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Taking centre stage on an evening brimming with emotion, one of the biggest sensations came in the women’s 800 m event. Audrey Werro confirmed that she’s really switched things up a gear this year. Perfectly placed on the heels of the pacesetters, the Swiss athlete left the competition for dust with a triumphant 1’53”80, a new national record and Meeting record, just 52 hundredths of a second shy of Jarmila Kratochvilova’s legendary world record (1’53”28). “ I wasn’t expecting to run that fast. My latest times gave me the confidence to go for it, ” she beamed at the end of the race. In her wake, Dutch runner Femke Broeders-Bol took second (1’55”60), whilst Anaïs Bourgoin, spurred on by a home crowd, shattered Patricia Djaté’s French record with a time of 1’55”65.
Switzerland did not stop there either as Angelica Moser soared into the blue skies of Paris to win the pole vault competition with a jump of 4.77 m, in a super-charged ambiance. The proximity of the men’s competition, which was ran concurrently to the women’s event and on the neighbouring runway, served as an extra boost. For the Parisian crowd, the competition was reminiscent of a rather special August evening at the Stade de France in 2024. Eager for a revenge match after his defeat in Stockholm, Mondo Duplantis set the record straight with a jump of 6.13 m, pulverising the Meeting record in the process. His three attempts at 6.32 m failed to hit the mark in the end, but his presence certainly sent a shiver around the stadium. With the Charléty crowd right behind him, Baptiste Thiéry posted the best performance of his career with 5.93 m, earning him a fantastic second place.
Kebinatshipi and Paulino in brilliant form
The first thrilling performances of the night came from the lap of the track. For race number one on the programme, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi rewarded the spectators who had the foresight to get to their seats early. Sightly off the pace as he hit the home straight, the athlete from Botswana relaxed into the sprint for the finish and posted a time of 43”54, a new Diamond League record and the second fastest performance in the world this year. South African Zakithi Nene (43”89) also ran a sub-44’’ time. “ I’d clocked the Diamond League record prior to the race. That was my goal and I even managed to run quicker, ” admitted last summer’s world champion in Tokyo. Moments later, Marileidy Paulino also excelled in the women’s 400 m. Having already won in Paris four times, Charléty is like home turf for the Dominican athlete, who snatched victory for the third consecutive time. Her time of 48”48 earned her the Meeting record no less. “I love running in Paris; I always love coming back here,” gushed the Olympic champion. Behind her, Czech sprinter Lurdes Gloria Manuel racked up a personal best of 49”06, ahead of Jamaican Stacey Ann Williams (49”37).
Meantime, American Jamal Britt proved to be a cut above the rest in the high hurdles. Nailing the third fastest time in the heats, he ran the perfect race in the final to take victory in 12”89, his personal best and the second fastest performance in the world this year, ahead of Japanese runner Shunsuke Izumiya (13”01). “I didn’t think I’d run so quick today,” he acknowledged, beaming from ear to ear. In the women’s competition, Nigerian Tobi Amusan gave her rivals a masterclass over the last four fences to triumph in 12’’28, equalling her season’s best ahead of Grace Stark (12”38) and Alaysha Johnson (12”39). The 100 m saw Trayvon Bromell steel the thunder from compatriot Noah Lyles. Thanks to a blistering start, he rocketed to the finish in 9’’92. “I know I have a lot more in the tank”, insisted Bromell, who already has his sights on Eugene, the following leg of the Diamond League next week.
Almighty Arop
A stronghold for the world’s middle-distance running, Paris confirmed its affinity for endurance events. In the 800 m, Marco Arop was on track for a new world record for much of the race, before fading a little over the last few metres. However, the Canadian still managed a world lead performance this year in 1’41”84, way out in front of Niels Laros. “I know I can beat the world record this year. I’ll have another one or two cracks at it this summer,” he teased.
Australian Cameron Myers waited until the final 250 metres to really go into overdrive in the men’s race (a non-Diamond League event), smashing his personal best in 3’28”00 and cementing his place as the season’s fastest talent. Deprived of several of the favourites, the 3,000 m steeplechase saw German runner Karl Bebendorf take the top spot and he was thrilled by his time of 8’05’’55: “With the world’s elite absent tonight, I knew I had a chance to win,” he admitted. The 5,000 m served up a rather strange race, where the key players chose not to follow the pacesetters over the first few laps. Ultimately, Grant Fisher brought his A game and powered down the home straight. In so doing, the American secured his first Diamond League win in 12’54’’80, ahead of Kenyan Jacob Krop (12’55”22) and European record holder Andreas Almgren (12’55”38). “ I’d never won a Diamond League race. It’s incredibly difficult to pull off so I’m all the happier for that ,” grinned the world indoor record holder in the 3,000 m. Very much in contention for a long while, Jimmy Gressier was unable to get into the right mix in the end, though the home crowd championed him from beginning to end.
In the javelin, Chinese sensation Yan Ziyi really shone once again to secure victory in her first European competition after kicking off the event with a throw of 67.44 m. In the shot put circle, Canadian Sarah Mitton was supreme with a throw of 19.99 m on her third attempt. Delighted to bag victory, she freely admitted that just one more centimetre would not have gone amiss.