Final 2017 Diamond League champions to be crowned in Brussels
The second of the two IAAF Diamond League 2017 series finals will see 16 further champions crowned at the AG Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on Friday (September 1).
Athletes qualified for the finals by scoring points during the 12 other Diamond League meetings this summer and will now battle for the Diamond Trophy as well as a $50,000 winner’s prize in each event. The first 16 overall series winners were decided in Zurich last week.
After their respective second and third-place finishes in the Zurich 200m, double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson and double world silver medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou are again set to clash but this time over 100m.
The women’s 400m is due to feature Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who won the 200m Diamond Trophy in Switzerland, plus world silver medallist Salwa Eid Naser, while world champion Ramil Guliyev plus Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Zharnel Hughes go in the men’s 200m.
The three world medallists – USA's Brittney Reese, Russia's Darya Klishina and and Reese’s compatriot Tianna Bartoletta – are all set to contest the long jump in Brussels, along with Serbia's Olympic bronze medallist Ivana Spanovic and Britain's Lorraine Ugen and Shara Proctor.
New Zealand's Tom Walsh is another world champion competing as he goes up against USA's Olympic gold medallist Ryan Crouser in the shot put, which takes place the evening before the main programme outside of the stadium at Place de la Monnaie.
Also in throws action but on the Friday, Croatia's two-time Olympic and world discus champion Sandra Perkovic will be going for her sixth consecutive Diamond League title.
Other champions from the IAAF World Championships in London set to compete in Brussels include Faith Kipyegon in the 1500m, Conseslus Kipruto in the 3000m steeplechase, Hellen Obiri in the 5000m, Christian Taylor in the triple jump, Andrius Gudzius in the discus, Maria Lasitskene in the high jump, Katerina Stefanidi in the pole vault, and heptathlete Nafi Thiam, who has received a wild card to contest the high jump in front of home fans.
Britain's Laura Weightman goes in the 1500m, while Elliot Giles is in the 800m, Andrew Pozzi the 110m hurdles, Eilidh Doyle the 400m hurdles, Morgan Lake the high jump, Holly Bradshaw the pole vault and Eilish McColgan the 5000m.
Three Borlée brothers – Jonathan, Kevin and Dylan – race in the final event of the programme, the non-Diamond League 400m, where they will be joined by Britain's Martyn Rooney and Rabah Yousif.
» The action will be broadcast live for fans in the UK on Eurosport 2 from 19:00-21:00
