Five Events to Follow in Final Diamond League Meet Before Break

By Scott Bush

If you’ve been following the 2014 Diamond League season, you know it’s been one of the more exciting seasons ever. Every single meet there is performances galore inspiring fans and creating buzz around the globe. As the Diamond League heads into it’s final meeting for the month break that lies ahead, the Herculis meet in Monaco hosts a bevy of events worth following. Here are five of the very best.

Jager Eyes His American Record

In 2012, Evan Jager worked American distance running fans into a tizzy, when he broke the American record in the steeplechase with an 8:06.81 clocking. On Friday, Jager returns to the place he broke the record, looking not only to break his record and push the eight minute barrier, but challenge for the win. It’s a new season for Jager, one where he’s shown he’s capable to win agaist the very best in the world. He’ll get his chance in Monaco.

Earlier this summer in Oslo, Jager nearly broke his record with an 8:06.97 effort. While the time proved inspiring, the way he ran the race was even more telling of where the 25 year old is with his confidence. Jager, eyeing a sub-8 clocking, went after it from the gun, leading the world class field and ultimately busting it up, only to be passed by Jairus Kipchoge Birech (KEN), who had to run a world’s best of 8:02.37 to beat Jager. Birech is the man to beat in Monaco, owning a recent win in Lausanne and five of the top 10 best times in the world this season, but Jager proved in Oslo he can hang.

While Birech is the pre-race favorite, and Jager is a threat to upset, reigning World and Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN) is entered and while he’s raced sparingly this season, he did beat a world class field in Doha back in May with an 8:04.21 effort. It remains to be seen what type of shape he’s in now, two months later, but he’s the one athlete in the event you can never discount.

Paul Kipsiele Koech (KEN) is the other athlete impressing in the event this season, while Brmin Kiprop Kipruto (KEN) are two other athletes fully capable of taking home the win, but it’s Jager’s teammate Daniel Huling who could capture more attention. Huling is ready for a big, breakthrough race. He’s having the best season since 2010, when he set his personal best of 8:13.29. Joining the Bowerman Track Club and teaming up with Jager has done wonders and he truly seems ready to challenge the 8:10 barrier and push himself into the top five all-time in American history (he sits sixth). Huling went 8:15.87 in Oslo and with a few more weeks of tuning up, he’s ready to run big.

Prepare yourself for a lot of cheering and hollering as two Americans look to compete against the hoard of Kenyan steeple competition in Monaco. It’s a treat having two athletes shooting for top finishes and sub-8:10 times. Plus, it’s not every day an American record finds itself under assault.

The Streak: Valerie Adams’ Shot Put Dominance

It’s a question that begs discussion – will Valerie Adams lose a competition this season? The shot put champion, one of the most dominant athletes in the world the past few seasons, is undefeated on the year, while holding 8 of the top 11 best shot put performances in the world in 2014. She’s been on fire since late March, when she threw her world leading best mark of 20.46m. She nearly eclipsed the mark last week in Lausanne, where she tossed a winning heave of 20.42m. Lets just say she seems impossible to beat.

Adams’ dominance though doesn’t mean she can’t slip up. She’s been in a couple close contests this season. Friday’s contest hosts the very best in the world, no surprise, including the other three individuals who hold the top 19 best performances of the season with Adams.

Christina Schwanitz (GER) enters with the other three top 11 performance Adams doesn’t hold. The German was on fire earlier in the season, tossing two winning bests of 20.22m in May. Since then, she’s fallen a bit quiet and hasn’t thrown over 19.50m since early June. If she regains her early season magic, she offers the best challenge to Adams.

The two other top four throwers, Michelle Carter (USA) and Lijiao Gong (CHN), continue to improve on their seasons. A slip up by Adams could find either of these athletes taking home the crown. Gong threw a seasons best of 19.65 for second in Lausanne, while Carter finished third in 19.38. Carter’s best of 19.51 came in New York City, where she placed second behind Adams, but her consistency winning at USA Outdoors and her third in Lausanne shows she’s rounding into her very best form at the perfect time.

The field is strong, one Adams can’t let her guard down to, but it seems almost unreasonable to think she’ll be upset. There are only a handful of athletes as dominant as Adams on the global stage and fans will be in for quite a treat in Monaco.

Can Justin Gatlin Remain Undefeated on the Season?

This past weekend, Justin Gatlin (USA) won his tenth 100m race of the season, going 10 for 10 this season over the distance, now owning six of the top seven fastest times in the year, all 9.92 seconds or faster. For the first time this season in Diamond League competition, Gatlin tests himself over the 200m distance, something he’s rarely done as a pro. The American ran a rather pedestrian 20.55 for the win in a meet back in mid-April, but he’s yet to really unleash his top-end speed over the distance. While it’s hard to believe he’ll break his personal best of 19.86 set all the way back in 2002, for sprint fans, this looks like the perfect challenge for a man who’s simply dominated his competition all season long.

Of course, Gatlin faces a talented contingent, including the trio of Jamaicans in Warren Weir, Nickel Ashmeade and Rasheed Dwyer. Weir currently holds the world leading mark of 19.82, but recently lost to Dwyer at the Jamaican track and field championships, 20.04-20.17. Ashmeade is having a stellar season, with strong runner-up performances in both New York (world #3 19.95) and more recently Lausanne.

Ashmeade found himself defeated by Alonso Edward (PAN) in Lausanne, where Edward ran a world #2 time of 19.84. Edward is arguably the top 200m runner in the world currently, with four of the ten fastest marks globally.  All eyes now focus in on Edward, as he looks to hold off the competition.

