Brussels: Highlights Athletics: IAAF Diamond League

And she made that look frankly pretty straightforward.

Yes, it is the final Diamond League meeting of this season,

with world-leading athletes going head to head as they bid

to claim the overall prize in the individual disciplines,

with 16 Diamond Race trophies to be handed out.

The 40th staging of this Brussels meeting is sure to be

First up on track is the women's 400 metre hurdles with

Her first season under her married name has seen her triumph.

In Doha and Monaco. She set a new personal best. 54.09. That's one

heck of a confidence boost. Her Olympic bronze medal

in the 4x400 metre relay in Rio saw her book on the joint most

decorated female Scottish athletes of all time and if she can finish

ahead of her main rival, Cassandra Tate, in Brussels,

she can capture a memorable year Calling the action for us

are Tim Hutchings and Stuart Storey. All nine lanes are being

used in this stadium. The twice world champion,

Zuzana Hejnova, who was troubled Fourth in Roy but couldn't get

amongst the medals. And Sarah Petersen is in five,

the silver-medallist from Rio, the European champion prior

to that, in Amsterdam. Casandra Tate is second

in that Diamond Race, just a few points behind

Eilidh Doyle, who is Although Cassandra Tate has

gone off very quickly, She is closing off,

and remember, Doyle just easing onto her shoulder,

a strong finisher. And not closing on Doyle

at the moment, really committing. Strong running from peter seven on

this bend. Doyle hasn't really made any

impression on the Dane. Still going well in lane seven

is Cassandra Tate. Doyle is beginning to go backwards,

it is all unwinding for the Briton It is tight for third. Spencer takes

third place. Well, that throws it all among

the pigeons, doesn't it? Because Doyle was going backwards

and really didn't judge Such a shame, because she has

had a fabulous season, Held her form so well since Rio,

with second in Lausanne and third in Zurich.

I think that Eilidh Doyle did exactly the right thing.

She really had to try out how she could run,

if anything perhaps a bit quick to 300 between 200 and 300,

but I tell you what, she gave it everything.

Tate was always in competition, and Petersen,

From the European championships in Amsterdam. Beyond that, to get the

silver medal, absolutely superb. So Tate came in with

30 points and she is Takes it away from el it Doyle. Alid

Doyle. For the first time in the 40-year

history of the Brussels meeting, one of the events has been held

south side of the stadium. All three of the shot put

medallists were in action. In the famous City Hall

with an impressive backdrop. It was the reigning Olympic

champion, Michelle Carter of the USA, who came out

on top Thursday evening, finishing ahead of her

archrival, Valerie Adams. There was some consolation

for the New Zealander, having already clinched

a fifth Diamond trophy. Well, in the women's javelin

in third place is Kara Winger. A fourth round throw of 61 metres 86

was in fact her season's best. And the world record holder

here was second. Her best came in round

five, at 63.78 metres. Great athlete to be

a double Olympic champion. The winner today, from

Latvia, Palameika. The European champion was fifth in

the Rio Olympic Games. Her first throw was a national record for

Latvia. Four throws beyond 60 metres

and also confirmation that she is the Diamond

Race winner for 2016. The next event on the track

is the women's 100 metres. What about Elaine Thompson,

double Olympic champion. She won the 100 metres in Lausanne

against Schippers, who was disappointing in

the 100 metres race. And Williams, silver-medallist

in the 4 x 100 metres in Rio, Desiree Henry is having a cracking

game, at the 200 metres Schippers has gone well,

and so to Elaine Thompson, Wow, the meeting record

that she definitely wanted to beat, which has been set by

Shelley Ann Fraser Pryce in 2013, but that was

an absolute demonstration. So, Schippers is better at the 200,

but at the moment being totally dominated by the Jamaican,

Elaine Thompson. Williams got away well,

the diminutive figure on the left, but here is where

Thompson took over. She tore them apart,

yet that was a 2.5 metre victory against Schippers

who herself was well clear. That is quite astonishing,

only four other athletes in history She continued to accelerate

right the way through, hitting speeds that Schippers

could not get to. The time, equalling the stadium

record and with a meeting with a heritage of this one,

it says a great deal. There is the result,

of the 100 metres. Had Schippers won, they would have

both had 42 points, but it It in the men's discus,

third place, the man Second in Rio and then for five

rounds. He closes series with three no

photos, fatigue is allowed, and the Diamond League

trophy is consolation. Stahl was fifth in Amsterdam this

season, sent a personal best after Rio and easy and five

for them, producing a great effort. Stahl surprising the big

names with that victory. And Malachowski came

into the competition with 42 points The athletes are waiting patiently,

for the women's 400 metres again. Jackson the bronze-medallist

at the Olympics is in lane three and fascinatingly

and there is Caster Semenya, quite a surprise, for the Olympic

800 metres champion, how will she go here?

