Brussels Diamond League Final Brings 2019 Diamond League Season to a Close

By Adam Kopet

Fred Kerley got the better of Michael Norman at the USATF Outdoor Championships, but the two 400-meter stars will race each other again Friday, this time at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, Belgium.

ENTRIES

Norman entered the USATF Championships as the world leader in the 400 meters, having run 43.45 in April at the Mt. SAC Relays. However, Kerley showed no fear in racing the fourth-fastest man of all-time.

It was Kerley who won in Des Moines, running a personal-best 43.64. Norman was second in 43.79. Kerley's time elevated him to seventh on the all-time performer list.

Now the pair of sprinters will face each other again. Kerley enters the race as the defending Diamond League champion. However, Norman is certain to bring a strong challenge

Regardless of who wins, there are six Americans in the race (including Michael Cherry, Obi Igbokwe, Kahmari Montgomery and Nathan Strother), increasing the odds that an American wins and Team USATF will include four Americans in the men's 400 meters at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Doha. The Diamond League champion in each event this year earns a wild-card entry into the World Championships, assuming that athlete's entry would not push their country's entry list beyond four athletes.

The 400-meter men will get the Diamond League track action started Friday, but the Diamond League program starts Thursday with the men's shot put in the Brussels City Center.

A total of 29 men have surpassed 22 meters in the history of the event. Seven of those athletes will be in Brussels, led by Ryan Crouser, who leads the world this year with a mark of 74-7.25 (22.74m). That ranks him sixth on the all-time performer list.

Brazil's Darlan Romani has also shown himself to be among the world's best shot putters this year. He won the Prefontaine Classic with a mark of 74-2.25 (22.61m), which ranks him 10th on the all-time performer list. Then there is the reigning world champion, Tom Walsh of New Zealand. The Kiwi has a season's best of 73-7.50 (22.44m), but he has a personal best of 74-4.50 (22.67m).

Other Americans in the field include Joe Kovacs and Darrell Hill, both of whom have seen success on the international stage in previous years.

Much like the men's 400 meters, the women's 100-meter hurdles will feature another head-to-head rematch. Danielle Williams of Jamaica and Keni Harrison will race for the second time in recent weeks. Williams is the world leader at 12.32 and beat Harrison at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting. However, Harrison, who has a season's best of 12.43 is the world record holder, having run 12.20 in 2016.

Also in the race are are Nia Ali, Christina Clemons, Sharika Nelvis and Nigeria's Tobi Amusan. Amusan is close to the African record, having run 12.49 this year.

The women's 800 meters also features a strong field, led by Ajee' Wilson. She has run 1:57.72 and has not lost for the past two months. Joining her from the U.S. are Hanna Green and her training partner Raevyn Rogers. Both have run under 1:59 this year.

Jamaica's Natoya Goule is fast enough to challenge Wilson and the other Americans in Brussels. She has run 1:57.90 this year. In all, eight of the competitors have run 1:59.00 or better this year.

Noah Lyles returns to action in the second of the Diamond League Finals. Last week in Zurich, he won the 100 meters. Now he will be looking to win the 200 meters, his preferred event.

Lyles has far and away been the top 200-meter running in the world this year. He ran 19.50 in Lausanne, ranking him fourth on the all-time performer list. He will face Ecuador's Alex Quinonez, the Canadian duo of Andre De Grasse and Aaron Brown, as well as the reigning world champion Ramil Guliyev of Turkey.

The women's 5,000 meters does not feature any Americans, but it does include a competitive field. IAAF World Cross Country Championships winner Hellen Obiri of Kenya will face compatriot Agnes Jebet Tirop. Obiri has run 14:20.36 this year compared to Tirop's 14:20.68.

Also competing are the Nike Oregon Project duo of Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands and Konstanze Klosterhalfen of Germany, who have run 14:22.12 and 14:26.76 this year, respectively. Klosterhalfen ran her time in a solo effort earlier this year at the German National Championships. Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech, the 3,000-meter steeplechase world record holder, has not raced 5,000 meters this year, but she is on the start list with a personal best of 14:39.33.

The men's 1,500 meters could see 18-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway win the Diamond League title. However, his older brother Filip is also well-positioned to possibly come away the winner. Other challengers include Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot, Uganda's Ronald Musagala, Djibouti's Ayanleh Souleiman, Craig Engels and Johnny Gregorek.

Back to the field, the women's pole vault features a large field of the world's best vaulters. In addition to the American trio of Sandi Morris, Katie Nageotte and Jenn Suhr, Greece's Katerina Stefanidi, Canada's Alysha Newman, Cuba's Yarisley Silva and Anzhelika Sidorova, an Authorized Neutral Athlete from Russia, are set to compete.

Keeping with the vertical field events, the women's high jump features five women who have cleared 2 meters this year. Mariya Lasitskene, an Authorized Neutral Athlete from Russia, leads the way, having cleared 6-9 (2.06m) this year. Right behind her is Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam at 6-7.50 (2.02m), but she is better known as a heptathlete, being the reigning world champion in the multi-event. Also competing are Karyna Demidik of Belarus and the Ukrainian duo of Yuliya Levchenko and Yaroslava Mahuchikh. The latter is 17 years old.

Moving over to the horizontal jumps, the men's triple jump features three men who have surpassed 18 meters in their careers. Will Claye and Christian Taylor have already put together a top-flight set of performances in Paris this year and will be primed to do so again. Also in the field is Portugal's Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who has also gone past the 18-meter mark. Joining that trio are the Americans Omar Craddock and Donald Scott.

The women's long jump will see Brittney Reese, the reigning world champion, take on world leader Malaika Mihambo of Germany. Mihambo has jumped 23-6 (7.16m) this year, which is also a personal best. Reese has jumped 22-11.75 (7.00m) this year, but has jumped 23-11.75 (7.31m) in her career. Last year's Diamond League winner, Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia, is also competing.