​Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee will enter the Diamond League circuit for the first time in seven years when he lines up over 5,000 metres in Monaco on Friday, with live coverage on the BBC. Following his memorable moment at the Paris 2024 Games, Yee has dabbled in marathon running, making his debut in London last year and then posting what was at the time the second-fastest British time ever recorded in Valencia. This year he began returning to triathlon, yet he remains eager to push himself beyond his usual boundaries whenever the chance arises.
“I think we’ve always followed a template for preparing for an Olympic Games, but I’m trying to explore slightly different avenues to unlock new performances,” Yee told BBC Sport. “An important thread throughout all of this is learning, taking advantage of opportunities, and emerging as a better athlete overall.”
Yee last competed in a Diamond League 5,000m in London in 2019 and holds a personal best of 13 minutes 13.89 seconds. He will face a formidable field in Monaco, including the two fastest athletes this year, Addisu Yihune and Birhanu Balew, world silver medallist Isaac Kimeli, and 10,000m world champion Jimmy Gressier. “New challenges excite me. I’ve grown from being almost the smallest person in the room. These are the moments when you learn and improve the most, and I really felt that growth between the London and Valencia marathons,” he said. “Being able to test myself in a Diamond League environment is incredibly exciting.”
In London, fellow Brits Matthew Hudson-Smith (400m), Jake Wightman, and Ben Pattison (1000m), along with high jumper Kimani Jack, will also be in action, with coverage on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app from 19:00 to 21:00 on Friday. In the wake of her surprising podium finishes in Stockholm and Eugene, Britain’s Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson will race at the Diamond League meeting in London next. Hodgkinson, who competed in Eugene with both knees heavily strapped after a heavy fall during a run, hopes to take aim at breaking the longstanding women’s 800m world record at the London Diamond League on 18 July. Josh Kerr has also announced his intention to chase the long-standing men’s mile world record on the same day.
The London Athletics Meet stands as a major date in the calendars of many British stars. The women’s 200m contest featuring relay teammates Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, and Ajee Wilson is one of the other highlight events. Hodgkinson has declared she is ready for a “battle of world records” in London, while the Diamond League, athletics’ premier one-day meeting circuit, comprises 15 stops this season, culminating in a two-day final in Brussels in September. Athletes accumulate points across 32 Diamond League disciplines at the 14 regular-season meetings to secure qualification for the final and the chance to etch their names alongside the sport’s elite.