de Janeiro 2016, Claudine Vita, European bronze medallist in Munich and fifth at the World Championships in Eugene in 2022, and Shanice Craft, third at the European Championships in Berlin 2018. 

110 metres hurdles: 

Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli won the European 110 metres hurdles in Rome in front of his home fans improving the Italian record to 13.05. Simonelli is ranked fourth in the world seasonal list. Last March the Italian hurdler won the world indoor silver medal in the 60 metres hurdles in Glasgow 2024 improving his Italian record to 7.43. The Italian hurdler showed his good shape once again last week when he won the Italian title in 13.18 into a headwind of -1.3 m/s.  

Simonelli will renew his rivalry against Enrique Llopis from Spain and Jason Joseph from Switzerland, who finished second and third in the final of the European Championships in Rome. The top six finishers of the European final in Rome will line-up in Paris. Llopis finished fourth at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in the 60 metres hurdles in 7.53 and won the Spanish outdoor title setting the second fastest time in Europe this year with 13.09. The other Spanish hurdler in the line-up is Asler Martinez, European champion in Munich and fifth placer at the European Championships in Rome. 

Joseph won the European indoor gold medal in the 60 metres hurdles in a national record of 7.41 in Istanbul 2023 and the European outdoor bronze medal in Rome in 13.43m. Last week the Swiss hurdler claimed his sixth national title in Winterthur in 13.28. 

The French crowd will cheer on Sasha Zhoya, European under 23 champion in Espoo 2023 ahead of Simonelli and sixth at the World Championships in Budapest 2023. 

The best US hurdlers in the line-up are Cordell Tinch, fourth at the US Olympic Trials in 13.03 in 2024, Trey Cunningham, NCAA champion in his lifetime best of 13.00 and world silver medallist in Eugene in 2022, Jamal Britt, who improved his PB to 13.07 in the heats of this year’s US Trials in Eugene, Dylan Beard, who improved his PBs to 7.44 in the 60 metres hurdles and 13.10 in the 110 metres hurdles this year, and Michael Dickson, seventh in the US Trials final. 

The line-up also features Shunsuke Izumyia, Japanese record holder with 13.04 and fifth at the World Championships in Budapest, Rashid Muratake, Japanese champion this year in his PB of 13.07, Raphael Mohamed from France and national record holder Michael Obasuyi from Belgium, fourth and sixth at the European Championships in Rome, Damian Czykier from Poland, fourth at the World Championships in Eugene 2022, and Aurel Manga from France, world indoor bronze medallist in Birmingham 2018. 

Men’s 800 metres: 

Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the Kenyan Olympic Trials in Nairobi in 1:41.70 becoming the third fastest athlete in history over this distance behind David Rudisha and Wilson Kipketer. Wanyonyi, world silver medallist in Budapest and Diamond League winner in Eugene in 1:42.80, also won at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in 1:43.57 and at the Diamond League meeting in Marrakesh in 1:43.84. 

Wanyonyi will face his compatriot Wycliffe Kinyamal, who finished second  at the Kenyan Trials setting a PB of 1:42.50. Kinyamal finished second in three Diamond League meetings in Xiamen (1:43.66), Suzhou (1:43.88) and Marrakesh (1:43.98).

Djamel Sedjati, world silver medallist in Eugene 2022, will be bidding to win his third 800 metres race of the season after finishing first in Ostrava in 1:43.51 and Stockolm in 1:43.23. 

The other top African athletes are Aaron Kemei Chemingwa, seventh in the world seasonal list with his PB of 1:43.55 set at the Grifone meeting in Asti, Tshepiso Maselela from Botswana, third in Xiamen in his seasonal best of 1:43.88 and Stockolm in 1:44.44 and fourth in Marrakesh in 1:44.14. 

Frenchman Gabriel Tual reached the Olympic final in Tokyo and won the gold medal in Rome last June in 1:44.87 and won the French title in 1.43.99 in Angers last weekend. Tual  will line up against his compatriots Benjamin Robert and Yanis Meziane. Robert won at the Paris meeting in 2022 setting his lifetime best of 1:43.75 and finished second in 1:44.99 at the French Championships behind Tual last weekend. 

Meziane won the European under 20 bronze medal in Tallin 2021 and European under 23 gold medal in Espoo 2023.  The 22-year-old Frenchman set his lifetime best of 1:43.94 twice in Brussels and Eugene. 

Frenchman Azzedine Habz, European indoor bronze medallist in Istanbul 2023 in the 1500, will test his speed in the 800 metres. Habz picked up his first Diamond League race in the 1500m in Marrakesh in 3:32.86 and finished third in Oslo in 3:30.80.   

The best European contenders are Andreas Kramer from Sweden, world indoor silver medallist in Glasgow 2024 and winner at two consecutive Continental Tour Gold meetings in Turku in 1:44.65 and Bydgoszcz in a national record of 1:44.08, and Elliot Crestan from Belgium, world indoor bronze medal in Glasgow 2014.    

Women’s 3000 metres steeplechase: 

World champion Winfred Yavi from Barhein will go head to head against world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech from Kenya in a re-match of last year’s World Championships in Budapest

Yavi won the world gold medal in Budapest in 8:54.29 and the Diamond League Trophy in Eugene setting the Asian record with 8:50.88 last September. She started her 2024 season with 9:21.82 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene and a second place in the 5000 metres in 14:41.99 in Liege. 

