Paris Diamond League Preview: Nico Young & Josh Hoey Look to Stay Hot, Lamecha Girma & Grant Holloway Return
Steeplechaser Girma returns to the site of his world record in his first race since horrific Olympic fall
By Jonathan Gault
The 2025 Diamond League resumes on Friday in Paris with a meet that over the years has played host to one famous American middle-distance victory (Alan Webb in 2007) and was almost the site of a second (Evan Jager in 2015). Given the current form of Nico Young and Josh Hoey, both coming off fabulous races in Scandinavia last week, we could be looking at another US victory on Friday.
That is one of the main storylines of the 2025 Meeting de Paris, along with the return of steeplechase world record holder Lamecha Girma, the return of Olympic 110m hurdles champion Grant Holloway, and a 1500 in which home favorite Azeddine Habz will attempt to take down the likes of George Mills and Niels Laros.
After it’s over, we’ll break it down for you live as we do after almost every Diamond League at 5 p.m. ET. Or get it on-demand as a podcast by joining our Supporters Club.
Below, the six things we’ll be looking for in Paris on Friday.
Meet details
What: 2025 Meeting de Paris
When: Friday, June 20 (3-5 p.m. ET)
Where: Stade Charléty, Paris, France
*Start lists/schedule/results *TV/streaming information
1) Can Nico Young go two-for-two?
Young was sensational in Oslo (photo courtesy Diamond League AG)
Nico Young came to Europe for his first two Diamond Leagues to get experience racing against some of the world’s best runners. After setting an American outdoor record of 12:45.27 in Oslo to earn one of the biggest 5,000m wins ever by an American, the trip is already a massive success. But it never hurts to get a bit more practice. The target paces have yet to be announced for Paris, but the best-case scenario for Young would be if the field is actually less aggressive than in Oslo and tries to run something around 13:00. Yes, it would be nice for Young to take a run at Fisher’s outright American record of 12:44.09, set indoors in February, but if he wants to medal at Worlds this year — a realistic aim — he would benefit from a slower race that mimics a championship final. And in 2025, a Diamond League won around 13:00 qualifies as “slow.”
Young should be among the favorites in this race, if not the favorite. None of the guys who raced the 5,000 in Stockholm on Sunday are doubling back for this one, and Young is the only man who finished in the top 5 in Oslo. But Thierry Ndikumwenayo (7th Oslo, 12:47 pb), Yomif Kejelcha (8th Oslo, 12:38 pb), and Jacob Krop (11th Oslo, 12:45 pb) are all guys who could bounce back and challenge Young. Plus there is double Olympic steeple champ Soufiane El Bakkali (running his first 5,000 since 2017), home favorite Jimmy Gressier (European indoor record of 12:54 in February), and American Graham Blanks, who ran a strong 12:48 to finish 7th in his DL debut in Oslo.
Enjoy this one. It’s not often you get two Americans at the level of Young and Blanks heading to Europe to take on top runners in the Diamond League. And with USAs coming up in six weeks, this may be our last chance to see them before they start locking in their final training block before that meet.
Where will Nico Young finish in the 5,000 in Paris?
-
%
2) Josh Hoey (and Bryce Hoppel) chase first DL victory against red-hot Tshepiso Masalela
Just like Nico Young, Josh Hoey made a very impressive debut in his first career Diamond League race, finishing 3rd in Stockholm behind Olympic champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Olympic bronze medalist Djamel Sedjati and running a pb of 1:42.43, #3 on the all-time US list. With Wanyonyi, Sedjati, and Olympic silver medalist Marco Arop sitting this one out, Hoey has an opportunity to earn his first DL victory.
But even without the Olympic medalists, this is a very good field. Over the last two years, Wanyonyi and Arop have proven themselves as the class of the 800 meters. Behind them, there is a huge group of guys battling to secure the third spot (and perhaps more). Last year, Sedjati claimed it. This year, Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela has staked his claim, with DL wins in Doha and Rabat (the latter over Wanyonyi). You’ve also got 1:41/1:42 guys like Mohamed Attaoui, Gabriel Tual, and Bryce Hoppel in that mix, while Max Burgin is coming off a 1:43.34 pb in Rabat where he beat Wanyonyi. Masalela, Attaoui, Tual, and Burgin will all be racing in Paris. And with a crowded 13 starters, here’s betting that the race goes out fast, as no one wants to be part of a group of 13 bunching up at the bell.
