One year on from the hotly debated World Championships there, a hotly contested final meet of the Diamond League took place in Doha. It was a joy to watch as athletes really showed their mettle after a tough season.

While we’re normally concerned with the longer distances, it would be rude not to celebrate an impressive run from Elliot Giles who ran a PB of 1:44.56 in the 800m to take second place behind Kenya’s Ferguson Rotich. Guy Learmouth was sixth in 1:46.25.

After her tune-up in Battersea last week, Adelle Tracey had a storming run to take third in 1:59.87 – just one hundredth of a second outside her best time. Shelayna Oskan-Clarke was eighth in 2:02.22.

 

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1.59.87 & 3rd at @dohadiamondleague So happy to get back to Sub 2 running a seasons best 0.01 shy of my PB. It’s been a tough year but I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to compete and end the season on a high #DohaDL #HalfMileSmile #OffSeason

A post shared by A D E L L E T R A C E Y (@adelletracey) on Sep 25, 2020 at 9:36pm PDT

In the 1500m the men were fourth and eighth, but their placings should not mask the fact that James West and Piers Copeland ran excellent PBs of 3:34.07 and 3:35.32 respectively with both men in fantastic form at the moment.

In a race that saw all podium placers fun under 8:23, Laura Weightman had a strong field to contend with over 3000m. Despite running 8:26.31 and less than quarter of a second from her best, she finished in seventh place – the fastest ever 7th place in a 3000m!  Eilish McColgan was 12th with 8:40.88 and Melissa Courtney-Bryant 14th with 8:56.11.

7th in a stacked @dldoha race tonight gutted to just miss my PB but delighted to end my 2020 track season with another strong race!! Walking away slightly disappointed with running 8.26 shows the athlete I’ve become this year pic.twitter.com/kyoUl4rf3a

— Laura Weightman (@LauraWeightman) September 25, 2020

Gregsons dominate in Milton Keynes

Closer to home, the NoblePro MK 5km PB Special in Milton Keynes was a chance for top club athletes to thrash it out against each other this Sunday.

Australian running royalty the Gregsons in town the competition was always going to be fierce despite he very challenging windy conditions which were not set up for fast times. Repeat sub-4 miler Ryan and double Olympic finalist Genevieve took top honours in 13:50 and 15:49.

NoblePro MK 5km PB Special. Credit: Callum Gillett

AFD’s Adam Clarke chased down second place in 14:10 with Callan Moody hot on his tail with a 14:13 finish for Serpentine RC. Owen Hind (14:21, Kent AC) and Alfie Manthorpe (14:29, City of Sheffield) both snuck under the 14:30 mark in a race that saw the top 15 all under 15 mins.

Racing after the power couple on the women’s side was Eleanor Bolton who placed second in 16:22 (Ribble Valley Harriers) followed by Fast Running’s own Hannah Irwin who took third in 16:46 for Guildford & Godalming.

Also under the 17 minute mark were Molly Renfer (16:49, Highgate Harriers), Kirsty Longley (16:52, V40 Liverpool Pembroke), Lauren Hall (16:54 AFD), Annabel Morton (16:57 Horsham Blue Star), Philly Bowden (16:57, AFD) and Michelle Pearson (16:59, Belgrave Harriers).

It was another event with fantastic depth with 66 men running inside 16 minutes and 40 women inside 20 minutes despite the conditions.

Gen Gregson on her way to the finishing line. Photo: Tom Craggs

Full suite of races at Goodwood

At the Run Through Running Grand Prix, Simon Heath hurtled round the Motor Circuit in 15:05 to win the men’s 5k race ahead of Luke Van Oudtshoorn (15:15) and Ben Brown (15:16). In the women’s race, Emily Proto was in fine form, running a 17:28 PB to take victory over Iona Miller (17:46) and Farran Leach (18:36).

The V40 ladies were out in force in the 10k taking gold and silver spots thanks for Lesley Locks (36:22) and Alexa King (36:07). Hannah Pullen was third in 36:25. The men’s race was a swift one too, with Joe Morwood breaking the tape in a convincing victory of 30:52, leaving Harry Leleu (31:19) and Alex Pointon (31:58) in his wake. Pay attention later in this write-up and you’ll see that Pointon had a busy weekend of racing!

Making the most of a controlled location Run Through were offering all the distances to runners, so we move on to the longer options of half, 20m and full marathons. The Half Marathon podium places went to Tom Higgs in 1:07:04, Matt Dickinson (1:08:20) and George King (1:08:48). Nina Griffith led the ladies home in 1:18:07 followed by Tamsin Anderson in 1:19:32 and Chelsea Purvis in 1:33:38.

Sam Amend was in a class of her own over 20 miles, which she covered in 2:11:00 to place fourth overall and top of the women’s rankings. Mili Mladenovic toughed out the conditions with a 2:27:07 for second and Elizabeth Prinsep was third in 2:39:25. For the gents, Ollie Garrod was first in 1:53:08 and James Baker also kept it under two hours with his 1:56:33. Holding off Samantha for third overall was Phil Stevenson who finished in 2:04:57.

Finally, the honour of winning one of the few full Marathon races still going ahead this year was taken by Joseph Turner who triggered the checkered flag in 2:29:56. The next two places were a fight to the finish with Peter Mackrell holding on for second in 2:34:07 and Alexander Betts placing third in 2:34:15. Sarah Gurney and Rebecca Bunting also battled it out in the women’s race with Gurney winning out in 2:53:09 and Bunting taking the runner up spot in 2:53:27. Elspeth Turner was third in 3:01:03.

Open meets see quality club racing

Once again, London was host to a slew of club meets during the week. Blackheath & Bromley Open kicked off proceedings on Monday night. The top three women across the 1500m races on the night were Lily Slack (4:44.81), Morgan Squibb (4:49.99) and Megan Slattery (4:54.05). For the men the quickest times were from Adam Wright (3:52.17), William Fuller (3:54.08) and Nicholas Smith (4:03.89).

There was only one 3000m race and it was V40 runner Roger Vilardell (Petts Wood/Spain) who broke the tape in a PB of 9:11.84. Second place went to Daniel Kennedy (Blackheath & Bromley) in 9:21.25 and third was clubmate Micah Evans in 10:06.18. Just three ladies braved the mixed race – Isabelle Stoneham (10:37.93), Carys Firth (11:17.30) and Isla Spink (12:08.86).

On Wednesday at the Hercules Wimbledon middle distance night youth won out in the women’s 1500m as all three podium places went to U17 athletes. Poppy Craig-McFeely (Herne Hill Harriers) ran a PB of 4:39.98 to take the victory with Georgina Clarke (Hercules Wimbledon) placing second in 4:46.63. In a different seeded race Lulu Weisz (Hercules Wimbledon) ran the third fastest time of the night – 4:57.70.

