Record-Breaking Performances Illuminate Opening Day of Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels
Allianz Memorial van Damme in Brussels, the Wanda Diamond League Final commenced with spectacular performances on Friday. Mondo Duplantis, a pole vault phenom, and Matthew Denny, an Australian discus thrower, shattered meeting records, setting the tone for an electrifying day of competition. Noteworthy achievements included Julien Alfred's swift victory in the 100m, Berihu Aregawi's exceptionally fast 5000m run, one of the quickest in history, and Amos Serem's notable win that halted Soufiane El Bakkali’s three-year steeplechase dominance. Additionally, Jacob Ingebrigesten secured a commanding win in the 1500m, further highlighting the event's high-caliber athletics.
Men’s pole vault:
Armand Duplantis won his fourth Diamond League Trophy as he was the only pole vaulter to clear 5.92m. He had a clean sheet clearing 5.82m, 5.92m on his first attempt. He raised the bar to 6.11m, one cm higher than the meeting record he set last year. He cleared 6.11m on his first attempt on his third jump of the night to set the meeting record of 6.11m in his first attempt on a chilly evening to take his fourth consecutive win at the Memorial Van Damme. Emmanouil Karalis cleared 5.62m and 5.82m in his first attempt to beat Ben Broeders and Sam Kendricks on countback.
Armand Duplantis: “My legs felt terrible tonight and I´m just really tired. It´s been a crazy couple of weeks: the race against Karsten and then I had to jump the day after. That took a lot more from my body than I expected. With 6m11 I got a good result, but the world record wasn´t meant to be tonight. It´s not easy to do better each time. Everything needs to come together. I had some good jumps tonight and I´m really happy about that. Now it´s time to celebrate my beautiful season: I will drink some good Belgian beers tonight for sure.”
Men’s discus throw:
Last year’s Diamond League champion Matthew Denny took the early lead with 69.96m in the first round improving the Australian and meeting record set by Imrich Bugar in 1984. Denny threw over the 68 metres barrier twice more with 68.77m in the second round and 68.36m in the sixth round. Mykolas Alekna finished second with a throw of 68.86m.
Matthew Denny: “It´s nice to go back to back and take the win again today, it feels really great. I am in great shape so I knew something great was going to happen but I knew I had to give it my all to win from this guys today. I am just super happy. It´s been a long year and then to finish with a national record and just a few cm´s short of 70m. And first win of the year in this field also honestly, these guys really brought the best out of me. After Paris I went home for two weeks, back to Australia and just enjoy time there with my wife and family. I came back two days before Rome and trained in Montpellier, then in Zagreb I noticed some progress and the last days I was in Cologne and took the train here. A lof of athletes suffered from the cold but for me personally, it was okay, normally Australians hate the cold but I grew up in Queensland, so I am used to cold winters and I crave it and obviously showed that tonight. For now, I have to take two weeks off, just a bit of resting. Next year will be a long year so it´s important to start well rested. The men´s discus isn´t going to get any less competitive. Next year I am really aiming for 70m, I wasn´t far off this evening. I really had fun this evening, I think that helped as well, Brussels is just a fun meeting”.
Men’s 5000 metres:
Four men dipped under the 12:50 barrier. Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi regained the Diamond League title he won in the men’ 5000 metres two years after his first triumph. Aregawi set a seasonal best of 12:43.66 holding off his compatriots Hagos Gebrhiwet (12:44.25) and Telahun Haile Bekele (12:45.63). Aregawi ran the 18th fastest performance in history. Nicholas Kipkorir was the first Kenyan athlete in fourth place in 12:49.59 ahead of Yomif Kejelcha (12:51.28).
Berihu Aregawi: “The crowd was amazing, so I´m thankful for the support today. It was cold, very cold. But losing was not an option today, so very happy with the win here in Brussels”.
Women’s high jump:
Olympic, world and European champion Yaroslava Mahuchik cleared all heights at 1.88m, 1.92m. 1-95m and 1.98m in her first attempt to beat Nicola Olyslagers on countback. The Australian jumper cleared 1.88m and 1.92m at the first attempt but she needed two attempts to clear. 1.95m and 1..97m at the second time of asking. Olympic bronze medallist Iryna Gerashchenko took third place with 1.92m.
Yaroslava Mahuchik: I´m so happy to get the trophy back after I lost it last year. It was a hard competition, so I´m proud of myself for getting the Diamond back.
Women’s 100 metres:
Olympic champion Julien Alfred from Santa Lucia had to dig deep to edge European champion Dina Asher Smith in 10.88. Asher Smith, winner in Brussels in 2019, too second place in 10.92 ahead of Marie José Ta Lou (10.09) and Daryll Neita (11.14).
