Edmund Serem (front) of Kenya reacts as crossing the finish line during the men's 3000m steeplechase heat at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan/ XINHUA The 2015 world javelin champion Julius Yego and 2025 world 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Edmund Serem will be out to secure their historic first Diamond League Finals trophies when the season reaches its climax in Brussels this weekend.
Yego, a veteran of the global throwing ranks, is yet to win the elusive Diamond League Finals crown to complete his glittering trophy cabinet.
The 37-year-old made his first Finals appearance in Zurich in August 2012, narrowly missing the podium after finishing fourth with a best throw of 78.74m.
Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki clinched the title with 85.27m, ahead of compatriot Antti Ruuskanen (83.36m), while Czech thrower Vitezslav Vesely completed the podium with 80.54m.
Yego returned to the Finals in Brussels in 2013 but endured another frustrating outing, placing fifth with 82.46m. Pitkamaki retained the title with 87.32m as Vesely (86.67m) and Ruuskanen (83.64m) completed the podium.
His wait continued in 2015, despite producing a solid 83.82m effort that left him fourth behind Pitkamaki (87.37m), Germany’s Thomas Rohler (86.56m) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott (84.03m).
Last year, Yego again fell short of the medals, finishing fifth with 82.01m as Germany’s Julian Weber unleashed a massive 91.51m to win ahead of India’s Neeraj Chopra (85.01m) and Walcott (84.95m).
The Kenyan legend heads to Brussels determined to finish a campaign which has produced mixed fortunes. He opened his season at the Kip Keino Classic on April 24, placing fourth before a home crowd with 79.87m. He then extended his continental dominance by winning a record sixth African Senior Championships title in Accra with another 79.87m effort.
His Diamond League campaign yielded fifth place in Rabat (80.59m), seventh in Rome (79.89m) and sixth in Doha (82.22m).
Yego’s biggest setback came at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, where he failed to advance beyond the qualifying round after managing 74.50m in Heat One.
Awaiting him in Brussels is a formidable cast led by world leader Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka. The star-studded field also features Walcott, former world champion Anderson Peters, American Curtis Thompson and Poland’s Dawid Wegner.
Meanwhile, in the water-and-barrier spectacle, Serem arrives in Brussels with unfinished business after coming close to the title in last year’s Finals in Zurich.
The rising Kenyan star clocked 8:09.96 to finish second behind Germany’s Frederik Ruppert, who claimed victory in 8:09.02.
Serem has enjoyed an impressive 2026 campaign across both the Diamond League circuit and major championships.
His season began with fourth place at the Kip Keino Classic in 8:25.85 before he announced his arrival with a lifetime best 8:01.61 for another fourth-place finish in Rabat.
The youngster regained momentum after finishing second in Stockholm (8:12.27), then produced back-to-back podium finishes by taking third in Paris (8:08.54) and Monaco (8:11.15).
He later etched his name into Kenya’s athletics history by storming to the Commonwealth Games steeplechase gold medal in Glasgow in 8:18.23.
However, his most recent Diamond League outing in Silesia on August 23 proved challenging as he faded to sixth in 8:09.57.
In Brussels, Serem will team up with Simon Koech as the Kenyan duo battle two-time Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali, alongside Ethiopian challengers Samuel Firewu and Gemechu Godana.
