Key events
Coming up next, we’ve got the 1500m in the men’s decathlon. This is the state of play…
McLaughlin-Levrone’s leg, with the race won and track sodden, was 47.8; she ran 47.78 to take the individual event. I can’t wait for her to break Marita Koch’s world record, which will surely come in 2026.
USA win gold in the women’s 4x400m relay in championship record of 3.16.61
Jamaica take silver and the Netherlands bronze.
It’s still USA from Jamaica from the Netherlands, and Aaliyah Butler passes on to the great McLaughlin-Levrone, extending the lead and looking like it’s no effort whatsoever. She’s 30m clear…
USA stretch it out on leg two, Netherlands closing on Jamaica in second – and they’ve Femke Bol on the anchor.
Netherlands go out fast but USA, with an entirely different quartet to the one with ran the semis, lead, and at the break, are well in front, Jamaica second.
Righto, they take their marks, the rain nothing like as fierce as at the start of the men’s race, and off they go, the track sodden.
The women are out on the track for their 4x400m relay. My sense is USA, with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on anchor, have a chance.
Field events have been suspended with the hope that they’ll soon be back under way once the rain abates. I actually don’t think it’s as heavy as 15 minutes ago, but the mop-up might take a while.
The GB men came sixth and are really disappointed, but four years ago were sixth in the heats, so they’re proud of the progress and resolved to keep improving.
The winning time, by the way, was pretty slow on account of the rain, 2.57.76.
Gosh, that was a brilliant race and finish – Botswana athletics is in such a great place. It looked for all the world like USA were going to win, but Benjamin tied up just as Kebinatshipi came on strong. I can’t wait to see what he goes on to achieve, and I’m also keen to learn how quickly Van Niekerk ran because his leg hauled SA from nowhere into gold medal contention.
Botswana win the men’s 4x400m relay
USA take silver and South Africa bronze.
Oh my days, it’s three heading for the line, Nene killing it but USA lead … oh but Kebinatshipi is surging! This is amazing!
USA lead with Benjamin, the 400m hurdles champ, but Kebinatshipi has the baton, and SA are right back in it aftera fantastic leg from Van Niekerk.
At the third change, it’s USA and Botswana well ahead, SA chasing with Van Niekerk. This going to be a terrific finish.
SA are off quickly, wading through puddles, with USA now leading as they break, Botswana on their shoulder with Tebogo.
Off we go in the men’s 4x4000m relay…
It’s absolutely caning it down with rain now – they’ve stopped the men’s discus final – but the men’s 400m relay final will soon be under way. It looks a pretty open contest, but I’m looking forward to seeing how Botswana go – they’ve got Collen Kebinatshipi, the individual champ, as well as Letsile Tebogo.
Back with the high jump, Morgan Lake is about to take her final go at 1.97 … and I’m afraid she’s not that close. She can reflect on a really good season, finally hitting 2.00, but for today, she’s done.
Looking again at the 5000m finish, Hocker was just so strong coming around the curve. It’s amazing really, given he’s a 1500m specialist – he must’ve put in some serious effort in training.
In the studio, Meadows, Hodgkindson’s coach, agrees she wasted energy when Moraa wouldn’t let her by early doors and doesn’t want to sound like a fan, but she says Keely has gone up in her imagination, while Georgia ran “the perfect race”. She’d said she wanted to be on the floor after the race with nothing left to give, and she did that; they thought she might be able to sneak into the 1.54s, and she did that.
Keely and Georgia are with BBC, the latter feeling her call to pick the 8 over the 15 was vindicated. She ran her fastest time ever and is really happy, telling herself not to get dropped when it was quick early doors, to kick at the end.
Hodgkinson says she might’ve wasted energy tussling and surging, but she was “in it to win it” and if you go for gold you risk being run out of the medals entirely. She’s proud of her and her mate and seeing what she’s been through this year she’s proud even if she’s not got what she came for.
Did she feel Odire coming on strong? “Not really, I thought I had it” but she did her best to hold on but her legs “were falling off a little bit because the first lap was so quick, but I ran it how I ran it and this is what the result is.”
It’s been a really difficult year, she’s disappointed, but it’s her fifth podium in a row, so.
