An action-packed 2025 Monaco Diamond League is in the books and Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:41.44) and Noah Lyles (19.88) were the big winners in the marquee races of the day, the men’s 800 and 200 meters.

In other distance action, Yomif Kejelcha (12:49.46 in 5,000) and Soufiane El Bakkali (8:03.18 in steeple) both notched their second straight Diamond League wins after running aggressively early on (but fading late) while Addy Wiley set an American record of 2:30.71 in the 1000 meters in a race won by Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir (2:29.77).

We broke down all the action on our live reaction show on YouTube on Friday, which you can also get as a podcast by joining the LetsRun.com Supporters Club. Full Results

Below, a few more final thoughts on Monaco.

Men’s 800: Wanyonyi runs another WL, Arop struggles as his tactics don’t pay off

With all eight of last year’s Olympic finalists on the start line in Monaco (plus three more sub-1:44 men, including World Indoor champ Josh Hoey), the men’s 800 featured one of the strongest 800 fields ever assembled.

And, just as in last year’s Olympics in Paris, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi was the winner as he ran his second straight world-leading time of 1:41.44 (an improvement on his 1:41.95 in Stockholm on June 15).

Courtesy Diamond League AG

Wanyonyi was clearly the class of the field today, getting the lead by 200 and never surrendering it.

Last year, Wanyonyi ran his three fastest times at the meet directly before the Olympics, at the Olympics, and at the meet directly after the Olympics.

Worlds are still two months away, and Wanyonyi has improved in each of his five 800m races so far in 2025.

While there aren’t any meets after Worlds this year, if he can stay healthy, he should be in position to challenge David Rudisha’s 1:40.91 WR at the Diamond League final (August 27-28) or Worlds.

Canada’s Marco Arop has been Wanyonyi’s biggest rival over the last two years, but he was never a factor in Monaco after going out too slowly (he was last at 200 in 25.6, nearly two seconds behind Wanyonyi, and was still 10th at 400 in 51.2).

Arop has had success going from last-to-first in the past (he did it to win Worlds in 2023), but today he allowed the gap to grow big – he was more than 1.5 seconds behind Wanyonyi at 400.

That was always going to be a struggle to overcome given he would have to run extra distance to pass people while Wanyonyi had a clean run from the front.

There are races where last-to-first can work, but a fast 11-person Diamond League isn’t usually one of them unless the leaders go out way too fast.

Today’s race was Wanyonyi’s sixth career sub-1:42, one shy of Rudisha’s all-time record.

Considering Wanyonyi is still just 20 years old, he seems certain to smash that record in the years to come, barring injury.

Josh Hoey moves up to #2 on the all-time US list in a great day for Justin Rinaldi’s Fast 8 Track Club

Josh Hoey got shut out of the big European races last summer, so he went big indoors this year with the hope of running fast enough to get into Diamond Leagues in 2025.

The first part of the plan went perfectly as Hoey ran 1:43 and won World Indoors.

That got him into some top-quality races this summer, and Hoey has taken full advantage.

He just wrapped a four-race European trip with three personal bests and four top-3 finishes against some very strong fields:

June 15, Stockholm: 3rd in 800, 1:42.43 pb
June 20, Paris: 2nd in 800, 1:43.00
June 24, Ostrava: 3rd in 1500, 3:29.75 pb
July 11, Monaco: 2nd in 800, 1:42.01 pb

Hoey now ranks #5 on the all-time US list in the 1500, and his 1:42.01 in Monaco today moved him to #2 on the all-time US list in the 800, bumping Donavan Brazier (1:42.34) down to #3.

Midway through 2025, two things are clear:

1) Hoey is the 800m favorite at USAs. For the last two years, Bryce Hoppel has been the best 800m runner in America.

But Hoppel has raced Hoey five times in 2025, and Hoey has won all five. One of those was a road mile in April, and Hoppel was dealing with stomach issues in the 800 in Stockholm.

But there can be no excuses today after Hoey beat Hoppel by 1.50 seconds in Monaco.

2) Hoey can medal at Worlds this year. 