For the men’s 1500m home-boy Charlie Eastaugh topped the rankings with his 3:54.58, just a whisker ahead of Herne Hill’s Nicholas Dewar who ran a PB of 3:54.83 to take second. Peter Cameron (Edinburgh AC/Cambridge Uni) took third place in 3:56.12

The men’s 3000m win went to Thomas Keen (U20, Cambridge & Coleridge) with PB time of 8:13.04. Safely behind him was Kieran Reilly (Tonbridge), crossing the line in 8:18.70 and Morpeth’s Rory Leonard in 8:22.95. The fastest of the women’s 3000m times was a 9:45.12 from U17 Pippa Roessler (Aldershot, Farnham & District), finishing one spot ahead of Herne Hill’s Phoebe Anderson (9:55.38) who ran the third fastest time of the night. In a separate race, Katie Goodge (U20, Tonbridge) snuck in between the two of them with a 9:54.84 .

The next in Harrow AC’s race nights avoided the worst of the weather on Thursday at Bannister’s track. This week it was 800,1500 and Long Jump taking place. In a swift race, Mukhtar Musa of Shaftsbury Barnet was the speediest over 1500m, grabbing himself a new PB of 3:53.53. That places him third in his age group and 100th overall in the UK to date. Alex Melloy also PB‘d for second in 3:54.40 (U17, Cambridge & Coleridge). Rounding out the podium was Dylan Spencer who ran 3:54.73 claim a PB and third for Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow (U20).

In the women’s 1500m the winner was Lilly Hawkins from Southampton in 4:24.89, followed by a 4:32.44 PB from Cambridge Harriers’ Holly Dixon in an earlier race which also featured Alice Garnder’s 4:44.02 (Aldershot, Farnham & District). Next week’s finale sees an attempt on the men’s V60 world record over 3000m as well as a strong field in the rest of the 3000 and mile races.

Finishing off the club racing week was a strong field at the Aldershot, Farnham & District end of season meet. Saturday’s racing saw Houghton Harriers snatch the victory from AF&D over 3000m thanks to a convincing 8:43.8 win from Cameron Allan. The home club took the next two podium spots though with Alex Pointon second in 8:47.2 and Rian McAwley third in a PB of 8:51.1.

Amelia Quirk (U23) represented the ladies in that race and came home in 9:01.5 to lead a clean sweep for Bracknell AC. Abigail Baines (U17) was second fastest over the distance, finishing in 10:38.9, and Kirsten Fraser (U15) third in a PB of 10:48.8

Over 1500m Iestyn Williams (Camarthen) was first, crossing the line in 4:07.1, just a hair’s breadth ahead of Elias Ahmed (Ealing Southall & Middx) who ran 4:07.7. Winchester’s Ben Healey was third in 4:08.9. Lily Hawkins (Southampton) stormed home in 4:30.9 to lead the women’s times. Next on the results table were Maisie Grice (A,F&D) in 4:35.9 U23Sophie Nicholls (U15, City of Salisbury) in Pippa Roessler (U17, A,F&D) in 4:40.8.

Off track again

If road or track racing isn’t your thing then look to the Maverick Adidas TERREX X & Ultra Peak District race – a beaut’ of a course with a whole range of distance options. Jack Galloway and Lorna Spayne bossed the ultra distance, finishing in 4:30:25 and 4:57:16. Long honours went to Alex lawton (3:09:28) and Lorna Al-Ani (4:22:29).

Over the middle distance it was Sophie Gibbons (2:12:03) and Robin Dugast (2:00:29) who spent the least time out on the scenic route and Daniel Eyre (41:06) and Lottie Kent (53:33) were the swiftest of the day overall, with their short-course wins.

 

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We did it. YOU did it! Together WE BLOODY DID IT!! We won’t lie… it was touch and go the day before the event, with the wind and some sign removal threatening to turn the event into chaos. But with a solid team around us and enough pizza to feed a small army we smashed it out the park. All of you runners brought an amazing attitude and atmosphere to the race which made the whole day SO enjoyable and go ahead without a glitch! The team continue working hard even after the finish arch is deflated… …with full results being available to you from a little over an hour after the final cut off, a full set photos all uploaded ready to go just 12 hours after the final cut off and making sure we reply to your amazing social posts… and why? BECAUSE the event doesn’t stop once you get your medal and leave the car park. We love what we do and the extra ‘Maverick’ bits is why you always come back for more!! Double weekend next weekend… who’s in?? #theoutdoorsawaits #peakdistrictnationalpark #ultrarunning @adidasterrex @jakebaggaley.photographer

A post shared by Maverick-Race (@maverickrace) on Sep 27, 2020 at 1:58am PDT

Fast10 athlete Erika Kelly clock 12014m for the hour walk which we believe might be a British record.

And finally with London just a week away Britain’s Steph Twell had a bit of light sharpening to finish 3rd at the SM 10km in Belp, Switzerland clocking 33:38. Also competing were Brits Kyle Fowler (32:29) and Mark Pearce (32:38).

So, that concludes the results for this week. It’s the final countdown now to London Marathon and it’s certainly going to be a fascinating write up next week. See you then!

SOAR are part of the UK club running scene and we are delighted to support the weekend roundup. To find out how we can help you match your club kit to your ambition check out this article or get in touch here.

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The Diamond League was back in action in Monaco. Luckily with an exemption the athletes were able to focus on the races on the track rather than the race to get back and beat the lockdown deadline.

Joshua Cheptegei nabbed most of the headlines with his world record smashing, perfectly paced 5000m in 12:35.36 but in this round up we’ll focus on the GB and IRL results.

National records for Muir and Mageean

Over 1000m Laura Muir came second (to a super strong looking Faith Kipyegon) in 2:30.82, running a new National Record and finally beating Kelly Holmes’ mark, which she’s been after for some time.

The battle of the Scots over 1000m was the one I was particularly tuning in for and Gemma Reekie looked like she had a podium spot sewn up and indeed, ran a PB of 2:31.11 to be second fastest ever Brit, but it was only enough for fourth place.

Ireland’s Ciara Mageean had been showing form that meant she was definitely one to watch and boy did she prove it on the night. Mageen came absolutely blasting down the last 200m to take third in 2:31.06 and a new Irish record.

2 for 2

Second National Record in the bag in my second race of the season.

Delighted to be part of a world class field flying the flag for Ireland and @teamnbmcr

@rickysimms #diamondleague #nationalrecord pic.twitter.com/uPG5Ff3am0

— Ciara Mageean (@ciaramageean) August 14, 2020

Weightman and Wightman with stunning personal bests

Another lady who showed her intent for the rest of this year was Laura Weightman who ran a 10 second PB over 5000m to take third in 14:35.44  – 2nd fastest British runner of all time over the distance. In a fantastic, brave run Weightman ran hard with a group including Helen Obiri, Sifan Hassan and Letesenbet Gidey.

As Hassan dropped out and Obiri and Gidey pulled away Weightman dug deep to finish six seconds off Paula Radcliffe’s British record. Eilish McColgan had a tough race, finishing seventh in 14:57.37.

Also going second on the all-time list was Jake Wightman who ran a 3:29.47 over 1500m for third place. As with Weightman, Wightman went out hard with a group including Timothy Cheruiyot and Jakob Ingebrigtsen holding on to take nearly two seconds off his PB and to finish less than a second outside Mo Farah’s British Record. Charlie Da’Vall Grice was 8th in 3:34.63.

Kyle Langford finished 5th in the 800m to edge forwards his PB clocking 1:44.83. Zak Seddon had a tough race in the 3000SC finishing 11th in 8:38.86.

Brits in action in Dortmund

Team NBRMCR could already have classed this as a successful weekend after Ciara Mageean’s result, but it didn’t stop there. At the Puma Jump ‘n’ Run meet Jonas Reass also smashed his 5000m PB, running 13:26.01 in Dortmund, coming second to Germany’s Mohamed Muhamed. Sol Sweeney (Perth Strathay) placed sixth in 13:54.52 and Emile Cairess was eighth in 14:07.52.

Over 1500m Josh Lay (Rugby and Northampton) stormed to victory in 3:38.18 improving on the PB he set at the Pfungstadt Gala a fortnight ago. Adam Clarke placed fifth in 3:40.5 and Luke Duffy (Mansfield) was 20th in 3:45.39.

Norman smashes PB

3000m Steeplechaser Phil Norman spent 2019 teetering on the edge of World Championship Qualifying standard (8:29:00). Not so this year. After a strong showing at the Armagh 5k back in Feb, his first chase outing of 2020 left us in no doubt of his form.

He obliterated his previous best with an 8:23.60 at the Paavo Nurmi Games earlier this week, which moves him to 15th on the UK all-time list and leaves him a fraction away from Olympic standard.

Also racing in Turku was Melissa Courtney-Bryant who was just a whisker off her PB, running 4:03.69 to take gold in the 1500m. Rosie Clarke took 5th in 4:11.25 and Erin Wallace completed the GB contingent running in 4:16.75.

 

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It’s great to be back! So happy to be racing on the track again, I opened my season last night in Turku (Finland) at the Paavo Nurmi Games. I ran a huge lifetime best of 8:23.60 only 1.6 seconds away from the Olympic standard. Very grateful to have the opportunity to race, it was a great meeting and hope to come back again next year. #tokyo2021 #steeplechase #teamnorman #paavonurmigames #continentaltourgold @quincehoneyfarm

A post shared by Phil Norman (@phil_norman) on Aug 11, 2020 at 11:31pm PDT

Bird breaks British record

In France, Shaftesbury Barnet’s Lizzy Bird was in action at the EACPA Open in Pontoise and making sure Phil Norman wasn’t the only Steeplechaser smashing out fast times this week.

Lizzy broke the 2000m SC British record, running 6:11.79 in her first official ever time for the event. Aimee Pratt (Sale Harriers) ran 6:18.48 for 4th which was also a huge PB and a great run that would have also broken the previous British record set by Lenny Waite in 2017.

Earlier in the week at the Bronze edition of the World Athletics’ Continental Tour in Sollentuna, Elliot Giles ran 1:45.46 over 800m to place second in his heat.

Behind him was Daniel Rowden who burst back onto the scene after a two year break, running 1:45.55 over 800m – his second fastest time ever and a photo finish with compatriot Jake Wightman.

In the 1500m Mark Booth ran 3:58.62 and Peter Hodkinson 4:02.37. Neil Gourlay ran a 5:00.73 in his 2000m. In the women’s races, Adele Tracy finished her 800m in 2:01.98 and Sophie Crumly ran a 4:31.55 1500m

Flying Burgin sets u/20 800m best

On the home stage, Max Burgin was the one showing his intentions for the year ahead. The 18 year old broke his own U20 record for the 800m, clocking 1:44.75 at the British Milers’ Club Meeting on Trafford on Tuesday with a stunning run to break 1:45 for the first time.

Also (outdoor) PB setting was Keely Hodgkinson – who ran 2:02.85 in the women’s 800 and Georgie Hartigan who came second in 2:03.60. Jess Judd ran 2:04.58 for third. Over 1500m it was Katie Snowden who took the win in 4:13.9 and Tom Dodd in 3:45.56 (PB).

“𝙃𝙚𝙮 𝙎𝙞𝙧𝙞, 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣”

@MaxBurgin3‘s astonishing British U20 800m record last night! pic.twitter.com/yuC1HmX0YE

— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 12, 2020

At the Music City Distance Carnival in Nashville Hannah Segrave opened her post lockdown racing account with 2:02.35 and Amy-Eloise Neale was just outside her PB clocking 4:09.44 in the 1500m.

At the Grand Prix Sopotu Alex Botterill was also in PB form clocking 1:47.09 in the 800m with Oliver Dustin running 1:48.16. Alex Bell was racing over 1000m running 2:43.28 to finish 2nd.

Archie Davis set an 800m PB at the Worthing Track Night clocking 1:48.53 ahead of Tom Niner (1:51.47) and Charlie Baldwin (1:52.55). Beth Kidger ran 2:08.36 and Holly Mills set a new PB of 2:12.32.

Belgrave Harriers hosted the Belgrave Endurance Night in Battersea Park on Wednesday – a series of 3000m races which saw Izzy Fry and Eoin Pierce run the fastest times of the night.

8:14.47 secured the win and a new PB for Pierce of Newham & Essex Beagle, comfortably ahead of his clubmate Josh Trigwell (8:19.25). Coach Craig Winrow will be pleased with the evening’s racing as Pierce, Trigwell and third-placer Euan Campbell (8:24.87 PB) are all under his tutelage.

Izzy Fry had to run in a mixed race for her women’s victory, but 9:22.06 and a PB makes that irrelevant. Sarah Astin of City of Norwich was second lady in 9:29.41 and Verity Ockenden did a quick turnaround from last weekend’s Podium 5k to take third in 9:33.81.

The fastest 3k of the Harrow AC’s No Drafting Evening went to Chris Hudson in 9:26.8. The 5k time trial event saw David Lawrencespeed through in 16:11.2 followed by Adam Towle in 16:57.6 and Micheal Dan in 17:12.9. The mixed B-race allowed Lucy Ashe to make a very strong showing with a 17:50.1 to top the women’s times.

Hughes sets another World best

The Danny McDaid 15k was won by Eoghain McGinley of Letterkenny AC in 48:47 seconds with Springwell Running Club’s Ciara Toner the first woman in 56:42 seconds. The story of the day though went to another sensational run by Tommy Hughes setting a v60 world record with 51:30, a full three minutes off the previous record.

Letterkenny saw an age category World record set by Tommy Hughes. Tommy ran 51.30 to smash the previous O60 record of 54.32 which had been set in 2013 by Dutchman Cees Stolwijk. pic.twitter.com/ezttKGJkzJ

— Letterkenny AC (@LetterkennyAc) August 16, 2020

Off the track and roads and in the scenic Dorset countryside the Maverick Race team were back in action. James Phillips and Amanda Holloway were the winners of the long route, Brian Underwood and Jenny Marshall took the middle victories and Georgie Lambert and Daniel Eyre were top of the short-route runners.

The Stour Valley Path 50k and 100k both took place this weekend. The 50km was won by England marathon runner Jo O’Regan in 4:12:55 snatching the course record by less than a minute, the male winner was Pete Dyson in 3:56:39 – an eight minute course record. The 100k also saw both course records fall to Alice Mcgushin in 10:37:19 and Chris Kelly in 8:08:19.

Finally, if that doesn’t make your plantars ache, imagine running the WHOLE time that the above performances have been going on. Dan Lawson conquered Lands End to John O’Groats in 9 days 21 hours 14 minutes and 2 seconds. Wow. More to come with a full report from Robbie later this week.

SOAR are part of the UK club running scene and we are delighted to support the weekend roundup. To find out how we can help you match your club kit to your ambition check out this article or get in touch here.

The SOAR X TOUR is our way of staying true to the pursuit of summer speed. With a three-staged virtual races series, open to runners worldwide.

SOAR X TOUR sees racers test themselves over 1km, 1 mile and 5km consecutively over a 10 day period, with both stage and overall rankings and prizes up for grabs.

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The decision by the IAAF and Diamond League to cull a broad range of events from their 2020 fixtures seems to have been met with almost universal dismay, at least amongst athletes and many coaches.

The basis of the decision appears to be to allow meetings to be more easily delivered in line with a 90 minute TV schedule. Whether you agree with this or not (I don’t clearly) the reaction of athletes to the decision raises questions around whether athlete’s voices are ever really considered by those organisations who ultimately control the fate of their careers.

The decision comes on the back of a contentious World Championships in Doha which despite some fabulous performances and events has also been widely criticised. There is also recent decision to move the marathon and race walking events at the Tokyo Olympics to a different venue which has raised questions around consultation with athletes.

Whose interests really count?

My feeling is that if a international governing body is so disconnected with the values and feelings of athletes and fans that they need poorly conducted social media ‘research’ to help them make decisions we are in trouble.

The reality is the Diamond League decision felt less about the ‘research’ and more about the who’s interests really count – athletes or TV? Sponsors or those creating the product being sponsored?

In the end in Doha the fabulous performances by athletes dug the sport out of a hole it had made for itself. However that should not detract from the fact that the decision to take the games to Doha to start off with was hugely controversial and the stated aim to spread the sport to other parts of the world seemed to be a failure given the mostly empty stadium – I can’t see the consideration for athletes in these decisions.

A collective voice

What a difficult position for those athlete’s whose events have not been cut – a signficant part of their livlihoods can continue but what about their friends and training partners who will no longer be attending? This is the point in having a collective voice. Athletes look out for the needs of each other more than they do the needs of television or the governing body.

Does it mean that things never change? Of course not. However the ‘spectacle’ of athletics is a product packaged and sold by people in suits, don’t blame athletes if those people don’t do their jobs effectively. If TV wants to make athletics more engaging how about having more engaging voices to explain the details and intricacies of our wonderful sport?

The reductionist approach of dumbing down meetings based upon internet click throughs and ‘research’ that left huge sections of the athletics community out (Africa for example!) to me just encapsulates the hegemonic approach of world athletics governance at the moment. Has the gap between athletes and athletic governance ever been so great? Something needs to change to redress that balance.

Glorious amateurism

The amateur history if our sport affords the opportunity for athletes to be put in a subservient position. Regardless of whether athletes are full time or working other jobs to support their careers they are all professionals.

Invoking terms like ‘for the good of the sport’ or ‘to grow the sport’ is to me little different from a Victorian mill owner invoking the guilt of a puritanical work ethic. We celebrate the glorious amateur, rightly of course, but money is being made in our sport make no doubt about it just rarely by athletes beyond a select few at the very top.

“Bringing the sport into the 21st century” and “innovation” – under this IAAF administration I read in the same way as businesses using terms like “streamlining and efficiency savings” it’s a proxy for cutting the quality of the product or the money to the people who create that product, or both.

Of course we are all passionate about the sport, and sport for sport’s sake, but that should not be used as a way of supressing voices who are asking for a better lot for athletes.

Power and control

Of course power and control doesn’t just rest in the hands of governing bodies. It also rests in the hands of brands, sponsors and race directors, coaches and selectors.

Whilst we await more details of the scandal that seems to emerging from NOP for me it goes way beyond the use of PEDs. The bigger scandal is where the power and control of coaches, and of brands, leads to a broad spectrum of unethical practice that impacts on the mental and physical wellbeing of athletes. This was brought into stark relief by the powerful piece by Mary Cain in the New York Times, it’s a difficult read and watch as a coach or anyone who is in sport because they fundamentally care about people.

Where do athletes turn when they are a part of this? Why is it only months and years down the line (if at all) a few brave voices can feel ready to speak out? Where do athlete’s turn if they feel that selection decisions are not in line with policies or indeed to challenge the polices themselves? Of course we have individual governing bodies in our own countries most of whom will have codes of conduct and policies in place to safeguard the welfare of athletes.

I think it would be fair to say though that athlete’s don’t often know about these and also that it is a tricky position when the governing bodies still have a significant role in the career of an individual athlete and where some of the coaches, decision makers or brands involved already have a role or link to home nation governing bodies.

Whilst not a traditional ‘trade union’ others sports do have stronger representation for athletes such as the PFA. In athletics of course it’s harder than football. The line between professional and non professional athletes is a grey one, the number and disparate interests of athletes is greater but that’s not a reason to not try.

Politics is everywhere

If the term trade union sounds a bit political then so be it. To me every part of our lives involves socio-political acts. Sport has never been separate from politics and right now the IAAF is led by a former politician with a specific political outlook. Many will disagree with me but I believe this impacts on the decisions made and direction the sport seems to be going in.

