That’s all for me on day 6. Please enjoy Sean Ingle’s full story on Dina Asher-Smith’s history making. Good night.
Another dramatic, delirious night ends with the 400 metres decathlon heats. Canada’s Damian Warner stands in the lead with a score of 4513. World record holder Kevin Mayer surprisingly sits in third place, 31 points behind Warner. But some of his best events are to come on the second day.
In the men’s hammer throw, Pawel Fajdek of Poland wins in 80.50. Quentin Bigot of France takes silver, Bence Halasz bronze. There was also some drama as Britain’s Nick Miller produced a monstrous throw, but it was narrowly ruled a foul.
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Grant Holloway, 110 metres hurdles champion, was speaking to the BBC:
A lot of people counted me out when I came into this meet just because I had off races for about a month. But when you believe in God and you’ve got grit in yourself, you can never lose.
When asked about the dramatics behind him, Holloway had six words:
My lane, my space, my hurdles.
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Here is Sean Ingle’s story on Dina Asher-Smith’s glorious win. She is just the seventh British woman to win a world title.
This little egg is now the WORLD CHAMPION!!!! I’m so proud of the women she has become both on and off the track. What a superstar! 💫(Also sorry about digging this one out from the archives 😂) @dinaashersmith 🥇 pic.twitter.com/mgwq1bafqQ
— Adam Gemili (@Adam_Gemili) October 2, 2019
2016: U.S. fails to earn an Olympic 110m hurdles medal for the first time.
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) October 2, 2019
2017: U.S. fails to earn a World Champs 110m hurdles medal for the first time.
2019: Grant Holloway, after breaking a 40-year-old NCAA record, wins the world title.
Omar McLeod has drifted into the lane of the person to his right in several races this year. He did it again in the World Championship final tonight, and Orlando Ortega had to use his push him out of the way over the final barrier.
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) October 2, 2019
Spare a thought for Orlando Ortega, who was second in the 110 metres hurdles until McLeod stumbled into him and arrested his momentum. The Spaniard will never want to see McLeod in a neighbouring lane again.
An emotional Asher-Smith to the BBC:
I just don’t know what to say. I don’t think it’s properly sunk in. Between now and the last world championships, John and I knew I could do it but it’s a different thing actually going and doing it. To run 10.83 and 21.88 being tired! It’s been a long champs. It means so much.
I was tired but I woke up today thinking, ‘Well this is it!’ Obviously I’ve got the relay, but this is the last of your individual. This is the moment you did all your work for. This is what we knew that we could achieve if the season went well but obviously the tiredness disappeared when we needed it to.
It means so much. There’s so many British fans here. I don’t know [if] there’s a lot of British people [living] in Doha but I know loads have traveled. For my mum to be here, my dad, John and his wife, my physio and everything it means honestly so much.
Sorry, normally, I’m quite chatty and full of energy but I’m lost for words because it’s a different thing with everybody being like, ‘ah, you’re the favourite’. But you’ve still got to go and do it. You’re only the favourite if you perform as people expect you to. So, I was just really focused on putting together a great race. I dreamed of it but now it’s real.
And on those final words, she teared up again. Lovely.
Grant Holloway of the United States wins the 110 metres hurdles title in 13.10 seconds. Sergey Shubenkov takes second, Pierre Martinot-Lagarde wins bronze. Defending champion Omar McLeod clatters into the hurdle and falls!
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Dina Asher-Smith is in tears on the BBC. “Normally, I’m quite chatty and everything but I’m lost for words,” she says.
The gap.
🥇 Dina Asher-Smith in 200#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/diiKOSHDmT
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) October 2, 2019
There will be criticism that this was a weak 200m field (and it was). But not many people are beating 21.88 in a World Championships final. Super impressive run.
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) October 2, 2019
The women’s 200m podium:
- Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) - 21.88 NR
- Brittany Brown (USA) - 22.22 PB
- Mujinga Kambundji (SUI) - 22.51
Two Europeans on the podium. What sweet redemption for Kambundji, who missed the 100 metres final by one thousandth of a second.
