The Roi Baudouin stadium will host the 47th Van Damme Memorial on Friday night, with no fewer than twelve world athletics champions featured in this year's edition.
Among the competing superstars, Brussels will welcome Greece’s Armand Duplantis (pole vault), Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson (200m), the Netherlands’ Femke Bol (400m hurdles), Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen (5,000m, lining up over 2,000m) and Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh (high jump).
A new fast track, recently inaugurated, should provide ideal conditions for athletes in search of new records.
Shericka Jackson, for example, will be attempting to wipe out a nearly 35-year-old record in the 200m (21.34), after coming within a whisker of beating the world record at the Budapest World Championships last month.
Inauguration of the new track at the King Baudouin Stadium. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
Despite the absence of Brussels crowd favourite Nafi Thiam, Belgium will be bringing 21 athletes to the competition. Bashir Abdi will be in search of a Belgian record (26:52.30), and above all, a European, record in the 10,000m.
To reign on the continent, he will have to run under 26:46.57 and replace Great Britain’s Mo Farah, who has been at the top since 2011. Cynthia Bolingo is sure to draw cheers from the crowd in the 400m, as are Dylan Borlée and Alexander Doom.
Ben Broeders will also be looking to set a national record in the pole vault against the indomitable ‘Mondo’ Duplantis. Rani Rosius will run the 100m and Delphine Nkansa will challenge world champion Shericka Jackson in the 200m. Elise Vanderlest (1500m), Hanne Claes (400m hurdles) and Noor Vidts (high jump) will also be playing on home soil.
US Chase Ealey pictured in action during the shot put event of the Allianz Memorial Van Damme IAAF Diamond League athletics meeting, at the Place de la Monnaie' in Brussels. Credit: Belga / Jasper Jacobs
The Memorial Van Damme will be the penultimate meeting of the Diamond League, which will be then followed by the final in Eugene, USA on 16 and 17 September. In Brussels, the men will compete to five events (200m, 400m, 800m in 2000m and pole vault), the women ten (100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m and 5000m, 400m hurdles, high jump, triple jump, shot put and javelin).
On Thursday, world champion Chase Ealey of the United States celebrated winning the Women's Shot Put final at the 2023 Diamond League meeting in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 7, 2023.