In order to influence decisions athlete’s need a stronger political (with a small p) voice. As long as power sits at the top with a governing body and brands that they work with decisions like this will always be taken and the manipulation of athletes for the gain of others will continue.

Tokenism vs a seat at the table

Many years ago I did a bit of work with the GMB. It was interesting to see how ‘staff forums’ were often used as a proxy for supressing real dissenting voices and placating staff who felt disenfranchised by presenting too narrow a view.

Athlete commissions and forums of course have a role, and have already had some impact, but the weight of a broader union or federation of athletes, particularly if harnessing a global reach would be a real force to influence decisions. It might be that athlete commissions or panels provide a starting point but for me it’s all to easy to ignore unless there is a sense of collective action from a much bigger base of athletes (and even separately coaches).

I don’t know how it could work. I can see huge practical difficulties with a potentially unwieldy organisation representing athletes whose interests may not always align. But something needs to change. It might be that others have a much better solution but I can’t see it right now.

I don’t pretend to be objective and I know many reading this will hold different socio-political views to me but for me athletics IS the athletes who through their physical and psychological acts inspire and entertain. Governing bodies should tremble at the thought of the power their collective voice could bring.

Idealistic perhaps but it seems to me that there is a fundamental lack of ideals in some of the highest international power structures in athletics, we need more, not less ideals.

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Whilst this weekend may have been a quiet weekend for racing, that isn’t to say the races that did occur weren’t of an impressive standard! This weekend included 10k’s in St Levan and Birchwood, fast times in the Podium 5k and Race the Train event, and some noteworthy ultra-running performances. The Diamond League on home turf in Birmingham also saw some promising times ahead of next weekend’s British Championships.

Laps of speed

The Diamond League in Birmingham gave British athletes the chance to familiarise themselves with the Alexander Stadium ahead of next week’s home championships. Whilst the weather conditions weren’t ideal, the performances still shone.

The men’s 800m race had an incredibly strong British attendance, including the U20 athlete, Max Burgin. Elliot Giles was first out of the British boys to cross the line in third place with a time of 1:46.27. Closely behind in 1:46.38 was Jamie Webb (4th) and Guy Learmonth in 1:46.50 (5th). Also finishing in under 1:47 was Spencer Thomas (7th). Just behind Spencer in 1:47.28 was Thomas Staines (8th), and in his first ever Diamond League event, Max Burgin crossed the finish in 1:47.99.

Lynsey Sharp gave her all and ran a smart race in the women’s 800m to place herself second in 2:01.09. Alex Bell, who recently proved her strong form with her first sub 2-minute race of the season at the Diamond League Anniversary Games, gave a cracking run, coming 5th in 2:02.41.

The women’s mile was PB’s galore for GB. Eilish McColgan crossed the line in an incredible third place, clocking a time of 4:24.71 and a PB. Jemma Reekie also ran herself a PB coming in 6th place in 4:27 flat.

The men’s 1500m saw our British athletes take all places from 10th to 13th . Chris O’hare led the string of GB athletes in a time of 3:41.98, followed by U23 athlete, Piers Copeland in 3:43.55. Recently we had the pleasure of catching up with Piers and his sister Grace in the relaxed environment of their home. The 12th athlete, and 3rd Brit home was Jake Heyward followed by Zak Seddon in 3:43.72 and 3:44.44 respectively.

The strong British performances continued over the barriers in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. Elizabeth Bird was the first GB athlete to cross the line in 9:50.97 in 13th place. Rosie Clarke also gave an impressive, strong performance, finishing with 9:54.25 on the clock. Just four seconds behind her in 9:58.68 was Aimee Pratt.

Earlier in the week, there were some impressive times ran in the Cork City Sports International. Conor Bradley of City of Derry AC clocked 7:58.30, a new PB, whilst Swansea’s Jonathon Hopkins was only three seconds of his all-time best with a time of 8:12.09. The women’s race similarly had some speedy times, with Charlotte Arter taking home silver in a time of 9:02.29. Four places behind Arter was ADFD’s Emily Hosker-Thornhill in 9:20.48. It was only last weekend Hosker-Thornhill made her GB track debut at the European Team Championships in Poland. The third Brit home, in 8th place, was Beth Kidger with an impressive PB of 9:24.11.

Internationals out on the road

Down in Cornwall, Peter Le Grice dominated the St Levan 10k. The Frankfurt marathon bound athlete who will be representing England, proved his strength is not only confined to the 42-kilometre distance. Le Grice took the win in a time of 31:09, a very encouraging performance in the final few months before Frankfurt. In home territory, Heidi Tregenza of Cornwall AC took gold in the women’s race in 38 minutes dead, closely followed by Emma Stepto in 38:11.

1-2-3 for Cornwall AC – Photo credit: Yvonne Turner

Over in the States it was the 45th running of the famous Falmouth Road Race with Brits Tish Jones and Lily Partridge again in action over the 7 mile course. Jones finished 4th in with a well paced performance of 37:43 and Partridge was 15th in 39:48.

At the Birchwood 10k there were some impressively speedy performances. The Sale Harriers athlete, Nigel Martin, took the win in a rapid 30:30. Martin recently runner dipped under 30-minute mark at the Trafford 10k back in March. In a clear second place, in 32:06, was Daniel Cliffe of Liverpool Harriers & AC. Cliffe also holds an impressive sub 30-minute PB. Ian Salt took third prize, crossing the line in 32:37, just 2 seconds outside of his lifetime best.

Similarly, the women’s race was filled with some strong performances. Eleanor Jones took her place at the top of the podium in 36:39, her fastest 10k time this year. Jones was followed by Hannah Cowley of Helsby Running Club in 37:38 and Chloe Dooley in third with a time of 38:09.

Once again, the Podium 5k proved the strength of its field, however on a slightly drier evening to the last. Liverpool Harrier, Charlie Hulson, took the win in an incredibly speedy time of 14:17 in his first 5k of the year. Second to cross the line was Ben Johnson in 14:42, a 50 second PB! Only 10 seconds behind him in third was Euan Brennan of Ilkley Harriers. The event saw a cracking five people run 15 minutes or under!

The women’s field was just as strong with five athletes dipping under the 17-minute barrier. The Dutch Manchester New Balance athlete, Jip Vastenburg, ran a very impressive 16:05, claiming herself a clear win. Crossing the line in 16:27 to earn second position was Lucy Crookes of Leeds City AC. Stephanie Pennycook finished off the podium, running 16:31 for a bronze medal. Outstanding running!

Charlie Hulson and Jip Vastenburg. Photo credit: Podium 5km.

