The combination of the Monaco diamond league and the 1500m always brings fireworks. Other than the last few years being dominated by Timothy Cheruiyot, the race for the following positions are always wide open. We’ve seen Jakob Ingebrigtsen finish strong and place second many times. Along with his brother Fillip, Wightman, Grice and Lewandowski all battling for the top spots. All of whom feature in this race.
The race
The entry list features 14 athletes in which only 4 of these athletes have competed over this distance so far this year. Craig Engels has the fastest season best going into the race, with his 3:36.01 which he ran somewhere in Oregon at the big friendly. The full entry list is; Kalle Berglund (3:33.70), Timothy Cheruiyot (3:28.41), Charlie Da’vall Grice (3:30.62), Craig Engels (3:34.04), Jesus Gomez (3:36.40), Ryan Gregson (3:31.06), Fillip Ingebrigtsen (3:30.01), Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:30.16), Pierrik Monrozier (3:37.60), Yomif Kejelcha (3:32.59), Vincent Kibet (3:36.27), Marcin Lewandowski (3:31.46), Timothy Sein and Jake Wightman (3:31.87)
Going into the race, the favourite still has to be Timothy Cheruiyot, but Jakob Ingebrigtsen after another year of development may be able to produce something special for a new nation record, which he will need to run in order to take the win. Monaco diamond league is always a fast race, so you can expect the norm of Cheruiyot going off hard and the Ingebrigtsen’s sitting at the back for the first lap and working their way through the field. Saying that, I think in order for anyone to beat Cheriyout they need to take a risk and be close to him in order to have a chance of utilising the kick, if they somehow have anything left, saying that Cheruiyot’s kick is dangerous.
Last years race
https://youtu.be/-ZxjysRvMl0
Prospects
I’m excited to see how Yomif Kejelcha fairs in the 1500m since we obviously know he has great speed after his indoor mile WR last year. Does he have the kick to beat the likes of Wightman, Lewandowski and Jakob Ingebrigtsen? I’d say probably not. But I’m expecting a new PB for Kejelcha. I also think it will be a potentially exciting race for Craig Engels. He has already raced a number of times this season, so we’re hopeful for an aggressive race from him, where as a result he takes a big chunk off his PB.
Prediction
Our prediction (comment on our recent instagram post with yours): 1st Cheruiyot (3:28.6), 2nd Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:29.8), 3rd Jake Wightman (3:30.6) – With PBs from Engels, Kejelcha, Gomez, Sein and Monrozier.
This prediction is off the basis that everyone has trained as normal, with extra weeks of training, in which they would usually taper for other races. It will be interesting to see if the lack of race experience this year negatively affects any athletes, as the Monaco diamond league is always a very aggressive race, meaning every athlete will have to work to hold their own.
For an insight into the Ingebrigtsen’s training, click here.
Recent posts
Monaco diamond league 2020 – 1500m Men
Josh Lay and Olivia Mason couples podcast
The best running shoes in 2020 – The shakeout podcast
The 5 best ways to recover for runners in 2020
Charles Hicks – Our running crushes
Donavan Brazier 1500m?!
Max Burgin 800m World Record holder
The best running shoes ever podcast
The best hill workout to get fit
Jordan Gusman Podcast
About us
We have the goal to accelerate the growth of the sport, as well as increase the exposure of athletes, who we know do not get enough attention.
Trackstaa is ran by two athletes from the UK, Alfie Manthorpe & Rory Leonard. We are both predominantly 5000m runners, but are invested in any distance/event within the sport.
Trackstaa was originally founded in August 2019, but the actual direction of our “business” was fully decided around April 2020. We are currently starting to produce more original content, as well as sharing other peoples content, on our pages Trackstaa & Trackstaa News. On the original content side of things, we currently produce 2-3 podcasts a week with elite athletes and aim to release at least 1 youtube video a week.
Work with us
We are always looking for great content to share. If you feel like you could help with any content production (articles, photo edits, youtube videos), please send us a DM on instagram so we can discuss producing some great content together. We are also currently planning something very exciting with some great content producers. If you have any ideas for future projects, again, feel free to DM us on Instagram to discuss it. We are always looking for new ideas and ways to grow the sport.