Memorial Van Damme

Memorial van Damme is a yearly athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.  It takes place in late August or early September. Before it was one of the IAAF Golden League events.  Now it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.

It was first put together in 1977 by a group of journalists in honour of Ivo van Damme.  Damme was a Belgian double medal winner at the Montreal Olympics who was killed in a car accident at the age of 22.  A former footballer, he turned to athletics and in particular the 1500 m and 3000 m. Later on, he ran in the 800 m. In 1976, he took part in the Montreal Olympic Games, where he won silver medals in both the 800 m and 1500 m.

World records
 2009 
 4 x 1500 m relay men 14:36.23 Kenya (William Biwott Tanui, Gideon Gathimba, Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono, Augustine Kiprono Choge)

 2006 
 4 x 800 m relay men 7:02.43 Kenya (Joseph Mutua, William Yiampoy, Ismael Kombich, Wilfred Bungei)

 2005 
 10,000 m 26:17.53 Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia

 2004 
 10,000 m men Junior 27:04.00 Boniface Kiprop Toroitich, Uganda
 3,000 m steeplechase men 7:53.63 Saif Saaeed Shaheen, Qatar 
 Pole vault women 4.92 m Yelena Isinbayeva, Russia

 2001 
 3,000 m men Junior 7:30.67 Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia
 3,000 m steeple men 7:55.28 Brahim Boulami, Morocco

 1997 
 5,000 m men 12:39.74 Daniel Komen, Kenya
 10,000 m men 26:27.85 Paul Tergat, Kenya

 1996 
 10,000 m men 26:38.08 Salah Hissou, Morocco
 1,000 m women 2:28.98 Svetlana Masterkova, Russia

 1995 
 5,000 m men Junior 13:07.38 Daniel Komen, Kenya
 1,000 m women 2:29.34 Maria de Lurdes Mutola, Mozambique

 1981 
 1 mile men 3.47.33 Sebastian Coe, United Kingdom

Meeting Records

Men
EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateRefVideo100 m9.76 (+1.3 m/s)Usain Bolt16 September 2011200 m19.26 (+0.7 m/s)Yohan Blake16 September 2011400 m44.06Michael Johnson28 August 1998800 m1:42.20Wilson Kipketer22 August 19971000 m2:14.95Sammy Koskei30 August 19851500 m3:26.12Hicham El Guerrouj24 August 2001Mile3:47.30Noureddine Morceli3 September 19933000 m7:23.09Hicham El Guerrouj3 September 19995000 m12:39.74Daniel Komen22 August 199710000 m26:17.53Kenenisa Bekele26 August 2005110 m hurdles12.92 (+0.2 m/s)Allen Johnson23 August 1996400 m hurdles47.51Andre Phillips5 September 19863000 m steeplechase7:53.63Saif Saaeed Shaheen3 September 2004High jump2.38 mHollis Conway10 August 1990Pole vault5.95 mSergey BubkaSergey BubkaJeff HartwigJeff Hartwig19 August 199422 August 199728 August 19983 September 1999Long jump8.65 mCarl Lewis24 August 1984Triple jump17.60 mJonathan Edwards30 August 1995Shot put22.16 mReese Hoffa27 August 2010Discus throw69.94 mImrich Bugár24 August 1984Hammer throw82.26 mLance Deal23 August 1996Javelin throw93.48 m (old design)90.50 m (Current design)Tom PetranoffJan Železný26 August 198325 August 19954x100 m relay38.65United States19 August 19884x800 m relay7:02.43Kenya25 August 20064x1500 m relay14:36.23William Biwott TanuiGideon GathimbaGeoffrey RonoAugustine Choge4 September 2009

Women
EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateRef100 m10.76 (+0.9 m/s)Marion Jones22 August 1997200 m21.64Merlene Ottey13 September 1991400 m48.83Sanya Richards4 September 2009800 m1.55.16Pamela Jelimo6 September 20081000 m2:28.98Svetlana Masterkova23 August 19961500 m3.55.33Süreyya Ayhan5 September 2003Mile4.17.75Maryam Yusuf Jamal14 September 20072000 m5:30.19Gelete Burka4 September 20093000 m8.24.81+Meseret Defar14 September 2007Two miles8.58.58Meseret Defar14 September 20075000 m14.25.43Vivian Cheruiyot6 September 2008100 m hurdles12.42Yordanka Donkova5 September 1986400 m hurdles53.43Nezha Bidouane28 August 19983000 m steeplechase9:15.43Yuliya Zaripova16 September 2011High jump2.05 mAnna Chicherova16 September 2011Pole vault4.93 mYelena Isinbayeva26 August 2005Long jump7.25 mHeike Drechsler13 September 1991Triple jump15.14 m (+0.3 m/s)Tatyana Lebedeva5 September 2003Shot put20.57 mNatalya Lisovskaya11 September 1987Discus throw69.84 mTsvetanka Christova5 September 1986Javelin throw72.18 m (old design)67.76 m (Current design)Fatima WhitbreadTrine Hattestad5 September 198625 August 20004x100 m relay42.97United States19 August 1988

+ = en route to a longer distance

References

Other websites

 Diamond League – Brussels Official Web Site

Category:Sport in Belgium
Category:Brussels
Category:1977 establishments in Europe
Category:1970s establishments in Belgium