Everything you need to know about this weekend’s Memorial Van Damme match in the Belgian capital
The Diamond League finale of the season will take place in Brussels and will welcome many of the world’s best athletes to the 50,000-seat King Baudouin Stadium over two days (September 13-14).
A host of Olympic champions and medalists will travel to Brussels as they try to win the Diamond League trophy and take home the top prize of $30,000 in each discipline.
Ahead of the main Diamond League programme, there will also be para-athletes, a national race and a relay for young athletes.
Around 70,000 tickets have been sold so far and UK viewers can also watch live on BBC Two and BBC Three live on both days from 7-9pm BST respectively.
So who should you be looking forward to watching?
Mondo Duplantis in Brussels (Getty)
Mondo Duplantis aims to rise again
Mondo Duplantis has had another stellar season and will aim to end it in some style.
The Swedish pole vault superstar loves competing in Brussels and last year set a meet record of 6.10m, narrowly missing out on what would have been a world record of 6.23m at the time.
In 2024, Duplantis has broken his personal best three times and, if he is in top form and the conditions are good, could clear 6.27m in the Belgian capital.
Duplantis’ main competitors will be Greece’s Emanuel Karalis and USA’s Sam Kendricks, who have both jumped over six meters this season.
KC Lightfoot, Chris Nilsen, Ben Broeders and Thibaut Collet complete the lineup.
Letsile Tebogo – The best of Letsile Tebogo
Letsile Tebogo leads a strong 200m
Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo hopes to see off a strong US challenge in the spectacular men’s 200m race.
Tebogo has not lost a race in either the 100m or 200m since winning gold in the latter in Paris a month ago.
That time of 19.46 puts Tebogo fifth on the all-time 200m list, with only Usain Bolt, Johan Blake, Noah Lyles and Michael Johnson having gone faster.
Tebogo will likely need to be at his best to win as Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek is in good form.
The American narrowly beat Tebogo in the Zurich Diamond League to clock 19.57, which was eighth on the all-time 200m list, ahead of Botswana’s 19.55.
Other American athletes include the likes of Fred Curley, Kyrie King, Courtney Lindsay and Eri’on Knighton, while Joseph Fahnbulle and Alexander Ogando are also in the field.
Faith Kipyegon (Getty)
Faith Kipyegon will be favorite over 1500m
Faith Kipeigon has her sights set on a fifth Diamond League trophy and you won’t put it past Kenya in Brussels.
At the Paris Olympics, Kipyegon won a record third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 1,500 m and also took silver in the 5,000 m.
A month earlier, in the same city, Kipyegon set her own 1500m world record in 3:49.04 and remains the only woman in history to run sub-3:50 over the distance.
Her closest challenge in Brussels is likely to come from Australia’s Jessica Hull, who is now fifth on the all-time list after running 3:50.83 in the world record race.
New British 1500m record holder Georgia Bell is likely to pose a threat and alert national 2000m record holder Melissa Courtney-Bryant.
Also don’t count out Ethiopians Diribe Velteji and Birke Hylom, who have respective personal bests of 3:52.75 and 3:53.22.
Neeraj Chopra (Getty)
Hoping to spear Neeraj Chopra, the first throw over 90m
World javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra is the standout name on paper in what is expected to be a competitive men’s javelin in Brussels.
The 2020 Olympic and reigning world champion has a season’s best of 89.49m and will no doubt be aiming to improve on his personal best of 89.94m.
If Chopra can clear that illusive 90m mark, he will give himself a great chance to win the Diamond League final.
Anderson Peters potentially competes as favorite with a season best of 90.61m.
Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic and Julian Weber of Germany should also be kept an eye on.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Getty)
Emmanuel Vagnoni is closing in on the 800m world record
David Rudisha still holds the 800m world record of 1:40.91, but this year saw the biggest challenge to what appeared to be an untouchable mark.
After winning the Olympic 800m in Paris in 1:41.19, Emmanuel Vagnoni clocked 1:41.11 at the Diamond League in Lausanne, tied for the fourth-fastest time in history with Wilson Kipketer.
However, Vagnoni is not the only athlete in incredible form in Brussels.
