PARIS, FRANCE, June 20 — The men’s 1500 wasn’t supposed to be the headline race at Charléty Stadium. It wasn’t even an official DL event, and the lineup featured only one finalist from last year’s Olympics (9th placer Stefan Nillessen of the Netherlands). Instead, it was set up as a chance for Azeddine Habz to target the French Record (3:28.98 by Mehdi Baala in ’03).
With a boisterous crowd cheering him on, Habz, 11th at the ’23 World Championships, followed the pacemakers and hit splits of 55.6 and 1:51.4 before taking over at the kilo. He hit the bell at 2:33.6 and came through 1200 in 2:47.2. Off a final lap in 53.9 he crossed the line in a stunning 3:27.49.
That vaulted him to No. 6 on the all-time list, which he needed to hold off a spirited challenge from 18-year-old Phanuel Koech of Kenya, who broke the World U20 Record with his 3:27.72 (and moved to No. 9 on the all-time list). The previous mark (3:28.81), by Koech’s countryman Ronald Kwemoi, had stood since ’14.
“It’s really a dream come true, on home soil, just 5 kilometers from the venue where I train year-round,” said Habz, who didn’t make it out of the semifinals at last year’s Olympics. “With these 10,000 people supporting me, I felt like I had wings.”
George Mills (3:28.36 PR), Festus Lagat (3:29.03 PR), Stefan Nillessen (3:29.23 NR) and Abel Kipsang (3:29.46) also broke 3:30.
The 5000 had received more premeet hype as a potential WR assault and another showcase for Nico Young, coming off his magnificent win in Oslo. When rabbit Jude Thomas stepped off at 3000 (7:36.70), Yomif Kejelcha assumed the lead, followed by Young and fellow American Graham Blanks. On the next lap Kejelcha started to open a gap and soon he was running solo.
The lead continued to grow as he clicked off splits of 59.74 and 60.41, but the Ethiopian soon started to pay the price. Clearly struggling, Kejelcha covered the last two circuits in 64.58 and 65.43. In the end, he had just enough to hang on, crossing the line in 12:47.84.
Birhanu Balew of Bahrain rallied well to move into 2nd in 12:48.67, holding off Blanks (12:49.51) and France’s Jimmy Gressier (12:51.59 NR).
Soufiane El Bakkali, the 2-time Olympic steeple gold medalist who was running the 5000 for the first time since ’17, passed Young just before the line. The Moroccan finished 6th in 12:55.49, with Young (12:55.71) in 7th.
The 800 saw Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui sneak through on the inside to pass world indoor champ Josh Hoey less than 20m from the line, in 1:42.73. Hoey (1:43.00) held off Bryce Hoppel (1:43.11) for 2nd.
“I saw some space from the inside, so it was smarter than going outside [and running] more meters,” said Attaoui, who was only 10th at the bell (50.1). “I know that my last 100m is always strong so I just focused on that.”
In the 400H Rai Benjamin passed Abderrahmane Samba coming off the final curve. The Olympic champion held on for a win in 46.93 over Samba’s 47.09. “I just wanted to run smart, be conservative. There was no need to come out and run super hard tonight because I ran really fast in Stockholm,” said Benjamin, who had clocked 46.54 to dispatch rivals Karsten Warholm and Alison dos Santos in the Swedish capital 5 days earlier. “I just wanted to end my European tour healthy.”
Continuing his resurgence this year, Trey Cunningham won a hotly contested 110H, matching his PR in 13.00 (wind: 1.1) over fellow American Dylan Beard (13.02 PR), Switzerland’s Jason Joseph (13.07) and Japan’s Rachid Muratake (13.08).
Olympic champ Grant Holloway, racing for the first time since finishing 10th at the Xiamen DL in April, was in the mix until the final hurdle but was outrun to the finish, winding up 6th in 13.11.
Following up on their epic showdown in Doha in May, India’s Neeraj Chopra and Julian Weber of Germany had another close battle in the javelin, though it was essentially settled in the first round. Chopra opened at 289-3 (88.16), which would hold up for the win, while Weber went 288-4 (87.88) on his first attempt.
Brazil’s Luiz da Silva broke his own South American Record, throwing 284-2 (86.62) in the third round to place 3rd.
Jamaica’s Jordan Scott won the triple jump on his final attempt, landing 56-8 (17.27) into the pit to pass Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso, who had led at 56-5¾ (17.21) since the fourth round.
Steeple WR holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia, running for the first time since suffering a concussion in his terrifying fall in the Olympic final last summer, won a non-DL race in 8:07.01 ahead of Morocco’s Salaheddine Ben Yazide (8:11.68).
