2024 DL Final Day 2: Arop’s WR Attempt Comes Up Short as Wanyoni Wins, Upset in Women’s Steeple, Chebet & Kipyegon Cap Stellar Seasons, Bednarek Defeats Tebogo
By Jonathan Gault , Joseph Carroll , and Robert Johnson
The Memorial Van Damme came to an end on Saturday evening at Brussels’ King Baudouin, and with that, the 2024 Diamond League season is complete. Some of the results on day 2 of the Diamond League final were predictable to anyone who has been paying attention this year — Kenyans Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet were brilliant once again as they claimed DL titles in the women’s 1500 and 5,000, respectively. But we also saw a couple of upsets as 20-year-old Kenyan Faith Cherotich took down Olympic champ Winfred Yavi to win the women’s steeple and American Kenny Bednarek defeated the red-hot Olympic champ Letsile Tebogo to win the men’s 200.
The race of the night was the men’s 800, where Marco Arop went for the WR and then Olympic champ went from 4th to 1st over the final 100 meters to win the DL title for the second consecutive year. That capped a terrific meet for Kenya, who swept the DL titles in the women’s distances (800/1500/5000/steeple) and won the 800 and steeple on the men’s side.
Tonight’s meet is not the final pro event of the season — many of the top women’s runners will head to New York for Alexis Ohanian‘s ATHLOS meet on September 26, which is paying $60,000 to each event winner. But it felt like the end of an era in some ways. Starting next year, the DL final will no longer be the last major meet of the season, as the pro track season will end with the World Championships in odd years and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in even years. Today’s meet was also the final Diamond League to be broadcast on Peacock, as FloTrack will take over the US broadcast rights in 2025. The Diamond League will also gain a competitor next season when Michael Johnson‘s Grand Slam Track launches in April.
All of that is in the future. But before saying goodbye to the 2024 track season, we analyze the most compelling DL races one final time below. If you can’t see the embedded race videos, that means you need a VPN. Get the VPN we use.
Marco Arop WENT FOR THE world record, but Emmanuel Wanyonyi measured his effort best to win tight men’s 800
This year has been the fastest ever in the men’s 800 in terms of number of men running under 1:42, and Marco Arop, who ran 1:41 in each of his last three races prior to Brussels, was eager to chase the world record on Saturday. Arop overtook the rabbit before the bell and passed 400 in 49.28 — the exact same split as David Rudisha during his 1:40.91 world record in 2012. But the quick early pace (and perhaps the long season) took its toll on the second lap as Arop faded to third by the finish, splitting 27.7 for his final 200 (14.4 final 100).
It looked as if Olympic bronze medalist Djamel Sedjati would capitalize when Arop ran out of gas, but instead it was Olympic champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi who came from way back to win the DL final for the second consecutive year in 1:42.70. Wanyonyi was still pretty quick through 400 meters (49.8) but held back a little over the third 200. That meant he was only 4th with 100 meters to go, but he used a terrific 13.2 final 100 to fight his way to the front and win the race in the final meters (though he almost got himself DQ’d by running into Sedjati in the home straight). Wanyonyi was very proud of his tactics as he pointed his finger to his head after crossing the finish line to indicate how he had outsmarted his rivals.
As for the Rudisha’s world record, it will live to see 2025 at least. Given five men ran 1:41 this year — and Wanyonyi and Arop both ran 1:41.20 or faster — there is a decent chance 1:40.91 could be broken next year if everyone is able to stay healthy. Competition can help produce faster times — there have been three races with multiple sub-1:42s this year — but it can also result in athletes going out too fast when a bunch of guys are battling for the lead on the first lap. The best way to get the WR may be building an attempt around one guy and allowing him to hit his ideal splits without having to battle for position or run extra distance.
Beatrice Chebet closes out all-time great season by winning the women’s 5000
There have been some truly outstanding athletes in the women’s distance events in 2024, from Faith Kipyegon setting another world record and winning another Olympic gold in the 1500 to Sifan Hassan’s ridiculous Olympic triple culminating in marathon gold. But for start to finish dominance, there is no beating Beatrice Chebet.
