Four years after making history in the hurdles on this track, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added her name into the record books again, this time by winning the women’s 400m at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in a championship record of 47.78.
Her run came just moments after Collen Kebinatshipi achieved a historic first for Botswana in the men’s 400m, becoming his nation’s first ever world champion in a men’s event.
Elsewhere on day six of the championships, Keshorn Walcott returned to the top of a global podium to take the men’s javelin title, while Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez beat defending champion Yulimar Rojas and Olympic champion Thea Lafond to win the women’s triple jump.
As expected, the women’s 400m came down to a three-way battle between McLaughlin Levrone, Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino and 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser. It didn’t disappoint either, as just 0.41 separated the three medallists.
McLaughlin-Levrone managed to hold off Paulino, crossing the line in 47.78 to break Paulino’s continental record and move to second on the world all-time list. Paulino took silver and was rewarded with a personal best of 47.98, marking the first time that two women have broken 48 seconds in one race. Naser took bronze in 48.19.
Full report
Results: 1 Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) 47.78 CR AR, 2 Marileidy Paulino (DOM) 47.98 NR, 3 Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) 48.19
Kebinatshipi creates history for Botswana
Collen Kebinatshipi showed that his PB in the semifinals wasn’t a fluke, going even faster to win the men’s 400m title in Tokyo.
He stormed to a world-leading national record of 43.53 to win the 400m and consolidate his place at 10th on the world all-time list. He held off Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, who adds his 400m silver in a national record of 43.72 to the world 200m bronze he claimed in London in 2017.
Bayapo Ndori joined his compatriot Kebinatshipi on the podium, clinching bronze for Botswana with 44.20.
Full report
Result: 1 Collen Kebinatshipi (BOT) 43.53 NR, 2 Jereem Richards (TTO) 43.72 NR, 3 Bayapo Ndori (BOT) 44.20
Walcott takes long-awaited global javelin title No.2
Thirteen years after he burst on to the international stage with his surprise Olympic victory in 2012, Trinidad & Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott won his second global title in the men’s javelin with 88.16m.
His victory in Tokyo on Thursday (18) wasn’t quite as surprising as his Olympic triumph more than a decade ago, but it was still unexpected. He took the lead in round two with 87.83m, then threw farther in round four with 88.16m.
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters claimed silver with his second-round throw of 87.38m and USA’s Curtis Thompson earned a surprise bronze with 86.67m.
World leader Julian Weber placed fifth (86.11m), defending champion Neeraj Chopra was eighth (84.03m) and Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem was 10th (82.75m).
Full report
Result: 1 Keshorn Walcott (TTO) 88.16m, 2 Anderson Peters (GRN) 87.38m, 3 Curtis Thompson (USA) 86.67m
Perez Hernandez takes triple jump gold
Leyanis Perez Hernandez achieved the best mark of the year to add the outdoor world triple jump title to her world indoor gold at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 on Thursday (18).
The Cuban 23-year-old leapt 14.94m – a single centimetre farther than her world indoor title-winning jump from Nanjing in March – to win ahead of Dominica’s Olympic champion Thea LaFond with 14.89m.
The four-time winner of this title, Venezuela’s world record-holder Yulimar Rojas, clinched bronze with 14.76m on her return after injury. The qualification round on Tuesday had been her first triple jump competition in exactly two years.
Full report
Result: 1 Leyanis Perez Hernandez (CUB) 14.94m, 2 Thea Lafond (DMA) 14.89m, 3 Yulimar Rojas (VEN) 14.76m
In the rounds…
Defending champion Noah Lyles sped to a world-leading 19.51 – the fastest semifinal time in history – to earn his spot in the men’s 200m final. Jamaica’s Bryan Levell won the second semifinal in 19.78, finishing ahead of Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo (19.95).
Defending champion Shericka Jackson (21.99) and 100m winner Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (22.20) were the fastest qualifiers for the women’s 200m final. All four US team members made it through to the final.
Defending champion Marco Arop and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi qualified for the men’s 800m final, but the most surprising runs in the semifinals came from Ireland’s Cian McPhillips and Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui, who both ran 1:43.18 to win their respective races.
Kenyan duo Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon, winners of the 10,000m and 1500m respectively at these championships, qualified for the 5000m with relative ease. Chebet won her heat, while Kipyegon followed Gudaf Tsegay across the line in the second heat.
All of the pre-event favourites also advanced to the final in the women’s high jump, including Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Nicola Olyslagers, Eleanor Patterson and Morgan Lake.
A few notable names didn’t progress from the heats of the women’s 800m. World indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso pulled up injured in her heat. Just moments earlier, Australia’s Jessica Hull took a tumble, taking her out of contention. Kenya’s Lilian Odira led the round with 1:57.86 while Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and Diamond League champion Audrey Werro also advanced with ease.
Day seven preview
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