WOMEN’S DISCUS
18:40hrs
***
She’s made it a habit: on even-numbered years, Sandra Perkovic competes in the MEETING de PARIS. And, invariably, she heads home having pocketed the win. Victorious in 2014 (68.48m, meeting record) and in 2016, she is back again this year with the same aim. The Croatian, double Olympic (2012 and 2016) and World champion (2013 and 2017), has already defended her status this season, winning the competition in Doha then again in Rome at the IAAF Diamond League. In Qatar, she threw 71.38m, getting very close to her personal best (71.41m last year). In Paris, her two most serious rivals could be the Cubans Yaimé Pérez, who has already thrown over 65m three times this season, and Denia Caballero.
WOMEN’S TRIPLE JUMP
18:50hrs
****
The MEETING de PARIS competition is shaping up to be a three-way match between the two queens of the discipline, Colombian Caterine Ibarguen and Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, and the latest sensation from the United States, Tori Franklin. Gold medallist at the Rio Games 2016 and double World champion (2013 and 2015), Caterine Ibarguen has already confirmed her hopes for ultimate victory in the IAAF Diamond League, dominating proceedings in Shanghai (14.80m) and Doha (14.83m). However, this season’s 25-year-old revelation, Tori Franklin, is ahead of her on the global ranking with her jump of 14.84m, an American record, set on 12 May at the meeting in Guadeloupe. Reigning World champion, Yulimar Rojas hasn’t yet kicked off her outdoor season. However, her victory in the Indoor Worlds in Birmingham, in what was her first competition of the winter, demonstrated her ability to jump long distances from the get-go.
MEN’S TRIATHLON (NON DL)
19:10hrs
***
Made up of the long jump, the shot put and the 110m hurdles, the event seems destined for the Frenchman Kevin Mayer. The World champion hasn’t yet competed in a single decathlon this season, but he has beaten three of his personal bests, in the 100m (10’’66 on 16 June in Ratingen), in the shot put (16.17m on 12 May in Montpellier), and in the discus (52.38m in Ratingen). He’s already taken a win in the MEETING de Paris’ triathlon event, bagging a total of 2,746 points last year. Aiming to match him is Ukrainian Oleksiy Kasyanov, World bronze medallist in 2009, a familiar face at the Décastar in Talence.
110M HURDLES
HEATS 19:17 / 19:26hrs
FINAL 20:53hrs
*****
One of the densest races of the night, the opulent line-up comes with the promise of some big performances from the heats onwards. Ranked as favourite, Russian Sergey Shubenkov is the man to beat right now. Third in Shanghai last month for his opening gambit in the Diamond League, he linked together two successes in three days at the start of June, in Hengelo (13’’23) then in Turku (13’’18). The World champion in 2015 went on to really create a stir on 19 June at the meeting in Montreuil, running a time of 12’’99, 1 hundredth of a second shy of his personal best. He’s the only athlete to date to run a sub-13-second time this season. The main competition centres on the Spanish athlete of Cuban origin, Orlando Ortega, Olympic number two, author of a time of 12’’94 (personal best) at the MEETING de PARIS in 2015, and Jamaican Ronald Levy, last year’s winner at the Charléty Stadium in a time of 13’’05, his personal best. The French contingent is represented by Dimitri Bascou, the Olympic bronze medallist, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (13’’28 on 19 June in Montreuil), Garfield Darien and Aurel Manga. Also worth watching is American hurdler Aries Merritt, the world record holder (12’’80).
MEN’S POLE VAULT
19:32hrs
*****
A familiar face and a star attraction. In the lead role, Renaud Lavillenie, the most loyal of athletes to the French leg of the IAAF Diamond League, heads the world ranking after posting a jump of 5.95m on 14 April in Austin, Texas. Hot on his heels is the Swedish prodigy Armand Duplantis. Living in the United States, this pocket-size pole-vaulter (he’s 1.68m tall) has demonstrated impressive consistency at around 5.90m since the start of the season. At 18 years of age, he’s cleared this height three times, culminating at 5.93m on 5 May at Baton Rouge. He beat Renaud Lavillenie on 19 June at the meeting in Montreuil (5.91m against 5.86m). However, the Parisian competition doesn’t just come down to these two athletes alone. Last year’s winner at the MEETING de PARIS and World champion in London, American Sam Kendricks is also in the mix. He won the competition at the meeting in Rome, in the Diamond League, with a jump of 5.84m. Among the other contenders at the Parisian meeting are Canadian Shawn Barber (5.92m in 2018), Poles Piotr Lisek and Pawel Wojciechowski and Brazilian Thiago Braz, reigning Olympic champion.
