Well that’s it from me, the night wrapping up with people’s hero Justin Gatlin spoiling the party to win the men’s 100m title. There will be plenty more action tomorrow night including the turn of the women’s 100m final. Thanks for reading, bye.
For drama that was right up there but it is fair to say Michael Johnson, Steve Cram and others on commentary are utterly downbeat by the result, and that reflects the atmosphere in an astounded London Stadium. They are watching the culmination of Usain Bolt’s (individual) career which will perhaps be even more memorable this way. It seems to confirm that it is the right moment for the 30-year-old to walk away.
Britain’s Reece Prescod couldn’t get it together there, finishing seventh ahead of Su in eighth. It seems utterly wrong to see Bolt next to a bronze medal, but he has taken it in his stride, parading the stadium, applauding the fans and generally being gracious in defeat.
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It completes a bizarre career circle for Justin Gatlin who first became the men’s 100m world champion in 2005. He has taken a controversial route from there to here, with two lengthy drug bans, and now the 35-year-old is back on top.
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Usain Bolt strides over to Gatlin, who is holding a finger up to his mouth to silence the crowd, and the great man hugs the new world champion with a huge embrace. The winning time was 9.92, with Coleman clocking 9.95 and Bolt at 9.96.
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Justin Gatlin wins men's 100m gold!
Bolt gets a sluggish start and has it all to do! He battles to get in the mix but Christian Coleman is streaming away. Suddenly on the outside comes another American, it’s Justin Gatlin, and he’s ahead. Gatlin wins it! World champion. Coleman takes silver, and Bolt bronze. Wow. The boos ring out.
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Bolt does his thing, grinning into the camera and pumping his arms. They set into their blocks. Here we go!
@lawrenceostlere "Showtime' 'Let's get it on' all the doubters prepare to be proved wrong by The Great One!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) August 5, 2017
A reminder of the runners and their semi-final times. Bolt goes in lane four (lane one is empty) with Coleman outside him in five. Britain’s Reece Prescod goes in nine:
Coleman (USA) 9.97
Bolt (Jamaica) 9.98
Blake (Jamaica) 10.04
Prescod (GB) 10.05
Simbine (South Africa) 10.05
Gatlin (USA) 10.09
Vicaut (France) 10.09
Su (China) 10.10
Bolt has had some challenging rivalries in his time and it is fitting that this race should contain two of them: Yohan Blake and Justin Gatlin. But it might be Christian Coleman who carries the greatest threat, the young American who pipped Bolt in the semi-final earlier tonight. They are introduced to the crowd one-by-one with Bolt left until last. The crowd, needless to say, go wild as he strolls out to take his place at the start line with a casual wave.
The night is almost over, but there is one more race to come. Usain Bolt is playing around backstage as he prepares for the last 100m championship final of his astonishing career.
Luvo Manyonga takes on his final leap with a smile, bringing up a red flag before falling back into the sand in celebration. Wonderful. Here’s one more nudge in the direction of this compelling interview:
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Luvo Manyonga wins men's long jump gold for South Africa!
Lawson puts everything he’s got into his final leap, straining his body as he tries to beat 8.48m and it’s close... but 4cm short! Luvo Manyonga completes an incredible story to become a world champion.
Two more athletes will jump before Manyonga’s final jump, and 8.48m is the mark to beat First it’s Menkov, representing not Russia but himself. The jersey, by the way, for ‘authorised neutral athletes’ is a slightly psychedelic blue which I can get on board with. His final jump falls short and he will finish fourth. Rushwahl Samaai therefore takes bronze, and now it’s up to Jarrion Lawson...
Over to the long jump final. Can Luvo Manyonga hold on to gold?
KJT flies round the bend, eating up her rivals on the outside, and wins the heat by 10 metres in a time of 22.86secs – close to her personal best. That will leave her in fourth place at the end of day and give her hope of a medal challenge tomorrow.
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Katarina Johnson-Thompson lines up in the final 200m heat and she is one of the standout athletes in this particular event, hence her place in the fourth and final heat. She will need to produce her best here to get back in with a shout of a medal...
I am really enjoying Jarrion Lawson in the long jump, who seems like a fun character, but it is hard to not to cheer Luvo Manyonga when you read his incredible story:
Their duel goes on but neither are able to improve their mark in the penultimate round of jumps, which will suit Manyonga just nicely.