Stephanie and mix first and goes in number five.

There is Natasha Hastings, the world number five,

Well, Semenya has got into her run very quickly, fourth from right.

A gap developing between herself and MacPherson in lane five.

Also as evidence, Hastings in lane six has gone off very quickly indeed

through the first 200 metres, also going well and probably leading

Semenya is still in a battle in lane four, and MacPherson leads in five,

Here comes Semenya, gradually easing them up.

In her first really significant 400 metres

in the international athletics scene, and that is a new personal

And it is a superb but rare ability, at 400 and 800 metres

That was a wonderful piece of 400 metre running.

The pace and the power of that strength endurance just taking over

Extraordinary, the American who won in Zagreb earlier this week finished

very strongly indeed, right on the outside.

Look at that, that is about as close as it gets.

She didn't win the race, but she did win the Diamond Race.

Caster Semenya was the winner on the night with that personal best.

Fabulous form from the Colombian capped off a fabulous series with no

less than four efforts beyond 14.50 metres.

Didn't look too far shy and eventually 14.66,

tonnes of power and great height in the final phase.

She was one of those athletes knowing she was the Diamond winner.

And pretty much has won everything there is this season.

Still to come, she set a new world record at 5,000 metres,

Still to come, she set a new world record at 10,000 metres,

can she repeat this feat in the women's 5,000 metres?

Robbie Grabarz is one of four men battling in the high jump finale.

Good three-time world champion Kiprop clinch victory

Adam Gemili and Talbot in the men's 200 metres.

With the world record in the men's steeplechase.

And it is a straight fight between Cheruiyot

and Pierre-Ambroise Bosse for the 800 metres Diamond trophy.

The next event is the men's high hurdles.

Omoregie of Great Britain 13.24 in Berlin recently to set

Bascou, the Olympic bronze-medallist, the Olympic

champion at this year has been going very well, Bascou.

I think Bascou is in third, but the time 13.08.

The former Cuban is making a big impact.

Not a lot in it at the start, but certainly Ortega looks

Comes off the hurdle very quickly, look at that.

Gets down to the deck quick, leans in and is in total control

A very powerful last 30 or 40 metres.

I thought Martinot-Lagarde had that put to bed, but Ortega is indeed

There is the confirmation of the high hurdles.

Martinot-Lagarde, that is his season best.

The men's high jump has the potential to be the most

Only six points separate the leader from Ukraine to Robbie Grabarz

The scene is set for a four-way tussle in Brussels.

Doesn't seem that the head is together tonight in this

One failure at 226 and another at 229.

He only has one life left and I can tell you a couple of

Kynard and Protsenko have gone clear.

Barshim at the high jump now getting into the arena of respectability.

Barshim had a dreadful season last season and an indifferent

he got himself a silver medal and was 2.36.

Had such difficulty after jumping 2.43 the season before.

So much was expected, with so much pressure to attempt

The next event of the track is the women's 5,000 metres

Here she is fresh and ready to go we understand.

Ayana on her day is capable of breaking the world record figures.

The athletes passing the band about now.

The important thing is to get these splits right early on,

if it genuinely is to be a world record attempt by Ayana.

it is important they get the first couple of kilometres hit

Ten seconds under one kilometre under three minutes puts you 50

seconds under 15 minutes and the world record is 14.11.

The tempo we are hoping for is 14.10.

We'll keep on top of that, but there may be events unfolding.

Look at this year's failure at 226 and has another attempt at 2.29

Bondarenko in trouble now big trouble.

He is now at two failures at this height, and looking at the computer,

He had one attempt at 2.26, the passed and had two failures here.

The laps have gone 68 and Ayana in third place.

