Memorial Van Damme sets 14 meeting records during 50th edition

The 50th edition of the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels has been marked by a series of high-level performances, including 14 meeting records and five world leads. The event, serving as the Diamond League final, has been ranked as the second-best athletics meeting of all time in terms of points.

In the men’s pole vault, Emmanouil Karalis secured victory with a jump of 6.12 meters, setting a new meeting record after Armand Duplantis withdrew last minute due to a thigh injury. In the men’s 400m, Kebinatshipi of Botswana set a meeting record with a time of 43.40 seconds. Other notable record-breakers include Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the 800m (1:41.80) and Audrey Werro in the women’s 800m (1:54.75).

On the women’s side, several athletes established new meeting records, including Alison dos Santos in the 400m hurdles and Marileidy Paulino in the 400m. While the event saw significant global success, some local Belgian athletes, such as Nafi Thiam, did not achieve their target performances during this edition.