Brussels, Belgium – World record holder Usain Bolt will compete in the 200m at the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme, the final leg of theSamsung Diamond League, on 16 September, organisers announced today.

Brussels organisers were pleased to learn that Bolt’s initial plan to end his season after the World Championships has changed.

After taking a week off after Daegu, where he will be defending his World titles in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m Relay, Bolt will then compete in the 100m at Zagreb’s IAAF World Challenge meeting on 13 September before returning to Brussels.

The Jamaican is currently tied with Walter Dix of the U.S. for the lead in the 200m Diamond Race standings, at 12 points apiece. The pair will also square off at both the 100 and 200m at the World Championships.

In the Belgian capital Bolt will take on Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre, the European 100m and 200m champion, who has made a significant progress this year. Lemaitre won both sprint titles at the French national championships in Albi recently while setting personal bests of 9.92 and 20.08w. Dix, the U.S. champion, will also be invited to compete in what is likely to become one of the most eagerly awaited 200m races of the season.

In 2009 Bolt set the meeting record of 19.57 , which is still the all-time fifth fastest performance.

“He ran it in very chilly conditions, it was hardly 13°,” remembers Meeting Director Wilfried Meert. “There is always a potential to run fast in Brussels, with a fully packed stadium and an extraordinary atmosphere.”

The King Baudouin stadium has already hosted 10 performances inside 20 seconds on the 200m, proving its appropriateness for fast races in this event.

Samsung Diamond League