The 22-year-old Kenyan who is a 15.16 athletes has

the burden to take them round at a steady tempo.

She was fourth in the 10,000 in Rio, Nawowuna.

Really strong running from her in Rio.

She was a relatively unheralded, it has to be said, she won

the Kenyan nationals in Nairobi in 31.40,

and those of you who know the thin air of Nairobi,

because of the altitude, that's a great score.

We saw her in Shanghai, Rabat and Rome.

When you look at the pedigree, especially over the 10,000,

and the 5,000 perhaps she went a bit off track

in qualification, took a lot out of her legs.

In the end she suffered dramatically for it.

Nawowuna did very well in that 10,000 metres

Shannon Rowbury back in the second quartet in 8th place at the moment.

Interesting hit out for the American who won over 1,500

That was on Thursday last week, so eight days ago.

Laura Muir and Jenny Simpson and a strong field.

255 for the second kilometre.

We can forget about the world record.

They are almost ten seconds outside the required tempo before halfway.

The Olympic Games silver-medallist in London.

He was 6th in Rio de Janeiro, 233 and drifted badly.

She has the gap created of about 28 metres now.

I don't think the world record is under threat any more,

but she covered a 1,200 metres segment into 12 and has just put

She covered 1,200 metres in under 320.

Heads down the back straight now with over a lap and a bit to run.

You're left wondering yet again what may have been as she goes

Both of them tried to go with the initial surge but if you do

that and you really are not up to it when you pay for it

for the remaining laps and they are looking tired.

Rowbury has had a far more balanced race.

She goes through with one lap to run.

It is going to be mighty quick, some distance inside 14.20 I think,

the world record though is surely safe as Ayana continues with that

The gap is probably 35 metres, maybe 40 to Obiri the 26-year-old

Kenyan who worked so hard for that silver medal in Rio.

Ayana enters the final bend, it has been a fantastic effort from her.

If only those middle laps had been a little bit quicker,

She comes into the straight now and it yet again will be a near miss

She did this in Rome and she's doing it again here in Brussels.

The crowd rise to their feet on the home straight.

Watch the clock, it is massively quick care.

14.18.91 from Ayana, if only it had been a more even pace

You can imagine what might have been.

Obiri in second-place, Teferi in third.

Shannon Rowbury sprinting home for fifth place in 14

And the rest of the field while they are coming down the home

straight now as we can see celebrations from other

The Australians Wellings having a fantastic season.

Steph Twell has had a super season but Ayana, leaves you with

a mouthwatering feeling of what she might achieve in 2017

at a packed stadium at the London World Championships.

Ayana seven seconds shy of the world record.

Obiri a personal best and a North American record

They each had two failures that there is the card.

Jumping with new-found confidence this year it has to be said.

Second placed, back in business at 232.

The men's 1500 next and it is a big field in.

A big personal best at 800 for Grice.

There is the cream of the field though.

The three-time world champion with a 6th place in Rio behind

I actually thought he might take the gold but Kiprop

Managoi a fast finisher, he was disappointing

in Rio and he went out in his heat for Kenny.

And that tall loping style, with the blue vest, sees him slot

in behind the pacemakers, he looks ambitious.

Makhloufi holding his hand out as if to say, I'm turning left, OK?

Just a bit of traffic in fourth place.

Slotting into fifth place and it is quick, no doubt about that

It should go through in about 41 of 42 seconds.

Yes and we must not forget the Moroccan.

And certainly Kiprop is doing what he should have done

in the Olympic Games, of course there was an opportunity

after what happened in 2012, but here he is,

the man who is capable of a sub 330.

And he's better when he leads in this sort of way.

And also, Makhloufi is there as well.

Maybe a bit on the quick side, we were looking them to go

It'll be interesting to see what this is going at.

I know that I don't think it this is great pace making,

some people think it should be fast but that was extravagant.

Makhloufi in third, and Kiprop is in sixth place at the moment.

And look at that, almost 57 seconds that second lap.

It is not good pace making I'm afraid.

Almost a three and a half second difference.

And Makhloufi is strong, we know he is powerful.

He looks comfortable there, I think they have slowed,

but frankly the pacemakers should have done that a couple

His third lap will have been the slowest of the race so far.

It is interesting to see that they have got another one

Looking in very good form, there is a bit of a gap opening up.

