Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson began her bid for a maiden world title on day six of the World Athletics Championships in style, winning her heat with ease to keep Britain on track for a first gold medal in Tokyo.
Compatriot and training partner Georgia Hunter Bell won her heat to progress to the semi-finals too, but Jemma Reekie missed out on a spot in the next round.
Another Briton, world indoor 400m champion Amber Anning, ran a season’s best time but could only manage fifth in a thrilling women’s 400m final. All eight finalists ran sub-50 seconds time but the star of the show was the history-chasing American great Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who won in a championship record time of 47.78 - the second-fastest time in history.
And although Daryll Neita missed out, Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt capped off a fine day for team GB as they qualified for the women’s 200m final, with Hunt running a personal best to qualify third-quickest behind defending champion Shericka Jackson and newly-crowned 100m champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.
Noah Lyles laid down a marker in the men’s 200m finals, running a world-leading 19.51s to send a statement to rivals Kenny Bednarek, Letsile Tebogo, Bryan Levell and Zharnel Hughes, who all advanced to Friday’s final.
Follow all the action, results and analysis from Tokyo below:
World Athletics Championships - day six
- Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in action in 800m heats
- Day 6 timetable, full schedule and results
- Keely Hodgkinson easily wins heat to progress to semi-finals
- Georgia Hunter Bell joins Hodgkinson in 800m semis but Jemma Reekie out
- Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt qualify for 200m final but Daryll Neita misses out
- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone sets new championship record with 400m gold
What next for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone?
15:15 , Flo CliffordMcLaughlin-Levrone ran 48.29s in her semi on Tuesday but her blistering 47.78s in the final puts her within touching distance of the world record, 47.60s.
And that final was run was in less than ideal conditions, on an incredibly slippery, wet track after a downpour for most of the evening in Tokyo.
Day 7 - Friday 19 September
15:00 , Flo CliffordThe action doesn’t stop - here’s what’s on the agenda for tomorrow...
09:33Women’s 100m Hurdles Heptathlon
10:20Women’s High JumpHeptathlon
11:30Women’s Javelin Throw- Qualification, Group A
12:05Men’s 5000m - Heats
12:30Women’s Shot Put Heptathlon
12:45Women’s 800m - Semi-Final
12:50Men’s Triple Jump - Final
13:00Women’s Javelin Throw- Qualification, Group B
13:15Men’s 400m Hurdles - Final
13:27Women’s 400m Hurdles - Final
13:38Women’s 200m Heptathlon
14:06Men’s 200m - Final
14:22Women’s 200m - Final
Amber Anning: 'I have so much more to give'
14:43 , Flo CliffordAmber Anning tells BBC Sport: “I was a bit disappointed but I gave it my best effort. That is the fastest I've ran all year. I had great progression through the rounds
“I felt like the race got away from me a little bit. I finished, I'm proud, fifth in the world you can't complain. I have so much more to give, I'm looking forward to resting up and going again next season.”
There really wasn’t much she could do with this woman on the track.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins women's 400m
14:31 , Flo CliffordWhat an athlete this woman is. A championship record. The second-fastest time in history. In what is not even her first-choice discipline.
Records falling in the women's 400m
14:29 , Flo CliffordThe Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino sets a new national record of 47.98 in silver, while Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain has also run a new season’s best of 48.19 in bronze.
Amber Anning ran a new season’s best of 49.36, but it was only enough for fifth.
Every single finalist was under 50 seconds. Stunning.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins women's 400m!
14:27 , Flo CliffordThose three are well clear and it’s McLaughlin-Levrone storming ahead - Paulino just behind her!
It’s a championship record of 47.78 for McLaughlin-Levrone!!
Women's 400m final
14:26 , Flo CliffordMcLaughlin-Levrone is already up alongside Anning and she’s straight into the lead, Naser and Paulino just behind her.
Women's 400m final
14:25 , Flo CliffordThen there’s Paris silver medallist Salwa Eid Naser and reigning world and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino, the third and fourth fastest athletes of all time in the 400m.
