Former Lady Tiger Cassandra Tate added the title of Diamond Race Winner to her growing list of accolades following Friday’s IAAF Diamond League meeting in Brussels, Belgium, as she captured her second Diamond League title this season in the women’s 400-meter hurdles with a seasonal-best time of 54.47 seconds.
Tate, who won her first career Diamond League race in Birmingham, England, back on June 5, was first across the finish line in Friday’s final in Brussels to finish the season as the leading 400-meter hurdler competing on the IAAF Diamond League circuit. The meet marked the end of the Diamond Race series held over 14 Diamond League meets this season.
Tate’s not only took home $10,000 in prize money for winning Friday’s hurdle race, but she also claimed the $40,000 prize as the Diamond Race Winner while totaling a season-leading 50 points on the circuit.
The 2015 World Championships Bronze Medalist finished well in front of Denmark’s Sara Petersen in second place with a time of 54.60 at the Brussels Diamond League Meeting. Jamaica’s Kaliese Spencer followed third overall with a time of 55.05, while Czech Republic’s Zuzana Hejnova placed fourth with a time of 55.12.
Eilidh Doyle of Great Britain, who has also won two Diamond League events this season, lined up at the Brussels meet in front of Tate in the overall Diamond Race standings for the women’s 400 hurdles. Doyle slid back into second place in the final Diamond Race standings with 40 total points after finishing Friday’s race in fifth place overall with a time of 55.26.
Rounding out the competitors were South Africa’s Wenda Nel (55.41) in sixth, USA’s Jaide Stepter (55.88) in seventh, Ukraine’s Hanna Titimets (55.92) in eighth and Belgium’s Axelle Dauwens (58.34) in ninth.
Not only has Tate won a pair of Diamond League titles in Birmingham and Brussels this season, but she has also finished second in the 400 hurdles in Rabat and Monaco, as well as fourth in both Rome and Lausanne and fifth in Doha. By winning her second career IAAF Diamond League race in Brussels with a seasonal-best time of 54.47, Tate climbed into a tie for 12th place in the World rankings for the 2016 season.
