MEN’S TRIATHLON (NON DL) - 18:55
A new addition to the 2017 edition of the MEETING de PARIS. A triathlon to be completed in 1hr15, with a programme comprising a javelin competition (18:55pm), a 110m hurdles (19:34pm), then a long jump competition (20:10pm). It’s an opportunity for Kévin Mayer, Olympic number two in Rio, to test himself in front of the Charléty Stadium crowd with a little over a month to go until the Worlds in London. The Frenchman has yet to compete in a decathlon this season. He has personal bests of 66.09m in the javelin (2013), 14’’01 in the 110m hurdles (2016) and 7.65m in the long jump (2014). Up against him, the Briton Ashley Bryant, silver medallist in the Commonwealth Games in 2014, 8,163 points in the decathlon this year, is a high performer in the javelin (70.44m) and in the long jump (7.70m).
MEN’S HIGH JUMP - 19:08
One of the high points of the meeting. The headline acts are the world number 1 this season and Olympic number 2, Qatari athlete Mutaz Barshim (2.38m); the reigning European champion, Italian Gianmarco Tamberi (2.39m in 2016); and the 3rd highest male jumper in history, Ukrainian Bohdan Bondarenko (2.42m in 2014). Dominating the competition several times over this season, Mutaz Barshim boasts the 5 best performances in the world this year, peaking at 2.38m on 15 June in Oslo. He may come close to, or even exceed 2.40m at the MEETING de PARIS. Suffering an ankle injury last July and forced to abandon at the Rio Games, Gianmarco Tamberi has chosen Paris to rub shoulders with the world’s elite for the second time since his return to competition, three days after the meeting in Ostrava. The French presence is provided by Mickael Hanany (2.26m this season), winner of the European Team Championship competition on 25 June in Lille.
WOMEN’S SHOT PUT - 19:25
The lead role in the discipline is still struggling to be defined this season. The Chinese athlete Lijiao Gong, world number two in 2015, secured victory in the Diamond League in Shanghai (19.46m), then in Rome (19.56m). However, the award for best thrower of the year goes to Hungarian thrower Anita Marton (19.63m). They are both competing at the MEETING de PARIS. In the French contingent is the hard-wearing Jessica Cérival, 35, who has thrown 17.50m this season, not far short of her personal best (17.87m in 2009).
MEN’S POLE VAULT - 19:32
Renaud Lavilleniehas virtually made the MEETING de PARIS his own. Last year’s winner before a jump of 5m93, he’s returning this year in a bid to be at the peak of his performance with the Worlds in London. To pull this off, he’ll be able to count on some stiff competition led by the man of the moment, American Sam Kendricks, bronze medallist at the Rio Games, author at the US Championships in Sacramento on 24 June of the first 6m jump of his career. Also worth watching is Canadian Shawn Barber, reigning world champion (5.71m this season), Polish athlete Pawel Wojciechowski (world bronze medallist in 2015), as well as Frenchman Kévin Menaldo, who cleared a jump of 5.83m in Forbach in late May, his personal best.
WOMEN’S 400M - 20:03
Of all the evening’s races, this one is wide open in terms of results. The Jamaicans are coming at it in force with the new national champion, Sherika Jackson, Olympic bronze (2016) and world medallist (2015), running 50’’05 on 25 June in Kingston, a new personal best; the highly experienced Novlene Williams-Mills, 35, victorious in late May in Kingston in 50’’54; and Stephenie Ann McPherson(51’’45 this season). They’ll have to keep an eye on American Courtney Okolo, 23, who recorded her first sub-50-second time last year (49’’72) and has run 50’’72 this season. Floria Guei, the French number one (51’’51 in 2017), has made the MEETING de PARIS one of her priorities this season. Objective: to put her personal best under pressure (50’’84 last year).
MEN’S 3,000M - 20:14
An African affair, with a favourite already designated: youngster Ronald Kwemoi. At just 21 years of age, he dominated the 3,000m at the Diamond League meeting in Doha, on 5 May, with a world best time of 7’28’’73. A specialist of the 1,500m for a long while, a distance over which he has held the junior world record since the Herculis meeting in Monaco in 2014 (3’28’’81), he has increased the distance this season. The results haven’t been long in coming. Other contenders include Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, 3rd in Doha, and not yet 20, as well as a world indoor champion last year in Portland; Bahraini Albert Rop, Olympic finalist in Rio over 5,000m (7th).
WOMEN’S 100M - 20:29
One name dominates the competition: Elaine Thompson. The Jamaican, Olympic champion over 100 and 200m in Rio, has done little running this season, but each of her performances is an event in itself. She has just racked up the best time in the world this year of 10’’71, on 22 June, at the championships in Kingston, Jamaican, a hundredth of a second shy of her personal best. She’s in great shape. Her performance at the Charléty Stadium promises to be explosive. To push her even further, the Jamaican will be able to count on two sprinters from the Ivory Coast, Murielle Ahouré (10’’83 this year) and Marie Josée Ta Lou (11’’03). American Morolake Akinosun, 23, is also worth watching after a time of 10''98 on 22 June in the US championship series and a time of 10’’95 last year. A key player in the French contingent is youngster Carolle Zahi, who set a new personal best this year (11''18).