This race featured all of the fastest guys in the world, and Hoey beat all of them except for Wanyonyi .

This event is loaded right now, so the margins are thin, but Hoey was more than half a second up on 4th.

But there is no reason Hoey can’t be one of the guys standing on the podium in Tokyo in September.

Hoey’s run was part of a great day for his coach Justin Rinaldi as another Rinaldi-coached athlete, Peter Bol, ran 1:42.55 to finish 4th and take more than a second off the previous Australian record (1:43.79 by Bol at the Australian championships in April).

Bol, who was 4th in the 2021 Olympic final, looked to be on the downswing of his career after failing to break 1:45 last year but has responded with the best season of his life at age 31.

For more on Hoey and his big improvement this year, check out our two-part series on him from May:

Men’s 200: Noah Lyles takes down Letsile Tebogo in battle of Olympic champions

Courtesy Diamond League AG

Noah Lyles entered his 200m showdown with fellow Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo as an underdog – Lyles had not raced in almost three months while Tebogo was coming off a world-leading 19.76 in Eugene just six days ago.

But on Friday, Tebogo was the one who looked rusty, never able to close the gap on Lyles in the home straight as Lyles won in 19.88 to Tebogo’s 19.97.

“I put myself in the fire for that one coming back against Tebogo,” Lyles said.

“I didn’t feel any pressure, I don’t see any reason to put pressure on myself because that’s what we love to do.

I pray for times like this to be out here and do what I love.”

The times were slowed by a 0.8 m/s headwind, so Tebogo’s 19.97 was not as far off his Pre Classic performance as it seemed.

Converting for wind, Tebogo’s 19.97 in Monaco was worth 19.91 in still conditions, while his 19.76 (+0.7) in Eugene was worth 19.82 (Lyles’ time today was worth 19.81).

But Tebogo, who was only .02 ahead of third-placer Makanakaishe Charamba, said he was disappointed with his performance.

He noted his warmup was cut short but still said that was no excuse.

As for Lyles, this was a good result that shows that he will very much be a factor at Worlds again this year despite not racing in May and June. His next race is in the 100m next weekend in London.

Women’s 1000: Nelly Chepchirchir stays undefeated as Addy Wiley breaks her own American record

Courtesy Diamond League AG

Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir, who was 5th in the 1500 at Worlds as a 20-year-old in 2023, won her seventh race in as many starts in 2025 by taking down Olympic silver medalist Jessica Hull in the 1000m in Monaco.

Hull, who just ran 3:52 in Eugene last week, went in trying to challenge Svetlana Masterkova’s 2:28.93 world record, and was still on pace to do it at 800, which she hit in 1:58.6.

But Hull, who had already been passed by Chepchirchir (1:58.4) at that point, would fade badly over the final 200 (32.3) while Chepchirchir, who went out a little less aggressively, held on to win in 2:29.77 to become just the fourth woman ever under 2:30.

Chepchirchir, whose 1500 best is 3:56.14, may not have the 1500 flash pb of Hull, Diribe Welteji, or Georgia Hunter Bell, but with DL wins in Doha, Rabat, Paris, and now Monaco, she is clearly a threat to medal in Tokyo.

Addy Wiley took 2nd in 2:30.71 with Sinclaire Johnson 4th in 2:31.30 as both were under the American record of 2:31.49 that Wiley set in 2024.

With Wiley also the US leader in the 800 (1:57.55) and Johnson #2 in the 1500 (3:56.93), both women are well-positioned to make Worlds this year (Wiley in 800, Johnson in 1500).

Wiley probably wishes the 1000 was an event at Worlds as it really seems to be her sweet spot.

Men’s 5000/steeple: Yomif Kejelcha & Soufiane El Bakkali hold on to win after shooting for super fast times

The men’s 5k and steeple played out similarly as in each race, one guy set out alone to run a super fast time, faded late, but hung on for the win.

In the 5k, that man was, unsurprisingly, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha.

Kejelcha, who owns a 12:38 pb from last year, had already tried to do that twice this year, and after going out in 7:42 in Oslo (and running 12:49) and 7:37 in Paris (and running 12:47), he tried to Goldilocks it and went out in 7:39 in Monaco.