This final should be a cracker.
Women's 400m final
14:24 , Flo CliffordOnto our last final of the night and it’s the hotly-anticipated women’s 400m final.
Amber Anning is running for GB, she’s in sterling form, but the biggest cheer goes up for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who has gone from hurdles to flat and looks like she was born to do this, frankly.
Leyanis Perez Hernandez wins women's triple jump final
14:22 , Flo CliffordOver in the rather damp triple jump contest, Thea Lafond jumps a season’s best of 14.89m to put her in the silver medal position...
Leyanis Perez Hernandez leads with a world-leading 14.94, with Yulimar Rojas next up with her final jump...
It’s 14.71 for the Venezuelan and the defending champion must settle for bronze!
Cuba’s Perez Hernandez jumps 14.94 once again and cements gold in fine style.
Kebinatshipi wins men's 400m final
14:15 , Flo CliffordKebinatshipi is storming away but Richards is coming up on the inside!
Busang Collen Kebinatshipi wins in a world-leading 43.53!
A new national record for silver medallist Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago in 43.73, with Bayapo Ndori making it a Botswana sandwich on the podium.
Men's 400m final
14:13 , Flo CliffordNene has shot out of the block, Kebinatshipi is chasing and those two look like the favourites....
Men's 400m final
14:13 , Flo Clifford400m final time!
Botswana’s Kebinatshipi and Eppie, USA’s Patterson, and South Africa’s Nene all looked phenomenal in the previous rounds.
Men's 800m semis
14:10 , Flo CliffordMax Burgin ran the third-quickest time of those semis, so stands a good chance of a medal.
Men's 800m semis
14:09 , Flo CliffordOnto the final 800m semi and it’s a dramatic one full of big hitters... Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui wins from hot favourite Emmanuel Wanyonyi, those two clear of the rest.
Jamaica’s Navasky Anderson runs a national record in third, with Tshepiso Maselela of Botswana right behind him to fill the next two quickest spots. Brazier is knocked out of contention!
Ben Pattison: 'I got it completely wrong today'
14:04 , Flo CliffordBen Pattison has an honest chat with BBC Sport after missing out on a final spot: “It was awful to be honest. Tactically a nightmare. I thought I'd run close to the rail and it would open up, but it didn't. I've got myself to blame, very frustrating as I had a lot more running in my legs. Very disappointed.
“I should be good enough to get through a race like that. It's hard to get in a world final, but I'm good enough. I got it completely wrong today and that's my fault.”
Men's 800 semis
13:57 , Flo CliffordOne more semi to come. 2019 world champion Brazier finished in third and faces a nervous wait to see if he’ll go through.
Max Burgin into 800m final
13:56 , Flo CliffordMcPhillips overhauls Burgin and sets a new national record for Ireland of 1:43.18!
Burgin is second and safely through, but McPhillips looks so dangerous after that.
Max Burgin in 800m semi-finals
13:55 , Flo CliffordBurgin hits the front but is being hunted down... McPhillips ins on his shoulder into the final 100m. Brazier is boxed in!
Max Burgin in 800m semi-finals
13:54 , Flo CliffordIt’s absolutely chucking it down inside the National Stadium.
There’s some pushing and shoving not involving Burgin, and he settles in on the shoulder of Italy’s Pernici, who leads after 300m.
Max Burgin in 800m semi-finals
13:53 , Flo CliffordOnto the second heat now. Britain’s Max Burgin is a major medal hopeful, but the threat in this heat is 2019 world champion Donovan Brazier of the USA, who spent three years out with injury but is back in excellent form.
Ireland’s Cian McPhillips was lightning-quick in his heat, too.
Pattison misses out on 800m final spot
13:49 , Flo CliffordMark English comes past Arop but the Canadian retakes the front in a very busy final straight...
Arop wins from Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, both in 1:45.09. Pattison finishes fifth, not a bad performance considering his ongoing comeback from injury, just had too much left to do in the end.
