It’s easy to let the comedown from Olympic Trials around the world and the anticipation of those Paris entry lists lull you into a false sense of security that the Olympic table was fully set the second the last fan left Hayward Field. But with the Diamond League plowing ahead at full steam and athletes flexing their “I actually have started speedwork” fitness, there’s plenty of action to fuel speculation and keep the guys who set DraftKings odds busy.

The Herculis meet in Monaco featured plenty of big names (and a few notable absences), and some results were surprising. Others, not so much. Here’s a quick rundown of who’s really turning heads and who’s just telling us what we already knew:

The Big Three do battle:

The late entry of Rai Benjamin meant that the three fastest 400m hurdles in history (Benjamin, Karsten Warholm, and Alison dos Santos) kicked off the meet by racing head-to-head-to-head. This time, it was Benjamin – the only athlete of the trio without a World/Olympic gold – who came out on top, building on his world-leading 46.46 in Eugene with a 46.67 and 0.07-second margin of victory over Warholm in Monaco. Does this make Benjamin the favorite for gold? Well, if you ask our New York-based contributors, the Mount Vernon native is their favorite (but the people of Oslo might feel differently). It certainly tipped the scales a bit in Benjamin’s favor, however, as he’s now beaten the winners of the last five global titles in one race.

Noah Lyles withdraws from Monaco:

How do the good people of fancypants city-state Monaco feel about Yu-Gi-Oh Cards? We’ll have to wait another year to see, as Noah Lyles was a late scratch from last week’s Diamond League meeting, citing a desire to get in one more solid week of training at his Florida home base. Sounds reasonable enough. Even if that’s code for “I’m a little banged up at the moment,” are we hitting the panic switch? Not quite. And seeing Lyles on the start list for the 100m in London one week later is hopefully a sign he’s not hiding a more serious issue.

Letsile Tebogo looks real smooth:

In Lyles’s absence, does Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo cruising to a comfortable 19.87 win in the 200m make us think the 3x World champ could be vulnerable over the longer sprint? Sadly for Tebogo fans, we’re not sold yet. Unless and until Tebogo looks that good dropping times in the 19.5 range, we think his best chance to upset Lyles is still likely the 100m. (Interview)

Rhasidat Adeleke’s big win:

The Irish star looked dominant as she cruised down the homestretch to break the tape. It wasn’t the deepest 400m field ever assembled, but including Adeleke, it did feature three women who have posted top-10 marks globally this year. Adeleke hasn’t broken 49 yet and lost head-to-head to one of the three women who has (European champ Natalia Kaczmarek), but the 21-year-old coming into championship form under the experienced guidance of coach Edrick Floreal makes us think that a medal of any color isn’t a crazy goal.

Jessica Hull’s world record:

Does Jessica Hull’s 2000m world record (yes, it’s officially a World Athletics-recognized record, not a “world best”) change our perception of her medal chances in Paris? Only if you were on vacation last week and missed her 3:50.83 1500m! Hull has also beaten plenty of middle-distance medal contenders head to head this year (including World Indoor champ Elle St. Pierre, twice), so if you needed a “WR” next to her name to be convinced of her potential, you weren’t paying attention. (Interview)

Quincy Hall breaks through:

Has Quincy Hall leveled up? The 2023 World bronze medalist at 400m is having a dream summer so far, that’s for sure. First, Hall won the U.S. Trials in something of an upset over Michael Norman. Then this past Friday he became the first man in the world to dip under 44 seconds this year, going 43.80 for the win. Bolstering Hall’s case for gold: Canadian Christopher Morales-Williams, previously the fastest 400m man in the world in 2024, is looking mighty vulnerable after a long NCAA season. He only mustered a 45.11 showing for sixth in the same race. Hall will still have to go through Olympic champ Steven Gardiner, who’s undefeated on the year, but he’s putting up the kind of times to make a credible case for gold. (Interview)

Julien Alfred keeps rolling:

One of the quieter results from Monaco that maybe should get some more noise is Julien Alfred’s 10.85 victory in the 100m into a 1.0 m/s headwind. Sure, that’s slower than her season’s best of 10.78, but she looked damn comfortable doing it. With Elaine Thompson-Herah out, Shericka Jackson DNFing races, and early-2024 world leader Jacious Sears not even contesting Trials, the podium battle in this event looks a lot less crowded than it did a few months ago.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen gets back under 3:27:

Now that the Ingedaddy has run 3:26.73, it’s so over for Josh Kerr. Just kidding. Ingebrigtsen ran less than half a second slower in July 2023 and still finished second to Kerr in Budapest. The dominant run in Monaco is a great sign that Ingebrigtsen has shaken off the last of his winter injury rust and is back to full form – and he certainly is capable of defending his Olympic 1500m title. But it’s far from a sure thing.