Prince Albert II watched from the stands as Swedish pole vault Armand Duplantis soared to a new meeting record of 6.05 at the Herculis EBS Wanda Diamond League on 11th July, at Monaco’s Stade Louis II.
The Prince was joined by Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc and his girlfriend Alexandra Saint Mleux in the VIP section, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri also present during the early proceedings before departing ahead of the event’s conclusion.
Speaking to Monaco Life following his victory, the 25-year-old world record holder expressed satisfaction with his performance despite falling short of his 6.29m target. “I feel good about it, and I’m happy that I could do that,” Duplantis said. “That was the first goal for me of the day, so I’m happy that I was able to get the meeting record.”
The Olympic champion revealed his immediate plans following a demanding competition schedule: “I’m gonna just hang out for a few days, relax, rest my body. I’m a bit tired from a lot of travel, a lot of competitions, and just make sure I’m back on the horse and ready for the next three meets.”
Completing the Diamond League Collection
When asked about his collection of Diamond League meeting records, Duplantis acknowledged his ambition to complete full set across all venues. “We have Rabat and one other without Mondo Duplantis meeting records,” he noted. “I never competed in Rabat, but if they invite me, then I’m sure that I have a good chance to break the meeting record. We only have two left, so they need to invite me to make sure that I have all of it.”
Duplantis also praised his Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis, who finished second with 5.92m, telling reporters: “Karalis was amazing today, he had some really good attempts at 6.10. If he would have made it, then I would have had to jump 6.15. The completion is there I just need to keep jumping the way I can jump.”
The Swedish athlete also revealed his competition mindset: “Throughout the competition, I think about all sorts of things, but I try not to overanalyse the jump itself. I just focus on staying relaxed and finding a sense of clarity about what I want to achieve on the next attempt.”
Outstanding performances across all disciplines
The Monaco Diamond League meeting showcased exceptional talent across multiple disciplines. American sprinter Noah Lyles claimed victory in the men’s 200m with a time of 19.88 seconds. Reflecting on the atmosphere he said: “The audience was amazing and showed a lot of love. That is always helpful for your first race, I put myself in the fire for that one coming back against Tebogo.”
Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi dominated the 800m, setting a meeting record and world-leading time of 1:41.44, while Jamaica’s Jordan Scott achieved a personal best of 17.52m to win the triple jump. “I surprised myself today,” Scott said. “I managed to get relaxed and jumped a personal best in the final attempt.”
Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali continued his dominance in the 3000m steeplechase, securing his fifth Monaco victory with a time of 8:03.18. “I was leading the race since the beginning because we wanted to run the world record,” El Bakkali explained, though he noted the challenge of securing adequate pacing.
The women’s events delivered equally impressive displays with the Netherlands’ Femke Bol setting a meeting record and world lead in the 400m hurdles at 51.95 seconds. Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred sprinted to victory in the 100m in 10.79 seconds.
Other notable winners included USA’s Trey Cunningham in the 110 hurdles (13.09), South Korea’s Woo Sanghyeok in the high jump (2.34m), Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in the 5000m (12:49.46), and the Netherlands’ Jessica Schilder in the shot put (20.39m).
Prince Albert II and Charles Leclerc remained throughout the competition, participating in the prize-giving ceremony that concluded the evening.
See more in Kyriaki Topalidou’s video below, and scroll down for more photos of the event…
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All photos credit: Enrico Bottero