The top two qualify, along with the next two fastest times.
Men's 800m semis
13:47 , Flo CliffordArop hits the front as they take the bell. Pattison is way down the field, second from the back.
Onto the men's 800m semis
13:46 , Flo CliffordNo rest for the wicked, we’re straight into the men’s 800m semis.
Ben Pattison runs for GB in the first race, with Marco Arop of Canada a big threat.
Hunt, Asher-Smith qualify for final
13:44 , Flo CliffordAnthonique Strachan and Brittany Brown are the next quickest two, with Mckenzie Long just behind them - the BBC are suggesting Strachan may be injured, in which case Long could take her place.
But the big story is that Amy Hunt goes through as the fastest of the Brits, second in the all-time rankings with 22.08, qualifying with the third-quickest time of this final!
Dina Asher-Smith joins her in the final, seventh of the eighth in terms of time, with Jackson, Jefferson-Wooden, Battle and Ta Lou-Smith the other finalists.
Daryll Neita misses out on final
13:40 , Flo CliffordTa Lou-Smith gets the best start, Neita is just run out of it... Battle got left behind at the start slightly but makes up for it on the straight to win in 22.09.
Ta Lou-Smith runs a season’s best of 22.17 in second. Neita is fourth in 22.77 and that won’t be enough for the final, a disappointing run from the Brit.
Women's 200 semi-finals
13:37 , Flo CliffordDaryll Neita is the last of the Brits to run, with Mckenzie Long and Anavia Battle - you guessed it, another pair of Americans - the favourites in this last semi-final. Veteran Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith is in this one too.
'That was lit!' - Amy Hunt
13:35 , Flo CliffordAmy Hunt is delighted as she chats to BBC Sport. “That was lit wasn’t it!” she beams. “It was intense today, the warm-up and everything today was full of intent and passion.
“I knew I would need a personal best to qualify, but I knew I had it in me.
“I know I have one of the best top speeds in the world. It was a lot harder run, but it makes tomorrow much more exciting and I've got a really good lane for myself.”
Dina Asher-Smith into 200m final
13:34 , Flo CliffordAsher-Smith runs a great bend, as we’re reminded on commentary, and it looked like she was on the shoulder of Jefferson-Wooden, but the 100m champion just soared away on the straight.
Dina Asher-Smith into 200m final
13:33 , Flo CliffordJefferson-Wooden and Asher-Smith are streaking away from the rest, the American slows up a little to cross in 22.00, the Brit second in 22.21.
Nice and businesslike from those two.
Women's 200m semis
13:31 , Flo CliffordAsher-Smith won her heat and has been drawn alongside 100m champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in this second semi-final.
Jefferson-Wooden doesn’t even look up as she waves to the crowd for her introduction; Asher-Smith blows a kiss to the camera and looks pretty relaxed.
Amy Hunt into 200m final!
13:30 , Flo CliffordThe three athletes behind Amy Hunt all ran season’s bests, so she’s worked really hard to make that final.
Dina Asher-Smith is up next in the second semi-final, Daryll Neita in the third.
Amy Hunt into 200m final!
13:27 , Flo CliffordBrown and Jackson are the leaders here and Amy Hunt is finishing really strongly!
Jackson wins from Hunt in a season’s best of 21.99.
It’s a PB for Hunt of 22.08, and she beats Brittany Brown, who records a season’s best of 22.13.
Brown now faces a wait to see if she’ll qualify with a next-fastest time. It’s the first two from each heat to automatically go through, with the next two quickest times joining them.
Women's 200m semis
13:24 , Flo CliffordBrittany Brown and defending champion Shericka Jackson are the big names in this first heat of three.
Great Britain’s Amy Hunt is in this one too, with a big opportunity.
Lyles for 200m gold?
13:23 , Flo CliffordIt feels hard to bet against this man now.
Onto the women’s semis!
