Nikki Hiltz deployed a perfectly-timed kick to run down Australia’s Linden Hall in the 1500 meters at Friday’s Allianz Memorial Van Damme meet in Brussels to earn their first career Diamond League victory in 3:55.94.
Hiltz (who is biologically female but identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns) is the first American to win a women’s middle-distance/distance event on the Diamond League circuit since Athing Mu-Nikolayev won the 800 meters at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic, and the first to win a 1500 since Shelby Houlihan in Lausanne in July 2018.
Olympic medalists Faith Kipyegon, Jessica Hull, and Georgia Hunter Bell all sat this one out, but Hiltz still had to defeat Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir, unbeaten in 2025 and winner of Diamond Leagues in Doha, Rabat, and Paris; as well as Hall, who was the only woman to go with the pacers early and built a 15-meter lead by the bell.
Hiltz was content to sit in the pack until the final lap, when they moved past Chepchirchir into 2nd entering the final turn and tried in earnest to close the gap to Hall. Hiltz still had work to do in the final straight, trailing Hall by three meters as they came off the turn, but closed strongly and powered past Hall with 30 meters to go to earn the win.
Hiltz closed in an impressive 60.7 for the last lap (29.8 final 200) as Hall could only manage 63.6 after leading by 2.4 seconds at the bell. Still, Hall’s time of 3:56.33 was a personal best — the second in a week for the 34-year-old Aussie after her 3:56.39 in Silesia on Saturday.
“It was a good and fun race today,” Hiltz told meet organizers. “I didn’t know there was that big of a gap. I was just racing with the athletes around me and I knew it would be an exciting last lap as I came closer and closer to the front of the race. I am very happy that I could take the win and with how I adapted on everything that was going on in the race. It is a small season’s best so that means I’m peaking just around the right time.”
The victory clinched a spot for Hiltz in next week’s Diamond League final in Zurich, but Hiltz said they were unsure if they would compete there. The first round of the women’s 1500 at the World Championships in Tokyo begin on September 13.
“I am still deciding if I am going to Zurich,” Hiltz said. “I will have to look on my training and see what makes most sense. It would be a good opportunity to race the world’s best athletes just before the World Championships. But I ask myself the question: Do I want to be race sharp or maybe get in a couple more workouts?”
US runner-up Sinclaire Johnson was also hoping for a fast time but tangled with Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu with 800m to go as both women fell. Johnson got up and finished in 4:18.92 while Hailu DNF’d.
Place Name Birth Date Mark
1. Nikki HILTZ 23 OCT 1994 USA 3:55.94
2. Linden HALL 20 JUN 1991 AUS 3:56.33
3. Nelly CHEPCHIRCHIR 04 JUN 2003 KEN 3:57.35
4. Laura MUIR 09 MAY 1993 GBR 3:57.63
5. Agathe GUILLEMOT 11 JUL 1999 FRA 3:58.29
6. Marta PÉREZ 19 APR 1993 ESP 3:59.13
7. Esther GUERRERO 07 FEB 1990 ESP 3:59.45
8. Marta ZENONI 09 MAR 1999 ITA 4:00.00
9. Susan Lokayo EJORE 09 NOV 1995 KEN 4:00.18
10. Heather MACLEAN 31 AUG 1995 USA 4:00.54
11. Axumawit EMBAYE 18 OCT 1994 ETH 4:09.41
12. Sinclaire JOHNSON 13 APR 1998 USA 4:18.92
Salomé AFONSO 19 NOV 1997 POR DNF
Freweyni HAILU 12 FEB 2001 ETH DNF
Lorea IBARZABAL 07 NOV 1994 ESP DNF
Nel VANOPSTAL 28 AUG 2004 BEL DNF
The three medalists from Paris last season, Kipyegon, Hull, and Hunter Bell, will all be in Tokyo and have all been running well this year (in fact, Kipyegon has lowered her own 1500m world record to 3:48.68). Hunter Bell is still undecided about whether she will race the 800, 1500, or both, but all three should be very strong medal contenders in the women’s 1500.
But if one of those three falters, Hiltz is well-positioned to step in and claim a medal. Hiltz has been very consistent this year, running 3:55 at Pre, 3:56 in Silesia, and 3:55 in Brussels along with winning a third straight US outdoor title. And Hiltz passed a major test today by defeating the previously unbeaten Chepchirchir.
The one other athlete to be aware of is Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji, the 2023 Worlds silver medalist and 2024 Olympic 4th placer. Welteji ran 3:51.44 at Prefontaine on July 5, beating Hiltz by more than four seconds in that race, and at her best is a far superior runner. But Welteji has not raced since Pre, withdrawing from her last two races in Silesia and Brussels. If she is not 100% in Tokyo, Hiltz’s medal odds go way up.
Either way, Hiltz is in a good spot with the World Championships just three weeks away and has a great chance to improve on their 7th-place finish from last year’s Olympics.
We broke down the rest of the meet for you when it ended on youtube/facebook/x. Watch it below or get it as an ad-free podcast by joining our Supporters Club. *Full Results
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