Stark Becomes Fifth-Fastest Hurdler Of All-Time With 12.21; Cunningham Matches Career Best With 13.00; Habz Wins Incredibly Fast Men's 1,500

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photos by Diamond League AG

INTERVIEWS

World Championships medals in the short hurdles won’t be awarded until September in Tokyo.

Yet it would be no exaggeration to suggest medals will be decided in the upcoming USATF Championships.

American hurdlers Grace Stark and Trey Cunningham ran to momentous victories Friday in the Diamond League stop at Charlety Stadium in Paris.

Stark smashed the meet record with a time of 12.21 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. She was .01 off the Diamond League record of 12.20, then a world record, set by Kenni Harrison at London in 2016.

Stark, 24, a 2024 NCAA champion for Florida, climbed to No. 5 on the all-time world list . . . and is only No. 3 in the United States this year behind Masai Russell (12.17) and Tia Jones (12.19).

“Oh, what? I am the fifth-fastest woman ever?” Stark said. “I am just so excited to break 12.3. I really knew that I could do it this year. I felt great indoors, the training, the weight room, we have seen a lot of great days, I just wanted to keep that going.”

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan was second in 12.24, her best time since setting a world record of 12.12 at the 2022 World Championships. Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent was third in 12.30 and Harrison fourth in 12.48.

Four of the six fastest women in the world in 2025 are Americans. No more than three will qualify for Tokyo out of the Aug. 2 final at Eugene, Ore.

On the men’s side: Is it time to wonder what’s up with Grant Holloway?

Holloway is the defending world champion, so he already has a pass to Tokyo. Three other Americans will join him, and right now Cunningham is a good bet.

The 2022 Bowerman Award winner from Florida State took the 110-meter hurdles in 13.00, equaling a PB. Dylan Beard was second in 13.02, also a PB. Jason Joseph was third in 13.07, a Swiss national record.

Holloway? In his first race in eight weeks, after leading through nine hurdles, finished fifth in 13.11. Jamal Britt was sixth in 13.15.

Semifinals were won by Japan’s Rachid Muratake in 13.08 and Joseph in 13.09. Holloway was second in Joseph’s semi in 13.16.

Americans hold seven of the top 11 spots on the 2025 world list. And seventh among them is Holloway, 27, a four-time global gold medalist in the 110 hurdles.

Cunningham said he felt the energy from a French crowd that knows the hurdles.

“I did not make 12 mistakes, but I think I did like three or four,” he said. “It is really hard to run that fast whilst making mistakes, but it is promising, because we hope I can run the fabulous 12 seconds everyone chases after.

“Ultimately, I got a win today after being sick, really sick.”

Elsewhere, in a non-Diamond League race, the 1,500 meters featured six men under 3:30 and 13 under 3:32. All 14 finishers ran to PBs.

Azeddine Habz won in a French national record of 3:27.49, smashing the meet record of 3:28.38 set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 2001. Habz took the lead past the 1,000-meter mark and held it to the end, running the closing 800 in 1:49.9.

Habz, 31, became No. 6 on the all-time list – behind five men who have won a global 1,500. (Cole Hocker’s Olympic record at the 2024 Paris Olympics was 3:27.65.)

Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech, an 18-year-old Kenyan, was second in an under-20 world record of 3:27.72. Previous record was 3:28.81 by Ronald Kwemoi, also of Kenya, at Monaco in 2014.

Great Britain’s George Mills was third in 3:28.36 and Kenya’s Festus Lagat fourth in 3:29.03. Stefan Nillessen was fifth in 3:29.23, a Dutch national record, and Kenya’s Abel Kipsang sixth in 3:29.46.

Women: Cherotich runs to steeple world lead

In other women’s highlights:

>> Kenya’s Faith Cherotich took the steeplechase world lead from countrywoman Doris Lemnogle, running to 8:53.37. Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai was second in 8:54.41. Both were under the 8:58.15 by Lemnogle at Saturday’s NCAA Championships. The 20-year-old Cherotich and Chemutai climbed to Nos. 6 and 7 on the all-time list. They were bronze and silver medalists, respectively, at the Paris Olympics.

Gabi Jennings was fourth in 9:08.05, best by an American this year. Courtney Wayment was fifth in 9:08.88. North Carolina State’s Angelina Napoleon was seventh in 9:10.72, climbing to No. 4 on the all-time, all-dates collegiate list.