Hoppel was a solid second in Doha on May 16, just .15 behind Masalela, but faded badly on Sunday in Stockholm, finishing DFL in 1:47. Something was obviously wrong there — a healthy Bryce Hoppel does not run 1:47 — and Hoppel’s coach Michael Whittlesey confirmed to LetsRun he was dealing with stomach issues. If he’s back to normal in Paris, he should be much more competitive for the win — and we’ll get a better idea of where the Hoey v. Hoppel argument stands right now, six weeks out from their showdown at USAs.
Where will Josh Hoey finish in the 800 in Paris?
-
%
Where will Bryce Hoppel finish in the 800 in Paris?
-
%
3) Lamecha Girma makes his return to the steeple…in the same city where he suffered his horrific fall
Paris has been the site of Lamecha Girma’s highest high as a runner — his 2023 steeplechase world record — as well as his lowest low — his brutal fall with 200 meters to go in last year’s Olympic final. So it is only fitting that Paris will be where Girma makes his return to the sport on Friday as he lines up for his first race since the Olympics 10 months ago. When we spoke to Girma’s agent Hussein Makke a month ago, he said Girma returned to training later than usual (January compared to November) because of the concussion he suffered during his fall, and he still feels dizziness at high speeds in training. So we don’t know quite what to expect from Girma’s return.
The steeple is not a Diamond League event in Paris (it will be held at 2:08 p.m. ET, before the TV window), but it features Olympic 5th-placer Ahmed Jaziri, Keqiao DL winner Abrham Sime, and 8:05 man Getnet Wale. The old Girma would have no problem dispatching this field, but in his first race back, it may be best to temper expectations.
4) Azeddine Habz tries to win one for the home crowd
The last two Diamond Leagues have come alive thanks to some big victories by home-nation athletes. Karsten Warholm closed out Oslo with a world record in the 300m hurdles, while Mondo Duplantis‘s pole vault world record and Andreas Almgren‘s European 5,000m record came within minutes of each other in Stockholm.
France’s best chance for a win in Paris may come in the men’s 1500, which features Azeddine Habz, who is coming off a DL victory in Rome in an outdoor world leader of 3:29.72. This race is not a DL points event either, but it is in the TV window (3:59 p.m. ET) and there are some quality guys in the field, including Abel Kipsang, George Mills, and Dutch Olympic finalists Stefan Nillessen and Niels Laros.
Laros is the guy I’m most interested in here — though that’s assuming he makes it to the start line. He was snakebitten in 2024, getting a late start to the season due to injury and falling in two Diamond Leagues, yet still wound up 6th in the fastest Olympic 1500 ever at age 19. This year, Laros opened up with a 13:10 5,000m pb in Nice on May 31, but then withdrew from Hengelo and Oslo. Hopefully Laros is fully healthy, but if he’s not 100%, it does not make sense to risk anything at a non-points DL 1500.
5) Grant Holloway returns for his first race in eight weeks
Holloway did his usual thing indoors, winning all nine of his races to stretch his 60m hurdle win streak to 72. But his outdoor season has not gone to plan. He was beaten by Trey Cunningham in his opener in Gainesville on April 19, and a week later finished 10th in the Xiamen DL, slowing way down at the end. He hasn’t competed since then, withdrawing from planned races in Keqiao and the Atlanta City Games.
Did the eight weeks off from racing do Holloway good? We’ll find out in Paris, where he’ll face a field that includes Cunningham and Rome winner Jason Joseph.
6) Faith Cherotich tries to keep rolling in the steeplechase
20-year-old Faith Cherotich has been the best steepler in the world so far in 2025, outkicking Olympic champ Winfred Yavi in both Doha and Oslo. Yavi is not in this race, but Olympic silver medalist Peruth Chemutai of Uganda is, and while Chemutai looked rusty in Doha (7th in 9:15), she improved in her next race in Hengelo (1st in 9:07). Can Cherotich wrest the world lead back from Doris Lemngole (who ran 8:58 at NCAAs) or can Chemutai give her a challenge?
Americans Gabbi Jennings, Courtney Wayment, and Angelina Napoleon (fresh off a 9-second pb of 9:16 at NCAAs) are also entered.
The meet also has a women’s 1500 where world leader Nelly Chepchirchir faces Rome winner Sarah Healy. In terms of non-distance action, in addition to Holloway, Yaroslava Mahuchikh (HJ) returns to the meet where she set her HJ world record last year and Olympic champ Rai Benjamin races again in the 400H. *AFP Preview *WA Preview.
Did you know our fan forum/messageboard is full of track and field talk 24/7/365? Talk about meet at letsrun.com/forum:
