Brussels Diamond League 2023 preview: Full schedule and how to watch live track and field action
The Memorial Van Damme meet is the last chance to earn places at the Eugene Diamond League Finals with recent world champions Shericka Jackson, Mondo Duplantis and Femke Bol among the stars in action.
Athletics
Brussels stages the last regular season stop of the 2023 Diamond League with the Memorial Van Damme taking place on Friday (8 September).
The meet actually gets underway on Thursday with the women's shot put being held in the Place de la Monnaie.
The King Baudouin Stadium hosts the majority of the action 24 hours later as the stars of track and field athletics look to secure berths at the Diamond League Finals in Eugene, Oregon a week later.
No fewer than 13 world champions from last month in Budapest will be in action headed by 200m gold medallist Shericka Jackson and pole vault king Mondo Duplantis.
World 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol, whose stunning anchor leg sealed 4x400m women's relay gold for the Netherlands, makes her return to action in the Belgian capital.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who retained his 5000m world title after taking silver again over 1500m, will race over 2000m with the world record in his sights.
Kenya's Mary Moraa makes her first appearance on the track as a world champion, while Ukraine's high jump gold medallist Yaroslava Mahuchikh aims to back up her win in Xiamen on Saturday.
Read on to find out who and what to look out for in the 13th round of this year's Diamond League series.
Athletes to watch at the 2023 Brussels Diamond League
Chase Ealey will be the first world champion to compete in Brussels in the shot put on the Thursday night.
The American, who retained her title in Budapest, will renew rivalry with Canada's silver medallist Sarah Mitton in the Place de la Monnaie with both women seeking to book their spots in the Eugene Diamond League Finals.
After two silvers and a gold at the World Championships, Shericka Jackson underlined her superiority over 200m with victory in Zurich.
The Jamaican is already safely in the Diamond League finals of both sprints, but may run just one in Brussels with the events just over half an hour apart.
Mondo Duplantis is getting closer and closer to breaking his own world record of 6.22m in the pole vault, having three failures at 6.23m in both Budapest and Zurich.
The super Swede could attempt to make history again with world silver medallist EJ Obiena, fresh from his victory in Xiamen at the weekend, leading his rivals.
There will be at least one world record attempt on the track as Jakob Ingebrigtsen lines up in the seldom-run 2000m.
The double 5000m world champion and Olympic 1500m gold medallist will go after Hicham El Guerrouj's 24-year-old mark of 4:44.79, but faces strong opposition in the form of Spain's Mo Katir, who took silver behind him in Budapest, and fellow Norwegian Narve Gilje Nordas.
Fresh from winning the 800m world title, Mary Moraa lines up in the 400m where a win could see her qualify for the Diamond League Finals in a second event.
That appears unlikely, however, with Budapest bronze medallist Sada Williams of Barbados and Lieke Klaver - who ran a quicker split than Femke Bol in the Dutch 4x400m relay triumph - among her rivals.
Bol could race in the flat 400m, the event in which she is European champion, but will more likely stick to the 400m hurdles after claiming her first world title last month.
The men's 400m will see a quick rematch between Kirani James and Budapest bronze medallist Quincy Hall after Grenada's 2012 Olympic champion won in a photo finish in Xiamen on Saturday.
That was both men's first appearance in this year's Diamond League, and strong finishes would see them book places in Eugene although world silver medallist Matt Hudson-Smith will also be seeking victory to guarantee his finals berth.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh got the better of 2022 world champion Eleanor Patterson again in Xiamen on Saturday, jumping a world lead-equalling 2.02m in the process, and the pair do battle again in Brussels with the Australian still needing points to qualify for Eugene.
Javelin world champion Kitaguchi Haruka returns to action in Brussels having already secured her finals berth.
The Japanese, who won the world title with her last throw, will reoppose Colombia's Flor Ruiz Hurtado who was denied gold in such dramatic fashion.
Winfred Yavi completes the list of individual world champions from Budapest with the Kenyan-born Bahraini steeplechaser competing in the 5000m.
How to watch the 2023 Diamond League in Brussels
The 2023 Brussels Diamond League takes place on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 September.
The women's shot put is on the Thursday with competitions featuring local athletes preceding the main event at 18:00 local Central European Summer Time (16:00 UTC).
On Friday, the first Diamond League event - the men's pole vault featuring Mondo Duplantis - gets underway at 19:15 local time.
Action will be streamed in a number of territories on the Wanda Diamond League YouTube page from 20:00 local time (18:00 UTC). The live stream will not be available in all territories.
BBC has the rights in the UK and will broadcast it on BBC Two. For viewers in the U.S., NBC holds the rights and will broadcast on CNBC and on Peacock.
SuperSport is the rightsholder for the 2023 Diamond League in most of Africa.
Schedule for the 2023 Brussels Diamond League meeting
All times Central European Summer Time / CST (2 hours ahead of GMT/UTC)
Diamond League events only. Additional events are taking place during the evening for local athletes.
Thursday 7 September
- 18:00 - Shot put women
Friday 8 September
- 19:15 - Pole vault men
- 19:22 - Javelin women
- 19:50 - High jump women
- 20:04 - 400m women
- 20:13 - 1500m women
- 20:28 - 200m men
- 20:36 - 100m women
- 20:41 - Triple jump women
- 20:46 - 400m hurdles women
- 20:56 - 2000m men
- 21:09 - 200m women
- 21:17 - 800m men
- 21:26 - 5000m women
- 21:53 - 400m men