PARIS DL MEN’S RESULTS
800: 1. Mohamed Attaoui (Spa) 1:42.73; 2. Josh Hoey (US) 1:43.00; 3. Bryce Hoppel (US) 1:43.11; 4. Max Burgin (GB) 1:43.61; 5. Gabriel Tual (Fra) 1:43.84; 6. Mark English (Ire) 1:43.98; 7. Andreas Kramer (Swe) 1:44.02; 8. Tshepiso Masalela (Bot) 1:44.16; 9. Slimane Moula (Alg) 1:44.46; 10. Yanis Meziane (Fra) 1:44.55; 11. Wycliffe Kinyamal (Ken) 1:44.85; 12. Nicholas Kiplagat (Ken) 1:45.03;… rabbit—Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (49.15).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 12)
1500: 1. Azeddine Habz (Fra) 3:27.49 NR (6, x W) (2:47.25);
2. Phanuel Koech (Ken) 3:27.72 WJR (old WJR 3:28.81 Ronald Kwemoi [Ken] ’14) (9, x W);
3. George Mills (GB) 3:28.36 PR; 4. Festus Lagat (Ken) 3:29.03 PR; 5. Stefan Nillessen (Neth) 3:29.23 NR; 6. Abel Kipsang (Ken) 3:29.46; 7. Flavien Szot (Fra) 3:30.74 PR; 8. Ruben Verheyden (Bel) 3:30.99 NR; 9. Tshepo Tshite (SA) 3:31.35 NR; 10. Pierrik Jocteur-Monrozier (Fra) 3:31.51 PR; 11. Romain Mornet (Fra) 3:31.62 PR; 12. Paul Anselmini (Fra) 3:31.63 PR; 13. Pieter Sisk (Bel) 3:31.85 PR; 14. Louis Gilavert (Fra) 3:32.25 PR;… rabbits—Mounir Akbache (Fra) (55.06), Zan Rudolf (Slo) (1:51.29).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 11–12)
St: 1. Lamecha Girma (Eth) 8:07.01 (5:27.09); 2. Salaheddine Ben Yazide (Mor) 8:11.68; 3. Getnet Wale (Eth) 8:12.58; 4. Mohammed Tindoufti (Mor) 8:15.32; 5. Baptiste Fourmont (Fra) 8:17.58; 6. Djilali Bedrani (Fra) 8:19.19; 7. Ahmed Jaziri (Tun) 8:19.59.
5000: 1. Yomif Kejelcha (Eth) 12:47.84 (10:07.36); 2. Birhanu Balew (Bhr) 12:48.67 NR;
3. Graham Blanks (US) 12:49.51 (x, 5 A);
4. Jimmy Gressier (Fra) 12:51.59 NR; 5. Samuel Tefera (Eth) 12:53.44 PR; 6. Soufiane El Bakkali (Mor) 12:55.49 PR; 7. Nico Young (US) 12:55.71; 8. Yann Schrub (Fra) 12:56.57 PR; 9. Etienne Daguinos (Fra) 12:57.49 PR; 10. Santiago Catrofe (Uru) 12:59.26 NR.
110H(1.1): 1. Trey Cunningham (US) 13.00 =PR; 2. Dylan Beard (US) 13.02 PR; 3. Jason Joseph (Swi) 13.07 =NR =PR; 4. Rachid Muratake (Jpn) 13.08; 5. Grant Holloway (US) 13.11; 6. Jamal Britt (US) 13.15; 7. Just Kwaou-Mathey (Fra) 13.24; 8. Enrique Llopis (Spa) 13.32.
400H: 1. Rai Benjamin (US) 46.93 (x, 11 A); 2. Abderrahmane Samba (Qat) 47.09; 3. Trevor Bassitt (US) 48.14; 4. Matheus Lima (Bra) 48.26; 5. Alastair Chalmers (GB) 48.57; 6. Fantin Crisci (Fra) 49.40 PR; 7. Hugo Menin (Fra) 51.42.
Field Events
TJ: 1. Jordan Scott (Jam) 56-8 (17.27); 2. Hugues Fabrice Zango (Bur) 56-5¾ (17.21); 3. Thomas Gogois (Fra) 56-1¾ (17.11); 4. Jonathan Seremes (Fra) 56-½ (17.08) PR; 5. Yasser Triki (Alg) 55-10¼w (17.02); 6. Max Heß (Ger) 55-3½ (16.85); 7. Donald Scott (US) 55-3 (16.84).
JT: 1. Neeraj Chopra (Ind) 289-3 (88.16); 2. Julian Weber (Ger) 288-4 (87.88); 3. Luiz Da Silva (Bra) 284-2 (86.62) NR; 4. Keshorn Walcott (Tri) 267-11 (81.66); 5. Anderson Peters (Grn) 263-5 (80.29); 6. Julius Yego (Ken) 263-4 (80.26); 7. Andrian Mardare (Mol) 251-6 (76.66).