>> Anavia Battle raised her Diamond League record to 4-0 by winning the 200 in 22.27. Britain’s Amy Hunt was second in 22.45 and McKenzie Long third in 22.49. Olympic bronze medalist Brittany Brown was fifth in 22.77. Battle credited part of her success to a mental health therapist.

“I am going to have a legend season this year,” she said. “I am super confident on and off the track.”

>> Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino overtook Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser in the closing 50 meters and won the 400 in a season-best 48.81. Naser was second in 48.85. Martina Weil was third in a Chilean national record of 49.83.

Lynna Irby-Jackson, out of lane 8, was first through 300 in 35.81 and finished fourth in 49.87 – her first sub-50 time since winning the 2018 NCAA title in 49.80 for Georgia. Irby-Jackson, 26, became the fifth sub-50 American this year.

>> One year after Faith Kipyegon’s world record of 3:49.04 in this stadium, the 1,500 featured 11 women under 4 minutes. Kenya’s Kelly Chepchirchir won in 3:57.02, an outdoor world leader. Ireland’s Sarah Healy was second in 3:57.15, Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom third in 3:57.50 and Australia’s Linden Hall fourth in 3:57.63. Olympic bronze medalist Georgia Hunter Bell was sixth in 3:58.06.

>> In a reordering of the Olympic podium, silver medalist Nicola Olyslagers of Australia won the high jump with a clearance of 6-6.75 (2.00m). Gold medalist Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine, who set a world record in this meet last year, was second at 6-5.5 (1.97m) and bronze medalist Eleanor Patterson of Australia third, also at 6-5.50. Americans Vashti Cunningham and Charity Hufnagel were fourth and sixth at 6-4.25 (1.94m) and 6-3.25 (1.91m) respectively.

>> Three 30-something Americans swept the pole vault. Katie Moon, 34, made 15-6.25 (4.73m) on her second attempt to beat Sandi Morris, 32, who made it on her third. Morris was coming off wins at Stockholm and Rome. Emily Grove, 32, was third at 15-2.25 (4.63m).

>> Valarie Allman needed a last-round throw of 221-8 (67.56m) to make it 4-for-4 in Diamond League discus competitions. The Netherlands’ Jorinde van Klinken, a former NCAA champion for Oregon, was second at 217-11 (66.42m). Allman was in third place until the last round, behind van Klinken and Cuba’s Yaime Perez (213-4/65.03m).

“To feel it come together in round 6 was really special,” Allman said.

Men: Attaoui overtakes Hoey in 800

In other men’s highlights:

>> In a much-anticipated 800 meters, Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui went from fourth to first with a closing 100 of 12.7 and clocked 1:42.73. Americans Josh Hoey and Bryce Hoppel were second and third in 1:43.00 and 1:43.11, respectively.  Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela, the world leader until Sunday’s Stockholm 800, was eighth in 1:44.16.

“I definitely went out too fast, but it was a crowded race,” said Hoey, the world indoor champion, whose first 400 was 49.3. “I was hoping to hold on at least for second at the end. I was hoping to run close to a personal record and go out hard but just ran out of gas the last 20 meters.”

>> In a non-Diamond League race, Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma took the steeplechase in 8:07.01. It was the first race for the world record-holder since his concussion from a fall at the Paris Olympics. “The legs were not much of a problem, but I was a little scared,” Girma said. “Now that the race is finished, I feel much better.”

>> Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha won the 5,000 in 12:47.84, followed by Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew in an Asian record of 12:48.67. Graham Blanks ran a second straight sub-12:50, taking third in 12:49.51. Jimmy Fressier was fourth in 12:51.59, a French national record. Moroccan steeplechaser Soufiane El Bakkali was sixth in 12:55.49. Nico Young, coming off a 12:45.27 victory and outdoor American record at Oslo, was seventh in 12:55.72.

>> Rai Benjamin won a second straight 400 hurdles race, breaking the meet record with 46.93. Qatar’s Samba Abderrahman was second in 47.09, his fastest time in seven years. He led through seven hurdles. Abderrahman, 29, sixth at the Paris Olympics, set the previous meet record of 46.98 in 2018. Trevor Bassitt was third in 48.14.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.