Nafi Thiam in the high jump

Every year, the Allianz Memorial Van Damme welcomes the biggest international and Belgian stars of athletics, and Nafi Thiam is obviously one of them. The three-time Olympic Heptathlon Champion will be one of the main draws of the high jump on Saturday 5 September.

In a month’s time, Nafi Thiam will be making her eleventh appearance at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, her ninth in the high jump. On the previous two occasions, the five-time Belgian Sportswoman of the Year opted for the long jump. Thiam made her debut at the King Baudouin Stadium as an 18-year-old in 2012.

This year marks the 50th edition of the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, which once again serves as the final of the Wanda Diamond League. This means that, just as in 2024, the Memorial will be a two-day spectacle. The women’s high jump final is scheduled for Saturday night. The top favourite is Yaroslava Mahuchikh. The 24-year-old Ukrainian is the world record holder and reigning Olympic Champion and has already won four times at the Memorial.

Spread over two nights, the programme in Brussels features finals in 32 disciplines – 16 for the women and 16 for the men. In addition, the public can look forward to some exciting extras, such as an hour record attempt on Friday evening.

It has long been known that France’s Jimmy Gressier, the reigning World Champion in the 10,000 metres, has set his sights on that hour record. An exciting new addition to the list of participants for that hour run is Patrick Nimubona. The Burundian won the most recent edition of the Baloise Antwerp 10 Miles and the last two editions of the 20 km through Brussels. Nimubona is a recognised political refugee in Belgium and trains at Royal Excelsior Sports Club Brussels.