The three fastest women over half a lap this season will compete against each other at the Monaco Diamond League.

Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas and silver medallist Julien Alfred will go head-to-head in a much anticipated clash this Friday in Monaco (July 10).

The pair have faced each other on four occasions in the 200m, with Thomas holding a 3-1 winning record against Alfred. Their last meeting was at the Paris Olympics, where Thomas ran 21.83 to secure the Olympic gold medal at the Stade de France, with Alfred claiming silver in 22.08.

The duo's first clash over 200m was actually at the Monaco Diamond League three years ago, which is Alfred's only victory over Thomas in the distance.

Expect quick times from both athletes in Monaco as they are ranked second and third in the 200m standings this year. Thomas ran 21.70 at last month's USATF Lone Star Grand Prix while Alfred recorded a mark of 21.86 back in April.

Thomas spent the latter end of last year recovering from an Achilles tendon injury that she first sustained in May 2025 but then exacerbated in July. Even though she qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, she pulled out to prioritise her long-term health.

In an exclusive interview with AW back in April, Thomas stated that, in a year with no Olympics or World Athletics Championships, she was eager to push the boundaries as far as possible. The American is ranked fourth on the 200m all-time list with 21.60 and only Florence Griffith Joyner, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah having gone quicker.

Thomas and Alfred won't have it all their own way in Monaco though as Adaejah Hodge, who holds the world lead with 21.68, is also in the field. The British Virgin Islands athlete recorded that mark to secure the NCAA 200m title in Eugene last month, just a few days after winning gold in the 100m in 10.63.

Cambrea Sturgis (21.93) and Anavia Battle (21.95) have also broken the 22-second barrier for the 200m, while Kayla White and Gémima Joseph complete the line-up.

The men's 1000m could be one of the outstanding track events in Monaco and the early expectation is that the leading athletes will look to target Noah Ngeny's 27-year-old world record.

The Kenyan ran 2:11.96 at altitude in Rieti and the person to have closest to it since then is Spain's Mohamed Attaoui, who ran 2:12.25 in Moselstadion two years ago.

Attaoui is in a star-studded field that includes Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, bronze medallist from Paris Djamel Sedjati and 2024 world indoor 800m champion Bryce Hoppel.

Wanyonyi has never competed in the 1000m before but is joint-second on the 800m all-time list with 1:41.11 and boasts a personal best of 3:34.11 in the 1500m.

The British challenge will be led by Jake Wightman, who is ranked third on the national 1000m all-time list with 2:13.88 from Monaco four years ago. The 2022 world 1500m champion will have some way to go to bettering Seb Coe's national record of 2:12.18 from 1981 though.

Ben Pattison, who secured world 800m bronze in Budapest two years ago, has only ever raced the 1000m one occasion, clocking 2:19.27 back in 2022.

Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell leads a strong field and will once again look to get close to Tobi Amusan's four-year world record. Russell has been one of the most consistent athletes in track and field so far this season, with winning marks of 12.25 (Shanghai), 12.14 (Xiamen), 12.26 (Los Angeles) and 12.24 (Eugene).

The men's 5000m is always a staple of the Monaco Diamond League and it's where Joshua Cheptegei ran his world record of 12:35.36 six years ago. Kenya's Jacob Krop has the fastest mark in the field with 12:45.71 but also watch out for Ethiopia's Biniam Mehary (12:45.93) and Bahrain's Birhanu Balew (12:47.73). American Graham Blanks could also fancy his chances with a best of 12:48.20.

The most intriguing story here though is Olympic individual triathlon Alex Yee. Last year Yee returned to running, after spending five years competing in solely triathlon, clocking 2:11:08 and 2:06:38 at the London and Valencia Marathons respectively. The latter mark has him fourth on the UK marathon all-time list.

He also ran a 5000m personal best of 13:13.89 at the IFAM Oordegem in Belgium last August, but Monaco will be his first Diamond League since he raced in London seven years ago.

Faith Kipyegon will be aiming to bounce back from a shock defeat to Nikki Hiltz in the mile at the Prefontaine Classic. Since the turn of the decade the Kenyan has been almost unbeatable when it comes to the middle distances and her last Diamond League loss in an 800m/mile/1500m was all the way back in Florence to Sifan Hassan, in the metric mile, five years ago.

After the Pre Classic, Kipyegon stated that she had been dealing with a hamstring injury since her 5000m win in Shanghai back in April. The triple Olympic and five-time world champion headlines the 3000m in Monaco, a distance she knows well having gone second on the all-time list with 8:07.04 in Chorzów last August.

The men's pole vault is once again headlined by world record-holder Mondo Duplantis, who will face Kurtis Marschall, the Australian who beat Duplantis in Stockholm last month.

Great Britain's Kimani Jack, who has cleared 2.31m in the high jump this year and secured the NCAA title in Eugene, makes his much anticipated Diamond League debut in Monaco.