5 Races to Watch at Brussels Diamond League

5 Races to Watch at Brussels Diamond League

The final Diamond League meet of the season is about to take place in Brussels, where a league champion will be crowned and several world records could be r

Sep 7, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
5 Races to Watch at Brussels Diamond League
The final Diamond League meet of the season is about to take place in Brussels, where a league champion will be crowned and several world records could be rewritten. Here are the five races you can't miss during the last Diamond League meet of 2016. 

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Men's Steeplechase
The men's distance race to watch in Brussels will be the steeplechase, where Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto intends to attack the world record of 7:53.63. The young Kenyan standout is ending a breakthrough year that includes an undefeated streak on the Diamond League circuit and a gold medal in Rio.

The Olympic final was a major stepping stone for the 21-year-old, who dethroned two-time Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi for the title (Kemboi was later disqualified after finishing third). After posting a personal best of 8:00 this year, Kipruto will have major competition in Paul Koech and Kiprop Kipruto, who have both run under 7:55. Kiprop has come closest to the record; he owns a personal best of 7:53.64. With perfect pacing set for Conseslus, the record could fall Friday. 

Olympic silver medalist Evan Jager will also be in the hunt after finishing second to Kipruto in Rio with a season's best of 8:04.28. Jager set the American record in the event at last year's Paris Diamond League meeting. He will seek to lower that mark on Friday, and has shown his prowess when it comes to running with the best in the world around the 8-minute barrier. 

Watch Jager explain his race mindset in DRIVEN: Evan Jager:


Women's 5K
The 10K world record-holder is returning for more record-breaking action on Friday. Olympic champion Almaz Ayana has her sights on the 5K world record,14:11.15, that was set by Tirunesh Dibaba in 2008. After shattering the 10K world record and claiming an Olympic gold medal this year, Ayana certainly seems more than ready to do it. 

Her chances are stronger than any other competitor in the field -- she has already come within seconds of breaking it on three separate occasions. Her most recent attempt, a 14:12.59, happened in Rome last July. She followed that momentum with a dominant Olympic 10K performance, where she shattered the previous world record by 16 seconds. 
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Three-time Olympic finalist Shannon Rowbury will also be in the field after finishing a close fourth in the Olympic 1500m final. Rowbury has yet to run a 5K this year, but boasts a personal best of 14:48 from Monaco two years ago. Her most recent performance was a 3:57.78 1500m -- incredibly close to her American record -- at the Zurich meeting last week. 

Men's 1500m
The 1500m in Brussels is shaping up to be a bit of an Olympic final re-match. Olympic silver medalist Taoufik Makhloufi will contend alongside 2008 Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop. Makhloufi is returning from claiming silver in the 800m and the 1500m in Rio. He also finished second with a 1:42.98 at the Paris Diamond League meeting.

Kiprop had a more disappointing result in Rio after his kick failed him in the 1500m final. The world champion finished a distant sixth as Matt Centrowitz commanded the victory. His most recent performance since Rio was a fourth-place showing in the 1000m at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting. Olympic finalist and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Abdelaati Iguider will also contend after finishing fifth in the Olympic final. 

In addition, Americans Ben Blankenship and Robby Andrews will contest after competing in their first Olympic Games. Blankenship fought his way to an eighth-place finish in Rio. Andrews unfortunately got disqualified in the semifinal, but seems optimistic about ending his season on a high note. He recently received some advice from Olympic bronze medalist Nick Willis on Twitter:



Women's 100m
This will be a much-anticipated rematch between Olympic champion Elaine Thompson and world champion Dafne Schippers. Thompson grabbed gold in the 100m and 200m in Rio to dethrone her Jamaican teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. After winning the world championship last year, Schippers finished a close second to Thompson in the 200m. Since Rio, the two have taken their rivalry to the Diamond League circuit, where Thompson recently beat Schippers in Zurich. 

Women's 400m
Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya will test her speed against a talented 400m field. Semenya's most recent performance occurred in Berlin, where she clocked her third 1:55 of the season. Her fastest performance went down in the Olympic final -- she blazed a 1:55.33 to set a world lead and South African national record. Semenya also set a personal best in the 400m this year when she ran 50.74 at the South African national championships in April. Based on her recent 800m runs, Semenya is poised to lower her mark yet again. 

Follow FloTrack's live updates of the meet this Friday, September 9.