Let’s start with the Meeting Records in the Men’s 110m Hurdles and the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, that belong to Aries Merritt and to Saif Saeed Shaheen respectively. With 12,80 in 2012 and 7,53,63 in 2004 they set World Records in the King Baudouin Stadium that still stand today.
In the Men’s 200m Yohan Blake stormed to 19,26 in 2011, which is still the 2nd all time performance on the distance. Backed up by 19,53 of Walter Dix (2011) and 19,57 (Usain Bolt) it proves that the stadium in Brussels has a magical bend. Brussels registered no less than 23 sub 20,00 seconds performances at the Memorial Van Damme. There is little doubt that Noah Lyles will want to add his name to this impressive list.
In one the most memorable battles in the meeting’s history Hicham El Guerrouj fought a breathtaking 1500m duel with Bernard Lagat in 2001, with a clock stopping at 3,26,12 for the Moroccon and 3,26,34 (AR) for the Kenyan (turned USA citizen in 2005), or the 2nd and 3rd all time performance on the distance.
Meeting Records in the Men’s events that could be in danger include the Shot Put (22,44m by Darrell Hill), the Discus Throw (69,94m by Imrich Bugar in 1984, the oldest Meeting Record) and the 400m (44,06 by Michael Johnson). But even then the Diamond League Finalists will have to produce their very best form to break these records.
The Meeting Record that is under a real threat could well be the one in the Triple Jump, set by Jonathan Edwards in 1995 with 17,60m. Christian Taylor in 2015 (17,59m) and Teddy Tamgho in 2010 (17,52m) came close. With Taylor, Claye and Pichardo on the runway, this Meeting Record may well be wiped off next Friday.
In 2016 Sandi Morris became the 2nd best all time Pole Vault performer with 5,00m in Brussels, behind Isinbayeva.
The oldest Meeting Record dates back from 1986 when Yordana Donkova from Bulgaria set cracking 12,42 in the 100m Hurdles, a mark that can be broken in a scintillating duel between Williams and Harrison.
In a well paced 5000m Obiri and Hassan seem capable of breaking Almaz Ayana’s 5000m mark of 14,18,89, set in 2016. The 800m marks of Pamela Jelimo (1,55,14) and Heike Drechsler’s 7,25m Long Jump Record will remain unchallenged. The 33 year old 69,84m Discus Throw effort from Khristova will also be hard to beat by Perkovic and the Cubans.
Local hero Nafissatou Thiam did upset her opponents in the Long Jump in Birmingham. Will Thiam be able to transform that outstanding form in the High Jump as well ? In a straight duel with Lasitskene, unbeaten in 17 competitions in a row, Thiam can push her main rival into territory beyond the Meeting record of 2,05m, held by Lasitskene’s compatriot Anna Chicherova.
Last but not least Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce returns back to Brussels, for the first time since 2013 when she set her 3rd best lifetime 100m performance of 10,72 which is still a Meeting Record. Her mark was equalled in 2016 by Elaine Thompson. If any athlete is capable of lowering this Meeting Record, then it should be the 32 year old Jamaican who is the actual World Leader with 10,73.
The lesson learned is that the Memorial Van Damme’s Meeting Records provide striking evidence that the Brussels Diamond League counts amongst the World’s best Athletics Meetings in history. The organisers would be delighted to see one or more of these Meeting Records beaten next Friday !
