Brenda Martinez got the huge win and Ajee Wilson likely will end 2014 as the world leader at 800. 

The DL season wraps up with the second DL Final in Brussels on Friday as 16 more Diamond Race champions will be crowned. Some of the highlights include the men's 1500 (Silas Kiplagat vs. Asbel Kiprop vs. Ayanleh Souleiman plus Galen Rupp and Leo Manzano), Evan Jager in the steeple, Ajee Wilson and Brenda Martinez in the women's 800 and a great women's 3000 featuring Genzebe Dibaba, Mercy Cherono, Sifan Hassan and Americans Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury. In non-distance action, the men's high jump (Bohdan Bondarenko, Mutaz Essa Barshim) and 100 (Justin Gatlin, Kemar Bailey-Cole) should also be exciting.

Over the weekend, LetsRun.com caught up with Simpson as she prepares to race the 3,000 at the second Diamond League Final in Brussels on Friday.  Simpson talked about the contact at the finish line with Shannon Rowbury in Zurich, why she's been so successful on the circuit this year and how she's been inspired by runners such as Deena Kastor, Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan. 

Tunisia's Habiba Ghribi beat Ayalew (2nd) and Emma Coburn (5th) in the race, but Ayalew still won the DL title and the $40,000 prize that goes with it. Americans to win DL titles included Jenny Simpson (1500), Tianna Bartoletta (LJ), Reese Hoffa (SP), Christian Taylor (TJ), Michael Tinsley (400 hurdles), LaShawn Merritt (400) and Dawn Harper-Nelson (100 hurdles).

The winning time (13:07) wasn't super fast so it shouldn't be a surprise that Ndiku got the win as he's won championship races at World Indoors (3k), the Commonwealth Games and the African Championships this year -- it's too bad he hasn't gotten to race Mo Farah. Rupp was right with Ndiku with 200 to go and didn't quite have enough but still hung on for his best 5,000 of the year. Ben True (8th) also ran well and was in contention at the bell.

The first of the two DL finals should be spectacular as the winner of the men’s 800 and women’s 1500 likely will take home $50,000 and a spot into 2015 Worlds whereas second will get just a $6,000 consolation prize. Plus New Balance teammates Emma Coburn and Jenny Simpson try to bring home DL titles to the USA.

Kiprop waited until the final 100 to make his move but once he went there was no doubt who was best as he quickly accelerated away from the field and was looking back with 15 meters to go to win in 3:51.89. Ayanleh Souleiman was second while little-known Kenyan Vincent Kibet was a surprising third.

This meet is loaded from a mid-d and distance perspective but sadly Mo Farah's race is an insult to the fans. Silas Kiplagat, Ayanleh Souleiman and Asbel Kiprop plus Leo Manzano and Matt Centrowitz, who will race the mile, David Rudisha squares off against Adam Kszczot at 600, while world leader Ajee Wilson and world champ Eunice Sum resume their rivalry in the 800. 

Kszczot followed up his victory at Europeans by taking down Nijel Amos in the 800 in a negative-split 1:45 while Emma Coburn was just third in the steeple in 9:20. Allyson Felix and Queen Harrison got wins in the sprints while Nesta Carter won the 100 in 9.96. In the field events, Reese Hoffa won to extend his lead in the DL standings while France's Renaud Lavillenie's 20-meet win streak is history after he failed to clear a height on a poor night for jumping. Plus a B-heat victory for Leo Manzano.

Indoor WR holder Genzebe Dibaba took this one out very quickly (2:05.95 at 800) but she couldn't hold that pace forever and was caught by Simpson and Euro champ/2014 outdoor leader Sifan Hassan on the final lap. The three were level with 75 meters to go, but Simpson looked by far the best at the end and won in 4:00.38.
*MB: Wow: What a 1500!!!! Jenny Simpson wins it in Stockholm!!! 

While many of the top entrants have been racing CGs and African champs, Galen Rupp toes the line for the first time in six weeks - will he get the first DL victory of his career? Plus only one man has broken 13:00 this year and we dive into the numbers to see whether that trend will continue to Stockholm.

Amos has been untouchable in the 800 over the last month but the last man to beat him was a 1500 guy, Asbel Kiprop. Souleiman just beat Kiprop by closing in 52.1 to win the African Champs and is Amos' biggest threat to Stockholm. Poland's European champ Adam Kszczot and Kenya's Olympic bronze medallist Timothy Kitum are also entered. Plus there is a B 800 with Leo Manzano and B 1500 with  Jordan McNamara, Tommy Schmitz and Dorian Ulrey.

Simpson will have her hands full with the red-hot Hassan as Shannon Rowbury, Brenda Martinez, Genzebe Dibaba and Meraf Bahta (who beat Hassan to win 5,000 gold at Euros) are also entered in the 1500. Coburn will try to lower her American record as she battles Ethiopian rivals Hiwot Ayalew and Sofia Assefa.

Monaco is more than a distance meet as there were world-leaders in the women's 100 and men's 200. Evan Jager was in the men's steeplechase but he struggled over the final 400 and only finished sixth.

This year's meet should be titled "The Greatest 3 Hours in Track & Field." In addition to a dream 800 and a world record attempt in the 1500, Evan Jager seems poised to take down the AR in the men's steeple. Might there also be an AR in the women's 5000 where Americans Molly Huddle, Shannon Rowbury, Kim Conley and Jordan Hasay will take on Genzebe Dibaba. The women's 800 is loaded as Ajee Wilson, Laura Roesler and Molly Beckwith-Ludlow battle Eunice Sum. There's also Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin against Panama's Alonso Edward in the 200 and a high jump featuring five of the top 12 jumpers of all time.  *IAAF Preview

What a race - Amos, Aman and Rudisha. Six weeks ago, Rudisha wasn't ready. Now it looks like he is.  Will Rudisha ready to get revenge?

Kiprop ran 3:27.72 here last year and after a 1:43.34 800 in Paris two weeks ago, he's ready to take a run at the world record. Can he do it? Will he even win the race? He'll face stiff competition against Ayanleh Souleiman and Silas Kiplagat, while Americans Matt Centrowitz and Leo Manzano look to PR. Plus 18-year-old Kenyan Ronald Kwemoi challenges the world junior record *MB: Will the 1500 World Record be broken in Monaco?

Coburn: “I’m from Colorado and I like cold weather so it was pretty perfect and the crowd was cheering for me and I felt like a home athlete even though I’m from across the pond.”

A focus on competition, not time gave Coburn the AR: "The goal was to win...When I got in the start line, I was just thinking to put the hammer down, go hard not necessarily for the record but to break my opponents."