What two world records are beaten at the Diamond League meeting in Paris?

During a pre-Olympic event at the Chartely stadium, less than three weeks before the games, Yaroslava Mahuchikh soared to a height of 2.10 meters, and Faith Kipyegon completed the 1,500-meter race in 3:49.04. Both performances set new world records and brought an Olympic atmosphere to Paris before the games.

First, the Ukrainian Mahuchikh revealed she would be one of the shining stars at the Stade de France. Her shout to the world erased from the list the world record that the Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova had held for 37 years. She jumped one centimeter more than Kostadinova, who has been president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee since 2005, to leave it at 2.10. She cleared the bar at 2.07 meters on her first attempt, setting a new personal best. With the agility of a feather, she gracefully soared over the bar, arching her body like a reed. This remarkable achievement, at the age of 22, followed her title as world champion in 2023 in Budapest after three unsuccessful attempts. A super class like the Croatian Blanka Vlasic crashed at that height 60 times during her career.

Mahuchikh is one of the hundreds of Ukrainian athletes who fled the war. In 2022, she left the punished Dnipro, leaving her family behind, to settle in Erlangen (Germany) with the help of her sponsors. “I understood that this is my field of work, the way to defend my country with what I know how to do,” he declared. And she continues to do it.

In a competition featuring the best pole vaulters, Armand Duplantis, with a winning height of 6.00 (Sam Kendricks placed second with 5.95), attempted to beat his own world record by setting the bar at 6.25. However, he was unable to do so. Despite assistance from Renaud Lavillenie, who provided guidance on the wind, Duplantis missed his first attempt due to unpredictable wind conditions and failed on his subsequent two attempts.

Kipyegon with a true exhibition

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However, there was also the genuine display of Kipyegon, the mother who endures at her Kaplagat camp to pursue what could potentially be her third Olympic gold, following Rio and Tokyo. And she showed that she was on the way. The Kenyan beat Jessica Hull and Laura Muir to ride to 3:49.04, leaving behind the 3:49.12 that he set in 2023 in Florence. A devourer of records, last year she ate the 1,500, the mile, and the 5,000. The Spanish Esther Guerrero finished 12th with 3:59.74, a personal best.

Rest of the competitions

In the 110m hurdles event, the recent European champion Lorenzo Simonelli from Italy could not make it to the final. Both Quique Llopis and Asier Martínez made it to the final round. Llopis finished fourth with a time of 13.21 (compared to his previous time of 13.09), while Martinez finished seventh with a time of 13.35. The fastest time was achieved by French athlete Sasha Zhoya with a time of 13.15, followed by Trey Cunningham.

In the 800, a distance full of athletes with sharp fangs, three athletes set a brutal race under 1:42. They were the Algerian Djamel Sedjati, who achieved the best time of the year with 1:41.56, the Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:41.58) and the Frenchman Gabriel Tual (1:41.61). The medals in the Games will be very expensive. In context, the Spanish Mohamed Attaoui, who won silver in the recent European Championship, credits 1:44.35 as his personal best.

In the 3,000 hurdles, the Ethiopian Abraham Sime, who is only 22 years old, was crowned with the second-best world record of the course (8:02.36), ahead of the Kenyans Serem and Kibiwot.