Memorial Van Damme facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Memorial Van Damme |
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King Baudouin Stadium during the 2012 edition
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| Date | Late August - early September |
| Location |  Brussels, Belgium |
| Event type | Track and field |
| World Athletics Cat. | DF |
| Official site | Memorial Van Damme |
The Memorial Van Damme is a super exciting yearly sports event! It's all about track and field, which includes running, jumping, and throwing. This big event happens in Brussels, Belgium, usually at the end of August or beginning of September.
It's one of the most important events in the world of athletics. It used to be part of something called the IAAF Golden League. Now, it's one of the final big competitions in the Diamond League series, along with another famous event called Weltklasse Zürich.
This event started in 1977. A group of journalists created it to remember a special Belgian athlete named Ivo Van Damme. He was an amazing runner who won two silver medals at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Sadly, he passed away in a car accident that same year when he was only 22 years old. The Memorial Van Damme keeps his memory alive!
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Amazing World Records Set Here
Over the years, many incredible world records have been broken at the Memorial Van Damme. This means athletes have run faster, jumped higher, or thrown further than anyone else in history during this event!
| Year | Event | Record | Athlete | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2000 m | 4:43.13 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen |  Norway |
| 2020 | One hour | 21,330 m | Mo Farah |  Great Britain |
| 18,930 m | Sifan Hassan |  Netherlands |
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| T51 100 m | 19.71 (+0.4 m/s) | Peter Genyn | Belgium |
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| 2012 | 110 m hurdles | 12.80 (+0.3 m/s) | Aries Merritt |  United States |
| 2009 | 4 × 1500 m relay | 14:36.23 | William Biwott Tanui Gideon Gathimba Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono Augustine Kiprono Choge |
 Kenya |
| 2006 | 4 × 800 m relay | 7:02.43 | Joseph Mutua William Yiampoy Ismael Kombich Wilfred Bungei |
Kenya |
| 2005 | 10000 m | 26:17.53 | Kenenisa Bekele |  Ethiopia |
Meeting Records: Best Performances at This Event
Besides world records, the Memorial Van Damme also has its own "meeting records." These are the best performances ever achieved at this specific event, even if they aren't world records. They show how incredibly talented the athletes who compete here are!
Men's Meeting Records
| Event | Record | Athlete | Country | Date | Ref | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 9.76 (+1.3 m/s) | Usain Bolt |  Jamaica |
16 September 2011 | [1] | |
| 200 m | 19.26 (+0.7 m/s) DLR | Yohan Blake | Jamaica |
16 September 2011 | [2] | |
| 400 m | 44.03 | Michael Cherry | United States |
3 September 2021 | ||
| 800 m | 1:42.20 | Wilson Kipketer |  Denmark |
22 August 1997 | ||
| 1000 m | 2:14.95 | Sammy Koskei |  Kenya |
30 August 1985 | ||
| 1500 m | 3:26.12 | Hicham El Guerrouj |  Morocco |
24 August 2001 | ||
| Mile | 3:47.30 | Noureddine Morceli |  Algeria |
3 September 1993 | ||
| 2000 m | 4:43.13 WR | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway |
8 September 2023 | ||
| 3000 m | 7:23.09 | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco |
3 September 1999 | ||
| 5000 m | 12:39.74 | Daniel Komen | Kenya |
22 August 1997 | ||
| 10000 m | 26:17.53 | Kenenisa Bekele |  Ethiopia |
26 August 2005 | ||
