Righto, that’s it from us for now, but what a night that was. Noah Lyles ran a brilliant 200m semi, setting up tomorrow’s final with Letsile Tebogo, Kenny Bednarek and Bryan Levell also looking mean while, in the women’s event, it looks like a ruckus between Shericka Jackson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.
But it was the two 400m finals that really made us feel, Collen Kebinatshipi announcing himself to the world with a dominant run to take men’s gold, before Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone did what we all knew she’d do, adding the flat to her list of events mastered, having left the hurdles in search of a new way to proclaim her genius.
Sean Ingle’s reports will be with us shortly, sh please do check back in here or on-site for those, but otherwise, peace out.
I’ve not really finished kvelling over today, but just have a look at tomorrow!
I don’t suppose Sydney could quite stretch to the 800m, but 400m hurdles are so taxing perhaps she’s got the strength. In the meantime, though, we need to make sure we enjoy whatever she does to the fullest possible extent, because there’ll never be another her. Most athletes would stick to dominating their one event, a hard enough endeavour; to take up another for the challenge tell us plenty about her talent, but more about her competitive spirit.
I guess Sydney’s next challenge will be the world record; I’ve not a clue what she’ll come up with after that. I actually thought Naser would push her harder – she might want to rethink her strategy of going out like billy-o – but Paulino ran a terrific race from the outside lane, and gave the champ a proper test.
We really are living in an era of special athletes. Mondo, Faith and Sydney are just unbelievably good, even compared to others who are also of that level, and they’ve plenty left to amaze us.
Phew! The speed at which these races come is ruining my Pseud’s Corner entries, I’m afraid, but Collen Kebinatshipi, what a talent. There’s something so precious about a youngster announcing themselves to the world, and I you can tell this particular one knows he’s special. He might’ve eased up in the semi, when he ran shockingly fast, but he knew he had plenty left, and there was no point in the final when it looked like someone else could even challenge him. I wish I could watch him go again, immediately.
Amber Anning of GB, the world indoor champ, came a creditable fifth. She ran a season’s best and tells BBC she’s a bit disappointed, but made great progression through the rounds and was glad to be out there taking part in history.
The Diamond League gave her a lot of confidence as she was running against the best; she’s got lots more to give so is looking forward to resting up and going again next season.
It’s so rare to see a runner so fast and so stylish; she could run on jelly and leave no footprints. The women’s world record, set by GDR’s Marita Koch in 1985, is not relied upon by all, and various authorities on the matter reckon it was run with assistance. This from Sean Ingle’s primer:
That sounds ominous for Koch, who has long been alleged to be part of East Germany’s state-sponsored doping programme, in books and newspaper articles. When asked about it by the BBC in 2014, she replied: “I don’t have to prove anything to myself. I have a clear conscience. I can only repeat myself … I never tested positive, I never did anything which I should not have done at that time.”
Koch did acknowledge the fact that the record would ultimately be overtaken, though, saying that “at some point, that time will come”. It could even be on Thursday.
Well, it’s surely now – and finally – on borrowed time.
McLauglin-Levrone is simply one of the greatest athletes we’ve ever seen and ever will see. She does everything perfectly and her winning time is the second fastest in history, in an event she’s only just taken up, after destroying the 400m hurdles. What on earth is she going to do next?
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of USA wins gold in the women's 400m in a championship record time of 47.78.
Paulino of Dominca takes silver, Naser of Bahrain bronze.
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AND HERE COMES SYDNEY! Naser is beaten, but can Paulino come back?
Off they go, Naser out fast, but McLaughlin-Levrone is also at good pace, Paulino too!
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McLaughlin-Levrone is a once in a lifetime kind of athlete. It’ll take something amazing to beat her, but Naser is in tremendous shape; she’ll go out fast, I think, but can she maintain her pace with a genius speed-floating behind her?
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Right, time for the race we’ve all been waiting for: the final of the women’s 400m. Paulino, the Olympic champ, is on the outside after a dicky semi; Mclaughlin-Levrone goes in five, Amber Anning of GB, the world indoor champ, is in six and Naser of Bahrain in seven.
Leyanis Pérez Hernández of Cuba wins gold in the women's triple jump with 14.94
Thea Lafon of Dominnica takes second and Yulimar Rojas, out for two years, takes second for Venezuela.
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Here comes Rojas, the Olympic and world champ, with one go to seize gold … and it’s not enough.