Zharnel Hughes makes 200m final prediction
13:21 , Jack Rathborn“I’m in the final, that’s what’s important, booked my spot,” says Hughes.
“I needed to work the bend, to be in striking distance. Could’ve been a bit more aggressive, but that’s to the final. I could bring a lot more. Relax for the last few metres.”
Noah Lyles produces fireworks in men's 200m
13:19 , Jack RathbornOH. MY. WORD.
Noah Lyles, 19.51secs, that is a STATEMENT, indeed.
A world lead. Zharnel Hughes is through, too, 19.95secs.
Dambile and Makarawu also advance with ‘q’ to bump out Charamba and Van Niekerk.
Levell betters Bednarek to set up tantalising final showdown
13:14 , Jack RathbornOoh, that was spicy, Levell of Jamaica destroying the field, including the Olympic champion Tebogo.
An easy 19.78secs, with the Botswanan second for the big Q.
Charamba (20.03secs) and Van Niekerk (20.12secs) survive, with Courtney Lindsey in third and Gout Gout in fourth not able to advance.
Kenny Bednarek makes 200m statement
13:06 , Jack RathbornThat was a furious first semi-final, with Kenny Bednarek winning in 19.88secs.
Ogando second, Charamba third... Van Niekerk in fourth.
The first two of each heat (Q) advance to the final, then the two fastest times (q). For now, Charamba (20.03secs) and Van Niekerk (20.12secs) will have a nervous wait.
Tebogo, Lyles, Bednarek up next in men's 200m
13:02 , Jack RathbornNext up is the men’s 200m heat... Letsile Tebogo can be seen dancing in the warm-up area.
The Botswanan looks relaxed and is one to watch after his Olympic 200m gold, Noah Lyles will hope for redemption and another gold after settling for bronze in the 100m.
Women's 800m heats
12:50 , Flo CliffordOh no, 1500m bronze medallist Jess Hull trips on the track and falls! That’s so unfortunate. She keeps running, however, and could be advanced by the referee.
Prudence Sekgodiso has pulled up with an injury...
Goule-Toppin wins in 1:59.66, from Nowe and Trapeau. The next three to go through are Nakaayi, Caldwell and Lemote, Reekie pushed out of contention.
The track is really wet now.
Keshorn Walcott wins men's javelin final
12:48 , Flo Clifford13 years on from winning Olympic gold as a 19-year-old - the youngest-ever Olympic champion in a throwing event - Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott is a world champion!
Men's javelin final
12:45 , Flo CliffordAnd Grenada’s Anderson Peters can’t beat his best of 87.38, so it’s silver for him and gold for Keshorn Walcott with 88.16!
Men's javelin final
12:44 , Flo CliffordAmerican Curtis Thompson, who is wearing mismatched shoes, takes bronze in the men’s javelin final.
It’s between Anderson Peters and Keshorn Walcott for the gold...
Hunter Bell wins, Reekie out of contention
12:41 , Flo CliffordGeorgia Hunter Bell moves to the front! She looks really strong, Hollingsworth just behind her.
Hunter Bell comes under a little bit of pressure from Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydyte in the final few metres, but holds on to win in 1:58.82!
Hollingsworth takes third, with the others a way behind. Renelle Lemote of France knocks out Jemma Reekie of the next three qualifying spots.
Georgia Hunter Bell in action
12:38 , Flo CliffordGeorgia Hunter Bell is running in heat six and she gets herself into a good position, just behind Australian leader Claudia Hollingsworth.
Jemma Reekie faces nervous wait
12:34 , Flo CliffordOh dear, Reekie gets swamped in the final, running out of gas in the home straight, and that’s unlikely to be enough. She’s into the last of three automatic spots as it stands but there are two heats to go.
Lilian Odira wins in 1:57.86 from Daily Cooper Gaspar and Worknesh Mesele, Nakaayi finishes fourth and Reekie fifth.
Women's 800m heats
12:32 , Flo Clifford2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi gets into pole position on this first lap, GB’s Jemma Reekie onto her shoulder.
