Amusan, Ajayi and Ezekiel chase Diamond League history in Brussels

Nigeria’s Oluwatobiloba Amusan, Kanyisola Ajayi and Ezekiel Nathaniel will pursue Diamond League titles at the 2026 Wanda Diamond League final in Brussels. The season-ending meeting begins today and continues on Saturday at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, with all three seeking landmark victories in their events.

Amusan will return to the women’s 100m hurdles final for the first time since 2023, aiming to win the Diamond League title for a fourth time. The 29-year-old Nigerian no longer holds the world record after American Masai Russell lowered it to 12.09 seconds in Zurich last week, improving Amusan’s 12.12 mark from the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.

Russell has beaten Amusan four times this season and will be among the leading contenders in Brussels. World indoor champion Devynne Charlton and Dutch hurdler Nadine Visser are also in the field. Amusan’s target is a major response in a winner-takes-all final and another title to add to her record.

Ajayi will compete in the men’s 100m after entering the final through a global wildcard. The 21-year-old Nigerian record holder has already won meetings in Eugene and London this season, recording 9.84 seconds on both occasions. Victory would make him the first Nigerian man to claim the Diamond League 100m crown.

The sprint final includes reigning world champion Oblique Seville, South Africa’s Akani Simbine, Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, American Trayvon Bromell, Christian Coleman, Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy and Gift Leotlela. Ajayi has beaten Seville three times in five meetings and holds winning records against Simbine and Eseme, but the final will be decided by one race.

Ezekiel will seek to improve on his runner-up finish in last year’s 400m hurdles final. He has run 47.37 seconds this season and holds a personal best of 47.11, while Brazil’s Alison dos Santos arrives as the new world-record holder after clocking 45.80 in Zurich. Karsten Warholm will not compete, but Ezekiel must produce a career-best display to challenge dos Santos for the crown. Winners of events also contested at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship will qualify automatically for the US$10 million meeting in Budapest the following week.