Must-see Monaco hosts Kennedy and Hull | Diamond League Preview

From reigning world champion Nina Kennedy to the white-hot Jessica Hull, the Monaco Diamond League promises to produce its usual magic as seven Paris-bound Australians look to flex their form just weeks out from the Olympic Games.

Australian viewers can tune in live and free from 4:00am AEST this Saturday morning (July 13) via the Diamond League YouTube channel. Full start lists and more information can be found HERE.

Women’s Javelin (3:00am AEST):

2023 World Championships bronze medallist Mackenzie Little’s (Angus McEntyre) arrival in Europe suggests the business end of the season is upon us, with the javelin star ready to sharpen up ahead of her second Olympic campaign.

Balancing her busy lifestyle as an athlete and doctor, Little returns to the world stage with the Australian and Oceania titles under her belt in 2024, throwing distances of 61.85m and 61.09m respectively at those competitions – now ramping up proceedings to close in on her 65.70m best.

Facing world champion Haruka Kitaguchi (JPN, 67.38m), it’s straight into the deep end for the Australian who will relish the competitive environment.

Women’s Pole Vault (3:10am AEST):

If it’s possible for a reigning world champion to fly under the radar in an Olympic year, then Nina Kennedy (Paul Burgess & James Fitzpatrick) is doing exactly that.

A light competition schedule is not to be mistaken for sketchy form for the Australian icon, who last month soared over a seasons best of 4.80m to take out the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland – a Continental Tour Gold Level Meet.

Kennedy’s 4.91m career-best places her prominently on any start list, but the Australian record holder finds company in the form of 2024 World Indoor champion Molly Caudery (GBR, 4.92m) and Katie Moon (USA, 4.95m), with the trio forming three of the top-10 pole vaulters in history.

Olympic medals aren’t won at Diamond Leagues, but another progression will all but confirm Kennedy’s trajectory to arrive at Paris in top form.

Men’s High Jump (4:30am AEST):

Yual Reath’s (Paul Cleary) rise to Paris will lead through Monaco, with the high-flying Australian set for his Diamond League debut. 

The showman and Australian champion will be buoyed by the news of his Olympic debut, arriving in Monaco with a 2.30m personal best and hopes of mixing it with the world’s best once again after making his international debut at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.

Reath will find a familiar face in the form of reigning World Indoor champion and Trans-Tasman rival Hamish Kerr (NZL) who owns a 2.36m personal best, while defending Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA) leads the field with his 2.39m career-best and strong form.

The Monaco contest looms as a dress rehearsal for Reath who garners crucial international experience.

Women’s 2000m (4:43am AEST):

You would be hard-pressed to name two more in-form Australian athletes than Jessica Hull (Simon Hull) and Georgia Griffith (Nic Bideau) in 2024, and the record-breaking duo have been touted for not only Benita Willis’ national record, but so too the world record.

Fresh off becoming the fifth fastest woman in history over 1500m to carve five seconds off her own Australian record at the Paris Diamond League, Hull’s 3:50.83 showing behind Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon has the athletics world on record watch.

With the 2000m world record standing at 5:21.56 set by Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba, Hull will first have to tick off Willis’ 5:37.71 Australian record, but boasting the best credentials in the field– the Australian will look to dictate proceedings in the rarely run 2000m event.

Already a Diamond League meet winner this year when taking down a star-studded field over 3000m to set a new national record of 8:24.20 in Oslo, Griffith is enjoying the best season of her career to date with personal bests over 800m (1:59.89), 1500m (3:59.04) and 3000m – with the 2000m looming as the next distance on her hit-list.

Both women will be looking to extract more than records in a pre-Olympic showdown against the likes of Ciara Mageean (IRL).

Women’s 5000m (5:05am AEST):

Rounding out the action in Monaco, the Paris-bound Lauren Ryan (Lara Rogers) will test her speed over 5000m in a small but strong field, led by Tsigie Gebreselama (ETH) who owns a 14:18.76 personal best.

Ryan has dipped under 15-minutes three times in 2024, the fastest of which was a 14:57.67 performance, but her 10,000m Australian record of 30:35.66 suggests a further breakthrough over 5000m may be imminent as the 26-year-old prepares to double in Paris.

Aynadis Mebrartu (ETH) will also threaten for the win having established herself at February’s Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne, while Ryan will look to latch onto the 14:40 packfor as long as possible to set up a career-best showing. 

Men’s 1500m (5:34am AEST):

It’s better late than never for Oliver Hoare (Dathan Ritzenhein), who lands in Monaco as a late addition to add further firepower to a scorching 1500m field.

The Australian record holder will race for the first time since May 30 where he clocked 3:31.08 at the Oslo Diamond League, with the Commonwealth champion set to bolster his confidence ahead of the Olympic Games having earned selection last week.

Taking on defending Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR, 3:27.14), his countryman Narve Gilje Nordas (NOR, 3:29.47) and three other sub-3:30 men headed by Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN, 3:28.28) – the red carpet that is Stade Louis II will be rolled out for whoever is willing to seize the contest. 

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 11/07/2024