Like it or not, the 2015 track season will effectively come to an end after Friday’s Brussels Diamond League meeting. While it may seem illogical to have meets after the World Championships (there are no NFL games after the Super Bowl!), the last two meets in the IAAF series come with the huge motivator of money (straight cash, homie). 16 Diamond Race winners were awarded a fancy trophy plus $40K last Thursday in the first of the two DL finals in Zurich, and now it’s time to pay the other 16 winners in Belgium.

 

Like always, the competition is expected to be fierce across all the disciplines, but we’re paying especially close attention to the races where the big check is entirely up for grabs. Just like championship races make for fun viewership with all the tactical nonsense going on, Diamond League finals come with a similar allure, as the weary athletes give it one last go before shutting their seasons down for good. 

 

Remember, the points are doubled in the finals, so even athletes eight points back in the standings entering Friday can summon their inner beast, overcome all the odds, and be crowned victorious on Friday. It’s unlikely, but the doubling of the points (1st= 8 pts, 2nd= 4 pts, 3rd= 2 pts) makes the finale all the more grand. Tiebreakers go to the athletes with the most victories throughout the DL season, and if that still can’t break the code, the competitor who finishes higher on Friday will be awarded the victory. Phew, glad we got that out of the way.

 

Here’s what to watch in Brussels:

 

Men’s 5,000m (2:41pm CT) - Sans Mo Farah, DL 5K Title Wide Open

Literally anyone could win the men’s 5K Diamond Race. And I mean that literally. 

 

Mo Farah and Yomif Kejelcha lead the current standings with just six points for each man, which leaves the door open for everyone in the Brussels field to contend for the $40K, especially since Farah is foregoing his shot to win the title by skipping Brussels to race in Sunday’s Great North Run. Without the double World champ, this race loses it’s predictability and becomes must-see Friday afternoon theatre.

 

Of course, the men who have been closest to Farah in 2015 will be the ones to watch in Friday’s race. Caleb Ndiku gave the Mo-Bot quite the scare in the 5K final at Worlds, forcing Farah to split 1:48 over the last 800 to win in Beijing, and the Kenyan should be right in the thick of things in an expected tactical race in Brussels. Even despite missing a majority of the summer while nursing an injury, the silver medalist controls his own fate and will retain his Diamond Race crown with a win in Belgium. 

Kenyan Caleb Ndiku put a scare into Mo Farah in Beijing, and will be tough to beat tomorrow in the Diamond League final.

Just the same, five other men in this race control their own destiny and will each take the crown with a win, among them America’s first ever Diamond League winner Ben True. The 29-year-old won a slightly watered-down adidas Grand Prix in June, but ultimately the strength of that field is of little importance now that True has a shot to win the whole damn league. The American has shown a much improved kick this year, and finished sixth in the tactical final at Worlds. It’s very unlikely that he will beat the likes of Ndiku, Kejelcha, and 2015 bronze medalist Hagos Gebrhiwet, not to mention the other studs in this field, but the fact that True is even in this position is an achievement in itself.

 

The four other men who can win the title with a victory in Brussels are Kejelcha, Gebrhiwet, Thomas Longosiwa, and Isiah Koech. The Ethiopians Gebrhiwet and Kejelcha are definitely the strongest of this group, as they each have a Diamond League win in 2015, and were third and fourth in Beijing, respectively.

 

True’s fellow compatriots and World Championship finalists Galen Rupp (fifth in Beijing) and Ryan Hill (seventh in Beijing) are also lining up in Belgium, and they each could technically win the Diamond League title with a win and some very fortunate help. For either man to win, neither Kejelcha, Gebrhiwet, or Longosiwa can finish second on Friday. But hey, for two guys without a single point entering the final, these odds are the best possible scenario one could ask for. 

