Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Femke Bol and Pedro Pichardo timed their season peaks to perfection to get gold on day seven of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, while Noah Lyles and Rai Benjamin joined them in adding more honours to their collections.
Jefferson-Wooden completed a sprint double on Friday (19), adding the 200m title in a world-leading PB of 21.68 to her 100m win, while Bol and Lyles retained their 400m hurdles and 200m titles, respectively, and Benjamin added 400m hurdles gold to his Olympic crown.
Pichardo may not have been a reigning champion, but his triple jump triumph in front of a passionate crowd of more than 58,000 was a second global title win for him in Tokyo, following his Olympic gold from 2021.
Jefferson-Wooden completes sprint double
Five days after winning the 100m with a world-leading PB, Jefferson-Wooden repeated that feat to take the 200m title.
The US sprinter came off the bend with a slight lead over defending champion Shericka Jackson and then pulled away down the home straight, stopping the clock at 21.68. The time elevates her to eighth on the world all-time list, one place behind Merlene Ottey and one place above Allyson Felix.
Jackson faded in the closing stages, allowing Britain’s Amy Hunt to come through to take silver in 22.14 to the Jamaican’s 22.18.
Full report
Results: 1 Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) 21.68 WL, 2 Amy Hunt (GBR) 22.14, 3 Shericka Jackson (JAM) 22.18
Bol retains title with world-leading run
Femke Bol successfully defended her world 400m hurdles title, clocking a world-leading 51.54.
The Dutch athlete pulled away down the home straight to create a gap on USA’s Jasmine Jones, who held on for silver with a PB of 52.08. Emma Zapletalova of the Slovak Republic earned bronze with a national record of 53.00, becoming the second Slovak woman to ever win a World Championships medal.
Bol’s 51.54 is the fourth-fastest time of her career and the quickest time she’s ever produced at a major championships, 0.16 better than her winning time in Budapest two years ago.
Full report
Results: 1 Femke Bol (NED) 51.54 WL, 2 Jasmine Jones (USA) 52.08 PB, 3 Emma Zapletalova (SVK) 53.00 NR
With last leap, Pichardo strikes triple jump gold again in Tokyo
With the very last leap of the competition, Portugal’s Pichardo soared to gold again in Tokyo, setting a world lead of 17.91m.
The 32-year-old adds this gold to the Olympic title he claimed in the same stadium in 2021, as well as his world crown from 2022.
His winning leap came in response a PB performance by Italy’s Andrea Dallavalle, who jumped into the lead with 17.64m from his own final attempt.
But Pichardo wasn’t done, and he saved his best for last to add another honour to a global medal collection that started in 2013, when he secured silver in Moscow.
Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez clinched bronze with a season’s best of 17.49m.
Full report
Results: 1 Pedro Pichardo (POR) 17.91m WL, 2 Andrea Dallavalle (ITA) 17.64m, 3 Lazaro Martinez (CUB) 17.49m
Lyles wins fourth world 200m title
USA’s Lyles won his fourth successive world 200m title in a final that produced record depth.
The Olympic 100m champion held off a strong three-way challenge from US compatriot Kenny Bednarek, Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo and Jamaica’s Bryan Levell.
Lyles held on to win in 19.52 with Bednarek taking silver in 19.58. Levell was third with a PB of 19.64, just ahead of Tebogo (19.65). Britain’s Zharnel Hughes was fifth in 19.78.
It was the first time three, or even four, men had broken 19.70 in the same race, and the first time five men had finished inside 19.80.
Full report
Results: 1 Noah Lyles (USA) 19.52, 2 Kenny Bednarek (USA) 19.58, 3 Bryan Levell (JAM) 19.64 PB
Benjamin bags world title to go with Olympic crown
USA’s Rai Benjamin added world gold to his Olympic crown, winning the 400m hurdles in 46.52 at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 on Friday (19).
He managed to maintain his momentum, despite knocking down the final barrier, and dipped to victory to hold off Alison dos Santos (46.84) and Abderrahman Samba (47.06).
Dos Santos adds this silver to the gold he gained in 2022, while Samba returns to the world podium for the first time since Doha in 2019, when he also claimed bronze.
They both passed defending champion Karsten Warholm in the closing stages, as did Ezekiel Nathaniel, who clocked a Nigerian record of 47.11 to pip him into fifth place and move to 10th on the world all-time list.
Full report
Results: 1 Rai Benjamin (USA) 46.52, 2 Alison dos Santos (BRA) 46.84, 3 Abderrahman Samba (QAT) 47.06
Hall leads heptathlon at half-way stage
The first day of the heptathlon ended with Anna Hall holding a comfortable lead over Olympic champion Nafi Thiam and defending world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
The expected battle between the three stars of the event has so far lived up to expectations, though there’s also a chance that Ireland’s Kate O’Connor could keep one of the big three off the podium.
Hall’s 13.05 run in the 100m hurdles, 1.89m leap in the high jump, 15.80m PB in the shot put and 23.50 run in the 200m has given the US all-rounder a lead of 4154, just seven points shy of her tally en route to her world-leading 7032 earlier this year.
A strong performance across the board from O’Connor has put her in second place overall with 3906, ahead of Johnson-Thompson (3893). Thiam currently sits in sixth with 3818.
Report
In the rounds…
The top eight in the second 800m semifinal all dipped under 1:58, led by Kenyan champion Lilian Odira in 1:56.85 and Audrey Werro in 1:56.99. Jess Hull rebounded from her fall in the heats to finish third in an Oceanian record of 1:57.15 and secure her spot in the final as the fastest non-automatic qualifier. Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma and 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi were among those to miss out. Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson (1:57.53) and defending champion Mary Moraa (1:58.40) won their respective heats.
There were thrills and spills in the men’s 5000m heats. Isaac Kimeli (13:13.06) and Biniam Mehary (13:41.52) won their respective races and will be joined in the final by the likes of 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier, Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker, world leader Grant Fisher and defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who clinched the final qualification place after being unable to advance from the heats in his 1500m bid. But Andreas Almgren, who had set the fastest outdoor time in the world so far this year, missed out, as did Niels Laros, who stepped off the track with around two laps remaining.
Two-time world U20 champion Adriana Vilagos topped javelin qualification, launching 66.06m to advance as one of six athletes to achieve the automatic qualification mark of 62.50m. Mackenzie Little, Anete Sietina, Victoria Hudson, Tori Moorby and Juleisy Angulo also did so, the latter with an Ecuadorian record of 63.25m. There was disappointment for home favourite Haruka Kitaguchi, as her best of 60.38m was not enough to see her progress on her title defence.
Day eight preview