The reports are coming in:
‘There’s never been anyone like [Bolt]’
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Kipyegon destroys the field for fourth 1500m world gold
Kenya’s peerless Faith Kipyegon underlined her status as one of the greatest athletes of all time when she convincingly claimed a fourth 1,500 metres world title on Tuesday to go with her three Olympic golds. Kipyegon delivered a gun-to-tape run that destroyed the field as she came home clear in 3 minutes 52.15 seconds. The world record holder matches Hicham El Guerrouj (1997-2003) by claiming four world 1,500m golds and she will also go for a second world 5,000m title later this week. Fellow Kenyan Dorcus Ewoi ran a personal best 3:54.92 for silver while Jessica Hull won Australia’s first medal in the event when she just held on for bronze in 3:55.16. Reuters
Tinch caps brilliant season with 110m hurdles gold
Cordell Tinch capped a superb second season as a professional by winning 110 metres hurdles gold at the World Athletics Championships in 12.99 seconds on Tuesday. The 25-year-old American, the world leader this year, stormed over the 10 hurdles and held off the fast finishers in the run-in to claim his first global title at his first global championships. Orlando Bennett ran a personal best 13.08 to win silver, while his fellow Jamaican Tyler Mason took the bronze in 13.12, which matched his previous best time. Olympic gold medallist Grant Holloway’s six-year reign as world champion ended earlier on Tuesday when the American finished sixth in his semi-final. Reuters
Otherwise, we’re done here for today – but please do check back for Sean Ingle’s reports, which’ll be up soon.
Otherwise, join us again tomorrow at 11am BST, for our first look at our 200m runners – among them Gout Gout – building up to the men’s 1500m final, tomorrow’s undoubted highlight featuring Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman, and plenty of others. Peace out.
That’s the end of today’s competition, but fear not: look what’s in store for us tomorrow! Tasty!
Faith tells BBC she just wants to thanks God. She knew she was capable of defending her title after breaking the world record in Eugene. She wanted to run comfortably and was a bit scared having seen people fall, but only God knows what comes next.
Matt Hudson-Smith speaks to BBC, lamenting “one of those days”. Asked if he’s got a hip issue, he says “I’m here to run, no excuses”. He executed to the best of his ability, he goes on, and he’s so, so disappointed, you can tell. He was expected to make the final at the very least and really to get a medal, but the way he ran in the heats, you could tell that was unlikely, and I fear he’s some soul searching to come – though when he gets home, he’s a newborn daughter waiting for him.
Hamish Kerr of New Zealand wins gold in the high jump with a leap of 2.36m
Sanghyeok Wu of South Korea takes silver and Jan Stefela of Chechia bronze.
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Woo tries 2.38 and isn’t close; Kerr, the Olympic champ, isn’t either. If the Korean can’t get over next go, it’s over.
…and Kerr flings himself over! Woo will have to increase the height of the bar if he’s to steal the gold, so up it goes to 2.38.
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The bar goes up to 2.36, Woo to take first go, and he can’t haul himself over. Can Kerr? He gets the crowd going, breathes, and sets off…
Stefela gets up well … but the bar comes down and he buries his face in the mat. He didn’t come for bronze, but that’s what he’s got. He gets up, flips, and he’s happier now, congratulating Kerr and Woo, who’ll now contest the gold.
Doroshchuk fails and finishes fourth; check to Chechia and Stefela.
…and he’s over too!
Woo gets it going again, smiling all over his face … AND HE’S OVER! He slaps his own face in delight, and the others have one go at clearing 2.34, or this is over. Here comes Hamish…
Doroshchuk and Stefela both miss on their second go; if no one clears any further height, Woo wins on countback from Stefela from Kerr.
Now we’re back to Woo, who gets the crowd and himself going, but again, nowhere near. What can Hamish come up with Up with what can Hamish come? Er, not much, he was much closer first go.
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…and he too isn’t close.