On different tracks

Ever wondered who can go faster, a human or a train? Well you need look no further than the 36th Annual Race the Train event in Tywyn, Mid Wales. This unique event for all multi-terrain loving runners is a must for your race diary. Not only are athletes racing against each other and themselves, there is also the added challenge of chasing down the train as it weaves along the Talylln Railway. The course goes out and back to the town of Tywyn and through the Welsh valleys as runners go over rocks and cambers, and through bogs.

This year’s winner of the technical 14-mile race was Alexander Lanz, in an impressive time of 1:22.26, a whole 26 minutes ahead of the train! Only 7 seconds behind Lanz was Rob Corney who was shortly followed by Mark Hopkinson in 1:23.24. This year a huge 73 people all beat the train, running under 1hr 48 mins. Les Croupiers’ Katie Beecher was the winning woman in 1:40:46, 75 seconds clear of 2:37 marathoner Hayley Munn in 2nd. Only nine seconds further back in 3rd was Carli Baldwin of Birchfield Harriers.

Photo: IOF/WOC2019

Saturday also saw the conclusion of the World Orienteering Championships in Østfold, Norway. There were some impressive performances in what was a different environment to many of the British athletes. Kris Jones gave a full report here.

Charlie Harpur put in a solid performance to finish third at the competitive UltraVasan 90km ultra-marathon in Sweden. Based on the route of the world famous Vassaloppet cross country ski race, the net downhill trail event is super quick, and this year’s winner was HOKA ONE ONE athlete Jim Walmsley in 5:47, just two minutes off the CR.
Harpur, part of the Centurion Running Ultra Team, ran 6:09 for the trail event and said afterwards that “the Walmsley train was fast from the start, but it was a great experience running in such a beautiful area.”

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Announcing the IAAF’s plan this week to revamp its flagship product, the Diamond League, by cutting out all the long-distance races, the athletics body’s president, Seb Coe, said he wanted to make it “more relevant to the world our athletes and our fans live in today”.

All I can say is: what is he talking about? Running 5km and above – the distances culled – is basically the most popular participation sport in the world. Every Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people line up at 5km parkruns around the globe the world. Across the UK, virtually every single week, tens of thousands of people take part in long-distance races.

Of course, professional sport doesn’t have to imitate our recreational activities, but if athletics is in search of new fans and a way to be relevant in the modern world, you would think a growing army of long distance runners would be one place to look.

Even if 1% of the people who run regularly became fans of running as well, it would probably save the sport. But rather than try to connect the two, the IAAF has cut the wires completely. It makes no sense.

Of course, what Coe means by “the world our fans live in today” is the perceived short attention spans of the digital age. Kids today want everything fast-paced. Bitesize. Tweet-friendly. Right?

Yet sales of printed books continue to defy expectations and rise year on year. Feature-length films continue to dominate cinema. The internet and Facebook have changed the world, no doubt, but the idea that people can any longer engage with anything that lasts more than five minutes is simply not true.

And in any case, long distance track races are not even that long. A world-class men’s 5000m race lasts around 13 minutes. A Premier League football match, which even the most ardent fan will admit can be as boring as hell at times, lasts 90 minutes. Even the shortest cricket matches take many hours. Tennis. Rugby. Golf. They’re all way longer than a 5000m or 10,000m track race.

In Japan, road relay races (called ekidens) that cover hundreds of kilometres are among the country’s most popular sporting events of any kind, with huge viewing figures for their wall-to-wall television coverage, and pages and pages of newspaper reporting.

No, endurance events aren’t inherently boring to watch. When the story of a race is told well, when the fans can connect with the competitors, long-distance running can be a compelling drama in many acts, with lots of unpredictable, gut-wrenching plot twists. Think back to London 2012.

Everyone in the UK was glued to their screens for the men’s 5000m and 10,000m finals, because the tension had been built up. We had our man to root for. The lone Brit against the might of East Africa.

Sport works when you take sides, when you know the personalities, their histories and their rivalries. What is most often lacking in distance running is the storytelling.

So what could be done?

For a start, we need knowledgable commentators. Too often during a distance race on TV, the commentator struggles to even identify the leading runners, let alone know their backstories.

In the Boston marathon last year, for example, the US commentator thought the eventual winner, Yuki Kawauchi, was a fun runner, looking for his five minutes of fame by racing away at the front at the start. It’s not too much to expect TV commentators to know their stuff. That’s their job.

Then the producers need to understand that a distance race is an unfolding drama. The tension builds as the war of attrition plays out over 12 or 25 laps. People push the pace, hang back, make moves. It’s a psychodrama at full speed, hearts pounding, blood pumping.

But if all the viewer sees between cutaways to the field events is the first few laps, a tiny bit in the middle that looks pretty much the same, and the final sprint finish … it means nothing. Even to me, a long-time fan of the sport, I don’t want to watch that.

Of course athletics by its nature is multi-event, so I’m not saying ignore the field events, but in 2019 we have the technology to split the screen. It’s really not that hard. So we can still follow the race on one side, while seeing the long jumper discussing his foul jump with his coach, with action replays of the red flag being raised, on the other.

And what about teams? The ekidens in Japan are partly so popular because they are team events, making it easier for fans to form allegiances and root for a victor. You get team tactics, rivalries, ace runners coming good, star signings.

There is the odd team in athletics, such as the Nike Oregon Project, with its black vests with the skulls. But it needs some rivals, in rival outfits, instead of everyone else running around in the same Nike and Adidas vests. The way it is currently, if you don’t follow things closely enough to know the individual runners, a distance race on the track looks like a swarm of identikit clones. Why would you care who wins?

The elephant in the room

The elephant in the room here is that the champions of these events are almost all East African. This should really be a reason to protect and celebrate these events. There are so few sports in the world where the main stars are all African. Africa needs its sports stars. The world needs African sports stars.

Ah, but they don’t do good interviews. They don’t do Mobots. I hear that so often I don’t know where to begin. How about, firstly, they get interviewed in their own language?

Then we might get to hear their real thoughts on things. Secondly, have you ever watched a Premier League football player being interviewed without falling asleep? Yet it doesn’t mean their games get cut. And thirdly, have you ever seen the Kenyan Ezekiel Kemboi race? His crazy tactics and celebrations make the Mobot look like something the Queen might find rather droll on a wet day at Windsor.

The truth is the African distance running stars are undervalued by the sport. The IAAF has already cut the World Cross Country Championships down simply because the East Africans were dominating it. Now it wants to cut long-distance track races.

Yet the rivalry between Kenya and Ethiopia, particularly, is epic. It’s Brazil vs Argentina at football. New Zealand vs Australia at rugby. As one (knowledgable) TV commentator put it during the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, when the marathon came down to a Kenyan and Ethiopian in the last few miles: “It’s the Red Sox vs the Yankees.”

