The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A series which has spanned approximately five months will conclude today with the final of the 14 International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Diamond League meetings.

Two Bahamians will compete in the series finale at the AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, both of the country’s 2015 IAAF World Championship medallists, Jeffery Gibson - in the 400m hurdles and Shaunae Miller - in the 400m.

Gibson’s storybook season in the 400m hurdles continues, but despite his success, it will be just his second event on the Diamond League circuit this season.

Back in May, at the first Diamond League meeting in Doha, Qatar, Gibson had to settle for fifth in 49.48 seconds.

The race was won by American Bershawn Jackson in a then world leading time this season of 48.09. Javier Culson, of Puerto Rico, was second in 48.96, followed by Thomas Barr, of Ireland, in 48.99 and Jack Green, of Great Britain, in 49.31..

In today’s race which runs at 2:04pm local time, Gibson will be a part of the field which features Americans Johnny Dutch and Jackson, Kenyans Boniface Tumuti and Nicholas Bett and South African LJ Van Zyl.

Jackson leads the Diamond League standings in the event with 14 points, followed by Dutch with nine.

It will also culminate what has been a fantastic year for Gibson, who broke the national record four times this season and medalled at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, before he got his bronze at the World Championships.

“I know that (my season) it is still going on and honestly I can only say thank you to God for all the blessings that have happened this season,” Gibson said.

“In the quite hours when I’m on the track by myself and think about my season I’m just so humbled at his grace for me. This season makes me anxious and a little fearful about what the future holds for me.

“I have many questions about the future but I’m just going to take it one day at a time because that’s all I can worry about.”

Miller will compete in a stacked field which includes the top three ranked in the Diamond League standings for the event.

The race, which runs at 3:35pm local time, includes Stephenie-Ann McPherson, Christine Day, and Novelene Williams-Mills of Jamaica alongside Natasha Hastings and Francena McCorory of the United States.

In just two events, Miller is ranked third in the standings with six points collected thus far.

Miller clocked 49.92 to win the Athletissima Golden League Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, in July.

McCorory leads the standings with 16 points through four events, followed by McPherson with 10 points through five events.

Sixteen Diamond Race trophies will be decided to close out the premier athletic series which began with the Doha meeting in May. Among some of the top disciplines that will attract the most attention on the day are the men’s 100m, women’s 200m, men’s triple jump, women’s 400m, women’s 100m hurdles and men’s 400m hurdles.

The IAAF Diamond League is comprised of 14 of the best invitational track and field meetings in the world.

The meetings are spread across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the US, and are part of the top tier of the IAAF’s global one-day meeting competition structure. The series, which began in 2010, showcases 32 event disciplines which are carefully distributed among the meetings.

In each discipline, there is a Diamond Race with points available throughout the 14-meeting season. Winners of each Diamond Race receive a US$40,000 cash prize and a spectacular Diamond trophy.