Julien Alfred: “I am so happy, it feels amazing to finish my season on a good note and to take the win. I am just so proud of myself. My preparation was a bit difficult, it was really hard for me after Zurich. But I think that actually prepared me for Brussels. That gave me the energy to do so good today. And during the race I tried to relax and to enjoy the last race of my season. But I think losing kind of put me up again, I had to perform. I wanted to prove to myself that I deserve to be here and that I am not a one time thing. Because after Zurich I watched the race on YouTube to analyze my race and I read some comments that said I was a one time thing and that´s really not nice to say. But I was here to prove to myself that I can win. But sometimes those comments can be very hard. And now I am going back to Saint Lucia and to Aruba! Last year I stayed in Austin but not this year”
Dina Asher Smith: “I´m really happy for Julien, she´s continuing her journey as the champion that she is. At the end of the day, you always want to run fast. Doesn´t matter if it´s the first or the last race of the season. But this performances gives me a lot of courage for next year. And I´m used to the European weather, but still, it was cold today”
Men’s 1500 metres:
Jakob Ingebrigtsen defended his Diamond League title in 3:30.47 bouncing back from his defeat against Yared Nuguse in Zurich. The Norwegian star claimed the fourth Diamond League Trophy of his career. Timothy Cherouiyot, five-time Diamond League champion, finished second in 3:30.93 ahead of Olympic champion Cole Hoccker (3:30.94), Azzedine Habz (3:31.97) and Jochem Vrrmeulen from Belgium (3:32.15). Yared Nuguse had to settle with sixt place in 3:32.30.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen: “This is my fourth trophy, or only my fourth trophy, I hope to win many more. My race went really good, the goal was obviously to finish first and I did that. For the whole season, I had some good races and some bad races so I hope to perform better next year. I still have some improvements to do and to just keep working hard. And for now, off season starts and I´m going to spend some time with my family.
Women’s 800 metres:
Mary Moraa from Kenya regained the Diamond League title she won in 2022 in Zurich with a seasonal best of 1:56.56. Olympic 1500 metres bronze medalllist Georgia Bell placed second in 1:57.50 ahead of Jamaica’s Natoya Goule Toppin (1:58.94).
Mary Moraa: I´m so happy to get the trophy back after I lost it last year. It was a hard competition, so I´m proud of myself for getting the Diamond back”
Men’s 100 metres:
World indoor bronze medallist Ackeem Blake stormed to a win in the 100 metres in 9.93 to win his first Diamond Trophy. Last year’s Diamond League winner Christian Coleman finished second in 10.00 holding off Olympic bronze medallist Fred Kerley (10.01). Emmanuel Eseme took fourth place in 10.09 ahead of Akani Simbine (10.10).
Ackeem Blake: “For me it was a surprise to win here today. It was a very competitive field and it was also my first DL final. This really means a lot to me. It was rather cold to sprint tonight, but I still ran a time pretty close to my personal best. I´ve been working very hard this season and I kept motivated. That´s why I am so strong at the end of this season. I know what I am capable of and I know that this is only the beginning. There´s much more to come in the next years.”
Men’s 110 metres hurdles:
Sasha Zhoya held off European champion Lorenzo Simonelli to win the Diamond League final in 13.16. Zhoya won his third Diamond League race of the season after taking victories in Paris and Rome. Simonelli also crowned a successful season with a second place in 13.22 ahead of Freddie Crittenden (13.24).
Sasha Zhoya: “It wasn´t my best race, a bit difficult in the beginning but the goal was to take the win this evening, so for that I´m happy. I was aiming for a good time but that will have to wait. I am already happy about winning my races and to perform well. In the beginning of the season I suffered from an injury so I was still trying to show what I am capable off. I´m doing really great on training so I was hoping to get a better time. But, for now, I run pain-free and I hope to have an injury-free season next year. But for now, it´s holiday´s and rest! I will take a little break but afterwards it´s full focus on for the next season”
Women’s shot put:
World indoor champion Sarah Mitton from Canada won the women’s shot put with 20.25m in the third roumd bouncing back from her disappointment at the Olympic Games where she had to settle with 12th place.
Mitton put an end to the two-year reign in the Diamond League of Chase Ealey, who threw to 19.90m in the fifth round. Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye took third place with a throw of 19.72m in the third round.