Chepkoech has held the 3000m steeplechase world record since 2018, when she clocked 8:44.32 in Monaco. The 33-year-old Kenyan athlete won the world silver medal in Budapest 2023 in 8:58.98 and finished second at the Diamond League Final in Eugene in 8:51.67. This year she won the world indoor bronze medal in the 3000m in Glasgow and two Diamond League races in Xiamen in 8:55.40 and Suzhou in 9:07.38 and finished second Eugene in 8:56.51. 

French middle distance runner Alice Finot will compete in front of her home fans one month after winning the European gold medal in 9:16.22 ahead of Gesa Felicitas Krause. Finot also finished fourth at the World Championships in Budapest in a national record of 9:06.15 and won the silver medal at the European Indoor Championships in the 3000 metres in Torun 2021. 

Men’s 3000 metres steeplechase: 

Simon Kiprop Koech is aiming to win the third Diamond League race of his career following his victories in Monaco in 8:04.19 and in Eugene in 8:06.26. Koech finished second at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in Nairobi in 8:20.99 and third at the All-African Games in Accra. 

Koech will face Abraham Kibiwot, world bronze medallist in Budapest and Commonwealth Games champion in Birmingham 2022, Leonard Bett, fourth at the World Championships in Budapest, Japanese record holder Ryui Miura, seventh at the Olympic Games and sixth at the World Championships, Amos Serem, world under 20 champion in Nairobi 2021, Mohamed Jhinaoui from Tunisia, national record holder with 8:10.41 in Stockolm this year, and Avinash Sable from India, silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022.  

Men’s javelin throw: 

Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch from Czechia will renew her rivalry with Julian Weber from Germany in a re-match of the European Championships in Rome. Vadlejch won his first European gold medal in the Italian capital with 88.65m and at the Diamond League meeting in Doha with 88.38m. 

Weber beat Vadlejch in Ostrava with 87.26m and won the European silver medal with 85.94m. Last week he won his fourth German title with 86.63m in Brauschweig. 

The other top athletes are Anderson Peters from Grenada, two-time world champion in Doha 2019 and Eugene 2022 and national record holder with his PB of 93.07m at the Diamond League meeting in Doha in 2022, Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan, Commonwealth Games champion in Birmingham 2022 with 90.18m and world silver medallist in Budapest 2023 with 87.82m, Toni Keranen from Finland, second at the Continental Tour meeting in Turku with 84.19m, Arthur Felfner from the Ukraine, gold medallist at the World under 20 Championships in Cali 2022 and at the European under 23 Championships in Espoo 2023, Kishore Jena from India, fifth at the World Championships in Budapest with 84.77m and Asian Games silver medallist with a PB of 87.54m in Hangzhou in 2023, Andrian Mardare from Moldova, seventh at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, and Edis Matusevicius from Latvia, fourth at the European Championships in Rome 2024 with 83.96m, and Marcin Krukowski from Poland, ninth at the European Championships in Rome. 

Men’s hammer throw: 

Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki from Poland won his third consecutive European gold medal with his seasonal best of 80.95m and finished second to Pawel Fajdek at last weekend’s Polish Championships in Bydgoszcz. Nowicki won the world silver medal in Budapest with 81.02m. He won the Olympic gold medal with his PB of 82.52m in Tokyo 2021. 

The men’s line-up will feature Bence Halasz from Hungary and Mykhaylo Kokhan from Ukraine, who finished second and third at the European Championships in Rome, and five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek, Denzel Comenentia from the Netherlands, who improved his national record to 79.09m in Los Angeles this year, and Quentin Bigot, world silver medallist in Doha 2019. 

Women’s hammer throw: 

Brooke Andersen and Janee Kassanavoid will try to bounce back from their disappointment from the US Olympic Trials, where they did not qualify for the Olympic Games. Andersen won the world title in Eugene 2022 with 78.96m and set the world lead of 79.92m in Tucson last May but she fouled three attempts in the US Olympic Trials final. 

Kassanavoid won at the Continental Tour meeting in Nairobi with 75.99m but she had to settle with sixth place at the US Trials. 

The line-up will feature Bianca Ghelber from Romania, European champion in Munich 2022, Rose Loga, European bronze medallist in Rome 2024 with her PB of 72.68m and French champion in Angers last weekend. 

Men’s 3000 metres: 

Jacob Krop starts as the favourite in the men’s 3000 metres. Krop won the world silver in the 5000 metres in Eugene and improved his PB to 12:46.22 in Brussels in 2022. The Kenyan athlete will face Stewart McSweyn, who set the Oceanian record with 7:28.02 in Rome in 2020 and ran a seasonal best of 7:36.78 in Stockolm, Mohamed Ismail from Djibuti, African champion in the 5000m in Douala, and Santiago Catrofe from Uruguay, who improved the South American record of 13:05.96 in Heusden Zolder this year. 

Men’s triathlon: 

Two-time world champion Kevin Mayer will compete in the traditional triathlon competition in front of his home fans in his final test before the Olympic Games in Paris. Mayer finished fifth at the European Championships in Rome with 8476 points reaching the qualifying score for the Olympic Games. The triathlon programme includes the shot put, the long jump and the 110 metres hurdles. 

Mayer will face Jente Hauteekete from Belgium, who finished second at the World under 20 Championships in Nairobi and won the European under 20 gold medal in Tallin 2021. Hauttekeete won the Multistars in Brescia with 8020 points and finished eighth at the European Championships in Rome with 8156 points. 

The line-up also features Finley Gaio, fifth in the 110 metres hurdles at the European Championships in Munich 2022, Andrin Huber from Switzerland, European under 20 bronze medallist in Jerusalem 2023, Theo Bastien from France, European under 20 bronze medallist in Tallin 2021.  

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