Melissa Jefferson-Wooden blazed to a dominant win in the 100m and Chase Jackson broke the meeting record in the shot put as they issued further warnings to their rivals at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, this season’s penultimate Wanda Diamond League meeting, in Brussels on Friday (22).
Competition was fierce in many events, with just three weeks to go to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 and with the Brussels meeting being the last opportunity for athletes to bank points in the Diamond League ahead of the series finale in Zurich next week.
But Jefferson-Wooden and Jackson were both dominant winners and they will start in Zurich and Tokyo as the athletes to beat.
Jefferson-Wooden, who claimed Olympic bronze in Paris last year, remains undefeated in the 100m this year. While her winning time of 10.76 (-0.2m/s) in Brussels was the fifth-fastest of her career – all achieved this season – it was her winning margin that turned heads as she finished 0.32 clear of world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, runner-up in 11.08, while Daryll Neita was third in 11.15 and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce fourth in 11.17.
“I know that I’m in great shape and that it’s all about putting together the perfect race at the perfect time, when it matters the most, and that is at the World Championships in Tokyo,” said Jefferson-Wooden, who set her PB and world lead of 10.65 at the US Championships to move to joint fifth on the world all-time list.
“The plan is definitely to go out there and take gold. I feel like I put myself in a really good spot to be a contender for that and now it’s time to have trust.”
Her US compatriot Jackson will have the same ambition, as she looks to claim a third consecutive world title in the shot put.
She made another big statement in Brussels, throwing a meeting record of 20.90m in the third round – the third-farthest throw of her career that saw her win by more than a metre. Only Jackson – who set a US record of 20.95m in June – has thrown farther this year. The previous meeting record had stood since 2014, when Valerie Adams threw 20.59m.
In a stacked clash, two-time world indoor champion Sarah Mitton threw 19.89m for the runner-up spot and Jessica Schilder was third with 19.58m.
There was another strong line-up in the men’s discus and it was Jamaica’s NCAA champion Ralford Mullings who took top spot. Missing the meeting record by just 30cm, he threw 69.66m in the final round after 69.41m in the fourth to win ahead of world record-holder Mykolas Alekna (68.82m) and 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh (67.13m).
World leader Julian Weber also impressed in the javelin, throwing 89.65m to win by more than three metres, while world champion Katie Moon cleared a season’s best of 4.85m to win the pole vault ahead of 2024 world indoor champion Molly Caudery (4.80m).
Like Jefferson-Wooden in the 100m, world indoor bronze medallist Jacory Patterson scotched to a clear win in the 400m. Blasting away off the final bend, he was untroubled as he reached the finish line in 44.05 as Vernon Norwood was second in 44.62.
The men’s 200m was won by Dominican Republic’s Olympic fifth-place finisher Alexander Ogando in 20.16 (-0.3m/s) as he pipped Robert Gregory by 0.03.
Laros and Hiltz kick to victory
Niels Laros and Nikki Hiltz timed their kicks to perfection to win the 1500m races.
Dutch 20-year-old Laros kicked past 18-year-old Phanuel Koech to win with a powerful final surge that saw him cross the finish line in 3:30.58 to Koech’s 3:31.41. Yared Nuguse was third in 3:31.51.
US champion Hiltz chased down longtime leader Linden Hall and passed her down the home straight to triumph in a season’s best of 3:55.94. Hall held on for a PB of 3:56.33, while Nelly Chepchirchir was third in 3:57.35 as the top seven dipped under four minutes. That group did not include two-time world indoor champion Freweyni Hailu as she suffered a fall mid race and did not finish.
Luxembourg’s Ruben Querinjean had the race of his life in the 3000m steeplechase. Running a national record of 8:09.47 to improve his previous best by almost five seconds, he became the first man from his nation to win at a Diamond League. Getnet Wale was second in 8:09.62.
Bahrain’s Olympic and world 3000m steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi also wanted to make history at the Brussels meeting, as she contested the mile steeplechase. The discipline had never been contested at such a level before, and she solo ran her way to a 4:40.13 victory, winning by more than six seconds.
Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich attacked the world record during the first couple of kilometres of the women’s 5000m and while she drifted off the pace, she held on for a clear win in 14:24.99.
The women-only world 10km record-holder moved to third on the world 5000m all-time list with her runner-up 14:01.29 finish behind her compatriot Beatrice Chebet’s 13:58.06 world record run in Eugene last month. She was initially on track to beat that mark, following the lead pacemaker who reached 1000m in 2:46.91 and then moving past the second pacemaker to hit 2000m in 5:35.74.
But she couldn’t maintain that pace and eventually won by six seconds ahead of Likina Amebaw (14:31.51). Aleshign Baweke was third in 14:31.88, while Josetter Andrews was fourth and Marta Garcia fifth in a Spanish record.
USA’s Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell clinched victory in the 400m hurdles, holding off Gianna Woodruff – 53.66 to 53.89. Naomi Van den Broeck delighted the home crowd, improving the Belgian to 54.12 to finish third.
World indoor champion and world leader Leyanis Perez Hernandez topped the triple jump, leaping 14.78m to win by just six centimetres ahead of her Cuban compatriot Davisleydi Velazco, who jumped a PB for the runner-up spot.
Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk won the high jump on countback ahead of home favourite Thomas Carmoy as they both cleared 2.25m before their attempts at 2.28m and 2.30m.
The mixed 4x100m, run in the formation of man-woman-man-woman, was won by a Dutch quartet in 40.96.
Belgium’s Eliott Crestan won the non-Diamond League 800m in 1:43.91, while South Africa’s Gift Leotlela won the pre-programme 100m in 10.13 (-0.6m/s) ahead of his compatriot Bayanda Walaza (10.18). Dutch Paralympic champion Fleur Jong won the invitational long jump with 6.77m, as Belgium’s Olympic heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam leapt a best of 6.40m.
Results