Sarah Mitton: “I am so happy, it feels amazing to finish my season on a good note and to take the win. I am just so proud of myself. My preparation was a bit difficult, it was really hard for me after Zurich. But I think that actually prepared me for Brussels. That gave me the energy to do so good today. And during the race I tried to relax and to enjoy the last race of my season. But I think losing kind of put me up again, I had to perform. I wanted to prove to myself that I deserve to be here and that I am not a one time thing. Because after Zurich I watched the race on YouTube to analyze my race and I read some comments that said I was a one time thing and that´s really not nice to say. But I was here to prove to myself that I can win. But sometimes those comments can be very hard. And now I am going back to Saint Lucia and to Aruba! Last year I stayed in Austin but not this year.
Women’s discus throw:
Bin Feng took the early lead with 67.08m in the second round, but Valarie Allman overtook the Chinese thrower with 68.47m in the third round to take the lead. Nobody could improve Allman’s best throw in the final round. Allman won her fourth Diamond League in a row. Bin Feng improved to 67.49m in the final round to take second place. Yaimé Perez finished third with 66.96m ahead of Sandra Elkasevic (65.10).
Valarie Allman: “I feel so happy, I really dreamed of a season like this, I really didn´t think it would be possible to have an undefeated season. I just fought really hard and I have such an amazing team and we just made the most of every opportunity. I just have so many great memories of this season. Brussels was the last one and it was the hardest one to prepare for, you know the Diamond League is a set of competitions that we really focus on and value and I got my fourth trophy and I´m just so happy. I knew the competiton would be intense being only six competitors. And now off season! I really can´t wait for your fries, waffles and chocolate!
Women’s 400 metres:
Olympic and world champion Marileidy Paulino from Dominican Republic won the women’s 400 metres in 49.45 claiming her third consecutive Diamond League title. Olympic 4x400 relay champion Alexis Holmes finished second in 50.32 ahead of Rhasidat Adeleke (50..96).
Marileidy Paulino: “I ran a decent race at the end of a very long season. Of course I would have loved to run faster and closer to my personal best, but it was really, really cold tonight. This season was fantastic for me. With the gold medal in Paris, I can say now that I won all the titles that I could win. Still that doesn´t mean that I don´t have any goals left for the next seasons. I want to become better and still win medals at the major championships”
Women’s 400 metres (non-Diamond League scoring event):
Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin Levrone won an invitational 400 m race in 49.11. Jamaica’ Stacey Ann Williams finished a distance second in 50.53.
Sydney McLaughlin Levrone: “Running the 400m at the end of the season definitely hurts a little bit more and I felt the cramping. That is why I chose to run with long pants, just to be safe. But I felt strong during the race. Now we're gonna go home, rest a bit and decide tomorrow to run the 200m or not”.
Men’s 400 metres:
European silver medallist Charles Dobson from Great Britain won the men’s 400 metres in 44.49 ahead of Kirani James (44.63) and Muzala Samukonga from Zambia (44.69).
Men’s long jump:
Tajay Gayle, who won the world title in Doha 2019, leapt to 8.28m in the first round to take the early lead. Simon Ehammer pulled out a jump of 8.16m in the final round to take second place. Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou from Greece jumped 8.15m in the sixth round to finish third. Olympic bronze medallist Mattia Furlani placed fourth with 7.88m.
Tajay Gayle: “I put everything in the first two attempts because of the cold weather and it worked out. A jump around 8.30 was my goal today, so I just missed out on that. But I know that the cold would become a factor during the competition, so I´m happy that I was able to make it work in that first two attempts because my nose and chest were getting very cold.
Men’s 3000 metres steeplechase:
Kenya’s 22-year-old Amos Serem claimed a surprising win in the women’s 3000 metres steeplechase in 8:06.90 ahead of double Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali (8:08.60), Serem ended El Bakkali’s three-year winning streak. Mohamed jhinaoui from Tunisia (8:09.60) and Abraham Kibiwot (8:10.51).
Amos Serem: “Today, the race was so good. I was competing against the Olympic champion El Bakkali, and I won. I felt really great today, I believed I could but I didn´t expect it. But I am so happy to close my season like this and to hopefully come back next year. I will prepare for next year and try to be even better!
Women’s triple jump:
Leyanis Perez Hernandez claimed the win in the women’s triple jump with a leap to 14.37m in the second round. Shanieka Rickets took second place with 14.22m ahead of her compatriot Ackelia Smith (14.11m).
Leyanis Perez Hernandez:
It was a good competition, but I didn´t get the result that I wanted. Now I have to get back to training and try to be even stronger and better next season. It was really sad that I couldn´t participate in the Olympics, because I was in excellent shape and I knew that I could get a good result there. Unfortunately it was out of my hands and I couldn´t do anything about it. Mentally it wasn´t easy, but hopefully I wil be able to be at the Olympics in LA. My next goal is now the World Championships next year and after that we will see.
