The Wanda Diamond League has always been a stage for the greatest stars in world athletics, and 2023 saw the likes of Mondo Duplantis, Femke Bol, Shericka Jackson and others extend their dominance on track and field’s premier one-day series. <\/p>\n
Yet even the greatest champions are not infallible, and the season gone also delivered its fair share of shocks and surprises.<\/p>\n
The first big upset came in Oslo, when the Netherlands’ Jorinde Van Klinken blew apart the established hierarchies of the women’s discus.<\/p>\n
Prior to the Bislett Games, two women had reigned supreme in the discus ring: six-time Diamond League champion Sandra Perkovic of Croatia, and the USA’s Valarie Allman, who had held the Diamond Trophy since her first title in 2021.<\/p>\n
Yet in Oslo, Van Klinken stunned both of them with a brilliant fifth-round throw of 66.77m to claim her first ever Diamond League victory. <\/p>\n
“I am super happy that tonight, it was me and obviously, it is beyond special to beat the both Valarie and Sandra,” she said, adding that the discus was becoming more competitive than ever. <\/p>\n
“Honestly, it is just crazy if you think about how many women are this good right now, there are many candidates for a medal at worlds. It is good for the people to maybe realise that there are so many good women and we all have good throws.”<\/p>\n
There was a similarly seismic shock in the men’s discus at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene, as both Sweden’s Daniel Stahl and Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh failed to add another Diamond Trophy to their respective cabinets.<\/p>\n
Instead, the title went to Australia’s Matthew Denny, who delivered an astonishing 68.43m effort in the final round to snatch the trophy away from the event’s two heavyweights. As he cradled the Diamond Trophy in his arms post-competition, Denny also insisted his victory was a sign of things to come. <\/p>\n
“I wasn\u2019t gonna count Daniel or Kristjan out. I\u2019m just so happy to finish on such a high note for this season because it\u2019s been a great season and I wanted to finish it the right way, “he said. “I\u2019ve always gone to the majors with the goal to win. This really cemements my point that I can be the best, and that\u2019s my goal for next year and that\u2019s my goal for (the Olympic Games in) Paris.”<\/p>\n
If the Diamond League delivered two stars of the future in Denny and Van Klinken, it also threw up some banana skins for those who are already legends of the sport. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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