The Herculis meeting is an international athletics meeting. Since September 1987, it has been held once a year, usually in July, at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco.
Organised by the Monégasque Athletics Federation, the event is presided over by Prince Albert II himself and welcomes the world’s greatest athletes. One of the fourteen Diamond League meetings since 2010, the event was part of the Golden League circuit from 1998 – the year of the first edition – to 2002. In addition, the Herculis Meeting hosted the World Athletics Final from 2003 to 2005. It’s a Pro Athletic Tour event.
In the 2020 edition, a performance did not go unnoticed. Joshua Cheptegei’s. Dazzlingly at ease, the Ugandan flew over the 5,000m at a frantic pace (12’35’36), to beat the previous world record held by the Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele (12’37’35, 31 May 2004 in Hengelo). Speaking at the end of his incredible race, he said: “I’m going to celebrate my world record when I get back home. I knew I had to push myself if I wanted to achieve this. Mentally, it took a lot for me to stay motivated this year, but it was easier being surrounded by my family in Uganda.”
Fun fact: Russian Yelena Isinbayeva broke the world pole vaulting record at the 2008 Herculis meeting with a jump of 5.04 metres. More recently, the Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba broke, here in the Louis II Stadium, the world record for the 1500m in 2015.
