Brussels was the setting as the Diamond League came to a close for another season. There have been some excellent displays of athleticism across the 14 Diamond League events. However, this article focuses specifically on the most impressive performances achieved by female athletes during the 2016 Diamond League.
Honourable mentions include Valerie Adams (shot put), Elaine Thompson (100m and 200m) and Dafne Schippers (100m and 200m).
#1 Laura Muir
It requires hours of dedication and hard work to become a world-class track and field athlete. How about being world class in your event whilst also studying for a degree in veterinary medicine?
That perfectly describes Great Britain’s Laura Muir, who whilst studying for her degree has also become a Diamond Race winner in the 1500m.
The Scot may have finished a disappointing seventh in the Olympic final, but she set the world alight on numerous occasions during the Diamond League. The 23-year-old broke Dame Kelly Holmes’ British 1500m record, clocking an impressive 3 minutes 57.49 seconds.
However, it was in Paris where Muir took it to the next level. The Scot ran aggressively from the front, and boy did it pay off. She decimated the rest of the field, including Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, and crossed the line in a time of 3 minutes 55.22. This was not only a world-leading time and a national record but the 13th fastest 1500m of all-time.
If Muir can have a good winter and remain injury free she’ll be a favourite to win the world title in front of a home crowd next summer.
#2 Sandra Perkovic
The Croatian discus thrower has completely dominated her discipline all season. It didn’t matter which city the Diamond League was being held, you could put your mortgage on Sandra Perkovi emerging victorious.
She didn’t just win her Diamond Race, she owned it. The Olympic champion won all seven Diamond League discus events, accumulating the maximum 80 points that were on offer.
The Croatian athlete achieved as close to a perfect season as she could have hoped for and capped it off with her fifth Diamond League trophy in a row. The worrying thing for Perkovic’s opponents is that she’s going nowhere. She’s only 26-years-old and at the very least has one more Olympic cycle left in her.
She’s cemented her legacy as one of the true queens of the throwing circle.
#3 Kendra Harrison
One of the biggest disappointments of the Rio Olympics was not getting to see Kendra Harrison compete. Despite dominating the 100m hurdles throughout the season, Harrison could only finish 6th in the US Olympic trials, meaning she missed out on a place on the team.
It was undoubtedly a crushing blow for an athlete who had run a national record and world-leading time of 12.24 just weeks previously.
Fast forward 14 days and Harrison responded in the best way possible. The setting was the Diamond League event in London and in front of a packed crowd the American created a moment of history. The clock originally stopped at 12.58 until her real time of 12.20 was revealed, prompting a huge standing ovation from the crowd.
Harrison may not have been heading to Rio, but she had become the world record holder, breaking a mark that had stood for 18 years. She’ll be looking to replicate her performance inside the same stadium next year at the IAAF World Athletics Championships.
#4 Ivana Španovic
The Serbian long jumper is another athlete who has thrived on the Diamond League stage. She won four out of the six events she took part in and was second in the other two.
The women’s long jump is an extremely competitive discipline, which was highlighted in Rio when the top three athletes all jumped over seven metres. Španovic jumped a national record of 7.08metres, which was only good enough for a bronze medal.
She consistently jumped between 6.80 to 6.95metres throughout the season. She also never lost to Olympic Champion, Tianna Bartoletta at any Diamond League event. It was this consistency that saw her become the first Serbian to grab the Diamond League trophy.
If any athlete is going to break the stronghold that the USA has over this event, it’s Ivana Španovic.
#5 Ruth Jebet
The 3000m steeplechase is hardly the glamour event of track and field, but one athlete has brought it to life in 2016.
Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet stormed to the Diamond League trophy in the event, smashing records along the way. She dipped under the hallowed nine-minute mark in Eugene, but it was her performance at the Paris Diamond League that was most memorable.
Following a gold medal and a sub-nine minute performance in Rio, Jebet had nothing to prove – try telling her that. Just 12 days later and the newly crowned Olympic champion smashed the world record, running an incredible time of 8minutes 52.78 seconds. This is six seconds faster than any other female athlete in history.
She is the first Bahraini to win ever win a Diamond Race. What’s even more remarkable is that Jebet is only 19-years-old.