Men's javelin final
12:31 , Flo CliffordDefending world champion Neeraj Chopra is out of the men’s javelin final! Just not had it today and his title defence ends here, with an eighth-place finish.
Women's 800m heats
12:28 , Flo CliffordAudrey Werro of Switzerland wins in 1:58.43 from the USA’s Sage Hurta-Klecker, Anna Wielgosz of Poland runs a brilliant tactical race to edge past Abbey Caldwell of Australia for third - and it’s a PB for the Polish athlete of 1:58.63. Caldwell goes into the next-fastest spot.
Replays show Moraa tripped and as she stumbled, all the others came round her.
No connection between her and compatriot, the famous Mary Moraa, although she was watching the youngster in her heat.
Women's 800m heats
12:25 , Flo CliffordThere’s a little delay ahead of this heat. It’s started raining in Tokyo and there’s quite a stiff breeze by all accounts.
Werro has had to work quite hard to come past 19-year-old Sarah Moraa at the front... and Moraa almost hits the deck! She drifts towards the back and nearly gets in a tangle with Morocco’s Soukaina Hajji, but stays upright.
Women's 800m heats
12:22 , Flo CliffordWalcott throws 88.16, a season’s best, to extend his lead in the men’s javelin final!
Back to the women’s 800m heats, and Audrey Werro of Switzerland is the big medal threat here.
Women's 800m heats
12:18 , Flo CliffordShafiqua Maloney should be up there in this heat but she looks to get blocked at the back early on and goes very wide to try to come round, she moves up but into the final 100m she runs out of gas massively, crossing in last!
Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma wins in 2:01.53 from Maggi Congdon and Eloisa Coiro of Italy.
Men's javelin final
12:14 , Flo CliffordOver in the javelin final, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago is in the lead with a throw of 87.83m.
India’s world champion Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem are way down in eighth and 10th respectively.
Stefanie Reid on BBC Sport comms says javelin athletes only throw 10-15 throws a week, because of the impact on the body.
Women's 800m heats
12:10 , Flo CliffordFrance’s Anais Bourgoin wins heat two in 1:58.43 from Mary Moraa, one-hundredth of a second behind, those two simply storming away from the rest. Gabriela Gajanova of Slovakia is the final automatic qualifier.
Hodgkinson: 'It would mean more than last year'
12:07 , Flo CliffordNice and easy from Hodgkinson, without having to find another gear.
She jokes to BBC Sport: “My makeup stayed on. We know I don't like rounds, they feel awful. I just wanted to enjoy being back in the stadium, it's so nice to be back here. It's nice to be through.
“It's been a long week, waiting around, the 800 being last, I was looking forward to getting out here. At one point I didn't think I'd be here, it would mean more than last year.”
She adds that she’s been training in her hotel room as a result of the heat and humidity in Tokyo. “It was hot, let's just do it here [in the hotel room], a little shakeout,” she says.
Women's 800m heats
12:02 , Flo CliffordHodgkinson wins from Assia Raziki, with France’s Clara Liberman taking the final automatic qualifying spot.
1:59.72 is the winning time.
Women's 800m heats
12:00 , Flo CliffordHodgkinson is controlling this nicely, with Horvat and Willis on her shoulder... and Keely begins to stretch it out now with 300m to go.
Women's 800m heats
11:59 , Flo CliffordHodgkinson gets a smooth start, and moves nicely to the front with 600m to go.
Women's 800m heats
11:58 , Flo CliffordFor those on Brit-watch: Hodgkinson is in heat one, Jemma Reekie in five and Georgia Hunter Bell in heat six.
Here we go!
Women's 800m heats
11:53 , Flo CliffordShowtime in the women’s 800m and Keely Hodgkinson is in action in the first of seven heats.
The first three of each heat qualify, plus the three next fastest times.