In the women’s triple jump, Lafond of Dominica is taking her final jump, seeking to improve on bronze … and she pulls out a monster! It’s 14.89, enough for move her up to second, with Rojas and Perez Hernandez still to come.
Botswanan athletics is having a proper moment. And Letsile Tebogo, a comparative veteran at 22, is still to come in the final of the 200m.
We might just’ve witnessed the coming-out party of a new superstar. Kebinatshipi is only 21, and has so much improving left to do. But his speed, his speed endurance, and his big-race temperament are right there.
Collen Kebinatshipi of Botswana wins the men's 400m in 43.53
A fantastic run! Richards of T&T takes silver, with Ndori of Botswana bronze.
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Kebinatshipi looks stronger in the home straight Nene has gone!
Nene is off quickly, Kebinatshipi taking it more gradually. Will Nene tie up?
They take their marks…
I say that, but Jacory Patterson of USA was great in the first round, then less so in the semi. If he finds his best work, he’s not out of this despite the lane three draw.
ANITDONTSTOP. It’s time for the men’s 400m final, with Nakajima of Japan the local favourite. Nene of South Africa, a beautiful mover, is a threat for gold; it’s between him and Kebinatshipi, I think.
Back to the women’s triple jump, Perez Hernandez of Cuba still leads, having extended her first round 14.85 to 14.94. But here comes Rojas, second, in round five … and nothing doing.
Attaouoi wins in 1.43.18; Wanyonyi is second, with third and fourth, Anderson and Masalela, the two fastest losers. Brazier of USA, one of the medal favourites, is out.
This is close until Attaouoi of Spain suddenly steps on the gas, moving metres clear in very little time. Wanyonyi will follow him home.
At the bell, Meziane of France leads, from Masalela of Botswana, from Wanyonyi of Kenya and Anderson of Jamaica.
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Our final 800m semi is under way and the rain, we’re told, has relaxed a little – but it’s still wet underfoot.
As for the women’s 400m, it might be the race of the meet. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a one-off, a genius of the track and an almost perfect athlete. On the one hand, how can she possibly win an event she’s only just come to, when the competition is so tough; on the other, how can she ever lose?
The races come so quickly, there’s barely time to amp them up, then reflect. But I can’t wait for the 400m finals and hope the rain doesn’t ruin how fast they might be.
I was seriously impressed with Kebinatshipi in the semis, and if he can deliver something similar, it’ll take a great run to beat him, but Nene has one in him.
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McPhillips broke the Irish record with that run and looked absolutely nails down the final 30m. If he’s got another big run in him, you never know.
McPhillips wins in 1.43.18; Burgin is second, while Brazier fights back to make third and might be OK – that was a pretty quick race, so he’s quicker than those who finished outside the top two in the first semi.
Burgin leads around the bend, he’s safe and Brazier is nowhere; McPhillips of Ireland is coming through and he’s going to win.
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Pernici of Italy bullies his way through bodies to the front, Burgin on his shoulder and taking the lead at the bell – the pace was too slow for his requirements.
Pattinson is really disappointed, saying he should be good enough to get through a race like that – he had lots more running in his legs, but gambled to stick on the inside, thinking it’d open up, and it didn’t.
In heat two, we’ve got Max Burgin of GB – he’s the third-fastest in the field, after Gabriel Tual of France and Donovan Brazier of USA.
With only two qualifying by right, this is a proper nasty finish … but Arop wins in 1.45.09, Sedjati of Algeria second. English and Wyderka are third and fourh.
Arop leads ar the bell, Taylor of Jamaica second and Kebenei of Kenya third … then English of Ireland goes to the front around the bend!
Time for the semis of the men’s 800m. Marco Arop, the fastest in the field, was almost run out of it in the heats, but he’s an imposing presence and won’t make the same mistake again. I’m really interested to see how Ben Pattinson goes, because he was impressive in the first round and sounded pretty confident in his body when discussing his performance afterwards. He settles in at the back of the pack.
I can’t see anyone other than the top two fighting for gold. I’m picking Jefferson-Wooden, but Jackson won this event at this meet in 2022 and 2023, so can’t be discounted.
The two fastest losers are Brittany Brown of USA and Anthonique Strachan of Bahamas.
Battle wins in 22.09 – slower than in the heats, but she got her start wrong – and Ta Lou-Smith of Cote d’Ivoire is the second qualifier. Neita, a proper stalwart of UK athletics, is fourth.
Battle is slow out of the blocks, Ta Lou-Smith leading. Those two are well clear.
