Mateusz Kołodziejski clears 2.28m to win Diamond League high jump title in Brussels

Jump-by-jump progression in Brussels

The men's high jump competition at the 15th meeting of the Diamond League season opened on Friday in Brussels. Mateusz Kołodziejski started his series by clearing 2.16 metres and 2.21 metres on his initial attempts, while Belgian competitor Thomas Carillo bowed out at the opening height. World leader JuVaughn Harrison struggled early, needing three attempts at both 2.16 metres and 2.21 metres. At 2.25 metres, Kołodziejski registered two consecutive failures, putting him in danger of elimination alongside Jamaica's Romain Beckford. The Polish jumper cleared the bar on his third try, while Beckford and Erick Portillo of Mexico were eliminated.

Kołodziejski immediately followed that clearance by clearing 2.28 metres on his first attempt, setting an outdoor personal best. Harrison failed his opening jump at 2.28 metres before clearing the height, while European champion Gianmarco Tamberi missed once at 2.28 metres and moved his remaining two attempts to 2.31 metres. Ukraine's Oleh Doroshchuk also failed at 2.28 metres. With the bar raised to 2.31 metres, Kołodziejski failed all three attempts at what would have been a personal record, but secured the title after Harrison missed three times and Tamberi missed his two remaining attempts.

Final standings and rewards

Kołodziejski won the competition, followed by Harrison in second place at 2.28 metres. Tamberi took third place with 2.25 metres, sharing the position with Doroshchuk according to meeting classifications. Victory in the final event earned the Polish athlete a Diamond Trophy manufactured by a Swiss jewellery company, approximately 20,000 dollars in prize money, and a wild card entry for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing. Ranking points gained in Brussels also support his qualification standings for upcoming international competitions.

Kołodziejski became the second Polish athlete to win a Diamond League trophy, joining discus thrower Piotr Małachowski, who won the series in 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Reporting on the result, journalist Michał Chmielewski described the outcome of the competition.

Mateusz Kołodziejski won the Diamond League final! 2.28 m on the first attempt was enough for his rivals! The second Pole with such a success after Piotr Małachowski!

Qualification path and Polish team roster

Kołodziejski secured his place in the season finale through a fourth-place finish at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Silesia, followed by a 2.27-metre clearance in Monaco. His season included an indoor mark of 2.30 metres during the winter and an appearance at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where Tamberi won gold at 2.32 metres. The Brussels finale brought together athletes who accumulated the highest point totals across the previous 14 circuit meetings, alongside select wild card entries.

The high jump was the only event featuring Polish participation on the opening Friday of the two-day meeting. Four other Polish athletes are scheduled to compete during Saturday's programme in Brussels: Natalia Bukowiecka in the 400 metres, Klaudia Kazimierska in the 1,500 metres, Pia Skrzyszowska in the 100-metre hurdles, and Dawid Wegner in the javelin throw.