Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake admitted being surprised by his win in the men’s 100m on Friday’s opening day of the Diamond League final at Allianz Memorial Van Damme at the King Boudouin Stadium in Brussels.

Blake, the world indoor bronze medallist in March, was one of two Jamaican winners on the first of the two-day meeting that brings the curtain down on the six-month, 15-stage circuit. Tajay Gayle, who claimed the men’s long jump title, was the other victorious Jamaican.

Winners at the event will get the Diamond League trophy and US$30,000 but will not get a wild card to next year’s World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, given next season’s Diamond League final is to be held before the World Championships which is to start in mid-September.

Blake, who was a semi-finalist at the Olympic Games in the summer, ran 9.93 seconds (0.1m/s) to beat the fancied American pair of Christian Coleman (10.00) and Fred Kerley (10.01). Rohan Watson, the Jamaican champion in 2023, was eighth in 10.25.

“For me, it was a surprise to win here today,” Blake said afterwards. “It was a very competitive field and it was also my first Diamond League final. This really means a lot to me.”

Given the cool temperature at race time, Blake said he was particularly pleased with his performance.

“It was rather cold to sprint tonight, but still I ran a time pretty close to my personal best. I’ve been working very hard this season and I [remain] motivated, that’s why I am so strong at the end of this season. I know what I am capable of and I know that this is only the beginning. There’s much more to come in the next years,” said the 22-year-old sprinter.

Gayle, the 2019 world champion, said he gambled in the early stages of the event on account of the weather, and achieved his season best 8.28m (0.4m/s).

“I put everything in the first two attempts because of the cold weather and it worked out,” he said.

“A jump around 8.30m was my goal today, so I just missed out on that. But I know that the cold would become a factor during the competition, so I’m happy that I was able to make it work in that first two attempts because my nose and chest were getting very cold.”

Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer was second with 8.16m (0.4m/s) ahead of Olympic and world champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece 8.15m (0.2m/s).

Carey McLeod was sixth with 7.85m (0.0m/s), while Olympic Games and World Championships silver medallist Wayne Pinnock, who only took two jumps, was seventh with 7.43m (-0.3m/s).

Olympic Games silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts was second in the women’s triple jump with 14.22m (0.0m/s) and Ackelia Smith was third with 14.11m (-0.2m/s). Both of their best efforts came in the final round.

Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez won with 14.37m (-0.1m/s), her only legal mark in the competition, which came in the second round.

Natoya Goule-Toppin finished third in the women’s 800m, running 1:58.94 as Kenya’s Mary Moraa won with a season’s best 1:56.56. Great Britain’s Georgia Bell was second with 1:57.50.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd was fifth in the women’s shot put with 19.24m. World leader Sarah Mitton of Canada won with 20.25m, beating two-time World Champion Chase Jackson (19.90m) of the United States and Olympic gold medallist Yemisi Ogunleye (19.72m) of Germany.

Fedrick Dacres was seventh in the men’s discus throw with a best of 61.63m. Australia’s Olympic bronze medalist Matthew Denny threw a meet record and national record 69.96m to win, beating Olympic silver medallist Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania (68.86) and Luka Wesshaidinger (68.52m) of Austria.

Denny broke the 40-year-old record 69.94m set in 1984 by Bugar Imrich of the then Czechoslovakia.

Stacey-Ann Williams was second in the women’s 400m invitational in 50.53 and Stephenie Ann McPherson was fourth in 51.24. American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won with 49.11 with Romania’s Andrea Miklos finishing third with 51.16.

Rusheen McDonald was fifth in the men’s 400m invitational in 46.71 as Belgian runners took the first three spots. Daniel Segers ran a personal best 45.38 to win, ahead of Dylan Borlee (45.59) and Florent Mabille (45.80).

On Saturday, world leader Ackera Nugent is to lead another 10 Jamaican athletes on the final day of the event as she battles another quality field in the 100m hurdles.

Danielle Williams in the 100m hurdles; Rajindra Campbell in the men’s shot put; Roshawn Clarke and Malik James-King in the men’s 400m hurdles; Shiann Salmon, Janieve Russell and Andrenette Knight in the women’s 400m hurdles; Romaine Beckford in the men’s high jump; and Michael Campbell in the men’s invitational 100m are also slated to compete.