Yet rather than celebrate this rivalry, stoke it, promote it – what about they all wear their national colours? – the IAAF wants to cut it dead.

And so the millions of parkrunners carry on oblivious to the Diamond League (why would high jump and 400m hurdles have any relevance to them?), Nike and Adidas continue to make all their athletes wear the same kit, and the IAAF continues acting like a middle-aged man trying to be down-with-the-kids by offering up a “fast-moving, action-packed format for broadcasts”, as its new chief executive, Jon Ridgeon, put it this week.

Well, good luck to them. Now, have you seen who’s running the London marathon this year?

Adharanand Finn is the author of ‘The Way of the Runner’ and ‘Running with the Kenyans’. You can find him on Twitter here.

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Laura Muir concluded her track season with an impressive win in the 2018 Diamond League final on Friday night (August 31) in Brussels.

The European 1500m champion streaked ahead of rivals Shelby Houlihan of the USA and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands to cross the line in 3:58.49.

Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay built up a solid lead in the first half, but the Scottish athlete kept her cool and reeled Tsegay in before the final sprint with Houlihan and Hassan.

After winning Britain’s first 1500m medal in the European Championships Muir repeated the feat against even stronger competition in Brussels. Houlihan from the US was closing in electric fashion but Muir did enough to keep ahead across the line.

The bonus for winning the Diamond League final is a $50,000 (£39,000) prize. Hopefully, that will help Muir with any university fees from her veterinary studies over the last few years.

Athletes from 32 disciplines competed in 12 Diamond League meets across the summer to contend the final prize. The final itself was spread across two nights in Brussels and Zurich, on the Thursday and Friday, of the final week of August.

RELATED: Muir wins 1500m European gold

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Conseslus Kipruto ran practically the whole 3000m race, jumping steeplechase barriers and water jumps, to win the Diamond League final in Zurich on Thursday night (August 30).

At the beginning of the second lap the Kenyan star, who won Olympic gold at Rio 2016, lost his left spike, but calmly kept his position with the lead group for the remainder of the race, before edging out Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali in a thrilling sprint finish.

World champion Kipruto crossed the finish line in 8:10.15 with world leader El Bakkali just behind in 8:10.19.

The 23 year-old’s fantastic performance not only earned him a memorable Diamond League trophy, but he also hobbled away with the $50,000 winner’s prize.

“It was hard and painful to run without another shoe, but I just had strong spirit to never give up, the crowd was amazing and I keep going to the winning,” said Kipruto afterwards.

Why not test yourself?

The moment Conseslus Kipruto lost his shoe… and still won the Men's 3000mSC.#ZurichDL #DiamondLeague #DLFinal pic.twitter.com/RPEph7nLe8

— IAAF Diamond League (@Diamond_League) August 30, 2018

Elsewhere, there were wins for Caster Semenya in the women’s 800m, Noah Lyles in the men’s 200m and Hellen Obiri impressed to win the women’s 5000m trophy ahead of Sifan Hassan – who makes her half marathon debut next month.

The second night of Diamond League finals take place in Brussels on Friday.

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Laura Muir and Jake Wightman are among the British athletes set to compete at the Bislett Games in Oslo on Thursday evening (June 7).

The Scottish pair will be joined by Rosie Clarke, Jamie Webb, Dina Asher-Smith, Anyika Onuora and Adam Gemili in Diamond League action, while the non-Diamond League 1500m features Chris O’Hare, Jake Heyward and Dale King-Clutterbuck, with Andy Vernon competing over 10,000m.

Muir, who finished strongly to clinch second place in the 1500m at the third Diamond League meet in Eugene last month, will step down to 800m and face Olympic and world champion Caster Semenya as well as Olympic and world silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba.

Making a return to Olso after enjoying a 1500m victory last year is British indoor champion Wightman. The 23 year-old will race in the ‘dream mile’ along with fellow British athlete Webb, world 1500m champion Elijah Manangoi and Ingebrigtsen brothers Filip and Henrik.

GB’s Vernon steps back on the track for another round of 25 laps after battling it out with Chris Thompson and Alex Yee at the Highgate Harriers’ Night of 10,000m PBs last month. Among the Aldershot athlete rivals in Oslo will be European marathon record holder Sondre Nordstad Moen.

RELATED: Marathon man Moen’s full-time approach pays off

In the men’s 1500m race, O’Hare, who finished ninth in Rome last Thursday, European junior champion Heyward and King-Clutterbuck will face 17 year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen, now the fastest European junior miler after his 3:52.28 clocking in Eugene.

One week after improving her 3000m steeplechase personal best in Rome, Commonwealth Games fifth place finisher Clarke gets ready for another round and will race against USA duo Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs, as well as Kenyan Hyvin Kiyeng.

Onuora faces Phyllis Francis and Salwa Eid Naser in the 400m, while Asher-Smith will contest the 100m with Murielle Ahoure and Blessing Okagbare.

A strong men’s 200m field sees Gemili on the start line with world champion Ramil Guliyev and Trinidad’s Jereem Richards.

Providing Irish interest is Thomas Barr, who is a late addition to the men’s 400m hurdles. The field includes Norway’s world champion Karsten Warholm and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba.

Eurosport will have live coverage of the action from 7pm, while a timetable and start lists can be found here.

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In the final Diamond League meet of the season, world and Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, held off the world leader Sifan Hassan to take the 1500m trophy.

Hassan of the Netherlands had the advantage coming off the final bend but a storming finish from Kenya’s Kipyegon down the home straight clinched the win in 3:57.04, with Hassan crossing the line in 3:57.22.

It was a season’s best for the impressive Kipyegon, with fellow Kenyan Winny Chebet finishing third in 4:00.18.

USA’s Jenny Simpson and Great Britain’s Laura Weightman also posted season’s best in sixth and seventh respectively in the King Baudouin Stadium.

World champion Hellen Obiri stormed to a 14:25.88 win in the 5000m, with fellow Kenyan Caroline Kipkirui running a massive personal best for second in 14:27.55.

It was another standout performance by Great Britain’s Eilish McColgan as she continued her amazing season of personal bests and records.

The 26-year-old was the first European home clocking 14:48.49 as she ran sub 15 minutes for the first time, breaking her personal best by 12 seconds.

Eilish McColgan’s personal bests in 2017
Outdoor
1500m – 4:01.60 (Aug 27)
3000m – 8:31.00 (Aug 20)
3000m – 8:31:39 (July 21)
5000m – 14:48.49 (Sep 01)
10,000m – 32:10.59 (Mar 31)
Indoor
1500m – 4:19.99 (Feb 12)
3000m – 8:43.02 (Feb 18)

It is a new Scottish record and puts McColgan fourth on the British all-time list behind Paula Radcliffe, Jo Pavey and Zola Budd.

