It has been a gripping tale, complete with hegemonies, nailbiting duels, crucial turning points and late comebacks. Here's a final look at how this year's 32 Diamond Trophies were finally won in Zürich and Brussels.
The dominant heroes
Sandra Perkovic and Caterine Ibargüen both took victories in the women's discus and triple jump in Brussels. They not only wrapped up the Diamond Trophy, but also established themselves as the most dominant athletes of this Diamond League season, with six wins each.
In terms of dominance, they were closely followed by Eunice Sum and Christina Schwanitz, who had won the 800m and shot put Diamond Races in Zürich, and each ended with five victories. Justin Gatlin also won on five occasions this season, though only four of them were in the 100m, in which he triumphed by a whisker in Brussels to take the Diamond Trophy.
For many athletes, even consistent victories were not enough to dominate this season. On Friday, Christian Taylor won for the fourth time, having had to beat Pedro Pablo Pichardo to claim his fourth Diamond Trophy. Likewise, Renaud Lavillenie had come to Brussels needing to beat Konstantinos Fillippidis. He claimed a fourth victory of the season and asixth Diamond Trophy in Belgium.
Kirani James, meanwhile, failed to claim victory in Zürich, but defended his Diamond Trophy by virtue of beating Wayde van Niekerk, who had been breathing down his neck for most of the season. Piotr Małachowski had been in a similar position in Zürich. Though he failed to beat Robert Urbanek in the final, his four victories were enough to hold off his compatriot in the Diamond Race.
Second place is sometimes enough
There was a myriad of athletes who failed to take victory on the night in their respective finals, but still managed to secure the Diamond Trophy. Nijel Amos could only finish second in Brussels, yet defended his Diamond Race title. In the women's high jump, Ruth Beitia won her first ever Diamond Race despite only managing a third place finish on Friday night.
Allyson Felix and Sifan Hassan, meanwhile, won the women's 200m and 1500m Diamond Races despite finishing as runners-up in Brussels. Second place in the Belgian capital was also enough for Bershawn Jackson to win the men's 400m hurdles Diamond Race, and for Tianna Bartoletta in the women's long jump, while David Oliver's second place in Zürich still saw him pip Orlando Ortega to the Diamond trophy.
There were similar scenarios in both 3000m steeplechase Diamond Races. Jairus Birech came second in Zürich in the men's race, which was more than enough for him to defend his Diamond Trophy. In the women's race in Brussels, meanwhile, Virginia Nyambura finished sixth. One of the surprises of the season, Nyambura managed to win the Diamond Race nonetheless – with a margin of just two points.
Another surprise this year had come in the shape of Almaz Ayana. The rising Ethiopian star book-ended the season with victories over Genzebe Dibaba in Shanghai and Zürich, but it was not enough to beat her more famous compatriot in the Diamond Race. Dibaba claimed her first Diamond Race title by a margin of two points in the end.
Late comebacks and final efforts
The likes of high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim, 100m runner Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, long jumper Greg Rutherford, pole vaulter Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou and javelin thrower Barbara Spotáková took victories in Zürich to wrap up the Diamond Trophy. Despite competitive fields and occasional setbacks, all five of these athletes had been the standout performers in their respective Diamond Races.
Asbel Kiprop, Alonso Edward and Tero Pitkämäki had all been behind in the Diamond Race prior to the finals. Kiprop's victory in Zürich saw him surge back to the top, however, and Edward did the same on the same night in Switzerland. Most impressive, however, was Pitkämäki. The Finn overturned a six point deficit with his victory in Brussels, stealing in at the last to snatch the Diamond Trophy from Vítezslav Veselý and become the first Finnish athlete to win the Diamond Race.
Season's closest battles decided
For Joe Kovacs, Zuzana Hejnová, Dawn Harper Nelson and Yomif Kejelcha, it also came down to victory in the final. All four athletes had been either joint leaders or had led by the most slender margins ahead of the finals. Kovacs triumphed over David Storl in the men's shot put, while Hejnová beat Kaliese Spencer in the women's 400m hurdles, both of them winning not only their respective final, but also a season long two-way battle in their Diamond Race.
For Harper Nelson, it had been a three way fight. In Brussels, she edge over the line only just ahead of Jasmin Stowers and Sharika Nelvis, the two athletes who had been tied on points with her before the final. Kejelcha, meanwhile, became the only man to win more than once in this year's 5000m, thereby taking the Diamond Trophy. Kejelcha's victory was the final Diamond Race event of 2015. Shortly after his victory, the stadium was flooded with the glow of thousands of blue glowsticks, as spectators bid farewell to this season's Diamond League. The imagery seemed appropriate: it has truly been an electrifying season.