And Kiprop needs to start to make an attack if he's

59 seconds, that lap, it was dreadfully slow.

A fabulous run at the moment, it could be a personal best

for the Norwegian here, they queue up on the shoulder,

And Cheruiyot who kicks away on the home straight.

And, Iguider, in second, and Kiprop eases off

That 53.7 opener which misled the field, the major protagonist

would have gone through in the low 54s and that is just too quick

You cannot afford to go out there and expect to come back

and run a measured race with a strong lap.

Cheruiyot, what a busy last 100 metres.

Glancing around all the time down the home strait.

Kiprop tailed off when he knew he was going to be third.

Barshim, a real opportunity, for this high jumper

to stay in the competition, and look at that.

His third and final attempt, and was a good appearance.

Here we have got the Olympic champion, in the whole

Here we have got the Olympic champion, in the pole

vault, Stefanidi has passed several heights.

That was a good clearance, great technician, wonderfully consistent.

The next race on the track is the 200 metres, it is going to be

This should be a very good race indeed, so the Diamond League winner

But, what about that result in Lausanne just recently.

Multiple European champion in the fast.

He got to form in the past, and Gemeli was so disappointed,

And Forte of Jamaica, then Danny Talbot, twice

European Championship in the 200 metres.

Well, not much in it as they go into the bend,

and Martina of the Netherlands going pretty quickly.

Forte going well, Martina really powering down,

Forte, Gemeli, Martina, all in the mix.

Gemeli ran really well into the final part of the race,

Have a look at this as they come in to the bend.

This time the Frenchman not functioning well.

Look at Martina, going off the bend, into the home straight

and he is leading, look at this, and Gemeli comes in strongly.

Who gets it? They've given it to Julian Forte.

Gemeli, it has come down to thousands because they have

I thought he was heading backwards about 40 metres out.

He finished so strongly, he dug really deep and that

margin of victory for Forte has got to be almost literally,

I would have thought that Gemeli took it.

It was a personal best, and Forte ran a personal best as well.

And Adam Gemili, 1997, his personal best.

What a race, you don't get much closer than that.

Barshim looks to me to have the opportunity of winning this,

He needs it very, very badly indeed and he knows it.

The last time he made the attempt he was so determined,

he has been over this height many times before.

It could be the last jump off the competition.

And Kynard knows that could well have taken him to the Diamond race.

I think that Barshim, will end up with 36 points

and Kynard is the Diamond League champion for 2016.

Yes, Morris, who has had a season of seasons,

the world indoor silver-medallist, the Olympic Games silver-medallist

She has a personal best from the end of July.

She is a wonderfully consistent pole vaulter, relatively

new on the global scene in 2016, one wonders what she can do.

I think this is a young lady who might beat the world

We had over the back straight, towards the end of the back straight

and the athletes lining up for the men's steeplechase.

We were threatened with a world record win.

There is the steeplechase, perhaps a more credible world

record, much talked about over the last couple of weeks.

The Olympic champion has not raced since Rio, unbeaten,

but he has already sealed up the Diamond race.

Without any threat to his status as the Diamond League champion.

Seven of the top ten in the world this year on the rankings.

It includes the Olympic champion and the last

It is a field of the very highest order.

Kipruto has never broken the world record but he has been very quick.

And we flipped rather quickly passed Jager,

who could be the first non-African to break that speed level.

One of them was injured last year with an Achilles problem.

The drums ring out around the stadium once again,

But we are looking for the first kilometre here of around 237.

So Sandy Morris, attempting it.

She has a personal best of four metres 93 but this

The Olympic silver-medallist going very well.

A click inside 2.40, Kipruto has hit the front

now, Jager in his wake with four laps to run.

It may not be what Kipruto wants because Jager can almost

I tell you what Tim, the confidence that must have given

Jager from that Olympic performance and we have seen him close

He really is an athlete with lots of confidence.

His hurdling technique is very good so he does not use as much energy

That is a big gap now between the leading two and Kipruto

is only 21 as Tim said, former world junior champion

and my goodness me he has moved so quickly and matured beyond those

4.94, I think that is the vault that is a personal best for her.

A certain record here, a meeting record by

It is an American record as well and she's really flying in every

She had a few failures early on but 4.88 and then 4.94,

the last three heights, first-time clearances.

