Sprint fans are in for a treat on Friday as Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo go head-to-head in the 200m at the Monaco Diamond League. This much-anticipated showdown marks Lyles’ first race over the distance this season and comes as part of the 10th meeting in the 15-event Diamond League calendar.
Lyles, the reigning world champion over 100m and 200m, makes his European and 200m season debut at the Stade Louis II track, where he previously clocked an impressive 19.46 seconds in 2020. The 27-year-old American ran a 400m in Atlanta earlier this year but has stayed away from his signature events until now. His return pits him against Tebogo, Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion, in their first rematch since last year’s Olympic final in Paris, where a Covid-hit Lyles settled for bronze.
Tebogo enters the race with strong momentum, having recorded a world-leading 19.76 seconds last weekend in Eugene. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Tebogo remarked, reflecting on his recovery from injury and early-season setbacks. “Those losses built my character into a confident man.”
Other headline events in Monaco include the women’s 400m hurdles, where Dutch sensation Femke Bol looks to extend her 25-race Diamond League winning streak. She’ll face stiff competition from American stars Dalilah Muhammad and Anna Cockrell.
In the men’s pole vault, Swedish phenomenon Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis eyes another record-breaking leap. The world record holder at 6.28m is fresh off a 6.00m win in Eugene and will be seeking redemption in Monaco after a rare fourth-place finish here last year.
The women’s 100m will see Olympic champion Julien Alfred look to bounce back from a narrow defeat to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in Eugene. She’ll be challenged by Jamaica’s Tia and Tina Clayton, and a strong American contingent.
Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi leads a stacked 800m field, featuring Marco Arop and Djamel Sedjati. The event continues to draw attention with speculation growing over whether David Rudisha’s world record could finally fall.
The Monaco meet promises fireworks as athletes sharpen their form ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo.