Back to Hunter Bell, she and Hodgkinson are both looking forward to a break, and she’s very grateful to her coaches and feels lucky to be part of the team.
They’re both so thoughtful, mature and likeable.
Hocker will have felt injustice after his 1500m DQ – with no reason, he hauled himself through the runners in front of him – but if it inspired him to this, who cares? He had so much left at the end; “USA ON TOP!” he shouts into a camera. Ho hum.
Cole Hocker of USA wins the men’s 5000m in 12.58.30
Redemption! Isaac Kimeli of Belgium takes silver and Jimmy Gressier of France, the 10,000m champ, nabs bronze.
Harker has timed this to perfection!
Mehary is sprinting now, Kimeli of Belgium next, and Harker is looking strong coming around the bend!
Ingenrigtsen moves to the front! I don’t think anyone expected that, the defending champ clearly not in his best racing shape after coming back from an Achilles injury. But he probably knows he can’t stretch it out as he would ordinarily, the others go with him, and with 700m to go, almost anyone can win. This is going be a kicking contest, and what we’re seeing a fair bit in championships is someone surprising coming on strong in the final 50m. At the bell, Mehary leads from Kimeli and Gressier, the 10000m champ, is also in the mix!
The pace increases again, Gebrhiwet still leading and looking comfy, as Fisher moves alongside and past. Mills is miles off the back now, I’m not sure why – the pace is quick but not that quick – and through 3000m, there are 14 in the main group, all with a chance of something.
Now Gebrhiwet hits the front as we near the halfway stage, Fisher and You0ng behind, then Mehary of Ethiopia; Mills is miles off, five metres behind Ingebrigtsen.
At 1870m, Young leads from Gebrhiwet, the Americans taking it in turns to lead as the pace slows a little.
Back with the women’s high jump, they’re up to 1.97 with Olyslagers and Mahuchikh already over.
Now Fisher, Young and Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia inject some pace, briefly escaping before the pack catch up; George Mills of GB is at the back, behind Ingebrigtsen; 1200m or so gone.
Cole Hocker, America’s Olympic 1500m champ, disqualifed from that event here for schlepping himself between the men boxing him, leads. Behind him is Fisher, then Robinson of Australia and Young, also of USA.
I really wish I could spend the next hour deconstructing an absolute epic, but for reasons of telly, I imagine – and perhaps perceived attention-spans too – the races come so quickly we’ve no time to reflect nor build up. There are worse ills – it’s hard to whinge when there’s a men’s 5000m final just starting – but another 15 minutes of interviews and analysis is the least atyletes and viewers deserve.
Watching the finish again, I guess if Hodgkinson goes a little later, she might see it out, but Odira ran a perfect race and actually had plenty left at the end. An amazing performance to seize a brilliant race – the top three all run under 1.55 – and I can’t wait to watch them go at it again, all the more so once Werro has had another winter strengthening.
Hunter Bell, meanwhile, ran her race and diddled her mate on the line, almost thrusting an arm across her to make sure she hauled herself over the line first. She and Hodgkinson are hugging, which is lovely to see; both of them look chuffed with how it shook out, and we might just be seeing the start of something. If Odira can run that time in a final, she’s not going away.
In the end, Hodgkinson didn’t quite have the speed endurance to see it out – she’s been out a year after all. Odira, who no one knew could run this fast, waited and waited, having not blown herself out keeping up with the pace, and that was a majestic performance.
Lilian Odira of Kenya wins the women’s 80om in a championship record of 1.54.62
Georgia Hunter Bell takes silver and Keely Hodgkinson bronze!
Hodgkinson stretches them out, Hunter Bell is second, and into the home straight here comes Odira of Kenya! She’s going to win!
Morra still leads at the bell, it’s still quick, and Hodgkinson is still on the shoulder, Hunter Bell and Werro still nicely placed, but HERE COMES KEELY!
Morra leads, Hodgkinson tucks in behind and it’s quick for the first 200…
Mary Moraa of Kenya looks confident in lane two – she’ll have to get off sharply to avoid being boxed, AND OFF WE GO!
The athletes are on the line, pacing, waiting for the joyous release of public suffering. This is going to be immense, and it’s very, very nearly time,
Now Hodgkinson looks nervous and in the studio, her coach says she wants a fast race, adding that, as we thought, Hunter Bell won’t go with her if she puts it in early, but won’t get too far away.
