Kenya’s middle-distance queen Faith Kipyegon continued her stellar form by winning the 1500m final at the Diamond League in Brussels on Saturday. However, the event was marked by upsets as Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo and American shot put champion Ryan Crouser both faced rare defeats.
Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic and world champion, secured her victory with a meet record of 3 minutes 54.76 seconds. The Kenyan star, who set a new world record earlier this year at the Paris Diamond League, concluded her season in commanding fashion.
Kenya’s dominance was further cemented as Beatrice Chebet set a meet record of 14:09.82 in the 5000m, while Faith Cherotich took gold in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:02.36. Emmanuel Wanyonyi also impressed, storming to victory in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:42.70.
Meanwhile, one of the night’s biggest surprises came in the men’s shot put, where Italy’s European champion Leonardo Fabbri stunned the field with a personal and national record throw of 22.98m. The three-time Olympic champion and world record holder Ryan Crouser finished second with a best of 22.79m but praised the rising level of competition.
Another upset came in the men’s 200m, where American sprinter Kenny Bednarek bested Tebogo with a time of 19.67 seconds. Tebogo, who had hoped to cap his season with a Diamond League title, admitted to feeling deflated after his second-place finish.