Doroshchuk gets nowhere near 2.34, leaping through the bar, and now Stefela will have a shy…
Now Kerr, the Olympic champ, also over at that height, goes for 2.34 … and gets really close, but catches the bar with his elbow.
Righto, time to focus on the men’s high jump final. Woo has just gone over 2.31 – Stefela of Chechia, Kerr of Australia and Doroshchuk of Ukraine are already sorted.
Looking at the race again, Tinch didn’t hit the front until maybe the fifth hurdle, but you knew he’d power through from well before that. He was ready for this.
'“I love you Mum!” Tinch calls into the camera, and rightly so; she reminded him to make the most of his talent when he’d pretty much quit athletics, and imagine how proud she’ll be now.
Muratake exploded out of the blocks, but he couldn’t control his speed; he was out of it by the third flight. Tinch, on the other hand, was more considered, but by the same stage the race was effectively his. He’s not the quickest between the barriers, but he was excellent getting over them, and didn’t he enjoy the moment. Well done, old mate.
Cordell Tinch of USA wins the men's 110m hurdles in 12.99
Bennett and Mason, both of Jamaica, take silver and bronze respectively.
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Muratake is away brilliantly but hits the first two barriers and Tinch is coming through!
They take their marks. There’ll be some serious nerves down there, given how nasty and quick this event is.
Our hurdlers are on the track, and this race feels pretty open. Imagine the noise of Muratake of Japan, drawn in lane five, comes through; Mason of Jamaica is also a threat.
Ethan Katzberg of Canada wins the hammer
Merlin Hummel of Germany takes silver and Bence Halasz of Hungary bronze.
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We’re five minutes away from the men’s 110m hurdles final. Cordell Tinch looked pretty good in the semis, and he’s the favourite.
As it goes, he almost didn’t become an athlete – he went to college on a football scholarship, decided he preferred running, and left it at that. But then he returned home to protect his mental health, and following the pandemic, got a job selling phones, only for his mum and a mate to convince him to move colleges, give track his all, and here we are.
Faith Kipyegon is something else. There was literally nothing that anyone could do to stop her, however that race went: had someone gone off like Paula Ivan, she’d have chased them down; in the event, she led from the front, kicked, and devastated the field.
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya wins the women's 1500m in 3:52.15, her fourth world title in a row!
It’s just incredible how much better Kipyegon is than everyone else. Her teammate Ewoi came through for second with Hull, who tied to chase and challenge for gold, taking bronze for Australia.
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Kipyegon still leads, a couple of yards between her and Hull now. Those two are clear now, but Faith has gone and this is poetry! It’s amazing, again, from the greatest of all time!
With 600 to go, Kipyegon turns it up gradually, but as they take the bell, expect her to stomp on the gas…
We’re coming up to halfway with Kipyegon leading from Hull from Chepchirchir. Who’ll kick first?
Kipyegon leads from Hull of Australia, and the pace isn’t too quick. I don’t think we’re seeing a world record today.
The gun goes, and off goes the women’s 1500m final. Kipyegon goes straight to the front.
“A thousand wows at how effortless Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone makes the 400m look,” writes Ben Cooke. “Shades of the great Allyson Felix’s athletic elegance; a sprinting swan gliding towards greatness. Fingers-crossed Tokyo’s fast track leads to something special in Friday’s final.”
I was thinking Flo-Jo and Rudisha but yup, I’ll absolutely allow Felix.
Back to Faith, though, is she going to try for a world record? It’s in her, you’d think, and she’s so dominant she can actually justify going for it with a medal at stake – what a flex that’d be.
Hudson-Smith lies prostate on the track, James alongside him. This was’t what he’d have hoped for, but he didn’t look in the best shape – the speed endurance just wasn’t there. He was in touch coming off the bend, while Ndori had loads left.
There’s no time to reflect because it’s time for the women’s 1500m final.