| One hour | 21,330 m DLR | Mo Farah | Great Britain |
4 September 2020 | ||
| 110 m hurdles | 12.80 (+0.3 m/s) WR | Aries Merritt |  United States |
7 September 2012 | ||
| 400 m hurdles | 47.51 | Andre Phillips | United States |
5 September 1986 | ||
| 3000 m steeplechase | 7:53.63 | Saif Saaeed Shaheen |  Qatar |
3 September 2004 | ||
| High jump | 2.43 m DLR | Mutaz Essa Barshim |  Qatar |
5 September 2014 | ||
| Pole vault | 6.10 m | Armand Duplantis |  Sweden |
8 September 2023 | ||
| Long jump | 8.65 m (+0.2 m/s) | Carl Lewis | United States |
24 August 1984 | ||
| Triple jump | 17.60 m (+0.3 m/s) | Jonathan Edwards |  United Kingdom |
25 August 1995 | ||
| Shot put | 22.61 m | Joe Kovacs | United States |
1 September 2022 | ||
| Discus throw | 69.94 m | Imrich Bugár |  Czechoslovakia |
24 August 1984 | ||
| Hammer throw | 82.26 m | Lance Deal | United States |
23 August 1996 | ||
| Javelin throw | 93.48 m (old design) 90.50 m (Current design) |
Tom Petranoff Jan Železný |
United States Czech Republic |
26 August 1983 25 August 1995 |
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| 4 × 100 m relay | 38.49 | Xavi Mo-Ajok Taymir Burnet Hensley Paulina Raphael Bouju |
Netherlands |
8 September 2023 | ||
| 4 × 800 m relay | 7:02.43 | Joseph Mwengi Mutua William Yiampoy Ismael Kipngetich Kombich Wilfred Bungei |
Kenya |
25 August 2006 | ||
| 4 × 1500 m relay | 14:36.23 | William Biwott Tanui Gideon Gathimba< Geoffrey Rono Augustine Choge |
Kenya |
4 September 2009 |
Women's Meeting Records
| Event | Record | Athlete | Country | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 10.72 (-0.3 m/s) | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce |  Jamaica |
6 September 2013 | |
| 10.72 (+0.6 m/s) | Elaine Thompson | Jamaica |
9 September 2016 | ||
| 200 m | 21.48 (+0.2 m/s) DLR | Shericka Jackson | Jamaica |
8 September 2023 | |
| 400 m | 48.83 | Sanya Richards | United States |
4 September 2009 | |
| 800 m | 1:55.16 | Pamela Jelimo | Kenya |
6 September 2008 | |
| 1000 m | 2:28.98 | Svetlana Masterkova |  Russia |
23 August 1996 | |
| 1500 m | 3:55.33 | Süreyya Ayhan |  Turkey |
5 September 2003 | |
| Mile | 4:14.74 | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands |
3 September 2021 | |
| 2000 m | 5:30.19 | Gelete Burka | Ethiopia |
4 September 2009 | |
| 3000 m | 8:24.81+ | Meseret Defar | Ethiopia |
14 September 2007 | |
| Two miles | 8:58.58 WB | Meseret Defar | Ethiopia |
14 September 2007 | |
| 5000 m | 14:18.89 | Almaz Ayana | Ethiopia |
9 September 2016 | |
| One hour | 18,930 m DLR | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands |
4 September 2020 | |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.27 (+0.1 m/s) | Jasmine Camacho-Quinn |  Puerto Rico |
2 September 2022 | |
| 400 m hurdles | 52.11 | Femke Bol | Netherlands |
8 September 2023 | |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:55.10 | Beatrice Chepkoech | Kenya |
31 August 2018 | |
| High jump | 2.05 m | Anna Chicherova |  Russia |
16 September 2011 | |
| Yaroslava Mahuchikh |  Ukraine |
2 September 2022 | |||
| Pole vault | 5.00 m DLR | Sandi Morris | United States |
9 September 2016 | |
| Long jump | 7.25 m (+1.7 m/s) | Heike Drechsler |  Germany |
13 September 1991 | |
| Triple jump | 15.14 m (+0.3 m/s) | Tatyana Lebedeva | Russia |
5 September 2003 | |
| Shot put | 20.59 m | Valerie Adams |  New Zealand |
5 September 2014 | |
| Discus throw | 69.84 m | Tsvetanka Christova |  Bulgaria |
5 September 1986 | |
| Javelin throw | 72.18 m (old design) | Fatima Whitbread | United Kingdom |
5 September 1986 | |
| 68.11 m (Current design) | Kara Winger | United States |
2 September 2022 | ||
| 4 × 100 m relay | 42.97 | United States |
19 August 1988 |
