Luxembourg’s Ruben Querinjean stunned the field with a record-breaking Diamond League victory in the 3000m steeplechase in Brussels on Friday, while compatriot Patrizia van der Weken battled through injury to finish eighth in the women’s 100m.
Luxembourg’s Ruben Querinjean produced a stunning upset on Friday evening, storming to victory in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the Diamond League in Brussels – setting a new national record in the process.
Competing in his first ever Diamond League race, the 22-year-old unleashed a blistering final lap to surge past his rivals and clinch victory in 8:09.47 minutes. The time shaved almost five seconds off his own Luxembourg record of 8:14.33, set in June, and came just weeks after he won gold at the World University Games.
Querinjean initially held back at the rear of the pack before working his way through the field. By the final lap he had moved into third, before launching a sensational sprint finish that carried him into second and then to first place on the home straight.
Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale took second, with American Isaac Updike finishing third. The race itself was run at a fierce pace, with five other athletes also recording personal bests.
Querinjean is now only the second Luxembourger to ever win a Diamond League race, following in the footsteps of sprinter Patrizia van der Weken.
Minutes later, Van der Weken lined up in the women’s 100m, running from lane eight. She clocked 11.25 seconds to finish eighth in a race won by Jefferson-Wooden in 10.76. Van der Weken, whose national record stands at 11.00, admitted afterwards that injuries had hampered her preparation and training, though she said her condition was slowly improving.
