Herculis Herculean

 Death and taxes as certainties?
Add the solid wall of incredible World Class marks that spill from the Track & Field at Monaco's Herculis meet to that short list!
The 2021 edition maybe even surpassed previous years in its unending quality!
Here's the evidence!

Faith Kipyegon destroyed her PR in the 1500, and beat Sifan Hassan by 2.5 seconds, despite being chased by Hassan until the breakaway at around 1200 meters!
Her 3:51.07 broke her own National Record of Kenya, and gave her the Age 27 Record!
She's ranked 4th A-T World!
Yet she missed the Meet Record, that belonging to Genzebe Dibaba, who ran 3:50.07 here awhile back!
On my Combined Events lists, Kipyegon's 1:57.68 and 3:51.07 adds to 5:48.75, which makes her 4th A-T World!
In the 1500 & 3000, her 3:51.07 and 8:23.55 adds to 12:14.62, making her 5th A-T World!
Add her 5000 of 14:31.55 to her 1500 and you get 18:22.62, making her 9th A-T World!
Hassan's 3:53.60 gave her 2nd!
Freweyri Hailu (sp?) was 3rd in 3:56.28, ranking her 24th A-T World!
OFF my World list is the former American Record of Shannon Rowbury, her 3:56.29 dating from 2015!

The Men's 1500 was a burner also!
Tim Cheruiyot showed he'll be dangerous in Tokyo (and yes, he'll be there!!), running a PR with his 3:28.28 winner!
This ranks him 7th A-T World!
Mohamed Katir continued rewriting Spain's Record Book, timing 3:28.76 in 2nd!
His NR ranks him 15th A-T World!
Jakob Ingebrigtsen was relegated to 3rd, despite running 3:29.25!!
Stew  McSweyn took 4th in 3:29.51!
Charles Simotwo took 5th in 3:30.30!
Marcin Lewandowski has found a new life at Age 34, nabbing that Age Record with his 3:30.42 PR!
He also breaks his own National Record of Poland!!
And in 7th came Samuel Teferi with his 3:30.71!

Both 800's were knee deep in fast times!
Nijel Amos showed some of his old spark by winning in the World Leading time of 1:42.91.
Emmanuel Korir is also warming up for Tokyo, taking 2nd in 1:43.04!
Marco Arop ran 1:43.26 in 3rd, while Ferguson Rotich was 4th in 1:43.57!

Kate Grace ran yet another PR, but her 1:57.20 took just 3rd!
Two British Women finished 1-2, with Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie running respective PR's of 1:56.73 and 1:56.96!
BTW, Grace now ranks 7th A-T US!
Finishing 4th was Natoya Goule, whose 1:57.25 beat the 1:57.71 of Habitam Alemu!
Renelle Lamote ended 6th in 1:57.98!
Halimah Nakaayi may have finished 7th, but her 1:58.03 is the National Record of Uganda!!

Emma Coburn was heading into her final water jump in the 3000SC, but in a rare instance, her brief step atop that barrier resulted in a trip into the water, and her charge to the front ended there.
Hyvin Jepkemoi took advantage, and won in a good time of 9:03.82!
Beatrice Chepkoech was 2nd in 9:04.94!
Winifred Yavi ended in 9:05.95!
Coburn got up, but her spirit was gone, and she floated (BAD word, in this case!!) to the line in 9:09.02!
In 7th was Elizabeth Bird, whose 9:22.80 is Great Britain's National Record!!

The Men's SC had a mishap also, but it wasn't the runner's fault!
The "last lap" bell ringer rung the bell a lap early, so the end results for the first two won't count in the World Rankings!
Lemecha Girma ran 8:07.75 ahead of Abe Kibiwot's 8:07.81, but who knows what might have happened if they heard the bell when they were supposed to!!

Karsten Warholm ran the 400H in 47.08, but this time all he got was the Meet Record!
Which this being Monaco is not a bad thing to have!!
As usual recently, Alison Dos Santos ended 2nd in 47.51!

