Benjamin Prevails, Sedjati And Ingebrigtsen Put On Shows In Monaco

A litany of top finishes drew flashbacks of world records and set the stage for the Paris Olympics on Friday in Monaco.

Jul 13, 2024 by Tim O'Hearn

Benjamin Prevails, Sedjati And Ingebrigtsen Put On Shows In Monaco

Though there were several lineup changes in the days -- and even the hours before -- many of the favorites showed up on Friday and ran times that will go down in the record books at the Diamond League in Monaco.

Among the storylines that we'll be talking about in the week following.

Letsile Tebogo sorely missed Noah Lyles in the 200m, glancing side-to-side on the home stretch as if he was checking for his withdrawn rival.
Bryce Hoppel, who was in Monaco but scratched late, is surely upset about having missed out on one of the fastest 800s of all time.
Grant Holloway’s win in the high hurdles did not come against his main Jamaican rival, Hansle Parchment, though there’s still plenty to talk about from today’s Meeting Herculis EBS.

Let's get to the top moments from Friday's action from the Stade Louis II.

Rai Benjamin Prevails in 400mH Clash

In the men’s 400mH, the “big three” of Alison dos Santos, Rai Benjamin and Karsten Warholm met for the first time outside of a global or Diamond League final.

The three men separated from the field with ease and, though it was not neck-and-neck for the whole lap, it was anyone’s race going into the eighth hurdle.

Benjamin came into the race with the world lead of 46.46 and he had the best finish in 46.67 as he beat Warholm (46.73) and dos Santos (47.18).

The race fit the bill as an exciting clash between the stars. Warholm went out extremely quickly and paid for it. Benjamin closed fast and was rewarded. Dos Santos didn't quite execute in top form -- he’s run faster on seven occasions.

Anyone expecting Warholm’s world record of 45.94 to go down was disappointed. While this was a quick race, it wasn’t the one.

Benjamin will enter the Paris Olympics as the slight favorite, though Warholm and dos Santos are still right in contention.

CJ Allen, who is on the U.S. Olympic Team, finished in sixth in 48.28.

NCAA champion Caleb Dean, who was looking for redemption after falling in the U.S. final, finished his Diamond League debut in eighth in 48.46.

Sedjati Runs Otherworldly 800m

If the Paris Diamond League brought this event back from the dead, the Monaco Diamond League shot it to the moon.

Algerian Djamel Sedjati has controlled both of these races, and he’s now drawing comparisons to countryman and Olympic medalist Taofik Makhloufi.

The prescribed pace in the men’s 800m was 49.2 through the first quarter. The field, led by Italy’s Catalin Tecuceanu, followed closely before the pacer stepped off. Then it was Marco Arop took the lead.

Arop, the defending World Champion whose personal best is just 1:42.85, needed a fast time. After Paris, there was a sentiment that the event had moved away from him.

Into the final straight, Arop proved to be mortal. He tied up badly as five men passed him.

First was, again, Sedjati, unleashing a furious kick to earn a new best of 1:41.46. Next was Mohammed Attaoui, a largely-unknown middle distance runner who improved from 1:44.35 to 1:42.04. After him was Gabriel Tual in 1:42.10, proving that his big personal best on Sunday was not a fluke.

Sedjati’s 1:41.46, an improvement from his 1:41.56 in Paris on Sunday, still has him as the third-fastest athlete of all-time. However, the all-time performance list reveals that this improvement of just one-tenth of a second has actually eclipsed two of David Rudisha’s times – his 1:41.51 and 1:41.54.

This 1:41.46 is now No. 7 of all performances.

Sedjati should be the Olympic favorite now. Recovering from the race in Paris and then doing it again the same week suggests he’s ready to run rounds and, with better positioning, might be ready to challenge the world record.

His closing sprint almost defied logic, especially considering he seemed to spend most of the past two races in lane two. Setting the world record in a race with no pace setters would require much more effort, but that this is even being discussed speaks to his massive potential.

Arop, who ran close to his best-ever time, must leave Monaco disappointed. A breakthrough was needed here and his imposing front-running tactic wasn’t enough to break a field that contained many men who had not made the world final last year.

Off a big performance at the U.S. Championships, Hoppel traveled to Monaco but scratched from the race. All of a sudden, his 1:42-high doesn’t look like it may earn a medal.

Jessica Hull Completes Perfect Week

Myths are sometimes borne out of runners’ tendencies to string together fantastic performances over short periods of time that don’t overlap with major championships.

There’s a scenario here where Hull has built one of the most unlikely one-week off-peak stretches ever seen in women’s middle distance running.

On the previous Sunday, she ran a 3:50 1,500m behind Faith Kipyegon’s world record.

On Friday, she ran a 5:19 world record in the 2,000m.

Hull locked in with the pacers to win by over six seconds. Behind her was a string of national records in this recognized, but seldom-run middle distance event.

On the basis of performance points, Hull’s 3:50.83 1,500m is superior to her 5:19.70 2K, but both of these times are in the same ballpark.

In a short period of time, Hull has made a huge improvement in her form and she will now march on to Paris with totally different expectations compared to one week ago.

Behind her in the clutter of national records, American Cory Ann McGee rebounded from her trouncing in Paris to run a continental record of 5:28.78.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen Breaks 3:27 and Embarrasses the Field

Thinking of Monaco recalls images of fast middle-distance times, perhaps headlined by Asbel Kiprop’s 3:26.69 1,500m from 2015.

On Friday, Jakob Ingebrigtsen scratched Kiprop’s stadium record with a 3:26 of his own–3:26.74.

Ingebrigtsen had already achieved separation at the bell and closed in 54.06 to leave a major impression going into the Olympics in the 1,500m.

His previous best of 3:27.14 will be remembered as a mere stepping stone.

On Friday, it almost looked as if he was going to go all the way, with his fantastic finish bringing him closer to the world record of 3:26.00.

It was said that this race would be Ingebrigtsen against the field and that this race would be overshadowed by the men’s 800m. It wasn't.

Old rival Cheriyuout nabbed second in 3:28.71. Early-season-story Brian Komen ran a big personal best for 3:28.80. Yared Nuguse almost ran a new best, closing for fourth in 3:29.13. Nordås is capable of making the Olympic final, ending in sixth in 3:31.06.

One meaningful development behind Ingebrigtsen may have been Kenyan Brian Komen, who came into the race with a 3:32.29 personal best and finished third in 3:28.80.

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