The race for a place in the Wanda Diamond League Final is on the home straight. This Friday, the world’s best athletes will descend on Brussels for the penultimate meeting of the season. While some are already gearing up for their title charge in Zurich, others still need points if they are to have a shot at the Diamond Trophy next week.
Here are five things to look out for at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme.
Knighton on a knife edge
Erriyon Knighton admitted ahead of the Lausanne Diamond League that he was tired of being hailed as “the next Usain Bolt”, and in the next few weeks, the US sprinting prodigy has the chance to achieve something which the fastest man ever only managed on one occasion: being crowned Diamond League champion. Currently sixth in the men’s 200m qualification standings, Knighton is on course for a place in the final, but he will need to avoid any slip ups in Brussels. Aaron Brown, Eseosa Desalu and Joseph Fahnbulleh are all currently behind him in the standings, meaning that Knighton could theoretically still slip out of the top eight. If he doesn’t he will have a shot at becoming one of the youngest ever Diamond Trophy winners in Zurich next week.
Americans eyeing final
Knighton is not the only USATF athlete who is yet to secure his place in the final. In the women’s 100m, Jamaican stars Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson may be the headliners, but they are also running only for pride having long since booked their ticket to Zurich. It’s a different situation for Sha’Carri Richardson and Aleia Hobbs, however, who both still need points to keep their Diamond Trophy hopes alive. While Hobbs is just inches away from qualification following her surprise win in Lausanne, Richardson is teetering on the brink in ninth place, and will need at least a top-four finish in Brussels.