Marco Arop (1:41.20), Jamel Sejati (1:41.46) and Gabriel Tual (1:41.61) have all gone under 1:42 this season and are more than likely to test Vanyon in the Diamond League final.
The British challenge will be led by Ben Pattison, who ran 1:42.27 earlier this season to move second on the UK all-time list behind Seb Coe.
Olympic Games Women’s 100m Final (River)
Julien Alfred – Shaw Carey Richardson 100m
One of the most anticipated events in Brussels will be the women’s 100m, and more specifically, another battle between Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred and world 100m champion Sha Kari Richardson.
Alfred beat Richardson in Paris with a winning time of 10.72 to become St. Lucia’s first ever gold medalist.
In the Zurich Diamond League, Richardson just edged out Alfred and the pair will meet again in the Belgian capital.
Dinah Usher-Smith has broken 10.9 twice since the Olympics and could close in on her British record of 10.83 in Brussels if the conditions are favourable.
Daryl Neita, who finished fourth in the 100m and fifth over 200m at the Games, is also part of a star-studded line-up.
Jared Nuguse and Jacob Ingebrigtsen (Getty)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen renews the competition in the 1500m
Fans of the men’s 1500m have been treated to some incredible clashes this season and this one in Brussels will be no different.
Although world 1500m champion and Olympic silver medalist Josh Kerr will not be in attendance, those in the stadium will still be able to watch Jakob Ingebrigtsen – Cole Hawker – Jared Nuguese.
Nuguze won Zurich Diamond League accolades in the metric mile, while Hawker won the biggest prize of them all, gold at the Olympics.
However, if Ingebrigtsen is fully fit, could he potentially improve on his personal best of 3:26.73 and move closer to his place? Hicham El Gerouj’s nearly unbroken world record of 3:26.00?
From a British perspective, Elliott Giles will certainly be aiming to go under 3:30 for the first time in his career, becoming the best. road mile world record holder: 3:51.3.
Beatrice Chebet (Getty)
Béatrice Chebet’s world record is over 5000m
Beatrice Chebet had a standout season that included success on the track and cross country.
After winning the 5km world title last year and setting a world record of 14:13, Chebet picked up where he left off at the start of 2024.
In tough conditions in Belgrade, he retained his individual top world crown and was also part of the Kenyan team that once again won the world event.
Then, at the Olympics, Chebet rounded out a world-class field, becoming the 5,000m Olympic champion, adding to his 10,000m gold from Tokyo.
At the Zurich Diamond League, he ran 14:09.52, a world record attempt, and set his sights on Gudaf Tsega’s 14:00.21.
With the new track in Brussels, can Chebet become the first woman to run under 14 minutes for 5000m?
Ryan Kruser (Getty)
Ryan Kruser is looking for another ball trophy
The standout name in men’s shooting is three-time Olympic champion and world record holder Ryan Kruser.
After a series of injuries that included a pinched nerve in his right elbow and a torn pectoral muscle, there were doubts that Cruiser would even make it to the Olympics.
However, the American athlete did not take the odds and not only competed in Paris, but also won the gold medal with a personal best of 22.90m.
Cruiser hasn’t been at his best all season and it’s actually compatriot and three-time Olympic silver medalist Joe Kovacs who has the biggest throw of 23.13m.
However, Kruser’s biggest mark of the year (22.93m) came last week at the Boris Hanjekovic Memorial in Croatia.
Therefore, it could once again be a close battle between the two Americans.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levron (Getty)
Sydney McLaughlin-Levron doubles in ‘special’ 200m/400m races
Sydney McLaughlin-LeVron will not participate in the official Diamond League program, but She will double up in both the 200m and 400m in Brussels.
The 400m hurdles world record holder and multiple Olympic champion was ineligible for a world wild card as she has not competed in a Diamond League race this season.
However, organizers of the Van Damme Memorial have added the 200 meters and 400 meters to “honor his remarkable achievements”.
McLaughlin-Levron won her second Olympic gold medal in the 400m hurdles in Paris. breaking his own world record of 50.37 – and was also part of the US women’s 4x400m team that stood atop the podium.
However, in individual flat races his speed is noticeable and he boasts personal bests of 22.07 and 48.74 respectively.
Sanya Richards-Ross holds the US record at 48.70, and if McLaughlin-Levron runs well, it’s bound to happen.
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