With the month of July coming to a close, so too are the 2015 FloTrack Euro Adventures. This Thursday’s Stockholm Diamond League will mark the end of our journey this summer in Europe, one that has seen us travel all over the continent to find where the world’s fastest are competing. 

 

When we kicked things off in Paris nearly a month ago, the World Championships seemed like a distant mirage with USA’s still fresh in our minds. Luckily, Evan Jager’s steeple American record on July 4th got us off to a fresh start, and the momentum has only built since then. In Monaco, a World record fell, and just last week in London, Asbel Kiprop ran the most perplexing race of our time. There’s an old saying about time flying while having fun, and suddenly we’re just three weeks out from Beijing. 

 

Needless to say, it’s been a helluva month of travels, but before we say “au revoir” to another great European summer, a fantastic meeting in Stockholm beckons. Here’s what to watch in Sweden:

(Note: Times listed in US Central Time)
 

Men’s 1500m (2:40pm) - Centro v. Souleiman Will Be Telling For Worlds

A certain level of intrigue will be missing in Stockholm, as the main protagonist in the last two Diamond League meetings, Asbel Kiprop, won’t race in Sweden. The favorite for gold in three weeks time at the World Championships, Kiprop has made waves the last two weeks with a pair of victories in Monaco and London that proved his superiority in this event. 

 

Alas, this field still has some talented players even without the lanky Kenyan. American Matt Centrowitz and Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman will face off for the last time before they meet at Worlds, and each have shown tremendous form throughout 2015. Centro beat Souleiman last Saturday in that wild race in London, and a repeat of that on Thursday in Stockholm would likely mean a victory against this top-heavy field. Souleiman undoubtably has the best wheels in this race, shown by his 1:42.97 finish in the Monaco 800m on July 17th. Both men have run 3:30 for 1500m in 2015.  

Ayanleh Souleiman and Matt Centrowitz battled to the line in London

Centro cannot simply outrun Souleiman, but he has proven that he can outrace him, using tactics that are unmatched by anyone at this level. Even despite admitting that he made strategic errors in London, the American managed a runner-up finish. Imagine the possibilities in Beijing if everything goes as planned. 

 

Just like London, I expect this one to be relatively tactical as no one is looking to time trial this close to Beijing. A mid-3:35 race with a hard close is to be expected, which should work in Robby Andrews favor as he runs his first Diamond League 1500 since he DNF'd in Monaco back in 2012. 

 

Andrews, who qualified for his first World team by way of his thrilling runner-up finish at USA’s, has world-class finishing speed, and this race should be the perfect opportunity for him to show off his wheels before Beijing. He’s not on Centro or Souleiman’s level yet, but just being in contention in the last lap with these two studs would be a great sign for the 24-year-old. Andrews has run 3:35 in 2015. 

Robby talks about his mindset heading into the Stockholm 1500:


 

Women’s 800m (1:55pm) - B-Mart Looks to Rebound After London

The American trio of Brenda Martinez, Molly Ludlow, and Chanelle Price will meet in Stockholm just five days after they battled in London, and a sweep of the top three places on Thursday is a good possibility. 

Brenda Martinez was able to out run Molly Ludow and Chanelle Price to finish 2nd at USAs

Ludlow and Price, who finished fourth and fifth at USA’s, have raced very frequently throughout July, each toeing the line five times this month. They got off to a good start by each setting PR’s in Paris, 1:58.68 for Ludlow and 1:59.10 for Price. The duo have multiple 1:59s to their credit this summer, and Stockholm should have PR potential for both as the weather will be perfect. 

 

Martinez’s season is completely geared to Worlds next month, so she hasn’t had the liberty to race as frequently as her American counterparts. This is likely the explanation for the 2013 World bronze medalist struggling in London, finishing ninth in 2:02. With a European race under her belt after a tough training stint in Big Bear, I expect a more accurate display of B-Mart’s fitness to show itself in Stockholm. Martinez has a 1:57.91 PR from 2013, and owns a 2015 best of 1:59.06 from Pre. 

 

Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza enters Stockholm in a curious position, as she has run nearly a full second faster than everyone in this field in 2015, yet will be coming off a poor fourth place showing in the PanAm 800. Her 1:57.70 in Paris made her the second-fastest woman in the world in 2015, form that Almanza will look to recapture in Sweden. 

 

Men’s 110m Hurdles (1:45pm) - David Oliver Looks To Stay Hot

Two of the three men to run under 13 seconds in 2015 will race in Stockholm, that being American David Oliver and Cuban Orlando Ortega. 

Orlando Ortega (left) and David Oliver will race for the first time since they ran 12.94 and 12.98 in Paris, respectively

Oliver, the defending World champion and 2015 US champion, ran a season’s best of 12.98 at the Paris Diamond League on July 4th, the third-fastest time run in 2015. Oliver has shown excellent form this summer, and his experience and consistency makes him the favorite to repeat at Worlds next month. The 33-year-old will be coming off a victory in the PanAm final last weekend.

 

The 24-year-old Ortega is a major wildcard. Sure, he owns the 12.94 World lead from his victory over Oliver in Paris, but otherwise the Cuban has not run faster than 13.14 in 2015. A solid showing against a deep field like the one in Stockholm would show that Ortega is focused for Beijing. Most recently, he finished fifth last weekend in London in 13.32. 

 

Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde was the Diamond Race winner in this event last season, and will be a major threat for gold at Worlds. Martinot-Lagarde took down a deep field like this one at the Pre Classic back in May, and was a respectable second to Jason Richardson last weekend in London. 

 

Speaking of Richardson, the 2011 World champion has weathered the disappointment of missing out on Worlds very well since USA’s, and the 29-year-old enters Stockholm with a three-meet win streak. He’ll need to run much quicker than his season-best of 13.12 to win tomorrow, but there’s no doubt Richardson is attacking the hurdles with confidence riding his string of victories. 

 

One last man to watch is American Aleec Harris, who qualified for his first World team by way of his fourth place finish at USA’s. The 24-year-old ran his 13.11 PR in Paris on July 4th. 

 

Quickly, here’s some of the other big events to watch: 

 

Women’s 3,000m (1:15pm): Molly Huddle ran aggressively in the London 5k on Saturday, and I expect more of the same Thursday in the Stockholm 3k. Huddle owns a 8:42 PR from 2013, and should be in position to break that if she can find someone willing to run hard with her. 

 

Women’s 100m (2:50pm): 2015 World-leader and defending World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will look to lower her 10.74 World lead that she ran in Paris. The Jamaican is strongly considering running the 100/200 double in Beijing, which makes sense given that she won both World titles two years ago. 

 

US champion Tori Bowie will be a stiff test for SAFP in Stockholm, as her 10.81 at USA’s makes her the fourth-fastest woman in 2015. 

The Stockholm Diamond League starts tomorrow at 1pm CT. Check back with FloTrack for LIVE Updates and interviews from Sweden.