The final day at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 was the epitome of the whole nine-day competition, with a championship record, a surprise victor and more winners of multiple titles at the Japan National Stadium.
Sunday (21) marked the global medal-winning start of some athletes’ careers and the end of a chapter for others.
USA’s Melissa Jefferson-Wooden became only the second female sprinter after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to complete the sprint treble – receiving a baton of sorts from the Jamaican sprint superstar who made her World Championships farewell in Tokyo.
After her individual 100m and 200m wins, Jefferson-Wooden formed part of the victorious US women’s 4x100m team that took the title ahead of Jamaica, while the US men’s quartet completed a golden 4x100m double for the nation.
USA also won the women’s 4x400m, while Botswana pipped USA to victory in the men’s event.
Leo Neugebauer won the decathlon after a competition of twists and turns, Nicola Olyslagers soared to another global gold, Cole Hocker rebounded to clinch the 5000m crown and Lilian Odira announced herself on the global stage by securing a shock 800m triumph.
Gold again for USA in women’s 4x100m
USA successfully defended their title in the women’s 4x100m, holding off strong challenges from Jamaica, Germany and Great Britain.
Their quartet of Twanisha Terry, Kayla White, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha’Carri Richardson got the baton around in 41.75 to finish 0.04 ahead of Jamaica. Germany secured bronze in 41.87, finishing 0.2 ahead of Great Britain.
It meant that Jefferson-Wooden, winner of the 100m and 200m, secured her third gold medal of the championships. The race also marked a significant moment for Jamaica’s multiple world and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who earned the final medal of her career before hanging up her spikes at the end of this season.
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Results: 1 United States (USA) 41.75, 2 Jamaica (JAM) 41.79, 3 Germany 41.87
USA retains men’s world 4x100m title
USA clinched their 10th world title in the men’s 4x100m, clocking a world lead of 37.29 to bring track competition at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 to a close on Sunday (21).
Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey and Christian Coleman teamed up to claim a clear win, holding off Canada and Netherlands.
Lyles, who won the individual 200m title in Tokyo, anchored the US quartet to victory, finishing ahead of Canada’s Andre De Grasse who secured silver for Canada in 37.55. Elvis Afrifa followed them over the finish to bag bronze in a Dutch record of 37.81.
Full report
Results: 1 United States (USA) 37.29 WL, 2 Canada (CAN) 37.55, 3 Netherlands (NED) 37.81
USA breaks championship record to regain 4x400m title
The US quartet of Isabella Whittaker, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Aaliyah Butler and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone combined to break the 4x400m championship record and win their nation’s 11th world gold medal in this event.
The team led from start to finish and eventually won by more than two seconds in 3:16.61 – individual 400m champion McLaughlin-Levrone running a 47.82 anchor leg to bring them home inside the championship record of 3:16.71 that had been set by USA in 1993.
Jamaica chased them hard and secured silver in 3:19.25, while defending champions the Netherlands clinched bronze this time in 3:20.18.
Full report
Results: 1 United States (USA) 3:16.61 CR, 2 Jamaica (JAM) 3:19.25, 3 Netherlands (NED) 3:20.18
Botswana bags 4x400m gold
In a race that came down to an anchor leg duel between two individual one-lap champions, Botswana claimed gold in a thrilling men’s 4x400m.
Rai Benjamin, the world and Olympic 400m hurdles champion, was given the baton in the lead for the US on the last leg, while world 400m champion Collen Kebinatshipi had the last leg honours for Botswana.
Benjamin maintained USA’s advantage for most of the way, but in the closing stages he was caught by Kebinatshipi, who crossed the line in 2:57.76. Benjamin just about held on for silver in 2:57.83, the same time as bronze medallists South Africa.
Full report
Results: 1 Botswana (BOT) 2:57.76, 2 United States (USA) 2:57.83, 3 South Africa (RSA) 2:57.83
Neugebauer clinches decathlon crown
The decathlon in Tokyo was a perfect example of how much the combined events can change from one discipline to the next.
Canada’s 2021 Olympic champion Damian Warner, for example, withdrew just before the competition got under way. Defending champion Pierce LePage pulled out after four events. World leader Sander Skotheim was disqualified after a hurdles mishap. And long-time leader Kyle Garland was finally overtaken after eventual winner Leo Neugebauer unleashed a five-metre PB in the javelin.
Neugebauer’s 64.34m throw in the penultimate discipline proved to be the pivotal moment. It meant the German went into the final event with a 15-point advantage over Garland, safe in the knowledge that he was a better 1500m runner than his US opponent.
He did more than enough in the final event to hold on to gold, scoring a season’s best of 8804 to finish ahead of Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme with a national record of 8784 and Garland (8703).
Full report
Results: 1 Leo Neugebauer (GER) 8804, 2 Ayden Owens-Delerme (PUR) 8784 NR, 3 Kyle Garland (USA) 8703
Odira times finish to perfection
Lilian Odira came through in the closing stages of the women’s 800m to win gold in 1:54.62, breaking the oldest championship record.
Defending champion Mary Moraa led for the first lap with Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson tucked right behind. The two global champions started to kick with 300 metres to go, but so did Odira, who was further back in the pack.
Moraa started to fade at the top of the home straight. Hodgkinson battled for the final 100 metres, but Odira came striding around the outside and crossed the line in first place. Georgia Hunter Bell caught her British teammate just before the line, taking silver in 1:54.90 to Hodgkinson’s 1:54.91.
It was a race of record depth – the first time that three women have broken 1:55 and five women have gone sub-1:56.
Full report
Results: 1 Lilian Odira (KEN) 1:54.62 CR, 2 Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR) 1:54.90 PB, 3 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) 1:54.91
Hocker turns 1500m disappointment into 5000m glory
Six days after being disqualified from the semifinals in his specialist event, Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker stuck gold in the 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
The US runner sat in the pack for most of the way. Double Olympic medallist Grant Fisher and Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet led for several laps, then Jakob Ingebrigtsen took a turn at the front with less than two kilometres to go. But when the big kicks started, Hocker had the best finish.
He crossed the line in 12:58.30 to take gold ahead of Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli (12:58.78) and 10,000m winner Jimmy Gressier (12:59.33).
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Results: 1 Cole Hocker (USA) 12:58.30, 2 Isaac Kimeli (BEL) 12:58.78, 3 Jimmy Gressier (FRA) 12:59.33
Olyslagers wins first world outdoor title
Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers added world outdoor high jump gold to her two world indoor titles, clearing 2.00m to triumph in the rain at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 on Sunday (21).
The two-time Olympic silver medallist had a flawless competition up to her winning height and that paid off as she won on countback ahead of Poland’s Maria Zodzik, who managed 2.00m for a PB on her third attempt.
That secured her the silver ahead of Ukraine’s world record-holder and defending champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who shared bronze with Serbia’s Angelina Topic as they both cleared 1.97m and couldn’t be separated on countback.
Full report
Results: 1 Nicola Olyslagers (AUS) 2.00m, 2 Maria Zodzik (POL) 2.00m PB, 3 Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) 1.97m, 3 Angelina Topic (SRB) 1.97m