Ndori, also of Botswana powers through as Hudson-Smith tires, and Nkajima of Japan takes second! Richards and Patterson qualify as fastest losers, both form heat two; Hudson-Smith finishes sixth.
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Hudson-Smith gets moving immediately, but James, 2012 Olympic champ, flies out of the blocks. Hudsson-Smith is in touch as they come off the curve….
Hudson-Smith really tied up in the heat, having run a decent race prior to the final 100. He’ll know how he feels now, but in lane two, having qualified as a fastest loser, he’s got a lot of work to do chasing the men in front. McRae of USA is probably the favourite; he goes in six.
Charlie Dobson, by the way, was seventh; he and Reardon stick about to see how Hudson-Smith gets on in what is probably the weakest of the semis.
There’s something happening in Botswana athletics. Kebinatshipi wasn’t expected to do what he did here – he’s only 21 – but he led at the top of the home straight and just kept going. Amazing performance, and I can’t wait to see what he’s got for us in the final.
Goodness me, Kebinatshipi wins in 43.61! That’s the fastest time in the world this year and looks chill at the end! He’s got faster in him I reckon, and McDonald of Jamaica is second; Richards of T&T is third, with, Patterson a distant fourth.
Patterson is away pretty well and he starts putting it in around the bend, but Kebinatshipi leads by miles! Patterson is getting run out of this!
Doroshchuk of Ukraine and Harrison of USA also get over 2.28 in the men’s high jump, the competition intensifying. But it’s now time for the second men’s 400m semi, Jacory Patterson the favourite after a fine run in his heat; Charlie Dobson goes for GB.
Nene is a lovely mover, so smooth and compact in style. He looks ready for this.
Eppie of Botswana is second; Reardon finishes eighth.
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As the stagger unwinds, Nene looks over his shoulder – he’s miles clear.
Away they go, Nene away sharply and looking so relaxed.
Down go our 400m men again…
Oooh, and then Kerr, the Olympic champ, nails it first go.
This time they get away only to be called back, for no obvious reason. Up goes the tension, another green card is shown, then it’s back down … but Woo wants to take a jump first and he fails at 2.28.
Back to the men’s 400, Christopher Bailey of USA is another who might challenge, but Nene is favourite; again, though, they’re stood up and a green card brandished.
“It’s definitely a confidence builder,” Sydney tells BBC. “Just gotta go out in the final and execute.”
Having watched the semis, a race I thought might be one of the best of the meet, now looks like her against the clock.
Right, the men will be with us shortly. Zakithi Nene of South Africa, the fastest in the world this year, goes in heat one, likewise GB’s Sam Reardon; Matt Hudson-Smith is in three.
Oh, and McLaughlin-Levrone also broke – annihilated really – Sanya Richards-Ross’ US record of 48.70, and she’s going to monster it again in the final, I’m certain. By the look of her, she’s barely trying, and is Marita Koch’s record of 47.60, set in 1985, under threat? I really, really hope so.
McLaughlin-Levrone wins in 48.29, the fastest time in the world this year and joint-fastest ever, with Anning of GB taking second, great performance. Pryce of Jamaica is third; she and Jaeger qualify for the final as fastest losers, but seriously, Sydney is just amazing. I can’t see how anyone can beat her, at anything.
McLaughlin-Levrone leads, obviously, and she’s miles clear, floating over the track.
It’s Sydney time. I love her commitment to testing herself, and i love that Femke Bol, her big hurdles rival, was gutted they’d not be competing against each other.
Katzberg then lets go a monster but at an angle; will it stay within the sector? Just, and he’s back into the lead at 84.70, a lifetime best and championship record. Decent response to losing the lead, all things considered.
Hummel of Germany hurls the hammer 82.77 and he takes the lead, leading Katzberg of Canada, the world and Olympic champ, and Halasz of Hungary.
