As every year, the Herculis meeting in Monaco provided a real spectacle. More so, a world record was broken, the 1500m, by Genzebe Dibaba. Undoubtedly, Monaco is the number one meeting in the world of athletics.
For a few years now, there was a sense of a world record in the air. Indeed, it had been eight years since the Louis-II Stadium had seen such a performance, thanks to Russian pole vaulter Elena Isinbayeva. This time, it happened. In a superb atmosphere, Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba, 24 years old, completed the 1500m in 3’50″07, breaking a record that had stood for 22 years (by China’s Yunxia Qu in Beijing).
She had announced on Thursday, during a press conference, that she had this record within her reach after her high-level performance in Barcelona (3’54″11). On Friday, all the specialized newspapers headlined the little sister of Tirunesh (3 Olympic titles, 5 world titles) who could finally become a legend. Led masterfully by a pacemaker who adhered strictly to the split times, the Ethiopian executed a champion’s final 400m. Louis-II stood up, Louis-II was thrilled, and Louis-II celebrated an achievement with a “capital A.”
“I was confident, I knew I was ready for this world record, I could feel it. I don’t quite realize it yet, maybe later when I’m with my coach and training group. I’ve worked hard to get here, I’m happy,” said Genzebe Dibaba in a press conference, half an hour after her world record.
Earlier in the evening, it was Kenyan Asbel Kiprop who ignited the Monaco meeting by achieving the third-best performance in history for the 1500m in 3’26″69, just seven-tenths shy of the legendary world record of Hicham El-Guerrouj (3’26”00). This followed a stunning men’s shot put competition. The victory went to Joe Kovacs (United States) with a throw of 22.56m, the eighth-best performance of all time and a Diamond League record.
Among the French, only Renaud Lavillenie shone with a victory thanks to a jump of 5.92m. Subsequently, he narrowly failed three times at 6.02m. In the 100m, Jimmy Vicaut finished in 3rd place but with a disappointing time of 10”03 due to a poor start. The victory went to Justin Gatlin in 9’78”, a meeting record. The highlight of the evening came from Floria Gueï. Fifth in the 400m with 50”90, she became the second-fastest Frenchwoman in history behind the great Marie-José Pérec.
With a world record, eight best performances of the year worldwide, and numerous personal records, the Herculis meeting once again proved that it stands above the rest thanks to its fast track and ideal conditions. With less than five weeks to go until the World Championships in Beijing, the best in athletics seem ready, and so do the French athletes.
