Herculis 2025: records and thrills at an exceptional evening of sport
The Diamond League trophy at the 2025 Herculis Meeting © Benjamin Godart - Monaco Tribune
The Stade Louis II was buzzing on Friday evening at the Herculis meeting! The Monaco Tribune editorial team was trackside to bring you pictures of all the action. Here’s what happened, as it happened.
7pm. The setting sun is still lighting up the arches at the end of the Stade Louis II enclosure. A few spectators are enjoying the last rays of sunshine as they watch competitors spinning in the women’s shot put, which Jessica Schilder won with a throw of 20.39m. At the far end of the track, the first pole vaulters set off under the watchful eye of the undisputed master of the discipline, Armand Duplantis.
Prince Albert II enters
Several hundred metres from the Swedish champion, Prince Albert II, accompanied by F1 driver Charles Leclerc, his partner Alexandra Saint-Mleux and Monaco Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri, enters the stadium to the cheers of the crowd. As the Sovereign waves to the crowd, Armand Duplantis jogs over to greet the motorcade before its members head for the stands. It was a moment of profound mutual respect, broadcast on the big screens, which undoubtedly left a lasting impression.
A few minutes later, the Sovereign’s classic car – a superb Mercedes 220 from the 1950s – takes a lap around the track to show off the famous Diamond League trophy, of which the Herculis meeting is part, topped by its famous diamond. Now it’s show time.
One of Australian athletics’ most promising sprinters, Gout Gout was one to watch in the Under-23 200m event. He crosses the finish line in first place, just in front of our camera, in 20″10.
Moment of truth for Femke Bol
The stopwatch reads 51″95. Femke Bol has just put in one of the most remarkable performances of the 2025 season. The 25-year-old Dutchwoman smashed the meeting record in the 400m hurdles, with the world’s fastest performance this year.
“It was a really good race, it was exciting right to the end,” she told us, still out of breath. “The wind was really different compared to my previous races.” Against her was 35-year-old American Dalilah Muhammad, competing in one of her last races before she retires. An intergenerational duel that gripped the spectators.
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Records broken
As the stadium lights begin to come up, Femke Bol seems to have set the tone with the first record of the meeting. Dripping with sweat after crossing the finish line in the men’s 800 metres, Canadian Marco Arop signed a few autographs for fans at the side of the track, with a smile on his face.
He just equalled his season’s best of 1’42″73, placing fifth – albeit a long way behind a dazzling Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who set a new Monegasque record in 1’41″44. The Kenyan in first place wipes out the previous record set by his rival, Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, last year. Sedjati finishes third.
In the high jump, Olympic champion Hamish Kerr makes no secret of his disappointment as he finishes sixth with a jump of 2.23m. This is in stark contrast to Noah Lyles, who was expected to be in good form in the 200 metres, and who gives us a victory salute in showman’s style with a time of 19″88.
The Duplantis legend lives on
A few metres from there, Armand Duplantis continues to reign unchallenged. The Swedish pole vaulter cleared 6.05m, setting a new meeting record. “I think I can jump high and beat Piotr Lisek’s record this year,” he said at the press conference the previous day, with his trademark smile. Mission accomplished.
After three failed attempts at 6.29 m, while the crowd held its breath every time he left the ground, the 26-year-old Olympic champion still seems to be aiming for greater heights.
10 pm. The meeting is drawing to a close, after a moment of grace in the women’s 100 metres, when the stadium lit up with flashlights as the runners were announced. The winner of the event, Julien Alfred – originally from Saint Lucia – is the last athlete of the evening to take to the podium, lining up for the photographers with Prince Albert, Mondo Duplantis and Noah Lyles. With 39 editions to his name, Jean-Pierre Schoebel is also rewarded and warmly thanked by the Sovereign for his years of dedication to the Herculis meeting. Frédéric Choquard will succeed him in 2026.