LACHIE MOORHOUSE
Unseen hours of the night, Google Translate and dodgy websites that reside in the depths of the internet are all solid indicators that the European athletics season is well and truly back. And if Monaco is anything to go by, we’re in for a lengthy treat.
One would be forgiven for only following the Diamond League circuit in search of their favourite Aussie athletes, but one would also be susceptible to waking up to results from a midweek meet they didn’t even know existed. That’s why trivia answers like “The Irena Szewinska Memorial” to the question “Where did Matt Ramsden run 4:55.44 to win a 2000m race?” are saved for the Sean Whipp’s of the world.
The good news is that not much digging is required to find out about the Stockholm Diamond League on the 23rd of August. The better news is that it is right here for you.
Stockholm will see five Australians compete, with Nicola McDermott (High Jump), Jessica Hull (1500m), Peter Bol (800m), Matthew Ramsden and Stewart McSweyn (1500m) all set to take part in what is set to be a quality meet.
We all know that perfect conditions for athletics are a rarity, but it could be worse than this.
Men’s 800m (12:27am Monday AEST)
Peter Bol arrived in Monaco with one sub 1:45 800m result to his name in his career, and he left with two. It was no secret that Coach Justin Rinaldi had kept his leading duo in sharp form back in Australia with a few impressive time trials, but rolling off the plane and casually dropping a 1:44.96 is a completely different beast. Perhaps the most promising sign for Bol was running that time whilst leaving significant room for improvement. The 26-year-old raced aggressively and weakened in the home stretch, and with some racing under his belt looms as a force to be reckoned with. Bol had a midweek hit-out in Poland where he finished 4th behind Jospeh Deng in 1:45.92, where the pair focussed on their racing rather than the clock in a very messy field. Bol’s 2nd career best run grants him another opportunity here in Stockholm and with the likes of Brazier, Vazquez and Kramer ensuring a hot pace, he will be looking to close in on his PB he set at this same venue in 2018.
Women’s 1500m (12:55am Monday AEST)
Leading into Monaco, Jess Hull had the weight of expectation on her shoulders after some promising results in Australia. Not only did she meet them, she surpassed them. Easily. It’s hard to fault her run where she obliterated her PB and clinched Benita Willis’ National Record in a time of 14:43.80. Whilst it’s a tough ask dropping straight into a 1500m of this quality, there is no doubting the shape she is in or the fact that she belongs on the world stage. In September of 2019, Hull ran a 15:00.32 5000m PB in Germany followed by a 4:01.80 1500m PB one month later in Doha. Though tough to draw correlations due to training phases and the like, it’s fair to assume Linden Hall’s National Record of 4:00.86 may come under fire. The race in Stockholm could sit perfectly for Hull, with any field deprived of Sifan Hassan being one that is likely to be paced a bit less ambitiously. The Pete Julian product will be looking to work with teammate Shannon Rowbury much like she did in Monaco, as she looks to give this race a real good shake with form runners Laura Muir and Ciara Mageenan.
Men’s 1500m (1:51am Monday AEST)
If it’s 1:30am and the voice in your head is telling you to throw in the towel because you have work tomorrow – don’t. This one is well worth the wait. Stewart McSweyn and Matthew Ramsden will be toeing the line in a classy 1500m that features Timothy Cheruiyot along with Jakob and Filip Ingebrigtsen.
McSweyn flew under the radar in Monaco and is probably a victim of his own success. His rise has been so rampant that even a 13:13.22 for 5000m off no racing apparently isn’t a talking point anymore. Back down in distance to the 1500m where he boasts a PB of 3:31.81 (twice), the King Island product will be looking to showcase his range and sharpen up over the shorter trip. McSweyn’s performances might have plateaued for now, but the upper echelon of distance running isn’t a bad spot to do so as he works towards his next breakthrough. If a consistent performer at the top level isn’t exciting then you’re doing athletics wrong!
Matthew Ramsden is forging a much similar career path to that of McSweyn, yet will no doubt be looking to be the first Matt Ramsden rather than the next Stewy McSweyn. Ramsden was forced to eat his vegetables by pacing in Monaco (a WR mind you) before indulging in dessert in Poland with a blistering win, or ‘fat dub’, over 2000m. The 23-year-old (who hasn’t updated his Twitter bio) stormed home in a 53-second last lap to put Marcin Lewandowski and the field to bed in a time of 4:55.44, good enough for 2nd on the Australian all-time list behind Craig Mottram (4:50.76). Ramsden has gone from strength to strength in 2020 and with a few efforts under his belt looks ready to give this his best.
The twin towers also have Yomif Kejelcha covered for height, which is pretty alpha. Hold off on the calls about Ryan Gregson’s 3:31.06 National Record falling – it has survived a decade for a reason.
Women’s High Jump (11:09pm Sunday AEST)
Nicola McDermott will be the first Aussie in action on Sunday night when she takes on the might of Europe in the High Jump. In the brief stint of athletics we saw in early 2020 in Australia, McDermott was jumping superbly along with Eleanor Patterson who set a new National Record (1.99m), with the pair raising the bar of Australian High Jump both figuratively and literally. McDermott cleared a PB of 1.96m in Canberra, before cementing her form with a repeat performance in Wellington. The 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist recently jumped 1.90m in Sweden to kick off her overseas proceedings and will be looking to build on that performance. McDermott’s main rivals come in the form of Ukrainian duo Yuliya Levchenko and Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who have cleared 2.00m and 1.98m respectively this year.
Words by House 
Excellent write-up Lachie. Thanks for keeping us all up-to-date pre- & post-competition. 👏👏
Keep up the excellent work.
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Love your work Lachie Moorhouse. You are a very impressive Wordsmith mate with a genuine love for athletics that shines through. I will follow your career with interest.
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