Thiam adds 927 points to her heptathlon total with a solid 200m run and she is looking in brilliant shape heading into the second day of events. The final heat to go will feature Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
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Round four of six in the men’s long jump final, and still South Africa’s Luvo Manyonga leads. Authorised neutral athlete (Russian, but allowed to compete) Aleksandr Menkov can’t improve on his 8.27m and remains third – so it’s over to Jarrion Lawson: the American can’t quite piece his technique together and falls short at 8.11m, and will remain second heading into the final two rounds.
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Nafissatou Thiam, the Olympic champion and current leader in the women’s heptathlon, goes in heat two, while KJT is in heat four.
Less than an hour before Usain Bolt takes on Christian Coleman and the rest. First comes the women’s final heptathlon event of the day, the 200m. Katarina Johnson-Thompson needs to produce something special.
Jarrion Lawson steps on the runway before his third long jump. Manyonga’s 8.48m remains the mark to beat, and the American’s leap looks close... but it’s just shy at 8.40m. These two will be battling all the way.
Almaz Ayana wins women’s 10,000m gold for Ethiopia!
Ayana laps world class athletes with ease as she cruises by the bell with a vast lead, before coming home in 30:16.32 with no rivals in sight. A minute later Dibaba comes powering around the final bend and down the home straight for silver, holding off Kenya’s Tirop who claims bronze.
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On the track Almaz Ayana is putting in an astonishing performance in the women’s 10,000m final, powering more than 250m clear of the rest, and now she is in a race with herself and perhaps her world record of 29:17.45, though the slow start of this race may count against that.
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The leggy American Jarrion Lawson has extended his mark to 8.43m in the long jump final but in the meantime his lead has been pinched by Luvo Manyonga, who leaps to 8.48m with his second attempt. This will be a contest worth watching.
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Andrius Gudzius wins men’s discus gold for Lithuania!
Here comes Daniel Stahl with his final attempt in the discus final: he wobbles off balance and can’t get near his previous mark. Still, the Swede seems content and celebrates his silver medal as Andrius Gudzius stalks into the circle for his final throw. It’s a little short of his winning 69.21m but it doesn’t matter – Gudzius claims gold for Lithuania and is the new world champion! USA’s Mason Finley wins bronze.
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The discus final is nearing it’s conclusion, where the monstrous Lithuanian Andrius Gudzius is still leading with his first throw of 69.21m. Sweden’s Daniel Stahl has twice thrown two centimetres shy of that mark – they each have one attempt left to claim the title.
While that race slowly cranks up, the American Jarrion Lawson is getting a hearty clap going at the top of the long jump runway. He flings himself into the lead with an impressive mark of 8.37m.
Next on the track is the women’s 10,000m final and Ethiopia’s three-time world champ Tirunesh Dibaba is among them, up against some quality competition from Kenya.
Some news ahead of Paris 2024:
In about an hour and a half Usain Bolt will return to the track. Will he sign off from the 100m in style?
@lawrenceostlere Bolt 2 do the business like he's always done! Legend of sport not just athletics! What a hero #Unbelievablyamazinglyunreal
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) August 5, 2017
USA’s Jennifer Simpson and Morocco’s Malika Akkaoui took the other two spots in Monday’s 1500m final: “Today I really ran a great race,” says Laura Weightman. “I knew I had three or four people to overtake in the final straight. That was fantastic and I can’t wait for the final. If I just keep believing in myself I can put in a good performance.”
Konstanze Klosterhalfen went too early and she’s reeled in by the Dutch runner Sifan Hassan and Sweden’s Bahta who both charge clear. The battle is on for third, fourth and fifth and Britain’s Laura Weightman clings on to take one of the spots in the 1500m final.
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The second women’s 1500m semi-final is under way, featuring Britain’s Laura Weightman and Sarah McDonald. Germany’s Klosterhalfen has the fastest PB in the field and she attacks with 600m to go...
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In the women’s heptathlon Katarina Johnson-Thompson can’t improve on her mark of 12.47m in the shot put in her final attempt, and will need a brilliant 200m later on to get back in medal contention.
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An utterly exhausted Jess Judd is helped off the track by her team-mate Laura Muir, having run a personal best but not quite made the cut for the final. “It’s my dad’s birthday and I wanted to give it a good go but it wasn’t to be.”
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Kipyegon leads them into the final straight with Laura Muir on her shoulder. They cruise home with Semenya third, Hanna Klein of Germany fourth and Poland’s Angelika Cichocka taking the final position in Monday night’s final.
