Running News Daily

Noah Lyles has once again rewritten the sprinting history books, delivering a stunning performance in the 150m at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet as he stormed to a new world record of 14.67 seconds.

The American sprint superstar produced a flawless display of speed and power, stopping the clock at 14.67 (0.0) to break the previous world best mark of 14.92 set by Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.

Lyles’ victory came in a high-quality field that saw South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile push him all the way, finishing second in an impressive 14.78 seconds. Australia’s teenage sensation Gout Gout continued to show why he is regarded as one of the sport’s brightest young talents, completing the podium with a remarkable 14.96.

The 150m race, which combines the explosive acceleration of the 100m with the speed endurance required for the 200m, provided another opportunity for Lyles to showcase his rare sprinting ability.

Known for his dominance over 200m and his Olympic success, Lyles continues to expand his legacy with performances that underline his status as one of the greatest sprinters of his generation.

The record-breaking run in Ostrava adds another historic chapter to Lyles’ career and sends a powerful message ahead of the major international competitions ahead.

Audrey Werro continues to announce herself as one of the most exciting talents in global middle-distance running after producing another breathtaking 800m performance in Ostrava.

The Swiss star stormed to victory in 1:54.45, delivering a commanding display that once again placed her among the fastest women ever over the distance. Werro stayed composed through the early stages before making her decisive move in the final 200 metres, creating separation from a world-class field and powering home for a dominant win.

The race was set up at a furious pace, with the pacemaker taking the athletes through 400m in 55.8 seconds. Femke Bol’s sister, Femke Broeders-Bol, who has stepped up from the 400m hurdles this season, showed her growing strength by staying in contention alongside Werro deep into the race.

Broeders-Bol held on impressively until the final 200m before Werro shifted gears and pulled away. The Dutch athlete crossed the line second in a remarkable 1:57.13, moving to No.3 on the Dutch all-time 800m rankings with one of the best performances of her career.

The quality of the race was further highlighted by the depth of the field, as all eight finalists broke the two-minute barrier in a remarkable display of women’s 800m strength.

Werro’s performance has once again raised the question of whether the legendary world record could finally be under threat. Jarmila Kratochvílová’s long-standing mark of 1:53.28 from 1983 remains untouched, but with the current generation producing performances of this level, the historic record appears more vulnerable than it has in years.

Ostrava delivered a moment that showcased the incredible evolution of the women’s 800m, with Werro leading the charge and proving that history may soon be within reach.

The global athletics record book has officially welcomed a new group of record-breakers after World Athletics ratified a series of outstanding performances that reshaped the sport across road running, race walking, and indoor competition.

Among the newly confirmed marks is Ethiopian distance star Yomif Kejelcha’s world 10km record of 26:31, a performance that now stands as the fastest officially recognized time ever run over the distance on the roads.

Kejelcha produced the remarkable run in Castellón, Spain, on February 16, 2025. His record was elevated to official status following the annulment of the previous world best of 26:24, set by Kenya’s Rhonex Kipruto in 2020. Kipruto's result was removed from the record books after sanctions related to anti-doping rule violations led to the cancellation of his performances.

The recognition further strengthens Kejelcha’s place among the greatest road runners of his generation. Already the holder of the world half marathon record of 57:30, achieved in Valencia in 2024, the Ethiopian now owns world records at both 10km and half marathon distances.

Another athlete celebrating official recognition is American middle-distance sensation Josh Hoey. The 26-year-old delivered a stunning performance at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on January 24, 2026, clocking 1:42.50 for the 800m on the short track.

His run erased one of indoor athletics’ most enduring records, surpassing the legendary 1:42.67 set by Wilson Kipketer in Paris in 1997. Hoey’s breakthrough performance marked a defining moment in his career and signaled the arrival of a new force in global middle-distance running.

In race walking, Japan’s Toshikazu Yamanishi etched his name into history by becoming the first official world record holder in the half marathon race walk. Competing in Kobe on February 15, 2026, the two-time world champion covered the distance in 1:20:34, comfortably bettering the inaugural world-record standard of 1:21:30 established by World Athletics.

Yamanishi’s achievement comes at a significant time for the discipline, following the introduction of the half marathon and marathon as official senior road race walking events. His performance now serves as the benchmark for a new era in race walking.

The next generation of athletics stars also received official recognition as three world U20 records were ratified.

Ethiopia’s Saron Berhe continued her rapid rise by setting a world U20 1500m short-track record of 4:01.23 in Ostrava. The 18-year-old eclipsed the previous mark held by fellow Ethiopian Lemlem Hailu and further confirmed her status as one of the brightest young talents in distance running.

American teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus also made history when he stormed to a world U20 short-track 800m record of 1:44.03 in Winston-Salem. His remarkable season later reached even greater heights when he became the youngest athlete ever to win a world championship title in the 800m, capturing gold at the World Indoor Championships.

