By Yavuz Yavuz in Tokyo National Stadium
Much anticipated women’s 800m final saw a major upset as both in-form Georgia Hunter Bell and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, worn out by Mary Moraa in the opening lap, were run down by Kenya’s Lilian Odira in the home straight and settled for silver and bronze, respectively.
Odira became Kenya’s fourth different world champion in women’s 800m by taking down the 42-year-old championship record of Czechoslovakia’s Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1:54.62. Odira was fourth coming into the last 100 meters but launched a kick that put her over the top. This way, Odira completed the Kenyan sweep of women’s middle and long-distance races from 800m and beyond.
In men’s 5000m final, Cole Hocker redeemed the 1500m final from which he was disqualified, by winning gold medal. Hocker was 13th at the bell but a 52.62 final lap gave him the victory. With that, he became the first American to win world title in the event since Bernard Lagat in Osaka 2007. Isaac Kimeli brought Belgium its second medal in the event after Mohammed Mourhit in 1999, whereas France’s Jimmy Gressier won his second medal with a bronze after gold in men’s 10,000.
Men’s 4x400 final started when the field events (women’s high jump and men’s discus throw finals) were suspended due to heavy rain. Under severe downpour and on soaking track, Botswana pulled off a miracle, as men’s 400m gold medallist Collen Kebinatshipi anchored them to gold after the team trailed behind the United States for the first three legs and the better part of the last lap. His 44.14 split and kick down the final stretch brought Botsvana its first ever world medal in relay with a gold.
USA, winner of nine of the last 10 men’s 4x400 golds, had earned a place in the final by defeating Kenya in the run-off earlier in the morning and won silver. South Africa came in third, which won Wayde van Niekerk — who ran the third leg — his first world medal in eight years.
USA recovered from the loss in the women’s final. They were in the lead from the onset and never conceded. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 47.82 anchor leg helped the team set a new championship record in 3:16.61, breaking their own dating back to 1993. Jamaica won silver, and the Netherlands, the defending champions, settled for bronze.
In the closest ever decathlon finish of world championships history, Olympic silver-medallist Leo Neugebauer edged Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme by 20 points (8804-8784) to bring Germany the first gold in the event in six years. Neugebauer’s 56.15 in discus throw was a championship decathlon best.
Owens-Delerme, fourth place finisher at Eugene 2022, won Puerto Rico’s first ever multi-event medal. He set a massive PB in pole vault with 5.10 and went on to break the Puerto Rican decathlon record. 25-year-old American Kyle Garland won the first senior international medal of his career with a world bronze.
Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce won her 17th and final world medal in women’s 4x100, as Jamaica got silver trailing behind the USA. The 10-time gold medallist ran the first leg and produced the third fastest split. With USA’s gold, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed the 100-200-4x100 triple at Tokyo. Germany capitalised on running on the dry lane under the roof, as Gina Lückenkemper ran a massive 9.85 split to pull the team on the podium with a bronze, coming in from the fifth place in the anchor leg. Rebekka Haase of the Olympic bronze medal winning team also contributed by splitting fastest in the second leg with 9.57.
USA completed the 4x1 double with another gold in men’s by clocking 37.29. While this was the 10th men’s 4x100 gold won by the USA, it marked the first time they defended their title since 1993. Canada won silver, and Elvis Afrifa’s stunning 8.79 anchor leg helped the Netherlands win bronze — their first 4x100 medal since 2003. Aided by Taymir Burnet’s 8.76 second leg, they set a new national record at 37.81. Ghana’s Abdulrasheed Saminu ran the final leg in 8.94, which was not enough for a medal as they finished fourth in 37.93.
Field finals were constantly interrupted by occasional showers. In women’s high jump Nicola Olyslagers, who had jumped 2.04 this season, did not fault until 2.02 which was enough for her to clinch gold. She became the second Australian high jump gold medallist after Eleanor Patterson in 2022. Poland’s Maria Zodzik cleared the 2.00 bar at her last attempt and won silver, making her the second Polish world medallist in women’s high jump after Kamila Stepaniuk in 2017.
Angelina Topic and defending champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh did not flinch until 2.00 but that’s when the rain started. Having failed their later attempts, they were tied for bronze. Topic, this way, became the third Serbian athlete to medal at the world championships.
Men’s discus throw final ended after all the action in the stadium due to rain. Finally held under the shower, Mykolas Alekna seemed poised for his first ever gold and becoming Lithuania’s first world champion in the event since 2017 but Daniel Stahl, who won twice in the last two championships and was the defending champion, surpassed the 70-metre line by 47 centimetres at his last attempt and clinched the world title. The highlight of the final, however, was Alex Rose who, with a throw of 66.96 metres, won bronze — Samoa’s first ever medal at the world championships.
