Elaine Thompson, Ryan Crouser and Shaunae Miller-Uibo - the respective Rio 2016 gold medallists in the women's 100 and 200 metres, men's shot put and women's 400m - all failed to earn expected medals  at the World Championships in London earlier this month, albeit that Miller-Uibo won bronze in her "second" event of the 200m.

It means they are pushing even harder to become one of the final batch of 16 athletes to earn Diamond Trophies, and accompanying cheques for $50,000 (£38,000/€42,000), as the overall season's champion in their event.

The championship-style format adopted this season has seen the first 12 Diamond League meetings of the campaign employed as qualifiers, but with no points carried over.

That means every athlete arrives at the King Baudouin Stadium with an equal opportunity of winning a lion's share of the $1.6 million (£1.2 million/€1.3 million) prize fund - something which produced several unexpected results at the first of the two finales in Zurich just over a week ago.

Jamaica's Thompson leads this year's 100m rankings with 10.71sec, set in June, but her form dipped unaccountably at the World Championships, where she could only finish fifth in the final.

Since then, however, she has won at the Birmingham Diamond League in 10.93 and finished second in the 200m at Zurich in 22.00, even though she had last run that distance at the Eugene Diamond League in May.

In the absence of the world champion, American Tori Bowie, Ivory Coast's world 100 and 200m silver medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou would appear to have the opportunity to bring her hugely creditable season to a winning conclusion in the women's 100m.

But Thompson does not see it that way.

Despite arriving here at the team hotel at 3am today, having been delayed for 12 hours at Venice airport, the 25-year-old Jamaican was still able to smile at her press conference where she reflected upon her recent experiences.

"I was doing everything I was supposed to do," said Thompson, who only entered the 100m individual event in London.

"I can't explain what happened at the Worlds.

"I have seen the race, but at the end of the season I will sit with my coach and watch it again.

"Sometimes in track and field, as in life, things don't work out the way you want them to.

"It’s been a funny season, but I am going to keep working hard."

For Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas, who looked set to add the world 400m title to her collection earlier this month only to stumble out of medal contention 20m from the line, Brussels offers the possibility of a similarly satisfactory conclusion.

Miller-Uibo reminded the world of her class as an athlete at the opening Diamond League final in Zurich as she headed Thompson home to win the 200m title.

She will be the favourite here, although Bahrain's prodigious 19-year-old Salwa Eid Naser, winner at this month's Birmingham Diamond League in front of multiple world and Olympic champion Allyson Felix and reigning world champion Phyllis Francis, both of the US, may yet upset her again.

Crouser, the US Olympic shot put champion, leads the 2017 world list with a personal best of 22.65m, but his unbeaten run this season came to an end in London as he finished out of the medals on a day when Tomas Walsh of New Zealand narrowly beat American rival Joe Kovacs.

The question of whether Crouser could recover his form to end 2017 on a relative high was answered sooner rather than later as the shot putters competed in Brussels' Place de la Monnaie on the eve of the main AG Van Damme meeting in front of a small but appreciative crowd.

Crouser appeared poised to win with an opening effort of 22.37m that no one could match - until his compatriot Darrell Hill, whose previous personal best was 21.63, hit the jackpot with his final round effort of 22.44 to claim the Diamond Trophy, winner's cheque of US$50,000 and meeting record.

Seven centimetres cost the Olympic champion $30,000 as he had to settle for second place ahead of another US thrower, 2015 world champion Jo Kovacs, who had a best of 21.62.

The gold, silver and bronze medallists in the women's world long jump final - respectively Brittney Reese of the US, Russian Darya Klishina, US-based and competing under a neutral banner, and Reese's compatriot Tianna Bartoletta, the Olympic champion, are present in Brussels.

They are joined by Serbian Olympic bronze medallist Ivana Spanovic, who is convinced she would have won world gold had the number on her back not marked the sand as she produced a huge final effort in London.

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon, who won gold in the women's 1,500m final in London, in what was one of the most dramatic and tumultuous Championship races of recent years, looks favourite to finish the season on another high.

But while Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands finished outside the medals in London, she is fastest in the world this year at 3:56.14 and is a potent force in one-off races. 

Also present is the US 2011 world champion who forced her way through to an extraordinary silver in London, Jenny Simpson.

Double Olympic champion Christian Taylor has once again defended his position as the world's leading triple jumper this year, setting a Diamond League record of 18.11m in Eugene and then retaining his world title under challenge from compatriot Will Claye, who took Olympic silver behind his gold in 2012 and 2016.

But the presence in the field of Cuba's Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who recorded a best of 18.08m as he and Taylor sported in 18m-plus territory two years ago, offers the possibility of a dramatic late twist. 

Pichardo has jumped 17.60m this season but Taylor seemed unconcerned today as he targeted Jonathan Edwards' meeting record of 17.60m, maintaining: "If it's dry, I think it will go down for sure."

In the absence of the 110m hurdles world champion Omar McLeod of Jamaica, the London silver medallist and 2015 world champion Sergey Shubenkov of Russia, back on the circuit this season as a neutral, has the chance to earn another tangible reward from 2017.

But that will not be easy given the presence of Spain's Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega, and the renascent world record holder Aries Merritt of the US.

The latter is now fully recovered from the kidney transplant he had shortly after the 2015 World Championships, and is seeking his first Diamond League trophy since 2012.