The opening night of the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels delivered historic performances, fierce rivalries and dramatic finishes.
Collen Kebinatshipi, Chase Jackson and Emmanouil Karalis produced some of the biggest moments at the King Baudouin Stadium.
Kebinatshipi Breaks Diamond League Record Again
Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi ended the night in style.
The 22-year-old dominated the men’s 400m in 43.40 seconds.
The performance broke the Diamond League record for the third time this season.
Kebinatshipi also moved to joint fifth on the world all-time list.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards finished second with a national record of 43.68.
Chase Jackson Extends Area Record
American shot putter Chase Jackson also produced a record-breaking performance.
She extended her North American area record to 21.14m.
Jackson had joined the exclusive 21-metre club just days earlier in Berlin.
She dominated the competition in Brussels.
Canada’s Sarah Mitton finished second, half a metre behind Jackson.
Karalis Shines as Duplantis Withdraws
The pole vault produced another major highlight.
Mondo Duplantis withdrew as a precaution due to leg tightness.
That gave Emmanouil Karalis an opportunity to take centre stage.
Karalis cleared a meeting record of 6.12m on his third attempt.
He defeated Sondre Guttormsen and Kurtis Marschall to claim the title.
Julien Alfred Claims Third Consecutive Diamond League Title
The Brussels meeting also served as a crucial qualifier for the upcoming World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
Julien Alfred continued her stellar form in the women’s 200m.
She won the race in 21.79 seconds.
The victory secured her third consecutive Diamond League title and her spot in the shorter distance at the upcoming championship.
Myers Wins 1500m Photo Finish
Australia’s Cameron Myers timed his finishing kick perfectly in a tightly contested 1500m.
He won in a photo-finish ahead of Phanuel Koech.
Distance star Jakob Ingebrigtsen faded to fifth after leading into the home straight.
In the 800m, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed his fourth consecutive Diamond League title.
He clocked 1:41.80 to finish nearly a second ahead of Djamel Sedjati.
Wanyonyi continues to edge closer to David Rudisha’s world record.
Tharp Wins After Tinch Falls
The 110m hurdles delivered one of the night’s most dramatic moments.
World champion Cordell Tinch clattered the final hurdle and fell while leading.
World record-holder Ja’Kobe Tharp took advantage to win in 13.03 seconds.
Jamal Britt finished second, while Trey Cunningham took third.
In the 100m, Oblique Seville claimed the title in 9.90 seconds.
He edged Emmanuel Eseme, while pre-race favourite Christian Coleman faded to sixth after a fast start.
Cherotich Sets Steeplechase Meeting Record
The women’s distance and hurdles events also produced strong performances.
Anna Cockrell held off a fierce challenge from Emma Zapletalová to win the 400m hurdles in 53.01 seconds.
In the 3000m steeplechase, Faith Cherotich pulled clear to set a meeting record of 8:51.61.
Freweyni Hailu led an Ethiopian one-two-three sweep in the 5000m.
She won the race in 14:35.20.
Gayle Beats Tentoglou in Long Jump
The field events produced several memorable matchups.
Tajay Gayle turned the tables on Miltiadis Tentoglou in the men’s long jump.
Gayle produced a winning 8.46m leap in the final round.
Mateusz Kołodziejski won the high jump after a competition decided on countback at 2.28m.
Saly Sarr claimed the triple jump with a 14.96m effort.
Ceh Defeats Alekna in Discus Battle
The discus competitions also delivered major performances.
Feng Bin threw 67.46m to edge Valarie Allman.
In the men’s competition, Kristjan Ceh set a meeting record of 71.29m.
He defeated world record-holder Mykolas Alekna in a world-class contest.