Diamond League: Six unforgettable Brussels moments ahead of Saturday’s finale 

The Wanda Diamond League season is heading towards its grand finale this weekend, with Brussels preparing to welcome the world’s leading track and field stars for two days of competition.

The Allianz Memorial Van Damme will stage the 2026 Diamond League Final on Friday, September 4 and Saturday, September 5, 2026, with athletes competing across 32 disciplines for the coveted series titles.

Brussels has played host to the Diamond League Final on 12 occasions, producing a number of memorable performances and dramatic finishes. As the Belgian capital prepares for another edition, here are six moments that have stood out in the history of the final.

Aries Merritt produces a historic world record

Aries Merritt arrived in Brussels in 2012 riding a wave of confidence after winning Olympic gold in London. The American had already set a personal best of 12.92 seconds in the 110m hurdles.

He then delivered an extraordinary performance in Brussels, clocking 12.80 seconds to win the Diamond League title.

The run improved Dayron Robles’ world record by seven hundredths of a second and became the first world record ever set at a Diamond League meeting.

Merritt’s 12.80 remained the world record for almost 14 years before American Ja’Kobe Tharp lowered the mark to 12.75 at the 2026 NCAA Championships in June.

Tharp is also scheduled to make his Diamond League Final debut in Brussels this Friday.

Barshim produces a spectacular 2.43m clearance

The 2014 high jump final produced another unforgettable night as Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim went head-to-head with Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko.

Bondarenko entered the competition as the favourite after winning three Diamond League meetings and setting a series record of 2.42m in New York.

He appeared firmly in control in Brussels, clearing 2.40m after only four attempts without recording a failure.

Barshim, however, had other ideas. The Qatari athlete successfully cleared 2.43m at his first attempt, immediately taking command of the contest.

The clearance was the second-highest jump ever recorded at the time and earned Barshim his first Diamond League title.

Neither athlete managed to challenge Javier Sotomayor’s 2.46m world record, but the contest remains one of the defining high jump battles in Diamond League history.

Sandi Morris becomes a five-metre pioneer

American pole vaulter Sandi Morris has established herself as one of the most successful athletes in Diamond League history, with 56 appearances and 14 victories in the series.

Her defining moment came in Brussels in 2016.

Morris cleared exactly 5.00m to win the competition, becoming only the third woman in history to surpass the five-metre barrier.

Although the victory did not earn her the overall Diamond League title under the competition format used at the time, the achievement placed her among the sport’s elite pole vaulters.

Her 5.00m clearance remained a Diamond League record until 2021.

Morris has continued to believe that another five-metre performance is within reach. Speaking in Zurich recently, she indicated that she feels closer to the mark than at any point since her historic 2016 jump.

Darrell Hill snatches victory with his final throw

Darrell Hill appeared unlikely to win the men’s shot put at the 2017 Diamond League Final.

The American was competing against a formidable group that included Olympic and world-class stars such as Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs and Tom Walsh.

Hill struggled to establish himself among the leaders during most of the competition and began the final round sitting fifth.

Then came a stunning final attempt.

With his last throw, Hill produced the biggest effort of his career, sending the shot 22.44m to set a meeting record.

The performance dramatically changed the contest, allowing him to leapfrog Crouser and claim the Diamond League title in one of the competition’s most remarkable last-round victories.

Caterine Ibargüen achieves a remarkable double

Caterine Ibargüen created a unique piece of Diamond League history in 2018.

At that time, Brussels and Zurich shared hosting duties for the Diamond League Final. That year, the two meetings were staged on successive days, creating a difficult logistical challenge for athletes hoping to compete in multiple events.

Ibargüen nevertheless decided to attempt the challenge.

The Colombian won the triple jump title in Zurich on August 30 before travelling to Brussels to contest the long jump the following day.

She then won again.

Her achievement made her the first athlete to capture two Diamond League titles over two consecutive days in two different cities.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Shericka Jackson later matched the feat by winning two titles in Eugene five years afterwards, but Ibargüen remains the only athlete to have achieved the two-city version of the double.

Faith Kipyegon celebrates her fifth Diamond League title

Kenyan superstar Faith Kipyegon has been one of the dominant figures in the Diamond League in recent years.

She won the women’s 1500m title four consecutive times from 2021 through 2024, while also rewriting five world records over a three-year period.

By 2024, her Diamond League record had reached 30 individual victories and five overall titles.

Her fifth title came in Brussels in 2024 in emphatic fashion.

Kipyegon won the 1500m in a meeting-record 3:54.75 and celebrated by holding up five fingers as she crossed the finish line, symbolising her fifth Diamond League crown.

Her achievements have placed her among the most successful women in Diamond League history, with only Sandra Elkasevic, Valarie Sion and Caterine Ibargüen having collected more titles.

With the 2026 Diamond League Final approaching, Brussels once again finds itself at the centre of global athletics.

The Belgian capital has witnessed world records, extraordinary comebacks, historic victories and unforgettable celebrations. This weekend, another generation of athletes will have the opportunity to add their names to that rich history.