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≡ DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡
The finale of the Wanda Diamond League for 2024 takes place on Friday and Saturday in Brussels at the Memorial Van Damme meet, with added races for U.S. star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on both days.
There is more money at stake: the Diamond League Final pays $30,000-12,000-7,000-4,000-2,500-2,000-1,500-1,000 for the top eight places. However, entries must have qualified during the season, so some of the season’s stars are not competing.
On Friday, Olympic gold medalists will be in action in nine events:
● Men/1,500 m: Another match-up of Paris winner Cole Hocker (USA), bronze medalist Yared Nuguse of the U.S. and Tokyo 2020 gold medalist (and Paris 5,000 m winner) Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway.
● Men/Steeple: Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, now a two-time Olympic gold medalist, faces world no. 2s Amos Serem (KEN: 8:02.36) and Abraham Seme (ETH: 8:02.36).
● Men/Vault: All-conquering Mondo Duplantis (SWE) is back, after setting three world records this season, along with silver winner Sam Kendricks of the U.S. and bronze winner Emmanouil Karalis of Greece.
● Men/Long Jump: Greece’s two-time Olympic winner Miltiadis Tentoglou is in, along with silver medalist Wayne Pinnock. Tentoglou says he doesn’t have much motivation right now; is $30,000 enough?
● Women/100 m: Paris winner Julien Alfred (LCA) is back to battle 2023 World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the U.S., plus 2019 200 m World champ Dina Asher-Smith (GBR).
● Women/400 m: Olympic star Marileidy Paulino (DOM) is the headliner in the Diamond League final ahead of silver winner Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) and finalist Alexis Holmes of the U.S. McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400 m hurdles winner, will be in an invitational race with a shot at the American Record of 48.70 by Sanya Richards-Ross from 2006.
● Women/High Jump: Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh has the Olympic gold and the world record and will compete against Australia’s silver and bronze winners from Paris: Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson.
● Women/Shot: Surprise Olympic winner Yemisi Onguleye (GER) will face a real challenge from World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton (CAN) and two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S.
● Women/Discus: Two-time Olympic winner Valarie Allman of the U.S. is the feature, but Cuban Yaime Perez is the world leader at 73.09 m (239-9) from April.
Americans Fred Kerley (Paris bronze) and Christian Coleman (2019 World Champion) are in the men’s 100 m, Paris silver medalist Daniel Roberts leads the 110 m hurdles, and silver-bronze winners Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) and Muzala Samukonga (ZAM) are in the 400 m.
World-record setter and Paris silver winner Mykolas Alekna (LTU) is in the discus, along with bronzer Matt Denny (AUS), Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ Daniel Stahl (SWE) and 2022 World Champion Kristjian Ceh (SLO). Kenya’s 2023 World Champion Mary Moraa leads the women’s 800 m field and the Paris 2-3 finishers in the women’s triple jump – Shanieka Ricketts (JAM) and Jasmine Moore of the U.S. – are in.
On Saturday, eight more events with Olympic champions from Paris:
● Men/200 m: Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo is the world leader at 19.46 and has been on fire, once again facing Olympic runner-up Kenny Bednarek of the U.S., Paris fourth-placer Erriyon Knighton and Americans Courtney Lindsey and Kerley.
● Men/800 m: In a year in which as astonishing five men have run under 1:42, could Kenyan David Rudisha’s 1:40.91 world record from 2012 be under attack? Olympic champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN: 1:41.11), runner-up Marco Arop (CAN: 1:41.20) and bronzer Djamel Sedjati (ALG: 1:41.46) are all in, along with France’s Gabriel Tual (1:41.61).
● Men/Shot: Another showdown between triple Olympic winner Ryan Crouser of the U.S. and teammate, triple Olympic silver medalist Joe Kovacs, the world leader at 23.13 m (75-10 3/4), plus bronze winner Rajindra Campbell (JAM) and European champ Leonardo Fabbri (ITA).
● Women/1,500 m: Triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon (KEN) is in, along with silver winner Jess Hull (AUS) and bronzer Georgia Bell of Great Britain. Will Kipyegon just run to win, or ready to go something special; she set the world record of 3:49.04 in Paris in early July.
● Women/Steeple: Paris champ Winfred Yavi just missed the world record in Rome on 30 August, with Tokyo 2020 gold medalist Peruth Chemutai (UGA) not far behind. Kenya’s Faith Cherotich, third in Paris, will also be in the mixed.
● Women/5,000 m: Kenya’s 5,000-10,000 m Olympic champ Beatrice Chebet looks unbeatable, but says the world record (14:00.21) is out of reach this year. World nos. 2-3 – Ethiopians Tsigie Gebreselema (14:18.76) and Ejgayehu Taye (14:18.92) will make sure she doesn’t fall asleep.
● Women/Vault: This has been Australian Nina Kennedy’s year, winning the Olympic gold, now facing Olympic bronzer Alysha Newman (CAN) and world leader Molly Caudery (GBR: 4.92 m/16-1 3/4).
● Women/Javelin: Japan’s Paris champ Haruka Kitaguchi is in, along with 2023 Worlds bronze winner Mackenzie Little (AUS).
In the men’s 400 m hurdles, 2022 World Champion Alison dos Santos (BRA) is the headliner, and Paris silver medalist Shelby MacEwen (USA) and Tokyo 2020 co-winner Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA) are the stars in the men’s high jump. Portugal’s Paris triple jump silver winner Pedro Pichardo leads the triple jump and Paris silver-bronze winners Neeraj Chopra (IND) and Anderson Peters (GRN) lead the javelin.
In the women’s invitational 200 m, McLaughlin-Levrone is the feature, while Paris bronze winner Brittany Brown and 2023 Worlds bronze medalist Richardson of the U.S. are the top entries in the Diamond League race.
Tokyo 2020 gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR), Paris runner-up Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA) and Jamaica’s world leader, Ackera Nugent (12.24) are the leaders in the 100 m hurdles. American Anna Cockrell (Paris silver) and Dutch star Femke Bol (Paris bronze) are the ones to watch in the 400 m hurdles and American bronze winner Moore is in the women’s long jump.
In the U.S., the meet will be shown live only on the Peacock streaming service, from 1:53 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday; the early start will catch McLaughlin-Levrone in the women’s 400 m. Same time on Saturday; there will be replays on CNBC on Saturday from 12-2 p.m. Eastern and on Sunday from 1-3 p.m. Eastern.
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