Naser wins in 49.47, looking awesome. Whittaker of USA and Klaver of the Netherlands, both of whom woud’ve hoped for better, are third and fourth, the former now sat with Jaeger waiting to see if their ties are enough to qualify for the final as fastest losers.
It’s a steady start, then Naser starts eating ground, and she’s well ahead around the top bend, the rest racing for second. Gomez of Puerto Rico is alone in second.
They get down, but are then stood up again for reasons unclear; a green card is produced, and we’re back to it.
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Eyes down for heat two of the women’s 400 semis, Ohuruogu the GB representation. Naser looked amazing in the heats, but things are starting to get real now…
In the men’s high jump, Woo of South Korea leads with 2.24; various of the rest are over 2.20.
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Gosh, Paulino looks calm, but her efforts to affect control almost cost her. That is not how she wanted things to go, but she’s through, but five one-hundredths of a second.
…or is she? She slows up and Bukowiecka goes by, and Jaeger is catching as she walks over the line! She makes it, just, but that was almost a disaster.
As the stagger unwinds, Paulino leads and she’s going to win easily…
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Off they go, Paulino starting calmly, then putting it in around the top bend.
Our heat one runners are out on the track, Paulino, the world and Olympic champ, in lane six.
Also in the 400m semis is Amber Anning, who came fifth in the Olympic final but won the world indoors earlier this year. It feels impossible for anyone other than the big three to win a medal, but you never know.
It’s fast and furious now. The men’s hammer final is just getting going, while the women’s 400m semis are coming up in six minutes; I can’t wait to see how the big three of Paulino, Naser and McLaughlin-Levrone pull up.
Oooh, Mason’s winning time of 13.12, the quickest of the round, was a PB. Biggup!
Holloway’s dicky knee just didn’t give him the stability he needed to time his jumps. He ended up sixth; the champ is out.
Mason wins, Muratake takes second, just, with third and fourth – Tharp of USA and Kwaou-Mathey of France taking both fastest-loser spots.
Muratake gets away well but Holloway is nowhere and Mason of Jamaica is going to win!
Right, what does Grant Holloway have for us? We’ll soon find out, but the crowd are more interested in Rachid Muratake; can he bring it home for Japan?
It’s amazing really, Tinch was slow out of the blocks and yet well in front by the first obstacle. Joseph came back at him well, though, and Colin reckons if he’s still in the final at 50m, he’s a serious danger.
Tinch takes it in 13.16, with Joseph of Switzerland second; Prince and Simonelli are third and fourth, and I think that’ll be the end of Beard. Yup, he and Namoto are gawn.
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Tinch staggers at the gun but he recovers and he’s going to win…
Semi two is good to go, Cordell Tinch in lane three.
What a race this was, in the 1993 worlds.
…but he fades as Bennett of Jamaica powers to victory in 13.27, with Llopis of Spain second. I’m not sure Beard even got third … and the roar tells us he didn’t, Nomoto of Japan edging him. He’s in big trouble.
Dylan Beard, also of USA, looks the favourite here and he leads at halfway…
The final of the men’s high jump is just starting while, on the track, we’ve the three heats of the men’s 110m hurdles. Grant Holloway didn’t enjoy his heat performance and earlier, Colin Jackson explained that his timing is off, legs not working in concert and the trail coming over too slowly. We’ll see how he’s set shortly, likewise Cordell Tinch, who goes in heat two and looked terrific yesterday.
I can’t wait for this: tomorrow, Gout Gout makes his major tournament debut. A PB and/or a final spot would be a pretty good return, as he continues exploring the extent of his talent.
Heat seven is away and Brazier of USA, who won in Doha in 2019 but has been struggling with injury, looks pretty good. He wins, from Moula of Algeria, who came from a long way back, with Bloudek of Croatia taking third; Kebenei of Kenya qualifies too, as a fastest loser, likewise the aforementioned Meziane and Crestan.
