Brussels Diamond League delivered as Jefferson Wooden and Hiltz and Laros thrilled 35,000 spectators

The Brussels edition of the Diamond League series took place on Friday, August 22, and the meet, named the Allianz Memorial Van Damme delivered a few fascinating performances.

Women’s 100 metre dash

While the finish results were fairly predictable, the strength of Olympic bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson Wooden in her ninth win this season was a foreshadowing of the coming 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships. She put down a 10.76 performance to dominate Olympic and World Championships medallists. It was not close.

Defending world champion and fellow American Sha’Carri Richardson finished second in 11.08. Taking third was the UK’s Daryll Neita, recording an 11.15. Jamaican great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was out of the picture at 11.17.

9 wins in 9 for @Melissajanae21!

The @Olympics bronze medallist clocks a cool 10.76 to beat @realshellyannfp and @itsshacarri at #BrusselsDL🇧🇪 #DiamondLeague
📷 Charlie Sheridan pic.twitter.com/UscvRU31gn

— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) August 22, 2025

Jefferson Wooden is on a roll. She set her personal best in Eugene on August 1, laying down a 10.65-second performance. Her personal best is now the same as Richardson’s, who won the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships in that time.

While Jefferson Wooden looks to be the favourite in Tokyo, Richardson seems to be slowly rounding into form. After the race, Richardson seemed to be quite happy. Perhaps she has something up her sleeve, like a slow build toward another 10.65-like performance.

Women’s 1500 metre run

Nikki Hiltz from the US attacked the final sprint with precision to take the win away from Australia’s Linden Hall, who appeared to have it, until she didn’t.

It was Hiltz’s first Diamond League win and done in a season best 3:55.94. Hall took second in 3:56.33, and Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir finished third in 3:57.35. The result was a small comeback toward previous fitness for Great Britain’s Laura Muir, who recorded a 3:57.63 season’s best performance.

It appeared that Hall had sewn up the race early, and through 1000m. It appeared that the massive gap she had built would take the sting out of her competitor’s kick. The tactic nearly worked, but Hiltz held back and bided her time in the field. She attached with just over 100 metres to go and snuck by Hall toward the finish.

The performance was a personal best for Hall. In 2024, Hiltz set her personal best at 3:55.33 from the Eugene Diamond League meet in June. She is a three-time national champion in the 1500m and a one-time champion in the mile (1609m).

Men’s 1500 metre run

Surprise winner Dutchman Niels Laros clocked 3:30.58 to defeat world U20 record-holder Phanuel Koech Kipkosgei, who staggered in at 3:31.41. USA’s Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse took third in 3:31.51. Laros added his second Diamond League win of the year, following his Bowerman Mile triumph in Eugene.

In June in Paris, Koech shocked the global athletics community with a world record run for the U20 age, recording a ridiculous 3:27.72. Only seven adult men in history have run faster than Koech. One of them was countryman and doper Asbel Kiprop. Nine times, Moroccan Hicham El Gerrouj ran faster than Koech. Otherwise, the performance is the 20th fastest in history.

The 18-year-old won the London Diamond League meet in June with a 3:28.83 performance.

Women’s 5000 metre run

This race was a letdown of sorts as Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ngetich was running with the aid of the Wavelight technology fast. In fact, she was on a world record-tying pace through the first half of the race. Then the wheel on the bus stopped going round and round.

She continued to lead and ended up winning, but unlike Hall in the 1500m, the gap she built was just too much for the field.

During the final four laps, Ngetich was running over a 15-minute pace.

Beatrice Chebet holds the current world record at 13:58.06, and Ngetich was after that time. She still won in 14:24.99, which put her si seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw, who did some gap-closing work to finish in 14:31.51. Aleeshign Baweke was on her tail at 14:31.88 for third.

Ngetich claimed that pushing alone was tough. She may be accurate with that statement because her personal best came on the heels of Chebet’s outlier performance — she had someone to chase.

1. Beatrice Chebet (KEN) – 13:58.06 (World Record)
2. Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) – 14:01.29 (Personal Best)
3. Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) – 14:04.41 (Seasonal Best)
4. Margaret Akidor (KEN) – 14:30.34 (Personal Best) 

Chebet’s final lap split was 61.9 seconds. Chebet appeared to have rolled in after an easy tempo run. Chebet may have been able to run 10 seconds faster if she had someone to push the pace.  

*Featured photo, screen capture from X (Twitter) embed. Taken by: Charlie Sheridan.

Full results

WOMEN’S RESULTS

100m Women | Wind -0.2

1500m Women

5000m Women

400m Hurdles Women

Pole Vault Women

Triple Jump Women

Shot Put Women

MEN’S RESULTS

200m Men – Wind -0.3

400m Men

1500m Men

3000m Steeplechase Men

High Jump Men

Discus Throw Men

Javelin Throw Men