Women's 5000m heats
11:52 , Flo CliffordThe remaining qualifiers from that heat are: Davies of Australia, Garcia of Spain, Eisa of Ethiopia, Andrews of USA, Hall of Australia and Ngetich of Kenya. No FitzGerald.
Women's 5000m heats
11:50 , Flo CliffordThat group of around 12 has been thinned down to eight, and those are the qualifiers.
Tsegay wins in 14:56.46, from Kipyegon, who records a season’s best of 14:56.71.
Women's 5000m heats
11:49 , Flo CliffordHironaka has been swamped and is going backwards, unfortunately. What a heroic effort.
FitzGerald is off the back of this large group and won’t be joining Nuttall in the final.
Tsegay now takes over from Kipyegon, the lead jumping between the pair of them.
Women's 5000m heats
11:47 , Flo CliffordKipyegon ups the pace and FitzGerald is getting left behind in this big bunch...
Hironaka is rocking from side to side, looking up at the screen. 900m to go...
Women's 5000m heats
11:46 , Flo CliffordCan Hironaka hold on? The gap is closing but only slowly. She’s into the final 1200m...
Women's 5000m heats
11:41 , Flo CliffordJapan’s Hironaka has gone for the unconventional tactic of just flying off the front, a couple of hundred metres ahead of the pack!
She’s still got 3000m to go...
Women's 5000m heats
11:38 , Flo CliffordAnd speaking of FitzGerald, she’s in action now as the second heat gets underway.
There’s a big cheer as Japan’s Ririka Hironaka is announced and she leads this one from the front.
1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and 2022 world champion Gudaf Tsegay are the big favourites here.
GB's Hannah Nuttall: 'The aim was to stay calm'
11:31 , Flo CliffordA very smiley Hannah Nuttall tells BBC Sport: “I felt like at the start it went off a bit hot. I just tried to relax, it worked out in the end, I was able to catch them up a bit.
“We did think potentially it could go out quicker. I was just prepared for everything, the aim was to stay calm throughout.
“I was trying to keep focused, I didn't know if there was anyone behind me, I just tried to keep pushing the whole way.”
Sadly Melissa Courtney-Bryant did not make it through that heat, but GB have one more contender in Innes FitzGerald to come.
Men's javelin final
11:30 , Flo CliffordWe’re now being introduced to the men’s javelin finalists.
The major contenders are India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who have alternated gold and silver at the most recent world championships and Olympics.
German Julian Weber and two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada are the other favourites, having thrown the two furthest distances in Wednesday’s heats.
Women's 5000m heats
11:24 , Flo CliffordJapan’s Nozomi Tanaka leads this first heat into the final lap but Beatrice Chebet moves up inside the final couple of hundred metres and just looks so smooth, so effortless, as she storms away from everyone to win. Tanaka finishes fourth.
GB’s Hannah Nuttall finishes seventh and will qualify for the final!
It’s the top eight from both heats. The others from heat one are: Battocletti of Italy, Houlihan of USA, Koster of the Netherlands, Belayneh of Ethiopia, and Cheptoyek of Uganda.
Women's 5000m heats
11:07 , Flo CliffordThe action kicks off today with the women’s 5000m heats.
Kenyan duo Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon lead a star-studded field, while British interests are represented by Innes Fitzgerald, Hannah Nuttall and Melissa Courtney-Bryant.
Josh Kerr limps over finish line after pulling up injured in World Championship 1500m final
11:00 , Flo CliffordJosh Kerr bravely limped over the finish line at the World Athletics Championships after his 1500m defence ended in heartbreak and he was forced to pull up injured in the final.
The 27-year-old Scot appeared to pick up a painful leg injury with 600m remaining, with Kerr dropping to the back of the field and struggling to put his weight down on one side.
Kerr’s injury was initially reported to be a right calf injury, with the BBC reporting that Kerr was in so much pain after the race in Tokyo that he could not climb the stairs from the track to the flash interview area.