Burgin tells BBC that he’s happy with his race. He ran it “nice and safely” to finish in the automatic spot, but the heats are always stressful. He knew he needed to run 1:44 –sorry, your 1:44s to qualify – and did, “textbook, really”. He knows he’s capable of getting a medal having raced these lads all year, and the gap between warming up and arriving at the track is taking a bit of getting used to, but you can tell he’s feeling great.
Also going on:
Burgin wins from Masalela in 1:44.73, the fastest time so far, with Anderson of Jamaica third. Meziane of France and Crestan of Belgium have a decent chance of going through too, as fastest losers.
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Burgin sits second at the bell, Masalela of Botswana leading. The pace is pretty quick, but the front two look strong.
Heat six of the men’s 800 features Max Burgin, seventh-fastest in the world this year and finally fully fit. He’ll fancy himself for a medal here, having had a really good season, but first things first.
I should say, I enjoyed BBC’s field commentator – apologies, I missed them telling us who it is – saying for the coaches, it’s like playing a video game and moving your hands in the direction you hope your character goes in. I spent chunks of my childhood doing that playing Mario on the NES.
This is a swift one, Gouned of Algeria stretching it out with violence. But he ties up in the last 50m, Wanyonyi taking it from English of Ireland and Pernici of Italy.
But stop everything: Steve Cram has just delivered a delicious piece of exhibition pluralisation, talking about “your 1.45s” to describe the kind of time it’ll take to qualify as a fastest loser.
Heat five of the men’s 800m heat features Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the fastest in the world this year, while Peyton Craig, the 20-year-old Aussie, is also worth watching out for.
Out of nowhere, Cian McPhillips of Ireland powers down the home straight to win easily; he looked great there. Hoppel is second, with Taylor of Jamaica third. Bol of Australia has to wait.
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Bryce Hoppel of USA, sixth fastest in the world this year, is the favourite for heat four; his PB of 1:41.67 is not to be messed with.
Pattison says he hadn’t planned to control the race, but he got to the front and thought he’d slow it down, trusting his kick. He made sure not to get boxed, adding that he felt better than in a long time warming up – he’s been injured – but has a medal to defend and a job to do. On Lutkenhaus, he says “I saw 2008 on the start list and I was almost sick,” adding that if he’d run in this kind of race at 16, he’d have been 100m off the back. He sounds really confident.
Lutkenhaus has left himself too much to do, too reliant on a kick he didn’t quite time. Wyderka of Poland wins, from Pattison, from Tual of France.
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Lutkenhaus is really wide and still at the back as they move round the bend into the home straight; Pattison is second.
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Heat three of the men’s 800 features Cooper Lutkenhaus, a 16-year-old prodigy from Texas, as well as Ben Pattison of GB, who won a surprise bronze in Budapest.
It’s Rojas time! Here she comes … and lands at 14.49m, easily exceeding the automatic qualifying mark of 14.35. Welcome back, old mate.
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So Attaoui of Spain wins, from Loti of Kenya, with Arop joining them in the next round. He has an interesting story, by the way, escaping Sudan during the civil war for Egypt, before moving to Canada, where he excelled at basketball – then his high school coach suggested he focus on track, and here he is.
Crorken gets a shift on in the last 100m but he won’t quire get there; meantime, Attaoui surges to the front and Arop, suddenly in third, is under pressure from Chapple … but he hangs in there to seal the final semi-final spot. Just as well, because he’d not have been a fastest loser.
Arop, the defending champ and Olympic silver medallist, leads at the bell, Kelvin Lotai of Kenya alongside.
The second heat is away and, after a swift start they settle, Arop at the front.
In comms, they note that on the circuit, most races have pacemakers, and running without them is a leveller because it offers those not capable of the fastest times a chance to compete. Exhibit A:
Tiarnan Crorken of GB goes in heat two. He only hit the qualifying standard just in time; the in-form runners are Marco Arop of Canada and Mohamed Attaoui of Spain.