What a race. Asher-Smith’s record has been rounded down to 21.88. A new, glorious British record. Two finals, two British record. That is how you handle the pressure.
Dina Asher-Smith wins the 200m world title in 21.89 seconds!
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Here we go.
Sitting ready to see Dina Asher-Smith climb middle podium go girl @dinaashersmith @TeamGB
— Tessa Sanderson CBE (@tessasanderson) October 2, 2019
The women’s 200 metres finalists are heading out. Here are the top three highest times in 2019 from this field:
- Dina Asher Smith (22.08)
- Anglerne Annelus (22.16)
- Mujinga Kambundji (22.26)
It’s almost time for Dina.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott becomes the first black MP to represent their party at #PMQs, opening with a tribute to British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) October 2, 2019
Live updates: https://t.co/T3hdYpMJ9W pic.twitter.com/HCqBnDRsSb
Could be worse.
4138 for KJT after day one, her best ever first day score by nearly 100 points.
— Steven Mills (@Trackside2019) October 2, 2019
Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s first day score of 4138 is the fourth best opening day in heptathlon history. Nafi Thiam sits in second with 4042 points.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson finishes a great day by winning her 200 metres heat with a solid 23.08. She’ll go into day two with a lead of 96 points.
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Nafi Thiam wins the opening 200 metres heptathlon heat with a run of 24.60. That was decent, but not the Belgian’s best run. Katarina Johnson-Thompson has the opportunity to finish day one first. “Everything was decent. I didn’t have any event where I screwed up,” says Thiam.
As Bence Halasz of Hungary moves into the lead in the men’s hammer throw with a first attempt of 78.18m, the heptathletes are on the track for the 200 metres. Event leader and favourite Thiam will run in the opening heat.
One hour until the 200 metres final..
Tonight it’s Dina Asher-Smith’s race to lose. But if she slips up the 3 Americans(Annelis, Bryant, Brown) or Kambundji will capitalize. Dina ran faster in the semi final than they’ve all run in their entire careers!
— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) October 2, 2019
Change in lead after the #WorldAthleticsChamps heptathlon shot put.@thiam_nafi's best of 15.22m moves her in front. The Belgian now leads by 51 points.
— IAAF (@iaaforg) October 2, 2019
One more event to come tonight 🤓 pic.twitter.com/TlvGGzWgbE
Sydney McLaughlin eases through the third women’s 400 metres hurdle semi-final in 53.81 seconds. The 20 year-old finished just .10 faster than Dalilah Muhammad and the rivalry between the rookie and the Olympic champion will make for some final.
Rushell Clayton of Jamaica takes the second semi-final in 54.17 seconds. It was a desperate finish for second place, but Zuzana Hejnova takes second place in 54.41. Ashley Spencer will have a nervous wait to see if her 54.42 is enough for a fast loser spot.
Dalilah Muhammad eases, as much as one can ease through a brutal 400 metres hurdles run, into the final with a time of 53.94. Sage Watson takes second in 54.32, a Canadian record. Nice.
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The 400 metres hurdlers are on the track. Dalilah Muhammad, who set the world record this year, looks to safely reach the final.
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Michael Norman comes to the BBC and says that he decided to jog all the way home because his body was giving him “warning signs”. He didn’t specify an injury or illness or clarify anything. It has left Michael Johnson even more perplexed than before: “I don’t know what that was,” he says, shaking his head.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson is having a pretty decent day. After two modest attempts in the shot put, she throws a lifetime best of 13.86 and she cannot believe it. Nor can Denise Lewis: “Get in there!” she growls, pumping both of her fists.
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We have our first huge shock of the night. Michael Norman of the United States, widely considered the 400 metres favourite, finishes in seventh. He started with a solid 100 metres but by the end he was just jogging. Machel Cedenio wins the final semi-final in 44.41. In the BBC studio, Michael Johnson is in shock.