Wahh! Buzzing to run another PB – by 12s! Scottish record and 4th on the all time list! It’s been a good season! Don’t want 2017 to end pic.twitter.com/Bbmh2Hozbx

— Eilish Mccolgan (@EilishMccolgan) September 1, 2017

It was another second place for Marie-Josee Ta Lou, as Elaine Thompson pipped the Ivorian to the 100m title by one hundredth of a second.

Ta Lou has had an excellent season, running a personal best and a national record, but must be wondering when her first major win will come after another second place finish to add to her World Championships 100m and 200m silvers.

Thompson, who won the Diamond League 200m trophy last week finishes strongly after a slow start to clinch the win in 10.92 from Ta Lou in 10.93.

USA’s Noah Lyles, the fastest man this year stormed to the 200m title, with world champion Ramil Guliyev settling for third.

The 19-year-old American, who missed out on the World Championships this year posted 20.00 for the win, with compatriot Webb second with 20.01.

Amazingly out of the top five finishers, all but the teenage sensation Lyles ran season bests. Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake finished n sixth and seventh respectively.

It was a fantastic sprint finish from world and Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto to clinch the steeplechase title in 8:04.73 ahead of Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco.

After a fall on the last water jump, USA’s Evan Jager recovered strongly to third in 8:11.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo became a double Diamond League Champion, adding the 400m title to the 200m won last week in Zurich. The Bahamas athlete powered her way to a 49.46 win, a season’s best and world leading time.

After failing to win the 800m world title with the favourites tag, Nigel Amos showed his true class with a comfortable Diamond League win over the distance,  ahead of Polish duo Marcel Lewandowski and Adam Kszczot. GB’s Elliott Giles came home in seventh running 1:47.03.

Sergey Shubenkov took the men’s 110m hurdles title with a 13.14 win, while Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad won a competitive women’s 400m in 53.89 ahead of Zuzana Hejnova in 53.93. Britain’ss Eilidh Doyle finished a strong fourth in 55.04.

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The first of the two finals took place last Thursday (August 24), with Mo Farah’s 5000m win the pick of a thrilling night of athletics in Zurich.

It was the four-time Olympic champion’s last track race, and a fitting end before Farah shifts his focus to road racing. Not waiting about, the 34-year-old is set to race at the Great North Run in two weeks time, attempting a fourth consecutive win.

In Brussels at the Van Damme Memorial, the remaining 16 Diamond League titles will be decided as athletes attempt to win a Diamond Trophy in their event and the partnering US$50,000 prize.

The exciting head-to-head battles that bring the curtain down on another Diamond League season, include Elaine Thompson and Marie-Josee Ta Lou in the women’s 100m and Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan in the women’s 1500m.

Elaine Thompson, second in 200m final last week in Zurich, will hope to end her season with a 100m win after only finishing fifth at the World Championships in London.

The 25-year-old Jamaican won in all but one of the Diamond League qualifying races, and is the strong favourite, with her win at the Anniversary Games in London providing a memorable moment as she raced to victory in unconventional trainers instead of spikes.

With world champion, Tori Bowie not in attendance, Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou is Thompson’s main rival.

Ta Lou has had an excellent season setting a personal best and a national record, but has been unable to crown it with a major win, after finishing second in both 100m and 200m finals in London.

Faith Kipyegon, the world 1500m champion goes for another crown but will face the fastest in the world this year, Sifan Hassan.

The Dutch star missed out on 1500m world medal in one most action-packed races of recent years, but with a 3:56.14 time this year and her ability to compete across any middle-distance, Kenyan Kipyegon may need a similar championship performance to clinch the Diamond League trophy. While world silver medalist Jenny Simpson of the USA and Britain’s Laura Weightman are also in the field.

Nijel Amos missed out on the 800m gold in London and in the absence of world champion Pierre Ambroise Bosse (who was the victim of a recent alleged assault), the Botswana athlete is the clear favourite in a race that also features GB’s Elliot Giles.

Turkey’s Ramil Guliyev was the surprise winner over 200m in London and will aim to cement his place at the top of the sprint distance with a Diamond League trophy. However, The Azerbaijan born athlete faces the fastest man this year, USA’s teenage sprint star Noah Lyles. The 19-year-old posted 19.90 at the Shanghai Diamond League but was unable to show his talents at the World Championships after failing to qualify out of the unforgiving US Championships.

While, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, who ran the anchor leg of Britain world 4x100m winning team is also a worthy challenger alongside fellow British athlete Zharnel Hughes.

The dominant Conseslus Kipruto once again looks the strongest in the 3000m steeplechase, but looking to capitalise on any weakness Kenya’s Olympic and world champions shows are compatriot Jairus Birech, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and the American Evan Jager.

Hellen Obiri, Kenya’s world champion is the standout favourite in the women’s 5000m which features Eilish McColgan, fresh from a lifetime best of 4:01.6 over 1500m, while in the men’s 110m hurdles Sergey Shubenkov, Orlando Ortega and Aries Merritt will battle it out in the absence of world record holder Omar McLeod.

Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo got back to winning ways clinching the 200m Diamond League title in Zurich last week, and the Bahamas star will hope to add the 400m to become a double Diamond League champion.

Natasha Hastings of the United States and Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain are Miller-Uibo’s most likely rivals.

In the women’s 400m hurdles, USA’s Dalilah Muhammad, the silver medallist in London is the clear favourite.

With CJ Ujah’s storming the men’s 100m Diamond League trophy last week, a number the best sprinters in the world are missing from the 100 race at the Van Damme Memorial, however a strong line up will still be in attendance, including Yohan Blake of Jamaica, American duo Isiah Young and Mike Rodgers, with Britain’s Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and James Dasaolu also competing.

USA pair Brittney Reese and Tianna Bartoletta, and Darya Klishina, the three world medalists will contest the women’s long jump final.

Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic goes for a sixth consecutive title in the women’s discus but Australia’s Dani Stevens will hope to challenge.

In the men’s equivalent, Sweden’s Daniel Stahl, Jamaica’s Fedrick Dacres and Germany’s Harting brothers, Robert and Christoph will battle it out.

In the women’s pole vault, Greece’s world champion Ekaterini Stefanidi will face USA’s Sandi Morris, with GB’s Holly Bradshaw also hoping to contest the podium spots.

Mariya Lasitskene, the winner of all six qualifying meetings, will aim to maintain her dominance of the women’s high jump.

American Christian Taylor should follow his men’s long jump World Championship win with a Diamond League trophy.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the day before (August 31) the main Memorial Van Damme meeting, the shot putters will compete in Brussels’ Grand Place.

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