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Brussels 2025: Five things to look out for

Winfred Yavi will attack an unusual world record while Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce faces Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Brussels this Friday.

The last qualification spots for the Wanda Diamond League Final are up for grabs this Friday at the penultimate meeting of the series in Brussels. Here are five things to look out for at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme.

Fraser-Pryce joins 100m showdown

The Road to the Final in the women’s 100m remains wide open heading into the last series meeting, with only four spots still available in the top six and several big names still yet to secure their ticket to Zurich. Olympic bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, world champion Sha’Carri Richardson and Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are all currently outside the qualification spots and could do with a big points haul in Brussels if they are to get over the line. For Fraser-Pryce, it will be only her second Diamond League appearance this season and a chance to claim a first win in the series since 2022. It won’t be easy, however, with the likes of Maia McCoy, Daryll Neita and Patrizia Van Der Weken also on the startlists.

Nuguse eyes tricky Tokyo path

Having missed out on qualification at the US championships, Yared Nuguse is one of several American athletes who are relying on Diamond League success to get them a last-minute ticket to the World Championships next month. Nuguse can still head to Tokyo on a wild card if he qualifies for the final and then wins the title in the men’s 1500m Zurich. He took a huge step to doing so with a win in Silesia last weekend and Brussels is the next big stepping stone.The Olympic bronze medallist now only needs to finish in the top eight on Friday to guarantee himself a place in the Final and an all-or-nothing shot at Tokyo qualification. That should be straightforward enough for a racer of his calibre, but with so much riding on it, the American will want to leave nothing to chance.

All to play for in the pole vault

After the (non-Diamond League) women’s pole vault was called off amid a biblical downpour in Lausanne on Wednesday, the likes of Tina Sutej and Marie-Julie Bonnin might be feeling a bit discombobulated as they head to Brussels for the last leg of the Road to the Final. They will need to get their heads in the game quickly, though, as there is a lot at stake in the Belgian capital. Katie Moon is the only athlete to have secured qualification so far, and there are now six women competing for the remaining five Final places in Brussels. For Sutej, Sandi Morris, Roberta Bruni, Emily Grove, Gabriela Leon and Angelica Moser, every height could prove the difference between reaching the Final and falling short. France’s Bonnin and Britain’s Molly Caudery will also want to shake things up: though too far behind in the standings to qualify under their own steam, a big performance in Brussels could still give them a chance of sneaking in as a lucky loser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQOozBd9DcQ

Alekna and Stona under pressure

Things are just as finely poised in the men’s discus, where there will be five men competing for the last four qualification spots in Brussels. World record holder Mykolas Alekna and Olympic champion Roje Stona are under particular pressure, with both teetering on the precipice in sixth and seventh respectively. Whichever of them can out-throw the other in Brussels is almost guaranteed a place in the Final, while the likes of Matthew Denny, Henrik Janssen and Lawrence Okoye will also be looking nervously over their shoulders as they step into the ring at the King Baudouin Stadium.

Yavi to break new ground

Olympic champion Winfred Yavi has twice come close to breaking the 3000m steeplechase world record in the Diamond League over the past two seasons. She missed out by just 0.07 seconds in Rome last year, and fell only a second short in Eugene six weeks ago. In Brussels, the Bahrain star will be almost guaranteed to make history as she lines up in the women’s one mile steeplechase, a new innovation which will be staged as an additional event. “It’s going to be an iconic race and I’m so excited to be part of making history,” said Yavi at the press conference on Thursday.

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Where to watch Zurich 2025

The 2025 Wanda Diamond League season continues in Brussels on Friday, August 22.

Find out where to watch via the dropdown menu below.

All information is subject to change. Please consult local TV schedules for definitive information.