Australians to Bring Best in Brussels | Diamond League Preview

Published Wed 06 Sep 2023

The 13th and penultimate Diamond League of 2023 arrives in Brussels on September 8, as World Championships medallists Eleanor Patterson and Kurtis Marschall lead an Australian contingent of five in pivotal qualifying efforts for the final to be held in Eugene (September 16-17).

Australian viewers can tune in live and free via the Diamond League YouTube channel from 4:00am AEST, Saturday September 9.

Women’s 1500m:

A star-studded 1500m bout in Brussels is set to feature the Australian duo of Linden Hall (Ned Brophy-Williams) and Jessica Hull (Simon Hull), with the pair owning the 11 fastest times in history by Australian women – led by Hall’s 3:57.27 Oceania record.

With Hull having all but sewn up a position in the Diamond League Final to take place in Eugene from September 16-17, sitting third in the rankings, it is Hall who will race under pressure in the high-stakes encounter.

Fresh off a podium finish when claiming third place in Xiamen last week with a swift 3:57.92, Hall will not be short of confidence in the field which features Ethiopian duo Hirut Meshesha (3:54.87) and Birke Haylom (3:54.93). Sitting ninth in the congested rankings with a field of 10 to feature in the final, the two-time Olympian will face her rivals head-to-head for a position in Eugene – acutely aware of the circumstances.

Hull returns after a short freshen up for her first race since the Budapest World Championships, where she finished in seventh place of the 1500m and also contested the 5000m heats.

Women’s High Jump:

2023 World Championships silver medallist Eleanor Patterson (Alex Stewart) will be seeking to secure her spot in the Eugene Dimond League Final, with a flawless performance in Brussels required to keep her season alive.

Currently ranked seventh in the Diamond league standings after six of seven qualification meetings, Patterson finds herself eight points behind the top-six qualifying position which would earn her a ticket to Hayward Field – the exact number of points she would secure from a win in Brussels.

A jump of 1.92m at the Xiamen Diamond League last week rewarded her with third place, her first Diamond League podium of the season. The 2022 world champion will have her work cut out for her in the form of reigning world champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh who possess a season’s best of 2.02m, but Patterson has a proven record of being up to the task under pressure.

Men’s Pole Vault:

Kurtis Marschall (Paul Burgess) is poised for one final hit-out before the Eugene Diamond League Final, approaching Brussels in career best form after a breakthrough season on the world stage.

The 2023 World Championships bronze medallists has achieved one Diamond League podium finish from four starts this year. His most recent vault of 5.85m in Zurich last week saw him clinch fifth place and move into fifth position in qualifying for the Diamond League Final.

The stage will be set for a strong field of six vaulters who have soared over the elusive six-metre barrier, headed by world record holder and current world champion Armand Duplantis. Marschall continues to push the six-metre boundary himself, with a personal best of 5.95m twice already in 2023 – including at the World Championships in Budapest where he won bronze.

Men’s 2000m:

This Friday at Diamond League in Brussels, Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) will compete for the first time officially over 2000m, contributing valuable points to his Diamond League 1500m campaign.

With no official 2000m personal best, McSweyn’s split of 4:59.47 during a 3000m race in 2020 gives an indication of what he is capable of – a time that places him third on the Australian all-time list. With the Australian record set by Craig Mottram at 4:50.76, the eighth fastest time in history, McSweyn will undoubtedly be suited to the distance as the Australian record holder over 3000m (7:28.02) and former record holder over 1500m (3:29.51).

The King Island product’s most recent performances of seventh place in the 1500m last week at the Zurich Diamond League (3:31.92) and 13th in the World Championships 5000m Final suggest he is in shape to be competitive. A roll call of the world’s best middle-distance men to toe the line in the five-lap contest is headed by 2 Mile world record holder Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway).

Australians to have qualified for the 2023 Diamond League Final:

Nina Kennedy (Pole Vault)

Nicola Olyslagers (High Jump)

Mackenzie Little (Javelin Throw)

Kelsey-Lee Barber (Javelin Throw)

Kurtis Marschall (Pole Vault)

Matthew Denny (Discus Throw)

Jessica Hull (1500m)

Catriona Bisset (800m)

Brooke Buschkuehl (Long Jump)