BRUSSELS (August 9) – In a highly anticipated showdown, Wanda Diamond League 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol will compete against world record holder and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the penultimate meeting of the season in Brussels on 8 September.
McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol dominance
The two fastest women in the history of the 400m hurdles, will battle against each other at the Brussels Diamond League. Fans can expect a thriller after the world track and field championships.
Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone have been the dominant forces in the women’s 400m hurdles in recent years. The American has captured world and Olympic titles, breaking the world record multiple times, while the Dutchwoman has ruled the Diamond League circuit.
Read more: Femke Bol shatters records at Wanda Diamond League London 2023
Bol’s glistening campaign has already secured her qualification, marked by four wins, four meeting records, a new Diamond League record of 51.45, and an extended winning streak on the circuit to 18 competitions.
McLaughlin-Levrone, who has focused on the 400m flat this year, will return to her usual discipline in Brussels, aiming to claim a place in the series final and a shot at regaining the title she last won in 2019.
The American will start as the favorite for the gold in the women’s 400m at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In her absence, the 400m hurdles gold is firmly in the favor of Femke Bol.
The Allianz Memorial Van Damme will be the final series meeting of the 2023 Diamond League season, offering the last opportunity for the world’s top athletes to accumulate points for the final in Eugene.
Erriyon Knighton set for 200m appearance
US sprinter Erriyon Knighton is well on track for a place in the men’s 200m final, buoyed by mid-season victories in Florence and Oslo. The 19-year-old has fond memories of Brussels, where he claimed his first-ever Diamond League victory in September last year.
Read more: Watch: Erriyon Knighton runs stunning 19.49 to break World U20 record at LSU Invitational
2022 high jump world champion Eleanor Patterson faces a challenge to secure her ticket to Eugene, having collected only five points with a single fourth-placed finish in Monaco last month.
Currently ninth in the women’s high jump standings, the Australian knows that a strong performance in Belgium is essential, where she will face reigning champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
The Wanda Diamond League, the premier one-day meeting series in athletics, comprises 14 of the most prestigious events in global track and field.
Athletes compete for points at the 13 series meetings, vying for qualification for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene on September 16th-17th.