 

Although this field has the potential to make this race very quick without Farah in the mix, I think the big check on the line will make this race quite slow at the beginning, with a fast finish creating some fireworks down the stretch. There hasn’t been a truly paced out Diamond League 5K on the men’s side all season, and subsequently the 12:58 world lead is the slowest it’s been in at least 20 years. I can’t see this trend changing in Brussels with all the cash on the line. 

 

Women’s 100m Hurdles (2:09pm CT) - American Trio Tied Atop Standings 

This event was perhaps more disappointing than any other for the Americans in Beijing, as the U.S. failed to put a single woman on the podium despite owning the top five spots on the 2015 World lead list. 

 

Reigning World champion Brianna Rollins was the best of the bunch in fourth, while Sharika Nelvis was last in the final despite having the second-fastest time in the world this season. That’s bad enough, but both Keni Harrison and Dawn Harper-Nelson were DQ’d, tying a big fat bow of disappointment on top of the whole event. In retrospect, talks about a potential Yankee sweep of the podium entering Worlds seems a bit embarrassing after what transpired in Beijing. 

American Sharika Nelvis disappointed with her eighth-place showing in Beijing, but she can win the Diamond Race tomorrow with a win in Brussels. 

But let’s put all that behind us, as it’s time for one of these ladies to get redemption by winning the Diamond Race title on Friday. Harper-Nelson, Nelvis, and 2015 breakout star Jasmin Stowers are all knotted up at 10 points each, with the next closest competitor being Rollins with just five points. The 31-year-old DHN just scored a big win over Nelvis in Berlin, 12.82 to 12.84, but the one to watch on Friday just might be the 23-year-old Stowers, who should be very fresh since she did not qualify for Worlds. 

 

Nelvis and Stowers are the only women to break 12.40 this season, but it is Stowers who is the only woman to break 12.50 since late-July with her 12.47 in London on July 24th. Even though her failure to make it to Beijing was a massive disappointment, it just might be a blessing in disguise for Stowers in regards to the Diamond League race. Without the stress and fatigue of World Championship rounds having a residual effect on the rest of her season, Stowers enters Brussels in the pole position. 

 

Women’s 200m (1:32pm CT) - Allyson Felix v. Dafne Schippers

What a treat this race will be to end the season. 

 

Three of the six fastest women in 200m history will battle in Brussels, that being 2015 World champion Dafne Schippers (21.63), 2015 silver medalist Elaine Thompson (21.66), and of course 2015 400m World Champion Allyson Felix (21.69). Felix owns the lead in the Diamond Race with 10 points, with Schippers in third with four points, while Thompson doesn’t have a single point, but who really cares because this race is freakin’ loaded with intrigue!

 

The 29-year-old Felix has dominated this event throughout her career, winning three World titles and the 2012 Olympic gold, but she decided to just run the 400m this year at Worlds as the two events had a scheduling conflict. Felix easily transitioned to the 400m this year, winning gold in Beijing in a world-leading 49.26, while splitting a ridiculous 47.9 in the 4x4 final. The American is so good that it doesn’t really matter which event she chooses, she’s expected to win regardless.

Allyson Felix will face 200m World champion Dafne Schippers for the first time since Schippers became the third-fastest woman in history in Beijing. 

But suddenly, things are changing and changing fast in the women’s 200m. Without Felix toeing the line in Beijing, the event was expected to be very weak in 2015, but after the scorching final on August 28th, the opposite became true. The Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers exploded to a 21.63 in Beijing, making her the third fastest woman in history, ahead of Felix’s PR. Silver medalist Elaine Thompson of Jamaica also bettered the American’s PR, running 21.66 to put herself at fifth all-time. 

 

This all begs the question: is Allyson Felix’s reign atop the 200m world over? She has said that she will pick the 200m for the 2016 Olympic Games if she is forced to choose between the two events again in Rio, so the expectation is that Schippers v. Felix next summer in Brazil will be one of the best marquee match-ups of the entire Games. With as quickly as the 23-year-old Schippers in progressing, next summer’s Olympic final could potentially scare FloJo’s 21.34 world record.

