Diamond glory fuels Ultimate push

JAMAICA’S impressive showing at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels, Belgium, has given the country its biggest-ever haul of Diamond Trophies at a single final and provided a major boost heading into the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

Four Jamaicans – Oblique Seville, Tajay Gayle, Rajindra Campbell and Tina Clayton – walked away as Diamond League champions after two days of outstanding performances at the King Baudouin Stadium.

Seville got the ball rolling on Friday when he captured the men’s 100 metres in 9.90 seconds, before Gayle produced a spectacular final-round leap of 8.46 metres to snatch the men’s long jump title from Olympic and world champion Miltiadis Tentoglou.

The golden run continued on Saturday when Campbell produced the throw of his life, launching the shot 23.08 metres to smash his Jamaican record and become only the fifth man in history to surpass the 23-metre barrier.

Clayton then put the finishing touch on Jamaica’s historic campaign by winning the women’s 100m in 10.93, becoming the fifth Jamaican woman to capture the prestigious Diamond League trophy in the event.

The four victories represent Jamaica’s best single-final haul in the history of the Diamond League. The previous notable high point came in 2013, when Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the women’s 100m and 200m Diamond Trophies and Warren Weir captured the men’s 200m title in Brussels.

More importantly, the success comes at a crucial time, with Jamaica now turning its attention to Budapest and the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship from September 11-13.

‘CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS’ COMPETITION

The Ultimate is designed as athletics’ ‘champion of champions’ competition, bringing together Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners and the year’s leading performers.

The four Jamaicans have all earned their places through their Diamond League performances, although Seville had already secured qualification as the reigning world champion.

Seville heads to Budapest with the confidence of having beaten a world-class field in Brussels, while Gayle will be looking to carry the momentum from his 8.46m performance into another major championship.

Campbell’s 23.08m, meanwhile, has transformed him from a medal contender into one of the world’s biggest threats in the shot put. His performance in Brussels was not only a national record, but the fourth-best throw in history.

Tina’s breakthrough Diamond Trophy could be particularly significant.

The young sprinter has now added a major senior title to her growing résumé, and her 10.93-second performance showed that she will enter Budapest with the confidence that she can compete with the world’s best.

Jamaica will therefore not be travelling to Budapest simply to make up the numbers.

The country’s four Diamond League champions will arrive as proven winners, carrying the momentum of a historic Brussels campaign into an event that promises to bring together the strongest fields of the season.

With a US$10-million prize purse and US$150,000 going to each individual winner, the stakes will be enormous.

For Jamaica, the challenge is now to turn four Diamond League crowns into Ultimate Championship success.