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Jess Judd hits the front and looks to control a steady 65 second pace in the opening lap. Behind her there’s a heavy fall, and a tearful Gudaf Tsegay is out of this race.
The women’s 1500m semi-finals are up next on the track. Britain’s Laura Muir goes in the first against her team-mate Jess Judd as well as Caster Semenya and plenty of talent.
Here are the eight in the men’s 100m final (9.45pm BST) and their semi-final times:
- Coleman (USA) 9.97
- Bolt (Jamaica) 9.98
- Blake (Jamaica) 10.04
- Prescod (GB) 10.05
- Simbine (South Africa) 10.05
- Gatlin (USA) 10.09
- Vicaut (France) 10.09
- Su (China) 10.10
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Britain’s Chijindu Ujah misses out on a fastest loser spot by a couple of hundredths. “I didn’t quite get out the blocks as sharp as yesterday,” he says. “I’m really disappointed with that one. I knew I was in shape but I didn’t execute.” On his team-mate Reece Prescod making the final: “He’s full of surprises. The guy’s got amazing talent so he could win a medal, why not?”
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Christian Coleman zips out of the blocks and builds a massive lead. Bolt has it all to do but he does it, of course, striding back to get alongside the American and crossing almost in tandem as they glance at each other. Coleman takes the win while Bolt finishes second and will be in tonight’s final. These two will surely be the ones going for gold.
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Men’s 100m, semi-final three
The last of the semi-finals is ready to go. Christian Coleman goes in lane four and he is a serious threat to Usain Bolt’s title. Not that you’d know from the Jamaican’s expression, who looks into the camera with his hands covering his face before breaking into a grin. Beside him the comparatively tiny Chijindu Ujah wants some cheer from his home crowd. Here they go...
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Johnson-Thompson’s second effort in the shot is an improvement to 12.47m, though the London Stadium is a little distracted right now. The fastest man in history has entered the building and he strides towards the blocks – which he didn’t get along with yesterday – looking pretty focused.
Blake takes the win in 10.04secs but what a storming comeback from Reece Prescod! Out in lane nine he powers back from nowhere to finish second and claim a spot in the final.
Men’s 100m, semi-final two
The Jamaican fans are in good cheer as Yohan Blake waves to the crowd from the startline. Britain’s Reece Prescod is out in lane nine...
In the women’s heptathlon, Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s first effort at the shot comes in at 12.01m, some way short of her personal best of 13.14m. Thiam, the Olympic champion, booms her first throw to 15.17m and that tightens her grip on the event.
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Not a mouthwatering pace from Simbine and Gatlin there, and Bolt and the rest will be encouraged. Yohan Blake is next on the track in the second semi-final.
Akani Simbine wins the first men’s 100m semi-final from lane one in 10.06 with Justin Gatlin taking second. James Dasaolu started well but couldn’t hold on, finishing fifth.
Men’s 100m, semi-final one
Londoner James Dasaolu gets a huge cheer from the London Stadium. Justin Gatlin? Not so much. The first two automatically qualify for the final with a couple of fastest loser spots up for grabs. Here they go...
The women’s heptathlon shot put is about to get under way, while on the track it’s the men’s 100m semi-finals. Bolt goes in heat three against Britain’s Chijindu Ujah and America’s incredibly impressive Christian Coleman, who ran 9.82sec earlier this year. Heat two includes Yohan Blake, while heat one has James Dasaolu and the 100m bad boy Justin Gatlin in centre lanes. They are on track now...
It has been an eventful women’s heptathlon so far. Two disciplines went this morning: first the 100m hurdles and then the high jump an hour or so later, and it was in the latter that Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson failed three times at 1m 86cm – having chosen to skip 1m 83cm – losing huge ground to the early leader, Belgium’s Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam. Tonight comes the shot, not KJT’s favourite, before the 200m and the Briton already has nearly 200 points to make up.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to coverage from day two of the World Athletics Championships, where there is a busy evening ahead in the London Stadium. The men’s discus (7.25pm) and long jump (8.05pm) medals will have been divvied out by the end of the night, while the women’s 10,000m final (8.10pm) takes to the track. And there is one man in particular that those lucky enough to have tickets this evening are looking forward to seeing in action. The men’s 100m semi-finals will be under way shortly before the final later on (9.45pm), as Usain Bolt attempts to notch his 12th world championship gold in his final major 100m race. Here are the numbers behind the legend:
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