In the third semi 0f the women’s 200m, Anavia Battle of USA looks the likeliest. Daryll Neita goes for GB.
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Jefferson-Wooden wins in 22.00, Asher-Smith second in 22.21. I don’t think anyone bar Jackson can live with her, and she looks to have loads left.
Jefferson-Wood is out like you’d expect, she’s well clear, and Asher-Smith is similarly clear in second.
In the final heat, we’ve got Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, 100m champ and favourite, and also Dina Asher-smith.
Hunt, the Cambridge grad whose time is the second-best ever run by a Brit, is delighted. “That was lit wasn’t it!” she says. “The word of the day for me was intent,” saying everything from the warm-up was done with intent and passion. She knew she was in the shape of her life and knows she’s got one of the highest top speeds in the world, so she’s “super-excited” for tomorrow and her good lane. Hold tight!
Jackson wins in 21.99, a season’s best, while Hunt is second in 22.08, a PB! She was under pressure from Brown in the final 20m, but she had the speed endurance to see it out. That’s great work, delivering your best when you most need to.
Jackson is away well, up on Brown, but Hunt is looking strong in second!
Righto, on to the women’s event. We’ve got Shericka Jackson and Brittany Brown going in the first semi, with Amy Hunt going for GB…
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That Lyles run really was brilliant, from gun to tape; I can’t wait for tomorrow’s final, and I know I’ve been backing Bednarek since the start, but he’ll just have seen his PB of 19.57 rinsed. If Lyles runs a similar time, he’s struggling; Tebogo went quicker winning gold in Paris, while Levell looks to have something similar in him.
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Hughes says he needed to work the bend to be in striking distance. He could’ve been a bit more aggressive, but that’s for the final; he’s got a lot more, he just needs to trust himself and stay relaxed in the last couple of metres.
Our fastest-loser qualifiers are Dambile of RSA, who ran a PB of 19.97, and Makaraku of Zimbabwe, who ran 19.98; the two embrace, and it’s a lovely moment.
I love the way Lyles attacked that race. He killed the first 10, piled into the curve, and didn’t let up; he wanted to send a message, and he has. “Welcome to the Lyles den!” he shouts into a camera; he liked that, a lot. You’d have to, if you could do it, which he can.
Lyles is away really well, miles ahead at the bend. He streaks clear … and wins in 19.51! That’s the fastest time in the world this year, a statement race this, and Hughes follows him home in 19.95.
Lyles noises up the crowd as he does, but is he deflecting? He didn’t look great in the 100, but this is his better event, and he’ll hope his speed endurance is enough.
In semi three of the men’s 200, we’ve got Noah Lyles and Tapiwanashe Makarawu of Zimbabwe, but watch out for Udodi Onwuzurike of Nigeria; Hughes goes in lane six.
In the women’s triple jump final, Perez Hernandez of Cuba takes the lead with 14.85; Rojas hits 14.76 in response. They’ve five jumps to go.
My guess is Gout wanted to run quicker than that, but back to those still involved, Levell is looking seriously strong and if he’s got a performance left, will go fast enough to win a medal.
Levell wins in 19.78, Tebogo second in 19.95; Lindsey of USA is third and Gout is fourth in 20.36.
Levell gets away well and he’s flying around the bend, Tebogo clear in second.
Also in heat two: the prodigious Gout Gout and Bryan Levell of Jamaica, who was really impressive in the first round.
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It’s been bothering me who Zharnell Hughes looks like and I’ve finally got it: Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, the former UFC heavyweight.
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I actually fancy Bednarek to take this title, and he’ll know this is his chance with Lyles not in the greatest shape. Let’s see what Letsile has in the second semi.
Bednarek wins in 19.88, nice and controlled; Ogando of Dominica takes second, with Van Niekerk of RSA having to wait.
Heat one is ready to go and Bednarek is away really well, but Uzawa from Japan is falling away.
We watch VT of Tebogo talking to BBC; he says he likes to relax on his farm when he’s not running, and wants to make Africa proud. He says it’s always interesting to see what Noah Lyles is going to do – he’s hyped up and Tebogo needs to be so too – and he reckons the man he beat to gold in the Paris 200 is good for the sport.
Imminent on the track: the semis of the men’s 200m. Bednarek is the big name in the first race.
Hunter Bell, who has a very distinctive voice, is happy. She had to decide between the 8 and 1500, saying you can’t do the former half-cooked, and she always wanted to run the distance at a major tournament and her ranking is good, so this is the one.
