Memorial Van Damme 2015

The **AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme 2015**was the 2015 IAAF Diamond League Finale, held on 11 September at King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels. As always, this event has served as the traditional climax to every season, and thus crowned many new Diamond Race winners. Athletes like Ruth Beitia, Yomif Kejelcha and Joe Kovacs managed to score enough points to become first-time champions.

## Report

### Men's 100m: Gatlin achieves a hat-trick

In the men's 100 metres, Justin Gatlin won the Diamond Race, his third in a row, by clinching the event victory. He beat Femi Ogunode and Jimmy Vicaut.

### Men's 800m

In the men's 800 metres, Adam Kszczot won his first event of the year, but the title went to Nijel Amos for the second year in a row.

### Men's 5000m

By winning the 5000 metres, Yomif Kejelcha became the youngest-ever Diamond League champion. In his first Diamond League victory, Bahamian Jeffery Gibson won the 400 metres hurdles and defeated Bershawn Jackson and Kariem Hussein but the 2010 champion Jackson secured his second title.

### Women's 3000m steeplechase: Ghribi makes her mark

Habiba Ghribi's main aim was to simply better her own world-leading mark in the 3000m steeplechase as she sought to gain redemption after missing gold at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015.

But she didn’t just set a world lead; she set a meeting record, an IAAF Diamond League record and an African record, going to second on the world all-time list.

### Men's shot put: Two firsts in Shot put

After a season-long battle between Joe Kovacs and David Storl, the two winning three meets apiece, Kiwi Tomas Walsh won the shot put, this becoming his first Diamond League win, but World Champion Kovacs clinched his maiden Diamond Race win with third being good enough for overall honours. Second place went to O'Dayne Richards from Jamaica.

### Men's pole vault: Six out of six for Lavillenie

French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie may have missed out on a gold medal in Beijing but this didn't stop him from keeping his Diamond League winning streak going. He clinched a sixth consecutive title, as he beat the Canadian, and reigning World Champion, Shawnacy Barber. Despite not making the final in Beijing, Konstadinos Filippidis managed to finish in third place.

### Non-Diamond Races

As well as being second in the 100 metres, Femi Ogunode also took the win in the non-Diamond 200 metres.

Last year's winner in the non-Diamond 400 metres, Renny Quow from Trinidad, defended the title. He beat the 2012 champion Kevin Borlée at his home event by 0.14 seconds. In the 1500 metres, the winner was track and cross-country runner Morhad Amdouni of France, as Ryan Gregson and Samir Dahmani took the other two podium spots.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/results/diamond-league-meetings/2015/ag-insurance-memorial-van-damme-5635/men/100-metres/final/result
2. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/results/diamond-league-meetings/2015/ag-insurance-memorial-van-damme-5635/men/800-metres/final/result
3. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/results/diamond-league-meetings/2015/ag-insurance-memorial-van-damme-5635/men/400-metres-hurdles/final/result
4. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/results/diamond-league-meetings/2015/ag-insurance-memorial-van-damme-5635/women/3000-metres-steeplechase/final/result
5. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/results/diamond-league-meetings/2015/ag-insurance-memorial-van-damme-5635/men/shot-put/final/result
6. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/results/diamond-league-meetings/2015/ag-insurance-memorial-van-damme-5635/men/pole-vault/final/result
7. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/results/diamond-league-meetings/2015/ag-insurance-memorial-van-damme-5635/men/200-metres/final/result