“Worth a mention of the Berlin Marathon if you are covering athletics I think,” writes Ben Tuff. “Unless it is London, we seem to so under-appreciate these epic events. No WR today because of the heat but Sawe won it at a canter. Great to see Akasaki in second, albeit four mins back. Wanjiru was a long way off her WR but much closer race for the women.
Also, some crazy people have been running around Battersea track in the Self Transcendence 24-hour Track Race for the last 23 hours and 42mins. The leader, Julien Cazorta, has completed 234km so far…”
Goodness me, that is absurd. And the men’s marathon final in this competition – judged by photo-finish – was one of most mind-boggling things I’ve seen this year.
Aha, we’re with the women’s high jump now, Olyslagers of Australia clearing 1.93, first go and by miles; Ukraine’s Mahuchikh does likewise, so too Patterson, also of Australia. Those are the three favourites, but we’ll see how it goes.
We’re 12 minutes away…
I guess she’s got the pressure of expectation, but the way she comes across, that’s likely to inspire her. I’d expect her to hit the front early, turn up the pace, and continue to so do. I imagine Werro goes with her, while Hunter Bell looks to leave it a little later to try and guarantee a medal, rather than unload the suitcase seeking gold to potentially end up with nowt.
There’s so much confidence about Hodgkinson and rightly so. To come back last month after a full year off and to set the fastest time in the world this year is a serious statement. If the distance was 1500m, I’d wonder if one of the others could foil her tactically by slowing it down and out-kicking, or running the finish out of her somehow, but over two laps, I’m just not quite sure what you do to stop her running her fastest race and winning.
We’ve yet to be shown any women’s high jump, but Morgan Lake, the first British woman to hit 2.00m, has a dart at a medal. At 28, she’s still improving on her PB, and her career might just be peaking.
It must take so much to coach Keely to beat Georgia and Georgia to beat Keely. I think, if Keely runs well, she’s close to unbeatable because she’s not far off the world record – before she got injured, she’d planned a hack at it – and over just two laps, there’s not much scope for things to go wrong tactically. If she’s got her PB in here, she can just run it in the knowledge it’ll probably be too hot for the rest.
It must seriously try the patience, waiting a whole meet to compete. And indeed, as I type, Jenny Meadows, Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell’s coach, says “I need this 800m to be out of my life”. I think we can be certain BBC will be filming her during the race and I feel for her; I’ve a mate who’s a tennis coach, and he haaaaates it when his two charges face each other.
Our programme
Preamble
こんにちは – kon’nichiwa – and welcome to the World Athletics Championships – night nine!
I’m afraid we’re here: after this, it’s over. But what a way to go out!
We begin with the women’s high jump and what should be a really entertaining tussle between Nicola Olyslagers, the best in the world this year – so far – and Yeroslava Mahuchikh, the Olympic champion and world record-holder.
And what a race comes next! Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic 800m champion, went a year without racing after winning in Paris, resting then injured. But she’s looked pretty useful in qualifying, knows she can deliver when the pressure is at its most revolting, and has run faster than anyone in the field, ever and also this year; she’s the favourite for a reason.
However there are howevers, one of which comes in the shape of her teammate and roommate, Georgia Hunter Bell. Having dropped down from the 1500, in which she won Olympic bronze, she doesn’t have Hodgkinson’s raw speed, but her speed endurance might just compensate, and we can be sure that so keen a tactician will have a plan.
Meantime, looking to supplant both is Audrey Werro, a 21-year-old Swiss still exploring the extent of her talent. It might be one championship too soon for her to take gold, but it might also be the time she announces herself to the world.
After that comes the men’s 5000m, a wide-open scuffle with Grant Fisher its most likely winner. Jakub Ingebrigtsen, undercooked in the 1500m, also didn’t impress in qualifying at this distance, with the various others in the shake-up too numerous to list here. Or, in other words, this should be a lot of fun with a potentially surprising winner.
Next up is the men’s discuss final, after which come our relay finals and the poor old decathletes dragging their exhausted carcasses through three-and-three-quarter laps of the track, because what else would no one want to do after nine events in two days.
Here we go!