The women’s triple jump final is under way. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Venezuela’s Julimar Rojas does – she’s just returned from a ruptured Achilles having not competed since winning gold in Paris, and came through qualification with her first jump.
Goule-Toppin wins in 1.59.66, with Nowe of Botswana, like Switzerland having a T&F moment, second; Trapeau of Canada is third.
Our final heat in the women’s 800m is under way, and Jess Hull of Australia goes down early on; she’s out of contention, while Goule-Toppin of Jamaica leads; Sekgodiso of RSA drops out, having come in carrying an injury.
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Walcott is the youngest ever to win an Olympic throwing event – he was 19 at London 2012. Now, though, he’s 32, and it’s amazing really, winning global events so far apart. He’ll have had some dart times in the intervening period, I’m sure, and this’ll make them all worth it.
Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad & Tobago wins gold in the men's javelin with a throw of 88.16m
Anderson Peters of Grenada takes silver and Curtis Thompson of USA bronze.
Weber of Germany, the best javeliner in the world this year, comes in for his final go … and decelerates through the throw, and can do no better than fifth. He won this year’s Diamond League but is still without a world or Olympic medal, and looks seriously disappointed. We knoww who our medallists are now, but can Thompson or Peters go further than Walcott?
Hunter Bell takes the lead around the bend and pulls clear; she’s going to be fine. She wins in 1.58.52, Galvydyte of Lithuania challenging at the end and forcing her to step on the gas a second time. Hollingsworth of Australia is the third qualifier and I think the time was fast enough so that fourth will be quicker than Jemma Reekie … who is now out.
Hollingsworth of Australia leads at the bell, Hunter Bell – no relation – sitting second, with Lamote of France third.
Georgia Hunter Bell, Hodgkinson’s teammate and 1500m bronze medallist in Paris, goes in heat six of the 800m. She should be a medal threat here too, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she takes this one out.
Also going on:
The rain is pretty heavy now, not great for javeliners who need to trust conditions underfoot. So great for those in the medal positions, because catching them now won’t be easy.
Odira of Kenya wins in 1.57.86, with Cooper Gaspar of Cuba taking second and Mesele of Ethiopia third. Reekie tied up badly in the home straight; she comes fifth, with Nakaayi taking fourth. They are now the third and first fastest losers respectively, with two heats to come.
A group of four pull away, Nakaayi, Reekie, Odira of Kenta and Mesele of Ethiopia. This’ll be tight.
Heat five of the women’s 800 is under way, Jemma Reekie repping for GB in this one. She moves to the front, then Nakaayi of Uganda moves in front as they take the bell.
Chopra of India, one of the favourites for the javelin and coached by the great Zelezny, is out, having failed to make the top eight after five throws.
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Werro doesn’t move as nicely as Hodgkindson, but she’s got plenty of speed and speed endurance. Paula Radcliffe and Liz McColgan weren’t the most stylish runners, but they knew how to get from gun to tape well enough.
Werro wins in 1.58.43; Hurta-Klecker is second, with Wielgosz third, while Caldwell is currently the fastest loser.
Werro ups the pace, Moraa now well off it; Hurta-Klecker of USA is secure in second, while Caldwell of Australia has Wielgosz of Poland coming up behind her. She’s in trouble.
Werro goes to the front, passing Moraa, who then finds herself buffeted and dropping well off the pack; she recovers and is back in the race at the bell.
Switzerland are having a bit of an athletic moment, and Audrey Werro, just 21, is one of the favourites for the women’s 800m. She goes in heat four, about to get going. The forecast rain has started.
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Walcott looks to be in rhythm, and extends his leading mark to 88.16. They’ve taken four of six throws.
Back to the final of the men’s javelin and Curtis Thompson, in third with 86.67, has different coloured shoes on.
Peters of Grenada is second with 87.38; Walcott of T&T leads with 87.83, but below the medal positions are various of the favourites.
Now it’s to the third, Duguma of Ethiopia leading around the final bed, and she, along with Congdon of USA and Coiro of Italy pull away down the home straight to take the three semi-final spots. The winning time is 2.01.53 and Duguma looked really strong there.
My Chrome crashes and I miss the second heat of the women’s 800; Bourgoin of France wins it in 1.58.43, with Moraa of Kenya second and Gajanova of Slovenia third.
The state of this.
“But we’ve increased our revenues by about 38% in the last four years,” he added. “And in the next four years we’re going to spend about $50m on prize money. I don’t want to sound like Gordon Brown, but I do want the athletes to benefit from the proceeds of growth.