The man who may very well attract the most media attention is Tyson Gay (USA). Coming off his year-long doping ban only a few weeks ago, Gay has run well, including his runner-up finish of 9.93 in Lausanne, when Gatlin went 9.80 over the 100m distance. Gay has yet to run a 200m effort this season.

Fan favorite Christophe LeMaitre (FRA) comes in with a 20.11 best after placing third in Lausanne, while Curtis Mitchell (USA) rounds out the field, entering after his USA Outdoor championship performance last month of 20.13.

American Women Eye Success in 5,000m

The women’s 5k in Monaco is loaded. That’s the only way to define the event, which hosts the five fastest women in the world this season, numerous national champions and a collection of Americans eyeing sub-15.

Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) hopes to continue her dominance of the season. Dibaba currently owns the world lead of 14:34.99, set in Rome earlier this season. With six of the top seven finishers from Rome in the field, who just happen to be the top seven ranked athletes in the world, Dibaba has plenty of competition. Alamaz Ayana (ETH) finished second to Dibaba in 14:37.16, while Kenyans Viola Jelagat Kibiwot and Mercy Cherono both ran sub 14:44 to place third and fourth and have continued to progress all season. World leader in the 10,000m, Sally Kipyego (KEN), is also entered.

The two bigger stories coming in to Friday’s race are 1) how will Sifan Hassan (NED) fair after proving herself tops in the 1,500m the past few weeks and 2) will any Americans smash the 15 minute barrier for the first time?

Hassan enters with a new personal best of 3:57.00 over 1,500m with her inspiring win in Paris, while coming back in Glasgow to beat Swedish rival Abeba Aregawi in a sprint finish in the 1,500m. Hassan, who is showing impressive versatility this season, now shifts her focus to getting in a fast 5,000m before the Commonwealth Games. She ran 14:59.23 in early May and should certainly best that mark.

Meanwhile, the American women are lined up for what seems like a very special race. American record holder Molly Huddle, who’s simply on fire this season, finished seventh in Rome last month, running a seasons best of 14:55.90. Coming off her 4:26.8h mile win in Ireland last week, Huddle looks to lower her seasonal best and possibly challenge her American record of 14:44.76.

On her heels, Shannon Rowbury (USA) seeks to break 15 minutes for the first time. Rowbury ran a tough race at USA Outdoors against Huddle, coming up just short of the win, while running 15:01.71. Rowbury’s 15:00 best from 2010 seems certain to go down, especially after her first sub-4 1,500m effort in Paris two weeks back, where she cruised to a 3:59.49 finish.

Rowbury’s Nike Oregon Project teammate Jordan Hasay (USA) and USA 10k champion Kim Conley (USA) are two others seemingly capable of besting the 15 minute barrier. Conley set a PR in Rome with a 15:08.61 clocking and is only improving as the season progresses. Meanwhile, Hasay actually set a new personal best at the Portland Track Festival earlier in the season with a 15:28.56 effort. Her PR is nearly a half minute from sub-15, but the former University of Oregon standout recently set a big PR in the 1,500m of 4:07.70 in Glasgow and competed with Conley stride-for-stride at USA Outdoors in the 10k.

It’s a rare day for Americans to have so many women lining up in a world class field with the hopes of cracking 15 minutes. While Huddle competes for a top three finish, keep your eyes on the splits of Rowbury, Conley and Hasay.

The Men’s High Jump is the Show Stopper…Again

No event has captured the attention of international track and field fans quite like the men’s high jump, this year. With a half dozen athletes all showing they could very well challenge the world record in any given competition, this event continues to boil with anticipation and great head-to-head match-ups.

For what seems like the millionth time this season, Bohdan Bondarenko (URK) and Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) square off for top jumper in the world bragging rights. Both men own seasonal bests of 2.42m, only slightly off Javier Sotomayor’s (CUB) world record of 2.45m. Bondarenko holds the edge in the rivalry with big wins in Lausanne and New York City, while leaping 5.38m or better five separate times this season. Barshim holds three 2.38m+ performances, with a win in Rome. This dual is too fun not to watch.

The chief competition for Barshim and Bondarenko is Bondarenko’s fellow Ukranian countryman Andrly Protsenko. While Protsenko hasn’t shown the same top-level performances all season long, he did place third behind the two in New York City earlier in the season, while placing second behind Bondarenko in Lausanne. His leap of 2.40m, the first time over the height in competition, should offer plenty of confidence and have him dreaming of a win in Monaco.

Of course, there’s plenty of other talent in the field. Ivan Ukhov (RUS) comes off a solid third place, 2.38m performance in Lausanne. His seasonal best of 2.41m in Doha earlier this season shows he’s more than capable of eclipsing the 2.40m barrier again, but finding early consistency is the key.

North American rivals Derek Drouin (CAN) and Erik Kynard (USA) both eye the consistency they showed earlier in the season. Drouin placed first at Drake earlier in the year with a 2.40m effort, but hasn’t seen the mark since. Kynard, who won the U.S. title last month, seeks to approach the 2.40m barrier for the first time this season.

Stats: The six men (Barshim, Bondarenko, Ukhov, Protsenko, Kynard and Drouin) own the top 17 marks of 2014 and 29 of the top 31 performances. Dusty Jones (USA) and Mickael Hanany (FRA), who’s entered in the field Friday, are the other two athletes.