The traditional Herculis Meeting in Monaco will take place this Friday at Stade Louis-II. As every year, the lineup will be exceptional with the presence of Merritt, Felix, Rudisha, and Kiprop, not to mention the French athletes Lemaitre, Martinot-Lagarde, and Bosse.
For the twelfth edition of the Herculis athletics meeting under the auspices of the Diamond League, the organizers have aimed for excellence. The “fast” track at Stade Louis-II will once again host the cream of the world’s athletics.
“The Monégasque Athletics Federation (FMA) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, so we are hoping for a great meeting. This competition is the last one before the Commonwealth Games for some and the European Championships for others. Every race and event will be high-level,” says Jean-Pierre Schoebel, the meeting director.
For over three hours, Olympic champions, world record holders, and future European champions will tread the “magic track” of Louis-II, as it has been dubbed by French 800m specialist, Pierre-Ambroise Bosse. In the absence of Usain Bolt (world record holder of the 100m), who is injured, or Renaud Lavillenie (world record holder of the pole vault), due to the event not being held, the headliners will be Aries Merritt in the 110m hurdles, as well as Shelly-Ann Fraser and Allyson Felix in the 200m.
Two events will be particularly scrutinized: the high jump and the men’s 1500m. The high jump event features the world’s top five, and the world record of Cuban Javier Sotomayor (2.45m) could be at risk. For the 1500m, Kenyan Asbel Kiprop hopes to get closer to the record held by Moroccan Hicham El-Guerrouj, and he will have pacemakers specifically engaged to ensure a fast pace.
Among the French athletes, our focus will first be on Pierre-Ambroise Bosse. In the 800m and facing the world’s best, the young 22-year-old Frenchman will try to secure a place to best prepare for the upcoming European Championships. Pascal Martinot-Lagarde in the 110m hurdles is currently one of the very best in his discipline. Very performant in recent weeks, he hopes to clock a time around 13 seconds.
Finally, Christophe Lemaitre will be the last Frenchman on the track. In “his distance,” the 200m, and against high-level competitors, he remains confident: “I hope to lower my times to confirm my European leadership. The sensations are coming back well, it will have to be proven on the track”.