I was, though, amused by the above: I’m pretty sure no one will ever compare Seb Coe, former Tory MP for Falmouth, to the man who was chancellor when minimum wage and Sure Start were instituted.
“Nice,” says Hodgkindson watching the finish. "“My makeup stayed on.” Otherwise, she says heats are awful, they feel awful, but she wanted to enjoy being back in the stadium and was looking around thinking how nice it all is. Finally, she hopes Hunter bell, her teammate, also gets through.
There’s a big cheer, I’m not sure what for, but perhaps someone has done something serious in the javelin. Oh, but we see Yego of Kenya abort a throw, and he seems to have twanged an adductor. That’s such a shame, and we’re told – I didn’t know this – that the 2015 champ learnt to throw from videos on the internet. An example, as Stef Reid elegantly puts it, of “talent being everywhere, opportunity not.” Well said.
Hodgkinson ups the pace and she’s clearly the class of the field, winning in 1.59.79. Raziki of Morocco takes second, Liberman of France third, and Roisin Willis, the promising young American, allowed herself to be run out of it. She faces a nervous wait, but with so many heats, you’d have to think one will go faster than this one.
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Hodgkinson, controlling the race, leads at the bell, from Horvat of Chechia from Willis of USA.
Off they go, first three in each of the seven heats go through to the semis, plus the three fastest losers.
Next on the track we’ve got the heats of the women’s 800m. Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic champ, goes in the first of those and, coming back from injury, we’re not quite sure how she’ll go. But the more important question is what is this sleeping bag throuser/onesie, and where can I get similar?
I say that when I’m shorts March-November, but still.
The final, on Saturday, will probably be billed at Beatrice v Faith, and that makes perfect sense – there are other good athletes around, but I can’t imagine any of them will get that close to the gold. These two are just too good, and will go too fast for anyone else to keep up. My money’s on Faith.
Tsegay of Ethiopia, Kipyegon of Kenya, Davies of Australia, Garcia of Spain, Eisa of Ethiopia, Andrews of USA, Hall of Australia and Ngetich of Kenya.
Kipyegon leads around the final bend, but Tsegay passes her, for all the difference it makes – I guess she gets to tell her grandkids she beat the greatest at the worlds. Otherwise, the leading group of eight qualify, and they are:
Hironaka looks at the screen and she can see the pack coming. That happened very quickly, and with two laps to go, I revise what i said earlier – she’s almost going backwards, and Kipyegon passes her, then various others. Ngetich of Kenya goes by, also Eisa of Ethiopia and Garcia. They take the bell with eight in the leading group.
With 1300m to go, Hironaka still leads, the gap 31.1m. The pack are closing but I think she’ll be OK; meantime, Kipyegon goes to the front of the leading pack, Tsegay behind her.
In 1987, Fatima Whitbread won Sports Personality of the Year on account of her gold medal in this meeting. There’s a fair chance she’s the last javeliner so to do.
Hironaka is now way out in front after 1800m, her lead towards 100m. Behind her, everyone is in touch, Van Lent of Belgium and Garcia of Spain in second and third.
So far, Kipyegon is letting the race go and the others do the work – I think she’ll be ok – then Yadav of India goes second in the javelin with 86.27. So far, the favourites aren’t justifying their status, but there’s a long way to go
The second heat in the women’s 5000m is under way; Hironaka of Japan leads in the early stages. Meantime, Thompson of USA throws 86.67 to lead that javelin event.
The men’s javelin final is under way, but I’m afraid it’s not the same without Steve Backley, Mick Hill and Jan Zelezny – or maybe I’m just lamenting my distant youth. The best in the world this year is Julian Weber of Germany with 91.51, but Anderson Peters of Grenada has the best PB, 93.07, while Neeraj Chopra of India and Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan are also threats.
Nuttall looks warm but delighted and tells BBC that the start was hot but she thought she could catch up and, when it slowed down, she did. She knew some of the girls like to take it out, but her plan was just to stay calm and she did.
Killers are killers, so obviously Chebet kicks to make sure she wins – in 14.45.59and the others know how much she has left. Following her home and into the final are Battocletti of Italy, Houlihan of USA, Koster of Netherlands, Tanaka of Japan, Belayneh of Ethiopia, Nuttall of GB and Cheptoyek of Uganda.
