Diamond League Final 2024: Faith Kipyegon and Femke Bol retain Diamond Trophies as Gianmarco Tamberi soars in Brussels
The stars of Paris 2024 turned out in the force for the season's grand finale at the Memorial Van Damme with Leonardo Fabbri stunning shot put king Ryan Crouser.
Athletics
The curtain has fallen on the 2024 Diamond League season, closing with a crescendo at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on Saturday (14 September).
The world’s best chased coveted Diamond Trophies with Kenya's Faith Kipyegon among the stars who shone brightest as she retained her 1500m title. The world and Olympic champion was pushed hard by Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji but won in a new meeting record of 3:54.75 with Australia's Jessica Hull in third.
With a third Olympic gold and a fifth Diamond League crown (fourth in succession) safely in her possession, the world might assume she’s ready for a well-earned rest. But the world record holder is not done yet.
"The world record was not on my mind today," she told reporters afterwards. "My goal was to finish my Diamond League season in a good way and I did. It was a good race, but definitely not an easy one. Hopefully I will finish my season in New York in a good way. It will be my last race of the season."
Diamond League Final 2024 day two highlights
The night started out with a shock in the men's shot put as Italy's Leonardo Fabbri threw a national record and meet record of 22.98m in the first round to take the title. USA's double Olympic champion Ryan Crouser could only manage 22.79m in round four, suffering a rare defeat.
Haruka Kitaguchi took the women's javelin with the last throw of the competition. Adriana Vilagos of Serbia had taken the lead with her final throw, but Japan's world and Olympic champion produced a season's best of 66.13m to retain her Diamond League crown.
Kenya had more to cheer as Faith Cherotich took the women’s 3000m steeplechase, producing a fine last water jump to move clear of Bahrain’s Olympic champion Winfred Yavi and win in 9:02.36. Uganda’s Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Peruth Chemutai was back in third.
Beatrice Chebet took victory in the 5000m after just avoiding a collision with a photographer who was fixated on the men’s high jump with three laps to go. Kenya’s Olympic champion was well clear as she crossed the line first in 14:09.82, more than nine seconds inside the previous meeting record. Medina Eisa of Ethiopia clocked a world U20 record of 14:21.89 in second.
Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi won a thrilling men's 800m, overhauling Algeria's Djamel Sedjati metres from the line to take victory in 1:42.70. Long-time leader Marco Arop of Canada was third.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone enjoyed another invitational event win, this time in the 200m, as well as some fresh Belgian waffles.
Grenada's Anderson Peters stunned India's reigning world champion Neeraj Chopra of India in the men's javelin, winning by a single centimetre.
Australia's Olympic and world champion pole vaulter Nina Kennedy rounded off her superb season by clearing 4.88m to claim the top spot while Gianmarco Tamberi also soared high to take his third Diamond Trophy. The Italian cleared 2.34m, the aftermath of which almost derailed Chebet, and celebrated with a lap of honour.
Also in the field, Pedro Pichardo of Portugal won the men’s triple jump with 17.33m, ahead of Germany’s Max Hess and world champion Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso. Italy's Larissa Iapichino took the women's long jump with 6.80m.
World 400m hurdles champion Alison dos Santos returned to winning ways in Brussels, clocking 47.93 to take victory from Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba and Rasmus Magi of Estonia.
Olympic bronze medallist Brittany Brown took the women’s 200m after Sha’Carri Richardson had withdrawn earlier in the day. She ran 22.20 to cross the line first ahead of Britain’s Daryll Neita and Anavia Battle.
On the men's side, Kenny Bednarek reversed the order with Letsile Tebogo from the Paris Olympic 200m final.
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn cruised clear in the women’s 100m hurdles, winning in 12.38 from Dutchwoman Nadine Visser and Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent.
And Femke Bol finished the night in style, winning a fourth consecutive women's 400m hurdles Diamond League crown. The Dutchwoman, whose partner is Belgian pole vaulter Ben Broeders, was roared home to victory in 52.45 ahead of USA's Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell.
It provided a fitting end to an eventful Diamond League season which spanned 15 meets in six months over four continents.