Julien Alfred v Gabby Thomas v Adaejah Hodge over 200m in Monaco

The three quickest girls over half a lap this season will compete towards one another on the Monaco Diamond League.

Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas and silver medallist Julien Alfred will go head-to-head in a a lot anticipated conflict this Friday in Monaco (July 10).

The pair have confronted one another on 4 events within the 200m, with Thomas holding a 3-1 profitable file towards Alfred. Their final assembly was on the Paris Olympics, the place Thomas ran 21.83 to safe the Olympic gold medal on the Stade de France, with Alfred claiming silver in 22.08.

The duo’s first conflict over 200m was truly on the Monaco Diamond League three years in the past, which is Alfred’s solely victory over Thomas within the distance.

Anticipate fast occasions from each athletes in Monaco as they’re ranked second and third within the 200m standings this 12 months. Thomas ran 21.70 eventually month’s USATF Lone Star Grand Prix whereas Alfred recorded a mark of 21.86 again in April.

Thomas spent the latter finish of final 12 months recovering from an Achilles tendon damage that she first sustained in Could 2025 however then exacerbated in July. Despite the fact that she certified for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, she pulled out to prioritise her long-term well being.

In an unique interview with AW again in April, Thomas acknowledged that, in a 12 months with no Olympics or World Athletics Championships, she was wanting to push the boundaries so far as potential. The American is ranked fourth on the 200m all-time record with 21.60 and solely Florence Griffith Joyner, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah having gone faster.

Thomas and Alfred will not have all of it their very own method in Monaco although as Adaejah Hodge, who holds the world lead with 21.68, can also be within the subject. The British Virgin Islands athlete recorded that mark to safe the NCAA 200m title in Eugene final month, only a few days after profitable gold within the 100m in 10.63.

Cambrea Sturgis (21.93) and Anavia Battle (21.95) have additionally damaged the 22-second barrier for the 200m, whereas Kayla White and Gémima Joseph full the line-up.

The lads’s 1000m might be one of many excellent observe occasions in Monaco and the early expectation is that the main athletes will look to focus on Noah Ngeny’s 27-year-old world file.

The Kenyan ran 2:11.96 at altitude in Rieti and the particular person to have closest to it since then is Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui, who ran 2:12.25 in Moselstadion two years in the past.

Attaoui is in a star-studded subject that features Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, bronze medallist from Paris Djamel Sedjati and 2024 world indoor 800m champion Bryce Hoppel.

Wanyonyi has by no means competed within the 1000m earlier than however is joint-second on the 800m all-time record with 1:41.11 and boasts a private finest of three:34.11 within the 1500m.

The British problem shall be led by Jake Wightman, who’s ranked third on the nationwide 1000m all-time record with 2:13.88 from Monaco 4 years in the past. The 2022 world 1500m champion can have some option to go to bettering Seb Coe’s nationwide file of two:12.18 from 1981 although.

Ben Pattison, who secured world 800m bronze in Budapest two years in the past, has solely ever raced the 1000m one event, clocking 2:19.27 again in 2022.

Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell leads a powerful subject and can as soon as once more look to get near Tobi Amusan’s four-year world file. Russell has been one of the constant athletes in observe and subject to this point this season, with profitable marks of 12.25 (Shanghai), 12.14 (Xiamen), 12.26 (Los Angeles) and 12.24 (Eugene).

The lads’s 5000m is all the time a staple of the Monaco Diamond League and it is the place Joshua Cheptegei ran his world file of 12:35.36 six years in the past. Kenya’s Jacob Krop has the quickest mark within the subject with 12:45.71 but in addition be careful for Ethiopia’s Biniam Mehary (12:45.93) and Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew (12:47.73). American Graham Blanks might additionally fancy his probabilities with a better of 12:48.20.

Essentially the most intriguing story right here although is Olympic particular person triathlon champion Alex Yee. Final 12 months Yee returned to operating, after spending 5 years competing in solely triathlon, clocking 2:11:08 and a couple of:06:38 on the London and Valencia Marathons respectively. The latter mark has him fourth on the UK marathon all-time record.

He additionally ran a 5000m private better of 13:13.89 on the IFAM Oordegem in Belgium final August, however Monaco shall be his first Diamond League since he raced in London seven years in the past.

Religion Kipyegon shall be aiming to bounce again from a shock defeat to Nikki Hiltz within the mile on the Prefontaine Basic. Because the flip of the last decade the Kenyan has been virtually unbeatable in terms of the center distances and her final Diamond League loss in an 800m/mile/1500m was all the best way again in Florence to Sifan Hassan, within the metric mile, 5 years in the past.

After the Pre Basic, Kipyegon acknowledged that she had been coping with a hamstring damage since her 5000m win in Shanghai again in April. The triple Olympic and five-time world champion headlines the 3000m in Monaco, a distance she is aware of effectively having gone second on the all-time record with 8:07.04 in Chorzów final August.

The lads’s pole vault is as soon as once more headlined by world record-holder Mondo Duplantis, who will face Kurtis Marschall, the Australian who beat Duplantis in Stockholm final month.

Nice Britain’s Kimani Jack, who has cleared 2.31m within the excessive leap this 12 months and secured the NCAA title in Eugene, makes his a lot anticipated Diamond League debut in Monaco.