Tanaka slows it down again, Koster of the Netherlands coming alongside. Nuttall has caught the pack, so it’s eight from nine … and Haylom of Ethiopia drops off. The pack is down to eight, Tanaka leading them around and qualifying is resolved. They could walk the final 300m and still make the final
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The pace slows again, Tanaka still in front, and the leading group comprises four, with two behind and two more behind them – unless Hannah Nuttall, ninth, closes the gap, those will be the qualifiers, and she picks it up with 1000m to go.
We’re almost halfway, Tanaka now in front and without a sprint finish, upping the pace. Chebet, who won this event and the 10 in Paris, goes with her, and the field is now pretty stretched. Those who want to qualify will have to work: there’ll be no free riding followed by a dash.
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Back on the track, Yamamoto leads from Tanaka, with Battocletti of Italy third and Chebet fourth.
Oli Goldman reminds me that, when reminiscing about the 1991 worlds, I neglected to mention the GB 4x400m quarter changing up their order and Kriss Akabusi taking out Antonio Pettigrew, the individual champion, in the final few strides. I was actually looking for and failing to find photos of the t-shirts made thereafter, featuring Roger Black’s post-race line, “We kicked their butts”, then got distracted.
Here’s the race, though – and if you’re not familiar, it’s a belter.
Off we go in the first heat of the women’s 5000m. Tanaka of Japan, who didn’t make the 1500m final, goes to the front, her teammate Yamamoto behind her.
Jake Wightman had a good night last evening, a bit of karaoke and sake, he confesses to BBC. He’s checked the last lap to make sure he did all he could to win; someone else was better on the day, he says.
I guess he might wonder if he’d waited just five more metres before kicking, because he was so close to seeing it out. But, as he explains, he’s come back from so many injuries and stayed near the front the whole race in the knowledge he’d eventually strike; he did, and he got his silver.
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The women’s 5000m heats will soon be upon us. Final qualification is generous – the first eight in each heat go through – with Beatrice Chebet in the first and Faith Kipyegon in the second. For GB, Melissa Courtney-Bryant and Hannah Nuttall go in the first and Innes Fitzgerald the second.
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The more I think about it, the more the 1991 worlds are up there as the best meet of my lifetime. The greatest men’s 100m and long jump ever, a great finish in the men’s 400m, Michael Johnson and Noureddine Morceli also taking golds; then Katrin Krabbe doing the sprint double and the great Marie-Jose Perec taking the 400m. Then, three weeks later, Nevermind was released.
Steve Cram just joked that it’s freezing tonight, only 28 degrees, so many the athletes will run in tracksuits. That put me in mind of Derartu Tulu, who won the 10,000m at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with a t-shirt under her vest, as others – Liz McColgan in particular – wilted in the heat.
And that put me in mind of the women’s 10,000 at the 1991 Tokyo world championships, Liz McColgan destroying the field in the heat.
Schedule of events
The best thing I’ve seen today – so far.
Preamble
こんにちは – kon’nichiwa – and welcome to the World Athletics Championships – night six!
And it’s another stacked session. We’ve various qualifying to enjoy – women’s 5000m featuring Faith Kipyegon, plus high jump and 800m, featuring Kelly Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell – along with a pair of field finals – men’s javelin, women’s triple jump. But it’s the sprints that’ll really get us going.
First, we’ve the semi-finals of the women’s 2o0m, as Sherickah Jackson of Jamaica takes on a powerful American contingent led by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the surging 100m champion. Meantime, in the men’s competition, we get another look at Gout Gout, while Noah Lyles, Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek, the medal favourites, jostle for position. So far, so tantalising.
Then, after the semis of what promises to be an extremely stressful set of men’s 800m semis, just two from each heat to qualify, we’ve both 400m finals. First go the men, with Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi having set down a marker out of nowhere, running a world-leading time in the previous round. He had plenty left at the end, too, while South Africa’s Zakithi Nene looks equal parts graceful and strong.
But it’s the women’s 400m for which we’re really waiting, the big three way front of the rest. Mariledy Paulino, the Dominican Olympic champion, fancies herself and rightly so, but Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain have been more impressive so far, her PB of 48.14 also the fastest in the field.
Problem being, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a genius, having moved across from the 400m hurdles for the challenge and looking like she’s been running flat all her life. She was spectacularly good in the semis, devastating her personal best by half a second while barely seeming to make contact with the track, and if she gets it going today, Marita Koch’s world record of 47.60 – one of the oldest in the book, set in 1985 – is under threat. The race may be her against the others, but it may also be her against the clock.
Action: 7.05pm local, 11.05am BST.
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