Everything you will need to know about the 2020 Herculis meet in terms of competitions, is listed below, supplied by the meet organisers.
Media Release from Herculis 2020 meet
19:40 – Pole vault M: A top-flight competition
Everything is set in Monaco for a splendid competition and the standard is right up there with the best of them. Armand Duplantis, World record holder back in the winter with a jump of 6m18, will be keen to beat his WL performance (5m94). To drive him into a corner, he’ll be able to count on the double World champion Sam Kendricks (6m06) and Olympic champion Thiago Braz (6m03). French athletes Valentin Lavillenie and Thibaut Collet will be eager to beat their season’s best, which stands at 5m51 and 5m60 respectively. The meeting record is under threat (6m02 posted by Piotr Lisek last year)!
20:03 – 110m hurdles M: Going all out
The top names in the hurdle competition have confirmed their presence in Monaco. The reigning World champion Grant Holloway has his eye on the big prize. He will have to keep an eye on the very fit Andrew Pozzi, who lowered his world-leading in Turku (13”17, +1.1) and of the Olympic vice-champion Orlando Ortega, who will make his first race of the season. On the French side, hopes will rest on Wilhem Belocian, credited with 13”38 Tuesday in Turku, and who could take advantage of the opposition to beat his personal best (13”25 in 2016).
20:05 – High jump W: Ukraine has place of honour
Ukraine will be the country to watch in the high jump with Yaroslava Mahuchikh (2m04 in 2019) and Yuliya Levchenko (2m02 in 2019). They’ll be competing against the World champion of the heptathlon, Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson (1m98 in 2016) and Bulgarian Mirela Demireva, Olympic and European number two (2m00 in 2018).
20:12 – 800m M: A remake of Doha
800m will be reminiscent of a revenge match after Doha. On the start line, we’ll find the top four runners from the last World championships with American Donovan Brazier, World champion and world-leading performance this season (1’43’’84). Competing against him will be Amel Tuka, second in Doha, Kenyan Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich and Bryce Hoppel, fourth in Qatar.
20:17 – Triple jump W: Rojas, again
Four-time World champion Yulimar Rojas is returning to Monaco after her victory last year at Port Hercule. The Venezuelan athlete will be kicking off her summer season after beating the indoor World record back in the winter (15m43). She’ll be joined by Patrícia Mamona (14m65), European champion in 2016 and Gabriela Petrova (14m66), indoor European number two in 2015. The year’s WL performance is in danger (14m55 by Liadagmis Povea).
20:19 – 5,000m W: Sifan Hassan virtually on home turf
Sifan Hassan will almost be playing at home in Monaco, as evidenced by her two world records secured in the principality in 2019 (5km road and mile). She’ll be eager to win the 5,000m on Friday. To do so, she’ll have to beat Hellen Obiri, World champion of the discipline and her runners-up Letesenbet Gidey and Konstanze Klosterhalfen, as well as Beatrice Chepkoech, World champion of the 3,000m steeplechase and the World record holder in the discipline in Monaco in 2018. Also, note is the presence of French athlete Liv Westphal, who will be trying to make the most of this stellar line-up to improve on her personal best (15’28’’71 in 2015).
20:42 – JobZone 400m hurdles M: Warholm’s debut performance in Monaco
The double World champion Karsten Warholm (46’’92 last year) will be keen to shine during his debut performance at the Louis II Stadium. He’ll be up against Turkish hurdler Yasmani Copello, European number two (47’’81, PB), Constantin Preis, holder of the WL performance (49’’49) and Frenchman Ludvy Vaillant (48’’30 in 2019).
20:50 – 100m W: Ta Lou for the victory
Marie-Josée Ta Lou from Ivory Coast (10’’85 in 2018), bronze medallist in the 100m in Doha, will be looking to extend her series of victories at Louis II stadium. At the start, she’ll find Gina Lückenkemper, European number two in 2018 (10’’95) and Swiss sprinters Mujinga Kambundji, third in Doha in the 200m and Ajla Del Ponte, holder of the Europe Leading performance (11’’08).
20:57 – 1500m M: Timothy Cheruiyot for the hat-trick
In the 1,500m, Timothy Cheruiyot will be seeking to extend his reign of invincibility in Monaco on one of his favourite tracks (3’28’’41 in 2018, PB). He’ll compete against Norwegians Jakob and Filip Ingebrigtsen, respectively European champions of the distance in 2018 and 2016, together with Polish runner Marcin Lewandowski, third in the last World championships.
21:07 – 400m W: An open race
In the lap of the track, reigning European champion Justyna Święty-Ersetic (50’’41) will be running against American Wadeline Jonathas, fourth in the last World championships (49’’60, PB) and Femke Bol, the junior European champion of the 400m hurdles, who enhanced her record by securing 51’’13 this season.
21:13 – 5,000m M: The glitterati
Six months on from his World record in the 5km, Joshua Cheptegei is back in Monaco. The World 10,000m champion is a serious contender for victory and is targeting an improvement on his personal best (12’57’’41 in 2019). He’ll be competing against Henrik Ingebrigtsen, European champion over the distance in 2018 and Swiss runner Julien Wanders, European record holder in the 10km and half-marathon, as well as Yemaneberhan Crippa (13’07’’84 in 2019). Running for France, the versatile and recent European record holder in the 5km Jimmy Gressier (13’23’’04 on track) will be hoping to run a season’s best, whilst Hugo Hay (13’38’’25 in 2019) will be lining up for this distance for the first time this season.
21:32 – 200m M: Attention, not one but two Lyles
There will be quite a line-up at the start of the 200m. World champion, Noah Lyles will be the race favourite on a great track for him in 2018 (19’’65, +0.9, meeting record). He’ll be eager to improve on his 19’’94 time this season, the WL performance this year. Competing against him will be Ramil Guliyev, European champion 2018 (19’’76, RP), Briton Adam Gemili, European champion 2014 and his younger brother, Josephus Lyles (20’’24 season, PB).
21:39 – 1,000m W: Clash of the champions
Spectators at the Louis II will have a chance to witness a genuine clash of the champions in the 1,000m. Lining up will be Faith Kipyegon, Olympic champion of the 1,500m, who will be competing against Briton Laura Muir, European champion 2018 in the 1,500m and Halimah Nakaayi, reigning World champion in the 800m. To complete this top-drawer cast, Raevyn Rogers, world number two in the 800m and Sofia Ennaoui, European number two in the 1,500m have both agreed to step up to the plate… Promising!
21:47 – 3,000m steeplechase M: Soufiane El Bakkali for a third
Soufiane El Bakkali, third in the World Championship in Doha, is going for a third win in this year’s Herculis EBS. To secure victory, he’ll have to outpace Lamecha Girma, second in Qatar and Frenchman Djilali Bedrani, who really upped his game last season (8’05’’23 in Doha).
