by Alfonz Juck
Mo Farah,photo by You Tube
The meets that have kept us watching the last month are needed. They remind us that such simple actions as running, jumping and throwing can bring so much joy. This is a time to celebrate the joy of athletics. Thanks to EME news.
3 World record attempts
BRUSSELS (BEL): World record attempts steal the headlines at the 44th AG Memorial Van Damme edition of the Wanda Diamond League. The most likely success is in the rarely run women’s hour race, which includes Sifan Hassan and Brigid Kosgei. Mo Farah and Bashir Abdi will have a tougher time in the men’s event, while Faith Kipyegon has another go at the 1000m mark she just missed in Monaco. They will have Wavelight technology to aid them but be without crowd support. Elsewhere, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Armand Duplantis are the big attractions.
Short previews
Men
200m: Local star Jonathan Borlee steps down, while Eseosa Desalu, Jan Volko and Richard Kilty are aso in the field.
1500m: Jakob Ingebrigtsen is favourite without Timothy Cheruiyot missing this time as Charlie Da’Vall Grice and Jesus Gomez are among the top contenders.
1 Hour: Returning to the track for the first time since 2017 and his first race for 11 months, Mo Farah will target the world record of 21,285m, set by Haile Gebrselassie in 2007. Training partner Bashir Abdi will be trying to stay with him. The mark is equivalent to 59:25 for a half.
Pole vault: Armand Duplantis continues on from his world lead of 6.07m with Thiago Braz the main competition.
Women
100m: Carolle Zahi heads the line-up with sub-11 runner Angela Tenorio.
400m: Iga Baumgart-Witan is fastest from this season, while Anita Horvat and Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz-Zawadza should push her.
1000m: Having missed the world record in Monaco by just 0.17 in Brussels, Faith Kipyego will again be after Svetlana Masterkova’s 2:28.98, set 24 years ago on this very track. Lindsey Butterworth will look to head the chasing pack.
100m hurdles: National champion Anne Zagre leads the domestic challenge as world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson tests herself.
1 Hour: Double world champion Sifan Hassan and world marathon record-holder Brigid Kosgei go after the 12-year-old world record of 18,517m. European 10,000m champion Lonah Salpeter is also in the field. The comparative half-marathon time is 69:03.
High jump: Specialists Nicola McDermott and Erika Kinsey go up against heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