MEN’S 400M HURDLES
20:03hrs
*****
One of the most exciting duels of the summer. Abderrahman Samba, Qatar, against Karsten Warholm, Norway. The former, born in Mauritania, only took up the discipline 2 years ago, but his potential is proving to be phenomenal. He’s had a spectacular start to the season, racking up Diamond League victories in Doha, Rome, Oslo and Stockholm. In Stockholm, on 10 June, he ran 47’’41, an Asian record. The second, Karsten Warholm, was one of the big hits of the London Worlds last year, securing the global title. Since then, he has improved on his personal best, extending it to 47’’81 on 10 June in Stockholm. At 21 years of age, Kyron McMaster, gold medallist at the last Commonwealth Games, running 48’’25 this season, also intends to be one of the new attractions in a fast-changing discipline.
WOMEN’S HIGH JUMP
20:10hrs
*****
One of the most hotly-awaited competitions of the MEETING de PARIS. And one of the evening’s high points, with the three most high-performance young women of the season competing for glory. Topping the bill is Russian Mariya Lasitskene, the double World champion (2015 and 2017), whose string of victories has now reached 43 consecutive competitions. She is dominating the world ranking with a jump of 2.03m on 3 June in Hengelo, however she is making no secret of her intention to go for the world record (2.09m set by Stefka Kostadinova back in 1987), as long as conditions allow. To push her to new heights, she’ll be up against Belgian athlete Nafissatou Thiam, Olympic and World heptathlon champion, who improved on her personal best by clearing 2.01m on 26 May during the Götzis heptathlon. She’ll also be vying with Bulgarian Mirela Demireva, who cleared 2m at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm, on 10 June, a competition where solely Mariya Lasitskene beat her in the heats. Finally, another jumper worth keeping an eye on is Italian Elena Vallortigara, a former specialist of the combined events, who beat her personal best by 10cm this season, stretching it out to 1.96m.
WOMEN’S 3,000M STEEPLECHASE
20:12hrs
***
A Kenyan affair. Taking the start will be four athletes, who are heading the world ranking: Hirvin Kiyeng, Celliphine Chespol, Norah Jeruto and Beatrice Chepkoech. The top three ranked in this order at the meeting in Rome. The fourth took the win at the meeting in Shanghai. The four Kenyans are within 4 seconds of one another. The line-up for the MEETING de PARIS also includes the American Courtney Frerichs, world number two last summer in London behind her compatriot Emma Coburn.
MEN’S DISCUS
20:26hrs
***
A competition with the appearance of an Olympic or World final. All the top names are there. Andrius Gudzius, the reigning World champion, has shown great consistency this season, with 4 competitions at over 69m. However, the Lithuanian is being led in the world ranking by one of the new aces of the discipline, Fedrick Dacres. The young 23-year-old Jamaican, World U18 and U20 champion, took the win in Stockholm at the IAAF Diamond League with 69.57m, the best throw of the season. The MEETING de PARIS competition also boasts the most polished throwers of the past few seasons, including the German Christoph Harting, Olympic champion in Rio, the Pole Piotr Malachowski, and the Swedish giant Daniel Stahl, world number two last summer in London.
MEN’S 200M (NON DL)
20:30hrs
***
The race doesn’t bear the IAAF Diamond League stamp, but it promises to be both dense and quick. The organisers have put together a line-up dominated by the likes of Ecuadorian Alex Quinonez, 19’’93 this season, personal best; American Michael Norman, the new hit in the 400m (43’’61 this season), author of a time of 20’’06 in early April, into a headwind; South African Luxolo Adams, 20’’01 in 2018; and of course Frenchman Christophe Lemaître, a stalwart of the MEETING de PARIS, clocked at 20’’19 on 13 June in Ostrava. The Savoyard will also be lining up for the 100m on the same evening, where he’ll be keen to attain the level of performance required to compete in Berlin.