The 24-year-old Kenyan began the year by winning World XC in Serbia in March. She set a world record of 28:54 at 10,000 meters in May, becoming the first woman in history to break 29:00 on the track. She owned the Olympics upsetting world champ Kipyegon to win the 5,000 in Paris before adding the 10,000 title four days later. And she ended the season by posting the two fastest times of the year in the 5,000 — 14:09.52 last week in Zurich and 14:09.82 tonight in Brussels to win her second DL title in three years. Few female distance runners have ever had a better season.
The only thing Chebet did not accomplish this year was breaking the 5,000m world record of 14:00.21. She took a shot last week in Zurich but came up short. Tonight, the Wavelight was set to the meet record of 14:18, and while Chebet was ahead of the lights for much of the race, the WR was never in serious danger. Two things were working against her getting the record: post-Olympic fatigue and the lack of a pacer (she had to run the final 3k on her own in Zurich). Give a fresh Chebet good conditions and a good pacer through 3k, and we feel good about her chances of becoming the first woman ever under 14:00 next year.
American Karissa Schweizer deserves some props for racing here. After running 14:47 in Zurich on September 5, she flew back to the US and tied the Fifth Avenue Mile course record by running 4:15 on September 8th, before running 14:36.88 tonight, which placed her 8th. That’s the second fastest 5000 on Schweizer’s career. She’d run in the 14:40s four times this year but had never ever run in the 14:30s before. Her pb is 14:26.34 which came in basically a Covid-19 time trial in 2020.
Faith Kipyegon keeps three-year win streak alive in women’s 1500
Faith Kipyegon’s dominance in the women’s 1500 meters shows no signs of stopping. The Kenyan legend turned 30 in January and was as good as she has ever been in 2024, setting a world record of 3:49.04 in July, winning her third straight Olympic gold in August, and now claiming her fourth straight Diamond League title (and fifth overall) in September. Kipyegon was not concerned with running fast, hanging back from the pacers and fellow racer Diribe Welteji before taking the lead with 550 to go and kicking to the win with a 59.7 last lap. That said, Kipyegon’s 3:54.75 winning time tonight would still be considered fast by most women, though it was actually Kipyegon’s slowest in a DL race since May 2023.
Kipyegon has not been beaten in a 1500 since June 2021 and will look to close out a third consecutive perfect season in the event by winning at the ATHLOS meet in New York on September 26.
Olympic 4th placer Diribe Welteji ended up 2nd in 3:55.25 with Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull third (3:56.99). World indoor champ Freweyni Hailu, who wasn’t selected for the Ethiopian Olympic team, was fourth in 3:57.26. Yet again, Hailu beat compatriot Birke Haylom, who made it to Paris but didn’t even make the final (Haylom was 8th). Hailu is now 8-1 lifetime against Haylom but the one loss was costly as Haylom ended up making the Olympics by running 3:53.20 in Xiamen on April 20.
Cherotich upsets Yavi & Chemutai to win women’s steeple final
For the second night in a row, a budding Kenyan star upset the Olympic champion to win the Diamond League steeplechase final. Last night, it was 22-year-old former World U20 champ Amos Serem taking down Soufiane El Bakkali to win the men’s steeple. Tonight, it was 20-year-old former World U20 champ Faith Cherotich who took down Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi to win the women’s steeple, 9:02.36 to Yavi’s 9:02.87.
Yavi has been the woman to beat this year, setting an Olympic record of 8:52 in Paris and missing the world record by .07 by running 8:44 her last time out in Rome. The Wavelight was set to world record pace tonight in Brussels, but any chance of a WR went out the window once the pacer dropped off as the lead group of Yavi, Cherotich, and 2021 Olympic champ Peruth Chemutai slowed to 3:04 for their second kilometer after a 2:55 opening kilometer (world record pace is 2:54.77).
That trio was still together on the final lap, which typically favors Yavi and her big kick. But Cherotich got the lead at 200 and would not give it up, her superior hurdling ability carrying her to the win late.
