Success in Stockholm (Diamond League)

The Stockholm Diamond League delivered some magical performances, including plenty of home success. The highlights undoubtedly came in the form of Mondo Duplantis’s pole vault World Record (6.28m) and a European Record for Andreas Almgren in the 5000m (12:44.27). It was not just the Swedish athletes delivering memorable moments, however.

To say Georgia Hunter-Bell had an excellent 2024 would be an understatement. The Olympic bronze medallist has continued in the same vein this season, and Stockholm provided another career milestone. In the women’s 800m, she secured a maiden Diamond League victory, and possibly one of the bigger wins of her career to date. Georgia won in 1:57.66, running laps of 59.4 and 58.2. Impressively, she moved through from last in the final 200m.

Georgia next races at the Paris Diamond League on Friday.

Photo: James Rhodes

George Returns

Just three days after breaking the British Record for 5000m in Oslo, George Mills returned to the track. This time, for the 1500m. He finished seventh in 3:32.64, an impressive performance given the relatively quick turnaround. Swede Samuel Pihlstrom won, having set National Records over 1500m and the mile in Rome and Oslo respectively.

Photo: James Rhodes

A late entrant to the women’s 3000m was Innes FitzGerald. It was her Diamond League debut, not that you would have guessed from watching her race. Having started steadily at the back of the pack, she moved through the field – one by one – to finish an impressive third. Her time of 8:32.90 is a PB by seven seconds. It is the sixth fastest ever by an U20 athlete, and not that far from the World U20 Record held by Zola Budd (8:28.83). It will be exciting to see how Innes’ season progresses.

Finishing less than a second back in fourth was Hannah Nuttall, who improved her PB to 8:33.82.

Photo: James Rhodes