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The women’s 800 metres lived up to all expectations. The double-lap race has been a spectacle all season, and the Wanda Diamond League final in Brussels was no exception. Audrey Werro looked set for victory, but in the final straight, Femke Broeders-Bol made a fierce charge. In the end, the Dutch runner fell just short of snatching victory from the Swiss athlete: 1:54.75 versus 1:54.81. Werro’s winning time is a new meeting record. The previous record of 1:55.08 had been held by the Kenyan Pamela Jelimo since 2008.
Alison dos Santos faced ‘no’ opposition in the 400-metre hurdles, yet the packed King Baudouin Stadium thoroughly enjoyed watching the graceful Brazilian. The world record holder won with a new meeting record of 46.70, shattering the 30-year-old meeting record set by the American André Philiips (47.51). For dos Santos, this is his third victory in the Wanda Diamond League. The American Trevor Bassitt (48.03) and dos Santos’ compatriot Matheus Lima (48.18) finished second and third respectively.
Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas got off to a flying start in the 100-metre hurdles, but in the final few tens of metres, top favourite Masai Russell surged past her. The American Olympic Champion, who set a new world record of 12.09 in Zurich last week, triumphed in Brussels in 12.20, a new meeting record (7 hundredths faster than Jasmine Camacho Quinn in 2022). Charlton finished second in a new Bahamian record (12.33), whilst Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds (12.43) took third place.
BEST WORLD PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR
Kenneth Bednarek has been crowned Wanda Diamond League Champion in the 200 metres for the third time in his career. The Olympic silver medallist comfortably beat South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile (19.89) and Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba (19.99). Olympic Champion Letsile Tebogo from Botswana finished in fourth place (20.01). With his time of 19.62, Bednarek equalled the world’s best performance of the year, which he himself had set last week in Zurich.
In the 1,500 metres, Klaudia Kazimierska put in a brilliant performance. The 25-year-old Polish runner, the European silver medallist, won in 3:54.04 ahead of the Kenyan Dorcus Ewoi (3:54.72, PB) and the Australian Jessica Hull (3:54.73). British European Champion Georgia Hunter Bell finished fourth in 3:56.40. Kazimierska broke the Polish record and the meeting record (held by Faith Kipyegon, 3:54.75 in 2024) and set the world’s best time of the year. The previous world lead had been set on 23 August in Silesia, Poland, by the Ethiopian Tsige Duguma (3:55.06).
The 5,000 metres was a particularly high-calibre and fast final. Birhanu Balew from Bahrain ran a strong finishing spurt to victory in 12:45.70, a world-leading time for the year (approximately 2 seconds faster than Addisu Yihune in Oslo on 10 June) and a new Asian record. Egide Ntakarutimana of Burundi finished second in a new national record of 12:46.73, whilst Cornelius Kemboi of Kenya came third in a new personal best of 12:47.29.
Rajindra Campbell was the surprise winner of the shot put. The 30-year-old Jamaican, who finished third at the Paris Olympics, achieved a formidable 23.08m on his sixth and final attempt. This is a new world-leading performance for the year: 34 cm better than Leonardo Fabbri’s mark in Eugene on 4 July. The Italian has also lost his meeting record, which stood at 22.98m (set in 2024). Fabbri had to settle for fourth place in Brussels (22m03). Second and third places went to the USA’s Jordan Geist (22m23) and Joe Kovacs (22m09).
MEETING RECORDS FROM 2009, 2017 AND 2022 ALSO BROKEN
In the 400 metres, Marileidy Paulino was crowned Wanda Diamond League Champion for the fourth time in her career. The 29-year-old star from the Dominican Republic, the reigning World Champion, won convincingly in 48.64. In doing so, Paulino improved on Sanya Richards-Ross’ 17-year-old meeting record by 19 hundredths of a second and finished just 16 hundredths of a second above her own best world performance of the year.
In the triple jump, European Champion Andy Diaz Hernandez claimed victory in the Wanda Diamond League for the fourth time. The Italian recorded 17.74 metres on his first attempt, a distance that was not surpassed by his rivals. Portuguese World Champion Pedro Pichardo finished second with 17.51 metres, whilst Jamaican Jordan Scott came third with 17.18 metres. Diaz Hernandez’s 17.74 metres also set a new meeting record, 8 cm better than Christian Taylor seven years ago.
Yan Ziyi also set a meeting record. The 18-year-old Chinese javelin thrower threw the javelin 68 metres and 42 centimetres on her fifth attempt. That was more than enough for victory, as the Japanese Olympic Champion Haruka Kitaguchi finished second with 65.44 metres. Third place went to the Colombian Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado with 64m07. With 68m42, Yan Ziyi beat the previous meeting record – held by the American Kara Winger since 2022 – by 31 cm.
CLAYTON SPRINT CHAMPION, GODANA OUTPACES EL BAKKALI
Tina Clayton won the 100 metres in convincing fashion. The Jamaican clocked 10.93 and was the only runner to stay under 11 seconds. Second place went to the British European Champion Amy Hunt in 11.06. The American Sha’Carri Richardson finished third in 11.07.
There was a surprise in the 3,000-metre steeplechase. It was not the Moroccan hot favourite Soufiane El Bakkali, a two-time World and Olympic Champion, but the 20-year-old Ethiopian prodigy Gemechu Godana (8:08.67) who was crowned Wanda Diamond League Champion. El Bakkali finished second in 8:10.03. The Kenyan Simon Koech came third in 8:11.15.
PATTERSON CLEARS HIGHER THAN MAHUCHIKH
In the high jump, Australia’s Eleanor Patterson was the only athlete to clear the 2-metre mark – 2m01 to be precise. For the 2022 World Champion, this is her first overall victory in the Wanda Diamond League. Olympic Champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh missed out on a fourth overall victory and had to settle for second place with a jump of 1.99 metres. Another Australian, World Champion Nicola Olyslagers, came third with 1.95 metres. She was last season’s Wanda Diamond League Champion.
It was not World Champion Katie Moon, but another American, Hana Moll, who is the new Wanda Diamond League Champion in the pole vault. With a jump of 4m91 – a new personal best – she left the competition trailing in her wake. Switzerland’s Angelica Moser took second place (4m80), whilst Slovenia’s Tina Sutej (4m70) came third. Moon also cleared 4m70, but with more failed attempts along the way, she finished fourth.
Monae’ Nichols won the long jump with a jump of 6.91 metres. The American finished ahead of Italy’s Larissa Iapichino (6.86 metres) and her compatriot Claire Bryant (6.83 metres).
In the javelin throw, Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage lived up to his role as favourite. The Sri Lankan, who dominated this year’s Wanda Diamond League with four victories, was also convincingly the best at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme. Pathirage won with 89m04. Poland’s Dawid Wegner (87m47) finished second, whilst World Champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago (83m99) came third.
ALL WANDA DIAMOND LEAGUE CHAMPIONS OF SATURDAY NIGHT:
Men:
Shot put: Rajindra Campbell
Triple jump: Andy Diaz Hernandez
5,000 metres: Birhanu Balew
Javelin: Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage
200 metres: Kenneth Bednarek
3,000 metres steeplechase: Gemechu Godana
400-metre hurdles: Alison dos Santos
Women:
Javelin: Yan Ziyi
Pole vault: Hana Moll
400 metres: Marileidy Paulino
High jump: Eleanor Patterson
100 metres: Tina Clayton
Long jump: Monae’ Nichols
1,500 metres: Klaudia Kazimierska
100-metre hurdles: Masai Russell
800 metres: Audrey Werro