No less than 16 Diamond League Finals in sprinting, running, jumping and throwing events are on the program during the 43rd AG Memorial Van Damme. The 12 qualifying meetings, where the athletes earned points to secure their place in the final in Brussels, have separated contenders from all continents so that only the very best athletes of this season are lining up. The world’s best athletes in all events now gather in Brussels. Just think about the likes of Marie-Josée Ta Lou, Blessing Okagbare and Elaine Thompson (100 metres), Noah Lyles and Ramil Guliyev (200 metres), Christian Taylor and Will Claye (Triple Jump), Sandi Morris and Ekaterini Stefanidi (Pole Vault), Sandra Perkovic (Discus Throw), Sifan Hassan (5000m), Mariya Lasitskene (High Jump) or rising star Michael Norman (400m).
World and Olympic Heptathlon Champion Nafi Thiam qualified for the Long Jump final, but she prefers to compete in the High Jump with a wildcard. On 6 September it promises to become a thrilling duel between Thiam and double World Champion and triple Diamond League Champion Mariya Lasitskene. More Belgian wildcards are awarded to Philip Milanov (Discus Throw), Ismael Debjani (1500 meters), Renée Eykens (800 meters), Hanne Maudens (Long Jump), Fanny Smets (Pole Vaul), Michael Obasuyi (110 m Hurdles) and Tim Van De Velde (3000m steeple). Three more wildcards will be decided upon after the National Championship next weekend. In a national 400m race all the best Belgians including the 3 Borlée brothers and Jonathan Sacoor face a strong international field.
Other national events are the Women’s 400 meters with Camille Laus and the 400m Hurdles with Hanne Claes and Paulien Couckuyt, the European Under 23 champion. There is also a strong Belgian interest in the Men’s 5000 metres featuring Isaac Kimeli, Robin Hendrix and Soufiane Bouchikhi.
26 August, 2019