Josh Kerr limps over finish line after pulling up injured in 1500m final
Jake Wightman reveals how he overcame ‘very bleak years’ to land silver medal at World Athletics Championships
10:50 , Flo CliffordJake Wightman has revealed how he overcame “very bleak years” to land a World Athletics Championships silver medal in a thrilling men’s 1500m final in Tokyo.
The 2022 world champion has battled injuries in recent years and left his father and coach Geoff Wightman to change his training set-up in a bid to return to the pinnacle of the sport.
Wightman negotiated the heats and semi-final superbly and appeared a real threat, alongside Great Britain teammate and defending champion Josh Kerr, who pulled up injured to finish last.
And the Briton took the lead over favourite Niels Laros, of the Netherlands, with 200m remaining, only for Portuguese athlete Isaac Nader to pip him on the line by two hundredths of a second in 3mins 34.10secs.
Jake Wightman reveals how he overcame ‘very bleak years’ to land World silver
What happened on day five?
10:40 , Flo CliffordElsewhere, American Katie Moon sealed her third world title in the women’s pole vault, beating compatriot Sandi Morris and Slovenia’s Tina Sutej. Britain’s Molly Caudery had been expected to feature but twisted her ankle in the warm-up before qualification, leaving her in tears.
20-year-old Mattia Furlani stunned the men’s long jump field with a gold medal-winning leap of 8.39m, beating Tajay Gayle and Yuhao Shi for a first world title.
And Faith Cherotich won a dramatic women’s 3000m steeplechase ahead of Paris Olympic champion Winfred Yavi and Sembo Almayew, after Tokyo Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai fell on the track to end her medal hopes.
What happened on day five?
10:28 , Flo CliffordJosh Kerr’s defence of his 1500m world title ended in tatters in a dramatic final, which had looked comparatively open after rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen crashed out in the heats after an injury-marred build-up, while Olympic champion Cole Hocker was controversially disqualified in the semi-finals.
But Kerr never got into a good position and pulled up with an injury partway through the race, hobbling round to the end to finish dead last.
Great Britain nearly had another gold medal however in the form of 2022 world champion Jake Wightman, who came back from what he described as a “very bleak”, injury-hampered couple of years to earn GB’s first medal of the championships, a silver.
The Scot led for much of the final lap but was pipped on the line by Portugal’s Isaac Nader by two-hundredths of a second.
World Athletics Championships 2025 schedule (all times BST)
10:21 , Flo CliffordDay 6 - Thursday 18 September
11:05Women’s 5000m - Heats
11:15Women’s High Jump- Qualification
11:23Men’s Javelin Throw - Final
11:55Women’s 800m - Heats
12:55Women’s Triple Jump - Final
13:02Men’s 200m - Semi-Final
13:24Women’s 200m - Semi-Final
13:45Men’s 800m - Semi-Final
14:10Men’s 400m - Final
14:24Women’s 400m - Final
How to watch the World Athletics Championships
10:14 , Flo CliffordViewers in the UK can watch the World Athletics Championships for free on BBC One and Two and BBC iPlayer.
Keely Hodgkinson goes for gold
10:07 , Flo CliffordOlympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson is in action this week in Tokyo as the World Athletics Championships build to a thrilling conclusion.
The Briton was a dominant victor in Paris last year but has barely raced since her long-awaited Olympic triumph, with two torn hamstrings putting her out of action for 376 days.
But the silver world medallist from 2022 and 2023 returned in smoking-hot form at the Diamond League in Silesia last month, setting a new meeting record of one minute and 54.74 seconds - the second-fastest time of her career.
She followed it up with another winning time in Lausanne, and it seems that only a real calamity can deny her a maiden world title in Tokyo.
Good morning
10:00 , Flo CliffordHello and welcome to live coverage of day six of the World Athletics Championships.
On today’s agenda: Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson kicks off her bid for world gold, three British women are in action in the 200m semis, reigning 200m champion Noah Lyles continues his title defence, and hurdles star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone goes for 400m gold on the flat.
We’ll have all the build-up, action, and results right here.