MEN’S JAVELIN - 20:35
His stratospheric throw of 93.90m, on 5 May 2017 in Doha, really created a stir, as well as propelling him to the rank of second in history. Since then, Thomas Röhler has proven it wasn’t a fluke by throwing in excess of 90m a second time, on 8 June in Rome (90.06m). Olympic champion in Rio, the German is the javelin master, even though he suffered his first defeat of the season in Lille last weekend (3rd with 84.22m). The organisers of the MEETING de PARIS have gathered together a stellar line-up to play opposite him, with no fewer than two other medallists from the last Games, Kenyan Julius Yego (world champion in 2015) and Keshorn Walcottfrom Trinidad, and above all the Czech Jakub Vadlejch, winner in Lille at the European Team Championships (87.95m). In a speciality dominated this season by the Germans, the most serious threat for Thomas Röhler could well be his compatriot Johannes Vetter, runner-up in Doha (89.68m), then in Rome (88.15m).
MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP - 20:38
A dream competition, where anything could happen. Christian Taylor has already raised the bar very high this season, clearing 18.11m on 27 May in Eugene, the 3rd best jump in history, just 10 centimetres short of his personal best. The American is on form. The world record is constantly colouring his thoughts. To push him, compatriot Will Claye will be giving as good as he gets. Silver medallist in Rio, behind Christian Taylor, the American has just improved on his personal best at the US championships on 23 June in Sacramento, landing 17.91m. The duel between the two men could take them a very long way. For Frenchman Jean-Marc Pontvianne, 22, the MEETING de PARIS competition may be the ideal opportunity to continue to up the ante after a personal best of 17.13m this year.
MEN’S 800M - 20:40
A Kenyan affair on paper. Together with Kipyegon Bett, Ferguson Rotich, Robert Biwott, Willy Kiplimo Tarbeiand Alfred Kipketer, there are five athletes representing the national middle distance event. The first of these, winner of the Diamond League in Shanghai in 1’44’’70, has the most going for him, but the hierarchy is not always respected over this distance. The same is true for Frenchman Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, 4th at the Rio Games and a familiar face at the MEETING de PARIS, where he always manages to attract public and media attention. He’ll be competing in his first 800m of the season at the Charléty Stadium.
MEN’S 100M (NON DL) - 20:50
In 2016, his victory at the Stade de France, where he equalled the national record (9’’86) came as a real surprise over a year ago. From the Ivory Coast, Ben Youssef Meité is returning to the MEETING de PARIS with the same desire to win. However, the race promises to be wide open with two athletes at the start who have racked up sub-10-second times this season: American Ronnie Baker (9’’98 on 20 May in Kingston) and Jamaican Julian Forte (9’’99 on 23 June in Kingston). The men’s 100m is not a Diamond League event.
WOMEN’S 3,000M STEEPLECHASE - 21:00
Last year, Ruth Jebet treated the MEETING de PARIS to its first world record at the Stade de France. The Olympic champion is returning this season, but she will have to battle it out against an impressive armada of young Kenyans. Leading the procession is the very young Celliphine Chepsol, 18, victorious in Eugene on 26 May with the startling time of 8’’58’’78, a junior world record. Less than a length ahead, Beatrice Chepkoech, 25, 2nd in Doha then in Eugene, has a personal best this season (9’00’’72), which shows an improvement of 10 seconds. Also at the start is American Emma Coburn, bronze medallist at the Rio Games.
MEN’S 110M HURDLES (FINAL) - 21:25
One of the most long-awaited events of the evening. Omar McLeod, the Olympic champion, will be the hot favourite after a debut to the season that has seen him run five sub-13’’10 times, peaking at 12’’90 on 24 June in Kingston, a national record. However, the next three on the 2017 world ranking are also competing: his Jamaican compatriot Ronald Levy (13’’10), American Devon Allen (13’’11), and above all South African Antonio Alkana, Africa’s new record holder with a time of 13’’11, who is likely to be bent on revenge after his elimination for a false start on 18 June at the Stockholm meeting. Omar McLeod’s most serious rival could be Aleec Harris, crowned US champion on 25 June in Sacramento in 13’’24. Also worth following is Briton Andrew Pozzi (13’’19 this year) and Russian Sergey Shubenkov, world champion in 2015, authorised by the IAAF to compete as an athlete from a neutral nation. He ran 13’’10 in Stockholm in an overly favourable breeze (+ 3.5m/s). The French armada is represented by Garfield Darien(13’’09 yesterday in Ostrava, third french all-time performance and second world best performance of the year), Aurel Manga (13’’27), Benjamin Sedecias (13’’52) and Wilhem Belocian. Two series are on the programme (19:20 and 19:27pm), followed by the final (21:25pm).
WOMEN’S 1,500M - 21:40
A majestic line-up. Sifan Hassan, the Dutch athlete, is dominating the competition this season. She took the win in both Rome and Hengelo, posting the best time in the world on home soil in 3’56’’14. However, the organisers have gathered together some noble opposition comprising the key contenders over the distance: Kenyans Faith Kipyegon, Olympic champion in Rio (3’59’’22 this season) and Winny Chebet, a past 800m runner, who is progressing fast this year (3’59’’16, personal best). With Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan, the race reunites two of the three medallists from the Beijing Worlds of 2015.
MEN’S 200M - 21:52
The last race of the MEETING de PARIS could well round off the night on a real high, with a very attractive line-up. The event promises to be wide open, with the notable presence of the Turkish athlete Ramil Gulyev (20’’08 on 18 May in Bakou) and Jamaican Rasheed Dwyer, 20’’11 this season, who’s personal best has stood at 19’’80 since 2015. However, the favourite will be one of the new stars of the American sprint scene, Ameer Webb, crowned US champion on 25 June in Sacramento ahead of Christian Coleman, with a time of 20’’09 against a wind clocked at – 2.3m/sec.