MEN’S 1,500M
20:39hrs
****
Like the discipline itself, the race promises to be wide open, with a handful of candidates in with a chance of victory. No fewer than 5 athletes boast a personal best of less than 3’30’’: the Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot, world number two last summer in London (3’29’’10); Moroccan Abdelaati Iguider, World indoor champion in 2012 (3’28’’79); Djiboutian Ayanleh Souleiman, World indoor champion in 2014 (3’29’’58); Australian Nick Willis, double Olympic medallist (3’29’’66); Ethiopian Aman Wote, number two in the world indoors in 2014 (3’29’’91). Winner this season in the IAAF Diamond League in Rome and Shanghai, Timoty Cheruiyot shares the status of favourite with Samuel Tefera, the 18-year-old Ethiopian prodigy, World champion and Junior world record holder indoors. He has the second best time of the season to his credit thanks to a personal best of 3’31’’63. His compatriot Teresa Tolosa is two years older, but he’s already treated himself to an IAAF Diamond League victory this year, at the meeting in Doha. Also worth watching is the Norwegian Filip Ingebrigtsen, European champion over the distance in 2016 and world bronze medallist last summer in London.
WOMEN’S 400M
21:03hrs
****
Power to the youth. At just 23 years of age, American Shakima Wimbley is competing at the MEETING de PARIS straight off the back of her American champion title secured on 23 June in a time of 49’’52, her personal best and the best time in the world this season (tied with Shaunae Miller-Uibo). Three years younger, Salwa Eid Naser can also lay claim to the title of the new sensation of the 400m. Born in Nigeria, but raised in Bahrain, whose colours she now runs in, the World U20 champion in 2015 made a name for herself last year by bagging the silver medal at the London Worlds. This season, she has pulled off the feat of running a sub-50-second time on two separate occasions just three days’ apart, in the IAAF Diamond League: 49’’98 on 7 June in Oslo, 49’’84 on 10 June in Stockholm. For both these young athletes, opposition could come from an American, reigning World champion Phyllis Francis (50’’07 this season).
MEN’S 800M (NON DL)
21:10hrs
****
Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, the reigning World champion, cannot disguise the fact: he intends to make the most of the MEETING de PARIS to really get his season up and running. Eagerly awaited by the public, the Frenchman will be able to count on some stellar opposition, with the second best performer in the world this season, Kenyan Jonathan Kitilit (1’43’’77). Another serious contender for victory is Australian Peter Bol, winner this season in Stockholm at the IAAF Diamond League (1’44’’56).
WOMEN’S 200M
21:33hrs
***
It’s hard to pick a favourite from a line-up of such density. Jamaican Shericka Jackson beat her personal best this season (22’’18), at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, but she is more of a 400m specialist in reality. From the Ivory Coast, Marie-Josée Ta Lou dominated the IAAF Diamond League in Rome, running a time of 22’’49 (against a headwind). She has run a sub-10’’90 twice this season in the 100m (10’’85 in Doha, 10’’88 in Eugene). Finally, American Jenna Prandini bagged the American champion title in Des Moines on Sunday 24 June.
WOMEN’S 800M
21:42hrs
*****
The last women’s race of the night has all the ingredients of a grand finale. On the start line will be the 5 quickest athletes of the season over this distance. Leading the way, Caster Semenya, the double Olympic champion (2012 and 2016) and the world triple gold medallist (2009, 2011 and 2017), will be making her debut performance at the MEETING de PARIS. She has gone undefeated this season and ran 1’55’’92 on 26 May in Eugene. However, the presence in the race of the 4 athletes pursuing her in the world ranking promises an explosive time: American Ajee Wilson (1’56’’86); Burundian Francine Nyonsaba, Olympic number two and reigning World champion (1’56’’88); the young Ethiopian Habitam Alemu (1’57’’78) and the Kenyan Margaret Wambui (1’58’’07), bronze medallist at the Rio Games in 2016. The French athlete Rénelle Lamote (2’00’’96 this season) has the opportunity to attain the required standard for the European Championships in Berlin (2’00’’60).
MEN’S 100M
21:52hrs
****
Will the last race of the evening smile on a French athlete? Anything’s possible. Jimmy Vicaut has posted the 3rd best time of the season, running 9’’92 on 16 June in Marseille. Loyal to the Parisian meeting, in 2015 he equalled the European record with a time of 9’’86. However, the American competition in particular is proving to be formidable, with Michael Rodgers, the world number 1 this season (9’’89 on 21 June in Des Moines), and Ronnie Baker, winner in Rome on 31 May in 9’’93, credited with a time of 9’’90 on 22 June at the American championships. Other athletes worth keeping a close eye on include the Jamaican Yohan Blake, World champion in 2011, the fastest of the race (9’’69 in 2012) and South African Akani Simbine (9’’89 in 2016). The race curiosity, and one of the most serious contenders for victory: the Chinese athlete Bingtian Su, winner of the meeting in Madrid on 22 June in 9’’91, a Chinese record.