Sedjati looks strong down the home straight and he eases up on the line to finish second; Barroso of Spain wins, with Haingura of Botswana fourth. Chuot of Qatar left himself too much to do, and he’ll have regrets – he’s not totally spent, and had the race gone another 5-10m, he’d have been asking a serious question of those in front. Instead, he has to wait.
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And off they go…
We’re almost ready to start with heat one of seven in the men’s 800m. The first three in each heat go through to the semis, along with the three fastest losers. Djamel Sedjati of Algeria, the Olympic silver medallist, is the class of this field.
Hudson-Smith, we learn, tightened up on the bus to the stadium, hence his relatively poor run in the heat. Presumably he’ll have taken steps to recuperate and avoid the same problem; hopefully for him, two days was enough to get things sorted.
Today, though, we’ll have to make do with the final of the men’s high jump, which looks likely to feature a three-way battle for gold between Sangyhyeok Woo of South Korea, Hamish Kerr of New Zealand and Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine.
On the women’s side, we’ve triple jump qualifying, which means a chance to enjoy Yulimar Rojas, who missed the Paris Olympics with a ruptured Achilles but won gold in Tokyo – and in the last four editions of this competition. She’s not competed since getting hurt, so we’ve not a clue how she might go, but no one loves the big occasion more.
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Tomorrow is the men’s long jump final. I’m not on then, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to post this today, from the 1991 edition of this meet: the greatest field event competition of all time.
Mondo isn’t just great at pole vaulting – he’s also a neologian, saying that after breaking the world record again, he was “super-overwhelmed”. File above “over-exaggerate”.
Now it’s on to Faith, perhaps the greatest all-round athlete on the planet – she’s hoping to do the 1500m and 5000m double here, and her own world record in the former, set earlier this year, is also under threat tonight. The time to aim for is 3:48.68.
Meantime, Jess Ennis, in the studio, reckons that if you’re driven, you have mum strength after giving birth because everything you do you’re doing for your kid. Kipyegon has a daughter, Alyn – born in 2018 – with her husband, Timothy Kitum, who won bronze in the 800m at the London Olympics.
Of course BBC open their broadcast with talk of Mondo. Has anyone ever been better at anything than he is at pole vault? At least he’s not devilishly handsome; that’d be really unfair if that were also so.
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Order of events
Preamble
こんにちは – kon’nichiwa – and welcome to the World Athletics Championships – night four!
And, of course, it’s another nicky banger. Matt Hudson-Smith, Olympic 400m silver medallist, found it tough in qualifying, a leggy last 150m leaving him reliant on a fastest loser’s semi-final spot. But he made it, the question now what he’s got left – but he’s had a little more luck: he runs in heat three, with Jacory Patterson, so impressive on Sunday night, in heat two and Zakithi Nene, fastest in the world this year, in one.
The women’s event looks just as exciting, our three favourites kept apart. In heat one goes Marieldy Paulino, the Olympic champ, while in two, we’ve Salwa Eid Naser, this year’s fastest, and in three, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic gold medallist in the 400m hurdles having switched to flat in search of a new event to dominate. It’s going to be hot.
Those, though, are our appetisers. The centrepiece of the evening could well be the men’s 110m hurdles, in which Rachid Muratake, the home favourite, is chasing gold. He’ll do well to get by USA’s Grant Holloway and Cordell Tinch, but he’s got a chance.
Our other track final comes in the women’s 1500m with the frankly wondrous Faith Kipyegon, undefeated over the distance in more than four years, looking to make (yet more) history. Should she win, the three-time Olympic and three-time world champion will draw level with Hicham El Guerrouj, who won this race at this meet on four occasions, and at 31, it’s incumbent upon us to savour her while we still can.
Or, in other words, Mondo needs to budge up, because there are others planning to take out a des res inside our heads.
Action starts: 7.35pm local, 11.35am BST