 

No such lightning quick times are likely to happen tomorrow in Brussels, but the victor between Felix and Schippers on Friday will gain a big confidence boost heading into the off-season. Although Schippers is now technically faster than her American rival, I still think Felix wins in Belgium as she owns a career 3-1 advantage head-to-head against Schippers. 

 

Men’s 800m (1:56pm CT) - Amos Has DL Title Locked Up, But Brussels 800 Will Be Legit

With neither 2015 World champion David Rudisha or Ayanleh Souleiman racing in Brussels, Botswana’s Nijel Amos has already locked up his second straight Diamond Race title, but that should not take away from how thrilling of a race I expect to see in Brussels. 

 

The two fastest men in the world this season, Bosnia’s Amel Tuka (1:42.51) and Amos highlight this stacked field. Joining them will be 2015 silver medalist Adam Kszczot of Poland, 2013 World champion Mo Aman, as well as 1500m World Champion Asbel Kiprop. After Amos ran a smooth 1:43.28 to win in Berlin on Sunday, this race is expected to be an assault on the world lead. 

Outside of a hiccup at the World Championships, Nijel Amos has owned the 800m in 2015.

Of course, the 21-year-old Amos was a massive disappointment at the World Championships, as he failed to advance to the final despite being the gold medal favorite entering Beijing. Even with that hiccup, Amos remains the most dangerous half-miler on the planet right now, and he has placed no worse than 2nd in every Diamond League race this season. 

 

Tuka legitimized his huge breakout season by earning bronze in Beijing, becoming the first person from Bosnia to ever medal at the World Championships. The 24-year-old showed his tremendous kick by mowing down the entire field, including Amos, in Monaco in a stunning 1:42.51, and he should be ready to run that fast or faster after taking two weeks off post-Worlds. 

 

Kszczot and Aman were second and third behind Amos at Berlin in 1:44.22 and 1:44.24, respectively, and should both play a big role in tomorrow’s outcome. Kszczot should be particularly confident after his win last week in Zurich over Aman and Rudisha, while Aman will still be salty after getting DQ’d in Beijing and should be fired up for this heavyweight clash. The Ethiopian beat Amos at Pre and Rome earlier in the season, but has been all over the map otherwise in 2015. 

 

Watch out for Asbel Kiprop. Although he’s a true 1500m runner (the best in the world, BTW), Kiprop has run 1:43.15 for 800m and has been completely dominant this season in his preferred event, coming from behind per usual to win his third-straight 1500m World title on August 30th. While we’re used to seeing Kiprop kick from the back to win in the 1500m, he likely won’t be afforded that luxury tomorrow and will need to be in the mix early to have any shot to upset this quality of a field. 

 

Briefly, here are the other races we’ll be following closely Friday in Brussels:

 

Women’s Steeplechase (1:39pm CT):

Kenya’s Virginia Nyambura has finished top three at every Diamond League in 2015, but she fell flat in Beijing with her seventh-place finish in the final. Still, Nyambura holds a seven point advantage in the Diamond Race standings, with only reigning DL champion Hiwot Ayalew of Ethiopia and 2015 World champion Hyvin Jepkemoi of Kenya within striking distance at nine points each. American Emma Coburn will take one last shot this season at the 9:12.50 U.S. record in Brussels after finishing fifth in the World Championship final, her highest placing ever in a global competition. 

 

Men’s 100m (1:14pm CT):

Despite coming up short against Usain Bolt in the 100/200 in Beijing, Justin Gatlin will look to wrap up a solid 2015 season with a victory in the 100m Diamond League final on Friday. The 33-year-old’s 9.74 world lead still stands from May, and he will be heavily favored tomorrow in a race lacking the powerful Jamaican. Gatlin holds a six-point advantage over Tyson Gay in the standings.