Olympic and world 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi produced a sensational performance to shatter the men's 1000m world record, while Agnes Ngetich came agonisingly close to breaking one of athletics' longest-standing records as Kenyan athletes enjoyed a memorable night at the Monaco Diamond League on Friday.
Wanyonyi eclipsed fellow Kenyan Noah Ngeny's 27-year-old world record of 2:11.96, clocking an astonishing 2:11.83 in his first-ever attempt over the rarely contested distance.
The 21-year-old stayed composed after the second pacemaker, Louey Ouerrat, dropped out just before the 800m mark, which he reached in 1:45.11. With Britain's Jake Wightman still on his shoulder, Wanyonyi produced a devastating finishing kick, chasing the pace-setting wavelights to rewrite the record books.
The race also produced a remarkable depth of quality, with the top eight athletes all setting lifetime bests. Wightman finished second in 2:12.77 to move fifth on the world all-time list, while Algeria's Djamel Sedjati claimed third in 2:13.94. Japan's Ko Ochiai broke the national record with 2:15.24 in seventh place.
"This was the first time I ran the 1000m, and breaking the world record makes me so happy," said Wanyonyi. "I want to thank the other athletes who pushed me to my limit."
Kenya's Agnes Ngetich also produced a performance for the ages in the women's 3000m, narrowly missing Wang Junxia's 32-year-old world record of 8:06.11.
Ngetich stormed through the opening 2000m in a world record pace of 5:24.08 before fading slightly over the closing laps to win in 8:08.95, the third-fastest time ever recorded over the distance.
The performance smashed Gabriela Szabo's long-standing Monaco meeting record of 8:21.42, set in 2002, and came in Ngetich's first track race of the season after beginning the year by winning the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee.
Taking command with three laps remaining, the Kenyan looked capable of ending one of athletics' oldest world records before falling just short in the final 600 metres. Her time leaves her less than three seconds away from Wang's historic mark and strengthens the belief that the world record could soon be under serious threat.
Ethiopia's Alesighn Baweke finished second in 8:23.81 ahead of compatriot Senayet Getachew, who clocked 8:24.02. Kenya's Faith Kipyegon continued her return from a hamstring injury, finishing fourth in 8:24.21.
Kenya added another victory through Simon Koech in the men's 3000m steeplechase.
The 2023 Monaco winner reclaimed the title with an impressive solo run, crossing the line in 8:03.35 to finish seven seconds clear of Japan's Ryuji Miura, who clocked 8:10.30. Fellow Kenyan Edmund Serem completed the podium in 8:11.15.
Botswana's world champion Collen Kebinatshipi continued his outstanding form by setting a Diamond League record for the second meeting in succession in the men's 400m.
Despite revealing before the race that he was still short of peak fitness and had another training block to complete, Kebinatshipi stormed to victory in 43.44, improving on the Diamond League record he had set in Eugene just days earlier.
“Another chapter written. Another lesson learned. Another blessing received. Thank you Meeting Herculis EBS. Full focus now turns to our final block of training before wrapping up the season,” he said.
The time also lowered his own national record and moved him to sixth on the world all-time list. He broke Wayde van Niekerk's Monaco meeting record of 43.73 but fell just six hundredths of a second short of the world-leading 43.38 held by Nigeria's Samuel Ogazi.
The Botswana star pulled away over the closing metres to beat American Jacory Patterson, who finished in 43.96, while Olympic champion Rai Benjamin was third in 44.13.
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