7 Takeaways From Stockholm: Sedjati CRUSHES Hoppel, Mondo Impresses, and Bol and Girma Debut
By Robert Johnson
The last Wanda Diamond League meet for over a month took place today in Stockholm as the Bauhaus Galan meet was held. Here are our seven biggest takeaways. *Full Results *WA Recap
1. Femke Bol (53.07) had her best 400h season-opener ever but was unable to pass Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 52.70 season-opener from two days ago
Femke Bol (NED) win the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 53.07 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Stockholm on June 2
Bol had to work in this one as midway through the second turn she was in third behind two Jamaicans, but her last 100 was amazing as usual. She won comfortably in 53.07, a small improvement on the 53.12 that she opened with last year.
It’s worth noting that the other sprint times weren’t great tonight in Stockholm (more on that later). In the men’s 400h, Alison dos Santos ran .38 slower than his seasonal best that came earlier in the week. If you subtract .38 from Bol’s time today, you get 52.68, which is .01 faster than what SML ran in Atlanta on Friday.
2. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati was SENSATIONAL in the men’s 800
Sedjati, who won world silver in 2022, was near the back of the pack on the first lap (7th in 51.5) but at the finish he was way ahead as he won convincingly in a world-leading 1:43.23 thanks to a 25.8 final 200. American Bryce Hoppel, the world indoor champ, was second best but more than a second back in 1:44.29.
2022 world champ Jake Wightman did not run well as he was only 8th in 1:45.35. Wightman was behind Sedjati most of the first lap but didn’t have the burst of speed that Sedjati had that almost instantly moved him up near the front between 500 and 600.
3. Luis Grijalva was unable to earn his first Diamond League victory
Gilve Narve Nordas (NOR) crosses the line with a personal best of 7:33:49 to win the Men’s 3000m at the Wanda Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm on June 2nd
The former NAU Lumberjack Luis Grijalva has totally surpassed expectations in recent years, twice finishing 4th at Worlds and lowering his 5000 pb from 13:13 in college to 12:50. Today, he had the opportunity to win his first Diamond League — of all of the guys in the top 6 today, he had the fastest 3000 pb. However, Grijalva came up short as he finished third in 7:33.96, as World Championship 1500 bronze medallist Narve Nordas got the win in 7:33.49. Switzerland’s Dominic Lobalu, who also ran 12:50 in Oslo earlier in the week, was 2nd in 7:33.68.
MB: Gjert did it again – produces another Diamond League champ. Nordas over Lobalu and Grijalva 7:33.49
4. No, those weren’t the slowest winning 100m times in Diamond League history
The winning times in the women’s 100 (11.15, -0.8 by Gambia’s Gina Bass) and men’s 100 (10.16, -1.0 by Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme) were not fast at all but they were run into headwinds in low-70 degree temps. In case you are wondering, they are not the slowest winning times in DL history.
Steve Mullings won the 2011 Reebok Grand Prix in New York in 10.26. Dina Asher-Smith won 2021 Gateshead in 11.35.
Bass’s time isn’t even the slowest winning time in Stockholm as Kerron Stewart won 2012 Stockholm in 11.24.
When we were doing research for this point, we discovered something interesting. Did you know that in the Diamond League’s inaugural season in 2010, every single men’s 100 was won in under 9.90? This year, not a single one has been run that fast.
5. Laura Muir won the women’s 1500 convincingly as Dani Jones ran a big pb
Laura Muir won the women’s 1500 by nearly a full second in 3:57.99 as unheralded Kenyan Ednah Jebitok, who went out in the semis of Worlds last year but ran 14:35 in Morocco, was second in 3:58.98 (previous pb of 4:02.00). 2022 world junior champ Birke Haylom, the 18-year-old who ran 3:53 indoors this year, showed she’s still got a ways to go until she’s a factor on the world scene as she was up front when the rabbit dropped out and at the bell but was only third in 3:59.84.
American Dani Jones, the former NCAA 5000 and XC champ, ran a nice pb of 4:00.64 (previous pb of 4:02.09) to finish 5th and mark herself as a contender for the US Olympic Trials. Cory McGee’s inability to ever break 4:00 continued yet again as she faded to 4:02.64.
Here is the top 10 US list for the 1500 for 2024.
1. 3:56.00 Elle St. Pierre
2. 3:59.64 Nikki Hiltz
3. 3:59.76 Emily Mackay
4. 4:00.43 Sinclaire Johnson
5. 4:00.64 Dani Jones
6. 4:02.49 Heather MacLean
7. 4:02.78 Addy Wiley
8. 4:02.64 Cory McGee
9. 4:03.08 Elise Cranny
10. 4:03.65 Krissy Gear
6. Lamecha Girma set a world lead in the steeple but he’s not quite in the same form as he was in last year
Lamecha Girma (ETH) Djamel Sedjati (ALG) closes in on a World Lead of 08:01:63 to win the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase at Wanda Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm on June 2nd
Girma made his 2024 steeple debut but he came up short of the goal of the meeting record of 7:59.42 as he won in 8:01.63. Last year, Girma opened with a steeple WR on June 9. So it appears that Girma, who we heard was sick a few weeks ago, isn’t in the same form as he was in 2024 but the good news for him is neither is world champ Soufiane El Bakkali, who is coming off of an injury. El Bakkali only won his steeple opener in 8:09.40 and only by 0.38 over Getnet Wale, who was nearly 10 seconds back of Girma today.
Behind Girma, world indoor 1500 champ George Beamish of the OAC ran 8:14.71 for 6th in his steeple season opener (his pb is 8:13.26) while American Hilary Bor was 7th in 8:15.95.
MB: Did Beamish fall or should he stick to the 1500?
7. Mondo had three nice cracks at the world record of 6.25m
He had a shot on all three but couldn’t quite get the pole vault WR for the home fans.
Oh yeah, I probably should have had an 8th take on Shericka Jackson. She won the 200 in 22.69 (-2.0) but was far from impressive in doing so. Watch her race below.
Talk about the meet on the world-famouf fan forum / messageboard.
