01 September, 2021

Brussels: Five Things To Look Out For

The world's best athletes have one last chance to bag their place in the Wanda Diamond League Final at the last series meeting of the season in Brussels on Friday. Here are five things to keep an eye on at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme.

Richardson makes final bid for Final

As things stand, US sprint prodigy Sha'Carri Richardson has missed out on a place in the women's 100m final, yet she still has an outside chance of ending a turbulent season with Wanda Diamond League glory in the 200m. Victory in Brussels would put the American level on points with the likes of Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shaunae Miller-Uibo, which could be enough to propel her into the top seven and a place in the Final in Zurich next week. Anything less than a win will probably not be enough, however, and Richardson faces a tough field which includes Dina Asher-Smith and Olympic bronze medallist Shericka Jackson in Brussels.

Americans eye 100m final spot

There are also final spaces up for grabs in the men's 100m, where several of Richardson's compatriots are hoping to secure qualification with a last strong performance in Brussels. While Trayvon Bromell has already locked down his spot alongside the likes of Ronnie Baker and Andre De Grasse, others still need points to be sure of a place in the Zurich startlist. Michael Norman is currently 13th in the standings and will probably need a top-3 finish to bag his place, while Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley needs only a handful of points to get him over the line.

Hassan in the mile

Sifan Hassan has excellent memories of Brussels, where she broke the one hour world record at the Wanda Diamond League exhibition event last year. She also has good memories of the mile, having broken the world record over the distance at the Monaco Diamond League two years ago. It is no surprise, then, that the triple Olympic medallist is strong favourite to win the women's mile at the King Baudouin Stadium on Friday night and claim her second middle distance win of the season. With 15 points already under her belt, it would take a miracle to keep Hassan out of the final at this stage. Yet the Dutchwoman will be determined to go into next week's showdown on the back of a strong performance in Brussels.

Another record attempt from Duplantis?

Mondo Duplantis has taken the men's pole vault to new heights in recent years, and has consistently cleared the six-metre mark at almost every single Wanda Diamond League meeting this season. After a disappointing show in Lausanne last week, he bounced back with an emphatic win in Paris on Saturday and followed it up with yet another attempt to break his own world record with 6.19m. The height continues to elude him, and he will no doubt be focusing primarily on victory in Brussels on Friday. Yet when the Swede is town, a world record attempt is always possible.

Discus dress rehearsal?

Six-time Diamond League champion Sandra Perkovic and current title holder Yaime Perez are the only two athletes who have nailed down their place in the women's discus final so far, but Wednesday night's competition in the Ter Kamerenbos park in Brussels could prove to be a dress rehearsal for next week's final. As well as Perkovic and Perez, the star-studded field will also feature Diamond League veteran Denia Caballero and freshly-crowned Olympic champion Valarie Allman, both of whom still need a few points to ensure they too have a ticket to Zurich.