Yulimar Rojas TJ'ed 49-7.25--spectacular for anyone not named Yulimar Rojas!!
Sharieka Ricketts was 2nd with her 48-4.75, just one half inch ahead of Patricia Mamona!!
Katie Negeotte continues to rack up the victories, her 16-0.75 winning here!
Anzhelika Sidorova's 15-9 topped the same height given to Ekaterina Stefanidi.
Following these stalwarts were the 15-5's for Holly Bradshaw and Iryna Zhuk!!

Ronnie Baker's 9.91 took the 100 from Akani Simbine's 9.98!
The times may not be up to Monaco's standards, but it's of interest that Shaunae Miller-Uibo's 22.23 took the measure of Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce's 22.48 in the 200!
Mikhail Akimenko HJ'ed 7-7.75 to take the HJ!

The Women's Javelins didn't fly very far, but a Super Veteran set a Classic Age Record!
While Anna Andrejczyk won the event with her 208-9, it was Barbora Spotakova's 206-11 that made her the Age 40 Record holder!
And here's a bonus--
I discovered that she'd reached 212-10 in 2020, giving her the Age 39 Record also!!

While not quite Herculean, Atlas didn't exactly "Shrug" (Sorry!  It's late at night!!) when he saw the marks emerging from Hungary's Gyulai Memorial meet!

Elaine Thompson-Herah "upset" SAFP in the 100, her 10.71 beating Fraser-Pryce's 10.82!
Marie Josee Ta Lou took a speedy 3rd, her 10.86 edging Blessing Okagbare's 10.89!
Akani Simbine took the Men's race in 9.84, which is a South African (& ALL-African!!) Record!!
He ranks 12th A-T World, tied with 2 others!

Andre De Grasse sprinted the half lap in 19.97, nipping the 19.99 of Kenny Bednarek!
The HS phenom Erriyon Knighton continues to impress as Tokyo nears, his 20.03 taking 3rd!!
A possible preview of the Men's TJ final in Tokyo came when PPPP--aka Pedro Pichardo--beat Hughes Zango--58-9.50 to 58-4.75!

Femke Bol again defeated Shamier Little in another great duel, this time 52.81 to 52.85 in the 400H!
The Dutch Woman is proving to be a serious Medal threat at the Olympics!!
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ran another fast time in the 100H, her 12.34 winning easily.
Also an easy winner was Grant Holloway, his time being 13.08!

Another interesting 200 result saw Shaunae Miller-Uibo timing 22.10, yet losing to Shericka Jackson's 21.96!
Where will Gabby Thomas--with her 21.61 masterpiece--fit into this picture?
Stephanie McPherson dipped into the 49's her 49.99 taking the Women's 400!
The Men's race went to the 44.47 by Steven Gardiner!
Bryce Deadmon took 2nd in 44.58, while probable Tokyo favorite Michael Norman could finish only 3rd with his 44.65!

Other Gyulai marks---
Muktar Edris won the 3000 in 7:30.96!
Maksim Nedesekau took the HJ with the National Record of Belarus--7-9.25!
He's just one half inch off my World list!!
Daniel Stahl won the DT with 222-1.
The Men's Hammer Throw saw the "kid" beat the "vets"!
Mykayla Kokhan's 265-0 beat the 264-4 of Wojciech Nowicki, and the 258-5 of Pawel Fajdek!

Cynthis Mbongo won the 400 in 50.29, breaking her own National Record of Belgium!
Nikoleta Kiriakoupoulou seems to be returning to form, as she took the PV with 15-5!
And Tom Walsh remained a serious podium contender by winning the SP with 72-10.75!
Second went to the 71-5.25 of Filip Miheljevic!
Next came the 71-2.50 of Josh Awotunde!!

I'll have one more results post prior to the opening event in T&F in Tokyo!!
Coming soon!!