KING BAUDOUIN STADIUM, Brussels – Two Jamaicans secured Diamond League trophies on the first day of the two-day Wanda Diamond League final at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme meeting in Brussels, Belgium.
Ackeem Blake defeated defending champion Christian Coleman in the men’s 100m final. Blake executed a decent race, crossing the line in 9.93 seconds. Coleman held on for second by the narrowest of margins in 10 seconds flat, edging his countryman Fred Kerley. Who came through in 10.01.
“For me, it was a surprise to win here today,” said Blake. “It was a very competitive field and my first DL final. This really means a lot to me. It was rather cold to sprint tonight, but I ran a time pretty close to my personal best. I´ve been working very hard this season and have kept motivated. That´s why I am so strong at the end of this season. I know what I am capable of and that this is only the beginning. There´s much more to come in the future.”
Coleman, who started the season with the World Indoor 60m title, hit a snag at the US trials, where he finished fourth and out of contention for the Olympics, was philosophical about his season and future. “I am really satisfied with my race today,” he opined. “This summer, I had a new coach and a new environment, and a lot of things are happening. I feel like it has just been a transitional summer for me. I know what to do next year. I know what needs improvement. The line between me and where I want to be is so close, so I got to keep working. And now, for the off-season, I´m going to spend some time with my family and clear my mind.’
Coleman’s countryman Fred Kerley, who won bronze in Paris, could not capitalise on the absence of fellow podium finishers Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson. “I am only satisfied if I win, and today I didn´t win, unfortunately,” said Kerley ruefully. “But it has been a great season, so I really can´t complain. I felt good throughout the season which is important. The fans today were good, and for now, I will have some rest.”
Tajay Gayle, the 2019 long jump world champion, had not tasted success in a long while, following several injury-plagued seasons and a loss of form and confidence. However, the tall Jamaican came up trumps when it mattered, jumping a season-best 8.28m to pull off a surprise victory in the Belgian capital.
“I put everything in the first two attempts because of the cold weather, and it worked out,” Gayle explained. “A jump around 8.30 was my goal today, so I just missed out on that. But I know that the cold would become a factor during the competition, so I´m happy that I was able to make it work in those first two attempts because my nose and chest were getting very cold.”
World and Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, who found himself on the losing end for a second meeting in a row, was more gracious in defeat this time around. “I lost today, but I´m not mad. I wasn´t feeling my legs today, and the cold is not for me. It´s impressive that Tajay Gayle was able to jump that far in these conditions, so I´m not mad that I lost from him.”
Alfred completes a fantastic treble.
St. Lucian star Julien Alfred capped off a fantastic season that saw her win the World Indoor 60m title, the Olympic crown, and now the Diamond League final. Alfred, who won in 10.88 seconds, has certainly positioned herself to become one of the World Athletics Athlete of the Year candidates. “I am so happy; it feels amazing to finish my season on a good note and to take the win. I am just so proud of myself. My preparation was a bit difficult. It was really hard for me after Zurich. But I think that prepared me for Brussels. That gave me the energy to do so good today. And I tried to relax and enjoy the last race of my season.”
Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain was second in 10.92, while American star Sha’Carri Richardson finished a distant 8th in a pedestrian 11.23 seconds.
Paulino untouchable
Marileidy Paulino demonstrated the wide gap between herself and her competitors with another commanding victory in the women’s 400m, crossing the finish line in 49.45 seconds. “I ran a decent race at the end of a very long season,” said the World and Olympic champion, who also won last year’s Diamond Trophy. “Of course, I would have loved to run faster and closer to my personal best, but it was really, really cold tonight. This season was fantastic for me. With the gold medal in Paris, I can now say that I won all the titles I could win. Still, that doesn´t mean I have no goals for the next seasons. I want to become better and still win medals at the major championships.”
One of the persons expected to provide Paulino with a serious challenge next year is the super-talented Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who won the women’s 400m invitational in a brisk 49.11 seconds. “Running the 400m at the end of the season definitely hurts a little bit more, and I felt the cramping,” said McLaughlin-Levrone. “That is why I chose to run with long pants, just to be safe. But I felt strong during the race. Now we’re going to go home, rest a bit and decide whether to run the 200m or not.
Mary Moraa won the women’s 800m in a season’s best 1:56.56. “I´m so happy to get the trophy back after I lost it last year. It was a hard competition, so I´m proud of getting the Diamond back.”
Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin finished third in 1:58.94. “I think I ran a good race: I could probably run a bit faster, but it was just too cold. My season had ups and downs, but I´m satisfied overall.”
Goule-Toppin added, “In our event, we are all friends who look out for each other. That makes competing against each other so much fun.”
Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis solidified his status as the world’s greatest pole vaulter, adding another trophy to his impressive collection. The Swede vaulted 6.11m to capture his fourth Diamond League final to go with his World Indoor and Olympic titles and numerous world records.
“My legs felt terrible tonight, and I´m just really tired. It´s been a crazy couple of weeks,” said the Swedish superstar. “The race against Karsten, and then I had to jump the day after. That took a lot more from my body than I expected. With 6.11m, I got a good result, but the world record wasn´t meant to be tonight. It´s not easy to do better each time.
Cuba’s Leyanis Hernandez Perez won the event after sailing to 14.37m. “For me, this victory was a little unexpected. Getting into the Diamond League final was already really special for me, and winning it is really special. I´m lost for words. The conditions weren´t ideal for the triple jump. I wasn´t expecting such cold weather here in Brussels, but it was the same for all the other athletes.”
Olympic silver medallist Shaieka Ricketts had to settle for the runner-up spot with 14.22m. “My performance tonight was not the best,” reasoned Ricketts. “I was hoping to jump further, but finishing 2nd in the Diamond League final is a good result and a huge accomplishment. It was really cold, making it difficult to keep going during the competition. I was happy that I could hold on to my second place. It was a long season, and I felt every muscle and joint in my body.”
Valarie Allman won the women’s discus with a throw of 68.47m to maintain her perfect winning record. “I feel so happy; I dreamed of a season like this; I didn´t think it would be possible to have an undefeated season. I just fought hard, and I have such an amazing team, and we just made the most of every opportunity. I have so many great memories of this season.”
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