Brussels Diamond League Day 1: Ingebrigtsen, Moraa, and Dobson with big wins

© Copyright – 2024 – Athletics Illustrated

The Brussels Diamond League Finale’s Day 1 of 2 took place Friday in the capital of Belgium at King Baudouin Stadium.

Big wins were had by Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1500-metre event, Mary Moraa in the 800m and Charles Dobson in the 400m.

Controversy simmered all week as American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400m hurdles world record holder wanted to compete in the finale. However, did not qualify as she did not run any Diamond League meets in 2024. The Diamond League did allow her to run in a promotional 400m event, which she won in the time of 49.11. Her personal best is 48.75 from June of this year.

Men’s 1500m

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 1500m event with tactics not typically employed by the 23-year-old Olympic gold medallist. He ran behind the leader as well as two pacers for two and a half laps.

Ingebrigtsen once thought nearly unbeatable has been bettered in the 1500m during two World Athletics Championships in Eugene and Budapest as well as the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The last time that he won a 1500m global championship was in 2021 during the Tokyo Olympic Games. Meanwhile, he has dominated the 5000m winning gold in all the events above.

Wat een goede race van Niels Laros, vierde met alle wereldtoppers aan de start van de #1500m waaronder de olympische medaillewinnaars:
1. Yared Nuguse 3.29.21
2. Jakob Ingebrigtsen 3.29.52
3. Cole Hocker 3.30.46
4. Niels Laros 3.31.23
Ook goed:
10. Stefan Nillessen 3.33.08 pic.twitter.com/FFqInDiPTn

— TopatletiekLive (@TopatletiekLive) September 5, 2024

He brought it on Friday. At the bell and with the pacers gone, Ingebrigtsen took the lead despite efforts by Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot, and American Cole Hocker, the Paris champion to do otherwise. At 2:47 into the race, Nuguse, who was coming off a win at the Zurich Diamond League on Sept. 5, got tripped up. He had led on the home straight before the bell. The stumble seemed to take his rhythm away.

At 1000m, when pacer Boaz Kiprugut dropped out, he slowed demonstratively and then swerved into lane two to block Ingebrigtsen, then Cheruiyot. Ingebrigtsen led for the final 400m clocking in at a 3:30.37.

Cheruiyot took second in 3:30.93, while Hocker virtually tied and almost appeared to outlean the Kenyan but settled for 3:30.94. Nuguse ended up sixth in 3:32.30.

Ingebrigtsen is rumoured to compete in the Copenhagen Half Marathon on Sunday. After the race, he was asked about the event and avoided directly answering.

Women’s 800m

Mary Moraa wanted the win the most. The Kenyan was thoroughly defeated in the Paris Olympic Games by British runner Keely Hodgkinson who took gold. She finished a disappointing third. The top three were Hodgkinson (1:56.72), Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia (1:57.15) and Moraa in 1:57.42.

Moraa won gold during the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships surprisingly taking down Hodgkinson and 2021 Tokyo Olympic Champion Athing Mu from the US.

Here we go
Our Kenyan 🇰🇪Mary Moraa wins the women's 800m at the 2024 Brussels Diamond League, clocking a season best time of 1:56.56.
Congratulations 🎉👏 pic.twitter.com/wk3cglwTsN

— Lupellah Johnson (@JogooRangi) September 14, 2024

At the cut-in, Moraa was near the front as the pacemaker Noélie Yarigo took off aggressively. Yarigo hit 200m in 27.1 seconds.

Moraa hit the bell in 53.8, two metres behind Yarigo. At the beginning of the backstretch with 1:17 elapsed on the clock, Brits Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell were gaining on Moraa and Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin. Ten seconds later, 1500m specialist Bell, took the lead. Moraa responded and the two raced neck and neck for a few metres before Moraa took over and gapped Bell.

Moraa won with at least a two-metre gap on Bell in the time of 1:56.56, a season’s best for the Kenyan. Bell stopped the clock at 1:57.50, while taking third was Goule-Toppin in 1:58.94. Moraa was unusually emotional after the win and in tears.

Men’s 400m

Thirty-two-year-old Kirani James of Grenada and Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain were the pre-race favourites. Hudson-Smith is the Paris Olympic silver medallist. James won gold during the 2012 London Olympic Games and was fifth in Paris.

The gun went, and the two battled hard, but early on, Hudson-Smith appeared to either pull a hamstring or badly cramp up and had to retire. Meanwhile, Muzala Samukonga of Zambia came up on James. It appeared that James and Samukonga were so concerned with each other that they tightened up on the home straight. Charles Dobson of Great Britain, appearing relaxed cruised from fourth to first place with ease and won.

It was an upset victory in the time of 44.49. James clocked in at 44.63 for second and Samukonga took third in 44.69.

The meeting continues Saturday and is the finale of the 15-meet 2024 Diamond League season.

Sarah Mitton of Canada also gets redemption

Canadian shot put champion Sarah Mitton also made some redemption for herself on Friday taking the Diamond League title after a disappointing Paris Olympic Games outing. She finished last, after taking silver at the Budapest World Athletics Championships.

🥇 Sarah Mitton takes gold in women’s shot put at the Diamond League Final in Brussels with an incredible throw of 20.25m! 💪 https://t.co/fM7gFh7EFn

— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) September 13, 2024

Mitton put nearly 3m further than she did in Paris for the win.

It was American Chase Jackson who took second with her 19.90m effort. And Germany’s Yemisi Ogunleye with her 19.72m toss for third. Mitton put for 20.25m bettering Ogunleye’s Paris Olympic gold medal performance of 20.00m.

Mitton is the national record holder with her 20.65 best and is the four-time Canadian champion.

Full results from Day 1

100m Women DL Final Wind: +0.2

3000m Steeplechase Men DL Final

400m Women DL Final

Women’s 400m Promotional

800m Women DL Final

Shot Put Women DL Final

Women’s Discus Throw DL Final

High Jump Women DL Final

Triple Jump Women

MEN’S RESULTS

Men’s 100m DL Final Wind: +0.1

400m Men DL Final

400m Men Promotional

1500m Men DL Final

5000m Men DL Final

110m Hurdle Men DL Final Wind: +0.4

Long Jump Men Final

Pole Vault Men DL Final

Discus Throw Men