Canada’s Sarah Mitton secured second place in the women’s shot put competition at the Diamond League Final held at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Mitton, aged 30, marked her best throw at 20.64 meters on her initial attempt, coming in behind American athlete Chase Jackson.
Jackson, aged 32, clinched her third Diamond League Final victory with a top throw of 21.14 meters, setting new American, Diamond League, and meet records, in addition to achieving a world-leading mark. As a two-time world champion, Jackson surpassed her personal best by .012 meters to claim the win.
Expressing sportsmanship, Mitton commented, “How can you be upset to lose to one of the best throws since 2013? We had two girls surpass 21 meters in the last four months. Shot put is on the rise, and I believe I can reach 21 meters.” Meanwhile, world champion Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands secured the third spot with a 20.57-meter throw on her third attempt.
In the men’s 800m event, Edmonton’s Marco Arop initially held the second position but ultimately slipped to fourth place with a time of one minute and 43.50 seconds. The title was claimed by Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi from Kenya, finishing in 1:41.40. He was followed by Djamel Sedjati of Algeria in second place with a time of 1:42.71, and France’s Yanis Meziane in third with a time of 1:42.87.
Audrey Leduc from Gatineau, Que., finished sixth in the women’s 200m with a time of 22.95 seconds. The race was won by Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred in 21.79 seconds, followed by Kayla White from the USA in second place with 22.00 seconds, and Amy Hunt from Great Britain in third with 22.16 seconds.
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville clinched the men’s 100m title in a time of 9.90 seconds, with Emmanuel Eseme from Cameroon in second place with a time of 9.93 seconds, and Kayinsola Ajayi from Nigeria in third with a time of 9.97 seconds.
Unfortunately, Swedish pole vaulting star Armand Duplantis withdrew from the competition for undisclosed reasons, while Emmanouil Karalis of Greece emerged as the victor. Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse, who qualified for the men’s 200 meters in Belgium and was listed to compete, withdrew due to personal commitments and focus on the Ultimate Championship according to Athletics Canada.