The lasts of the 400 metres semi-finalists are on the track. Britain’s Rabah Yousif will try to make the final. It will be difficult.
In the second men’s 400 metres semi-final, Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas runs an effortless 44.13, the quickest time so far. Another great showing in second place for Kirani James, who arrived with very few meets in 2019, but remains a classy sprinter. 44.23 for the Grenadian.
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We’re now onto the shot put, where Katarina Johnson-Thompson just threw a modest 12.33. Nafi Thiam has finally made her mark on the competition with a brilliant throw of 15.22.
What a high jump competition that was!@JohnsonThompson 🇬🇧 and @thiam_nafi 🇧🇪 both go clear at 1.95m to equal the heptathlon #WorldAthleticsChamps best 💪
— IAAF (@iaaforg) October 2, 2019
After two events KJT leads by 40 points. pic.twitter.com/WHFxPxX53s
The men’s 400 metres semi-finals are on the track and Fred Kerley of the United States snatches the opening semi-final in 44.25 seconds. But it was the second qualifier who stole the show as 800 metres runner Emmanuel Korir embarrassed the rest of the sprinters, taking second with a brilliant run of 44.37.
The decathletes will now head towards the high jump. The great Kevin Mayer has already made his intentions clear by recording a personal best of 10.50 in the 100 metres and an event-leading 16.82 in the shot put. He stands in first place with 2827 points compared to Warner’s score of 2788.
Meanwhile, the women of the heptathlon are heading towards the shot put. It’s early days, but Katarina Johnson-Thompson is having a great day so far. She was overjoyed after running a 13.09 personal best in the 100 metres hurdles, then she jumped 1.95 in the high jump. With a score of 2282, she sits 40 points ahead of Nafi Thiam, who was the only other woman to clear 1.95. Thiam finished the 100 metres hurdles in 13.36.
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Orlando Ortega takes the third semi-final in 13.16. This means that all the remaining favourites are through and we’re in for a stacked men’s 110 metres hurdles final. Milan Trajkovic of Cyprus took second place in 13.29.
In the second semi-final, Omar McLeod of Jamaica tears through to win in 13.08. Much like Shubenkov in the first semi-final, Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde was closing the leader down and finished in 13.12, but the Jamaican takes the win.
Here is Sean Ingle’s piece on Seb Coe, who didn’t have many pleasant things to say about Gabby Logan and BBC’s coverage of the athletics.
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On the track, it’s time for the men’s 110 metres hurdles semi-finals. Grant Holloway of the United States wins the first semi-final in 13.10, bursting into the lead from the start and holding on to win. However, the great Sergey Shubenkov was closing down at the end and it will be fascinating to see if he can catch the American in the final. A tough race for Britain’s Andrew Pozzi, who finishes 5th with a time of 13.60.
Preamble
Hello! Welcome to day 6 of our coverage at the athletics world championships in Doha. Today is a particularly special day as it marks day one of the brutal multi-events. In the heptathlon, Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson is looking to secure her first outdoor world medal as she continues her rivalry with Nafi Thiam, while decathlon world record holder Kevin Mayer will be the favourite as he tries to defend his title. The only other field event today will be the men’s hammer throw final, in which Wojciech Nowicki will try to convert his world lead into solid gold.
On the track, the men’s 110 metres hurdles will conclude with the semi-finals and then the final later in the day. The lactic will be building with the men’s 400m semi-finals, where Kirani James looked in hot form in the heats. The women’s 400 metres hurdles semi-finals will quickly follow, with Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad looking to consolidate the absurd 52.20 world record she set this year just as all eyes were settling on 20 year-old Sydney McLaughlin.
And then, of course, it will be time for the women’s 200 metres final. Can Dina Asher-Smith get it done? It doesn’t seem likely that anyone will match the world class standards she has set all year, but this is a major final and she will have to handle being the clear favourite at this stage for the first time in her life. We’ll see if she is up to the task.
