The 2024 Wanda Diamond League season enters the home straight this week, as the stars of the Olympics put Paris behind them and set their sights on the last global title of the year.
The world's best athletes now just have four more chances to pick up points and qualify for the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 13th-14th.
Lausanne's Athletissima meeting will host the 11th leg of the series on Thursday, before the action continues at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Silesia on Sunday. The Road to the Final then winds on to Rome for the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala on August 30th, before a last stop at Weltklasse Zurich on September 5th.
So as the sport's biggest stars set their sights on Brussels and a shot at the Diamond Trophy, who has qualified and who still needs points?
How do you qualify for the Wanda Diamond League Final?
In the Wanda Diamond League, the world's biggest track-and-field stars go head to head at 14 series meetings across four different continents between April and September.
In each of the 32 Diamond Disciplines, athletes earn points based on their performances throughout the season. The athletes with the most points qualify for the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels.
Those who have qualified compete in a winner-takes-all competition at the final to be crowned Wanda Diamond League Champion in their chosen discipline. In each discipline, one athlete may also qualify via national or global wildcard.
Click here for more information on the Wanda Diamond League rules, points and prize money.
Who has qualified so far?
After ten series meetings between April and July, a total of 48 athletes have already booked their place at the Wanda Diamond League Final. They include a number of reigning Wanda Diamond League champions and freshly crowned Olympic medallists.
In the men's pole vault, Olympic champion and world record holder Mondo Duplantis has breezed into the final alongside Olympic silver medallist Sam Kendricks, while in the women's 400m, Dominican Republic star Marileidy Paulino secured early qualification with four back-to-back wins at the start of the season.
Dominica's Olympic triple jump champion Thea Lafond is also guaranteed a starting spot in Brussels, while 5000m gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen has booked his place in the 1500m final.
Who still needs points?
A number of big names still need points as they head into the final weeks of the Wanda Diamond League season.
Olympic champion Noah Lyles is currently 10th in the men's 100m standings as he eyes a sixth career Diamond League title in 2024. His fellow 100m gold medallist Julien Alfred is also still yet to qualify, though the St. Lucian star leads the women's 100m standings with 15 points after her win in Monaco last month.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon also needs a little boost to get over the line as she looks to defend her Diamond League title in the women's 1500m. The Olympic champion is currently in ninth place, having won her only Diamond League race of the season with a world record at the Meeting de Paris.
Following his shock Olympic gold in the men's 1500m, Cole Hocker will be hoping to rise up the Diamond League rankings when he returns to action in Lausanne this week. The US star is currently 22nd in the standings, and will need at least one big performance to book his ticket to Brussels.
Where is it wide open?
In a Wanda Diamond League season which has been more competitive than ever, there are a some of disciplines where the Road to the Final and the race for qualification is still wide open.
A total of 13 disciplines, including the men's 200m and women's high jump, are still yet to produce a single qualifier. And while Olympic champions such as Letsile Tebogo and Yaroslava Mahuchikh may have enough points to be confident of qualification, it is still all to play for as we head into the final third of the season.