Yavi and Chemutai have been so good this year that Cherotich has been overshadowed despite running 8:55.15 for bronze at the Olympics (#7 all-time). Tonight’s win — her first ever on the Diamond League circuit — was a reminder of just how talented she is. Cherotich won the World U20 title in 2022 just after her 18th birthday and ran 8:59 last year at age 19, putting her #2 on the all-time U20 list. With World and Olympic bronzes and a DL title, Cherotich has already begun to make her mark at the senior level at the age of 20.
Good news and bad news for US women’s steeplers
American Gabbi Jennings ended her season with another strong finish. Jennings ran a pb of 9:12 to finish 4th at the Olympic Trials in June but kept her season going and was rewarded with a 9:07 pb in Rome and a 9:09, 5th-place finish tonight, defeating US champ Val Constien (7th, 9:13.31) in the process.
The good news for US steeple fans is that four American women broke 9:10 this year, the most ever in a single year and a big improvement on 2023, when no American women did it. That’s particularly impressive considering none of the sub-9:10 women were named Emma Coburn or Courtney Frerichs, the two fastest and most decorated US women’s steeplers ever (Jennings, Constien, Courtney Wayment, and Marisa Howard were the four who did it). The bad news is that sub-9:10 is no longer enough to contend for a medal — it took 8:55 to stand on the podium in Paris this year.
Kung Fu Kenny takes down Tebogo in men’s 200
American Kenny Bednarek claimed his second Diamond League title by holding off red-hot Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo in the home straight to win the men’s 200, 19.67 to 19.80. Bednarek and Tebogo quickly separated themselves from the field and by the straight Bednarek had pulled away, but ever so slightly. However, unlike last week in Zurich, Tebogo wasn’t able to run down Bednarek with a big last 100 as Bednarek continued to increase the gap over the final 100.
Tebogo was clearly tired and for good reason. After winning the Olympics, he went home to Botswana to celebrate and admitted he didn’t train. Then he raced every single race he could find. He rocked four Diamond Leagues, winning all four, flashing the money sign in post-race celebrations to show the cash was plenty motivation to keep his season going. He was running quickly as well, clocking 9.87, 19.64, 19.83, 9.87, and 19.55 in those races. But between Zurich last week and this week, he went to Brescia, Italy, to race Vernon Norwood in a 200m, which he won but only in 20.66 (-1.4). He was clearly off his best tonight at end of a very long season (he set the 300 world best back in Feburary) and Bednarek ran yet another excellent race.
Bednarek has been consistently one of the quickest men in the world the past several years, having a season’s best of under 19.82 since 2019, and being under 19.80 the last four years. And he’s won three global silvers in the last four years. However, in the era of Noah Lyles, he’s rarely been on top. He’s never won a US title but he now has two Diamond League titles (2021 and 2024).
Speaking of the era of Noah Lyles, for the second straight Olympics he didn’t win 200m gold. Was COVID-19 the reason for that? We will find out if the 200m still be “his” in 2025. Tebogo ends the year as the world leader. This is the first year since 2017 that Noah Lyles wasn’t the world leader at 200.
Brittany Brown completes career year by winning first DL title in women’s 200
With Sha’Carri Richardson a DNS after finishing 8th in the 100m yesterday, American Brittany Brown capped off a career year by winning her first Diamond League title in 22.20, faster than the 22.40 that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran in the pre-programme. After getting silver at the 2019 world championships, Brown had a bit of a lull in her career. She ran only twice in 2020, failed to make it out of the semis at the 2021 Olympic Trials, and was only 5th at USAs in 2023. After switching her focus to the 100 last year, she was able to get second at USAs and get back to the world final, finishing 7th. This year she switched back to her premier event and was rewarded in a massive way with a personal best of 21.90 at Pre Classic, a second place finish at the Olympic Trials and a third place finish at the Olympics. After previously never winning a DL meet, she has now won three this year alone (Oslo, Rome, and Brussels).
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