US record, world lead, meeting record.

She is under some pressure now Stephanie knew.

No, it was actually closer than the bounds

No, it was actually closer than the bounce

It was her second attempt of course, she had one failure earlier.

Having seen Morris go clear, she would have stayed

Just under two laps to go in the steeplechase and the gap

The leading pair, Jager dogging the heels of Kipruto in the top

Two kilometres was reached which effectively kills off any

It was headlined as a world record attempt and his agent has been happy

to discuss that with the media over the last few days.

Jager pulling up alongside Kipruto there.

Might yet break eight minutes if they hack it

This has been perfect pacemaking for Jager.

Absolutely and we have seen Jager finish.

He showed his fatigue in the final stages on barriers before but this

time there's a new confidence in the man.

Jager has been working on his finishing speed,

we know that throughout the year and it was one quality

He is on the shoulder of Kipruto, 200 metres to run.

The Olympic champion, the undisputed world number one,

Over the barriers Kipruto, approaching the water

jump for the final time, they both go clear, Jager a little

stumble, again appears to be a bit vulnerable

The crowd rise to their feet roaring these two home.

It is going to be a charge of the final barrier but Kipruto

He has the legs to beat the American as he crosses the line in 803.77,

Jager another quick time, just fails to take the win.

Mekhissi Benabbad finishing strongly for third place.

Andrew Bayer comes home, good solid run from him around 820.

I'll tell you what, we talk again and again as commentators

and falling into the trap of highlighting world record attempt

and it just doesn't happen again and again.

They are world records for a reason, the quickest times in history.

The winning time in the steeplechase, 8.03.74

and it is over ten seconds outside the world record of the former

Kenyan who did it on this very track 12 years ago.

Mekhissi Benabbad sees his best in third.

In the long jump, Lawson got himself into third place

He had eight metres and no jump in the second and then 8.04

in the third and then 8.04 in the sixth round.

That was his third round one, he did that again.

He was a world champ silver medallist in 2015. But Manyonga...

We had a few eight 20s, no jump and then 8.48,

No jump in the last round but that doesn't matter, that was perfection

Lapierre in second place and then Manyonga in first place

We have a real pole vault demonstration going

Morris attempting five metres and she has got it.

First-time clearance, that is a second time clearance

The bar I think for not coming off but that is five metres

and that is a new meeting record, a new Diamond League record,

a new American record, a new personal best and all

I'll tell you what puts it in perspective for Morris,

she's the only second athlete in history to clear

The world record is 5.06, Morris was already second

on the world outdoors but she has just improved several classes.

There is the line-up for the men's 800 metres.

There is Kipketer, great speed in the world youth Championships

This is Ambroise-Bosse the Frenchman.

This will be a race which will be very competitive

Certainly Murphy has gone off quickly so has Tuka on the far side.

Certainly this is proving to be a good opener but they are not

I will be intrigued to see how Murphy gets on, ran a 3.52 mile

at the Fifth Ave in New York and he is going strongly on here,

The Americans have a real diamond in this young man.

Challengers Murphy as they come into the straight, it is going

This is going to be one of those very tight finishes.

Right on the line and that's looked like Kipketer Kszczot.

He battled in the final line and surprise them.

All of a sudden Kszczot who has been such a good competitor in the past

Six people he passes in the last 50, a brilliant race and

on the inside there, Betis so busy celebrating

that he doesn't realise Kszczot has gone past them.

Watch this, spreads the arms and thinks he's got the victory,

celebrates and that is a coaching error of the very first class.

Look at the rest, how close was that one?

In a way it is deserved, he has run very strongly

We have a world attempt now at five metres

But this night will be remembered by a young woman

Morris, the second woman only in the history of the event

Plenty to come, but that's it for this year's coverage of the Diamond

League. And what season it's been. Goodbye.

Welcome to the first Diamond League meeting of this Olympic year. The

diamond are to be fought for here... Look at Kenya... It is a new world

record. That's a monster. Celebrations continue for the

Frenchman. Oh my word! Laura Muir has smashed the British record. He

has got this race won. Of course he is the hero of this crowd. It is a

new era of women's speechle racing. This is going to be tight. He's a

bit of a showman. He is back in business. Fire all around the track,

because we had fire on