In the end, the result was basically the same as he had nothing left over the final kilometer (2:38) but won comfortably in 12:49.46.

Afterwards, Kejelcha had some interesting things to say.

“I am really happy, especially because this also might be my last 5000m as I might move to road racing after World Championships,” Kejelcha said.

“It makes me really satisfied that I got the win in Monaco today. I am proud of myself and of my coach. I will try to make the Tokyo team in 10,000m. I am sure I will make it.”

Kejelcha’s stated to desire to run the 10,000 in Tokyo makes his decision to not run the Prefontaine 10,000 last week seem a little bizarre.

As for the 5000, it sounds like he’s saying this was the last 5000 of his career.

That may sound wild, but there is only one more 5000 on the Diamond League calendar this year (August 20 in Lausanne) as the DL final will feature a 3000 on August 27 in Zurich.

And if Kejelcha did want to run the 5000 at Worlds, he may still have work to do just to make it to Worlds in the 5k.

Despite his two DL wins, his 12:47 sb ranks just fourth among Ethiopians this year in the 5,000.

The rest of the heavy hitters in the 5,000 struggled as Hagos Gebrhiwet was just 7th in 12:58 while Stockholm winner Andreas Almgren dropped out with a hamstring cramp at 3k after running with the leaders.

Courtesy Diamond League

In the steeple, El Bakkali ran even more aggressively than Kejelcha, setting the Wavelight to world record pace (7:52.11).

He hit 2k just behind the lights in 5:17.9 (7:56 pace) but slowed mightily and blew a 40-meter lead on the last lap to Japan’s Ryuji Miura, who passed him before the final barrier.

El Bakkali showed some fire by summoning a kick to run Miara down to win in 8:03.18, with Miura’s 8:03.43 for second a massive improvement on his 8:09.91 national record from 2023.

We are now into mid-July and there are still no Kenyans or Ethiopians in the top 3 in the world this year in the steeple.

El Bakkali is the world leader at 8:00.70 with Germany’s Frederik Ruppert (8:01.49) and Miura next on the list.

Ruppert struggled today (14th in 8:24), falling in the first 100 meters (not on a barrier) and never fully recovering (Editor’s note – Please call a race back if someone falls in the first 100).

Olympic silver medalist Kenneth Rooks of the US also struggled, taking 15th in 8:28.

The other two Americans, both Olympians from 2024, ran a lot better as Matthew Wilkinson got his second straight pb, running 8:10.23 for 9th while Rooks’ training partner James Corrigan was 11th in 8:14.76.

3 Quick Sprint Thoughts

Aaliyah Butler is coming on strong

Butler was a US Olympian last year at 20 but has reached a new level in 2025.

She ran a pb of 49.26 to win the NCAA 400m title for Georgia on June 14, and today went even faster, 49.09, running fearlessly and holding the lead over Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino until the final meters.

While Paulino got her at the line, Butler is improving rapidly and is now #5 on the US all-time list. And she’s still only 21 years old.

Dalilah Muhammad is still running fast at 35

On the other end of the age spectrum, 35-year-old Dalilah Muhammad is in her final season running the 400 hurdles and has been turning back the clock.

After winning in Oslo in June, Muhammad ran 52.58 today for second behind Femke Bol’s 51.95 world leader.

52.58 is Muhammad’s fastest time since her silver-medal run in the 2021 Olympic final and places her firmly in the medal mix for Tokyo this year – especially if Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opts for the flat 400.

Julien Alfred runs another very fast time into a headwind

The 24-year-old Alfred is in even better form than she was last year before winning the Olympic 100-meter title; it’s just harder to tell because she has been getting unlucky with headwinds.

Last week, she ran 10.77 into a -1.5 wind at Prefontaine (converts to 10.67 in still conditions) and today ran 10.79 into a -1.4 (10.69). For reference, Alfred ran 10.72 (-0.1) in the Olympic final last year.

Get her on a good track with a friendly wind and she is ready to run in the 10.6s right now.

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