Men’s sprints
Few would have had CJ Ujah down as a favourite to win the Diamond Trophy at the beginning of the season, but the British sprinter capped a fine season by storming to victory over the likes of Justin Gatlin in the 100m final in Zurich. The victory followed two top three finishes in qualifying, including a second place finish in Oslo.
There was an early surprise in Shanghai in the men’s 200m, as Noah Lyles raced to victory in 19.90 to take victory in the first qualifying meeting. Having secured his place in the Final, Lyles then re-emerged in Brussels, ducking past Ameer Webb by a whisker on the finish line to claim the Diamond Trophy.
What a summer it was for Isaac Makwala. In Monaco, Makwala showed his quality in a nail-biting showdown with Wayde Van Niekerk, missing out on victory by just 0.11 of a second. The man from Botswana would be the man to claim the Diamond Trophy in the 400m however, as he obliterated the field to take a comfortable
Women’s sprints
Despite disappointment in the World Championships, there was no problem for Elaine Thompson in the Diamond League this season, as the Jamaican star notched up six victories to defend her Diamond Trophy in the 100m. In London, she even managed to win wearing sneakers rather than spikes.
The women’s 200m was a very tight battle throughout the season, with five different athletes claiming victories in the qualifying meets. In the Final, it delivered one of the biggest surprises of the sprints as Shaunae Miller-Uibo ran down the likes of Tori Bowie and Dafne Schippers on the home straight to take the Diamond Trophy.
Miller-Uibo would not just win a Diamond Trophy in the 200m, she would also do so in the 400m in Brussels a week later. That made her only the fourth woman to ever win a Diamond Trophy in two different disciplines in the same season, following in the footsteps of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter.
Men’s Hurdles
With victories in Rome, London and Birmingham during the qualifying meets, Aries Merritt looked favourite to take the Diamond Trophy in the men’s 110m Hurdles. In Brussels, however, it was Sergey Shubenkov who took victory in 13.14, securing the title.
There was an even bigger shock in the men’s 400m Hurdles, which had been dominated by Diamond Trophy holder Kerron Clement and emerging star and newly crowned World Champion Karsten Warholm during qualifying. In the final, though, Kyron McMaster sprung a surprise to take the Diamond Trophy.
Women’s Hurdles
After her dominance last season, Diamond Trophy holder Kendra Harrison was favourite to take the title in the women’s 100m Hurdles. Despite winning four qualifying meets, Harrison met her match in Sally Pearson this season, who marked her return to action with gold in the World Championships and then victory in the Zurich final to claim the Diamond Trophy.
Dalilah Muhammad claimed second place in the final 400m Hurdles qualifying meet in Birmingham to secure a place in the Final. Once there, Muhammad put in her best performance of the campaign, racing to victory in 53.89 to take the Diamond Trophy over the likes of Ashley Spencer and Zuzana Hejnova.