By Martin Banks

World champions from the world of athletics will descend on Brussels later this week.

They will gather for the keenly-awaited Brussels edition of the Wanda Diamond League.

This is an elite one-day meeting series in global athletics and comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in world track and field. Athletes compete for points at the various meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich on 27/8 August.

This year’s Diamond League, including this Friday’s meeting in Brussels, also provides the perfect chance for athletes to cut their teeth ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.

As well as being a dress rehearsal for the world champs it is a rare chance for athletics fans in Belgium to get a glimpse of a whole host of Olympic champions, Diamond Trophy holders and world record breakers.

All are on the start list for the Allianz Memorial Van Damme at the King Baudouin stadium.

The meeting itself was named after the  famous Belgian athlete Ivo Van Damme who died tragically in 1976. Earlier that year, he won the silver medal at the Montreal Olympics in both the 800m and the 1500m. The first “Memorial” took place in 1977 and quickly achieved international recognition.

In 1985 the meeting became an IAAF Grand Prix meeting, afterwards a meeting in the Golden Four and Golden League series. The Memorial was ahead of the pack in the way athletics events were organized, being the first athletics meeting to introduce fireworks, drums, a dynamic presentation and much more.

Since 2010, the Memorial has been part of the Wanda Diamond League, an annual series of athletics competitions taking place in cities around the world.

No less than 14 world records have been set at Memorial van Damme 6 of them still stand) making it and the stadium holders of the greatest number of current world records.

In addition, three world bests have been set there, all of them also still standing. Numerous European and continental records have been broken as well as a flood of national records.

Looking ahead to the event this week meeting director Kim Gevaert says: “We are proud of what we are presenting.”

The 49th edition of the Allianz Memorial Van Damme will welcome eight reigning Olympic champions on Friday and two world record attempts have been provisionally announced. Plenty of Belgian records are in the balance and the women’s 100 metres line-up looks particularly exciting.

 “Considering a busy calendar of meetings following each other in rapid succession and the World championships coming up soon on the other side of the world in Tokyo, it wasn’t easy this year, but I’m proud of what we can offer,” says Gevaert, who is the meeting director for her fourth Memorial.

“The public can look forward to the participation of eight reigning Olympic champions, including Nafi Thiam,” said Gevaert.

The three-time Olympic heptathlon champion will compete in the long jump where she will face, among others, Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the Olympic heptathlon silver medallist in Paris, and Dutch Paralympic long jump Champion Fleur Jong.

The other seven Paris Olympic champions who are due to be starring in Brussels are: Winfred Yavi (3000 metres steeplechase), Thea LaFond (triple jump), Yemisi Ogunleye (shot put), Hamish Kerr (high jump), Rojé Stona (discus throw), Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (4x100m) and Sha’Carri Richardson (4x100m).

As a former Olympic sprint Champion (4×100 metres in 2008), Gevaert is really looking forward to the women’s 100 metres.

Gevaert adds, “Our line-up is phenomenal, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, respectively the sprint queen of the past 15 years and the sprint sensation of the season.

“And they will be joined by reigning World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson and Daryll Neita, the number four at the Paris Games.”

The 3000 metres steeplechase is a new discipline recently created by World Athletics and Gevaert says,“It is almost certain that Yavi will break the current world record.”

“In the 5000 metres, Agnes Jebet Ngetich will be going for the world record. Long distance running is part of the Memorial’s DNA, with some great records already set in the past.”

A few Belgian records could also be broken on Friday.

“Elien Vekemans has already improved her BR five times this season in the pole vault. With the world’s top athletes all in attendance, she may be able to raise the bar even higher on Friday,” Gevaert predicts. “In the 1500 metres, we will see a duel between Pieter Sisk, Ruben Verheyden and Jochem Vermeulen, and in the 5000 metres between Elise Vanderelst and Jana Van Lent. New national records are also in the air in these races.”

Thanks to an extra 400 metres, most of the Belgian Tornados and Cheetahs will also be competing on Friday.

“We will conclude the sporting programme on Friday evening with another exciting new discipline: the 4×100 metre mixed relay which is fast and unpredictable,” says Gevaert. “And, of course, it is an ideal opportunity for our own Belgian teams to test themselves.”

As usual, some of Belgium’s best paralympians will also be in action.

Brussels’ Léa Bayekula, two-time Paralympic champion in Paris, wants to shine in front of her home crowd in the 400 metres (T54). In the men’s 400 metres in the T53/54 class, Belgium’s honour will be defended by up-and-coming talent Johannes Balbaert.

The Memorial programme also features a 100-metre blades race, more specifically in the T63 class. This is the category of 32-year-old Brussels athlete Ilias Benkaddour.

Meanwhile, Léa Bayekula  and Dutch long jumper, Fleur Jong, two Paralympic champions from Paris, will compete.

Together with Thiam, Yavi, LaFond, Ogunleye, Kerr, Stona, Jefferson-Wooden and Richardson, this brings the total to ten reigning para/olympic champions.