Meanwhile, Australian sprint prodigy Gout Gout continued his meteoric ascent by smashing the world U20 200m record. The 18-year-old sprinted to a breathtaking 19.67 seconds at the Australian Championships in Sydney, lowering the previous global junior mark and announcing himself as one of the sport’s most exciting young stars.

With their records now officially ratified, Kejelcha, Hoey, Yamanishi, Berhe, Lutkenhaus, and Gout have secured their places in athletics history. Their achievements not only redefine the limits of performance but also provide a glimpse into a future where barriers continue to fall and new generations of athletes push the sport into uncharted territory.

Dutch athletics superstar Femke Bol is preparing to launch her outdoor campaign in thrilling fashion after confirming that she will compete in the 800m at the prestigious Golden Spike Ostrava on June 16.

The announcement has immediately generated excitement across the athletics world, with fans eager to see how the reigning global 400m hurdles queen performs over the longer distance outdoors after her sensational indoor breakthrough earlier this year.

Bol, already regarded as one of the most versatile athletes in world athletics, stunned the track community during her indoor 800m debut in Metz back in February. Competing outside her specialist discipline, the Dutch star produced a remarkable 1:59.07 performance, becoming one of the very few elite 400m hurdlers capable of breaking the two-minute barrier in the event.

That performance was not only impressive for a debut — it was historic. Bol shattered the long-standing Dutch indoor 800m record of 2:00.01 previously held by Ester Goossens since 2001, underlining her extraordinary endurance, speed, and tactical maturity.

The decision to open her outdoor season in the two-lap event instead of the 400m hurdles adds another fascinating dimension to her already glittering career. It also signals her continued ambition to expand her range and sharpen her endurance ahead of the major championships later in the season.

Ostrava has long been known for producing fast times and unforgettable performances, and Bol’s presence instantly elevates the anticipation surrounding this year’s meeting. With her confidence soaring and her fitness clearly at an exceptional level, many will now wonder whether the Dutch sensation can push even deeper into world-class territory in the 800m outdoors.

Already a double world champion in the 400m hurdles and one of the most dominant figures in modern athletics, Bol continues to prove that her talent stretches far beyond one event. Her upcoming appearance in Ostrava is no longer just a season opener — it has become one of the most intriguing storylines of the early outdoor campaign.

There appears to be no ceiling to the rise of Cameron Myers. The Australian teenage prodigy once again exceeded expectations, delivering a breathtaking performance to successfully defend his national title at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney.

At just 19 years old, Myers produced a performance of rare quality and composure, surging to victory in a blistering 3:29.85—a time that stands among the fastest recorded globally this season. In doing so, he not only retained his 1500m crown but further cemented his growing reputation as one of the most formidable young middle-distance runners in the world.

The race itself unfolded as a demonstration of tactical precision and supreme confidence. Up against a competitive field, Myers dictated the tempo with authority before unleashing a decisive finishing kick that left his rivals trailing. Oliver Hoare secured second place in 3:32.66, while Adam Spencer followed in 3:34.23. Both athletes delivered commendable season’s best performances, yet neither could come close to matching Myers’ brilliance on the day.

What makes the performance even more striking is its proximity to his personal best of 3:29.80, set in Ostrava last year. He now edges ever closer to the Australian national record of 3:29.41, also held by Hoare since 2023. With such fine margins separating him from history, it is clear that Myers is rapidly closing in on a landmark breakthrough.

This was more than a routine title defence—it felt like a statement of intent. Myers is no longer a promising talent on the rise; he is establishing himself firmly among the sport’s elite. Blending tactical intelligence with explosive speed and remarkable maturity, he is forging a path that few at his age have managed to tread.

As the global season gathers pace, attention will inevitably turn toward the young Australian. If his current trajectory is anything to go by, it is no longer a matter of whether Cameron Myers will reach the summit of middle-distance running—but when.

Under the charged atmosphere of a packed Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne, Australia’s rising star Cam Myers produced a performance far beyond his years, storming to victory in the men’s 1500 metres at the prestigious Maurie Plant Meet with a breathtaking time of 3:30.42.

At just 19, Myers continues to redefine the limits of junior excellence, delivering a run that not only set a world-leading mark for the season, but also established a new Oceanian all-comers record. The time now stands as the second-fastest of his young career, narrowly behind the remarkable 3:29.80 Oceania U20 record he set in Ostrava last year—a performance that first announced his arrival on the global stage.

The race itself unfolded with controlled intensity before erupting into brilliance over the final lap. As the bell rang, Myers made his move with fearless conviction, unleashing a decisive kick that instantly created separation from the field. Adam Spencer, fresh off his podium finish at the World Indoor Championships in Toruń, gave chase but could not match the teenager’s surge. Myers powered away down the home straight, carried by the roar of the home crowd, while Spencer settled for second place in 3:37.51.

Speaking after the race, Myers reflected on the moment with calm confidence: “I had the crowd behind me, and it felt good. I just kept pushing onwards.”

This victory is more than just another win—it is a statement. In an era where middle-distance running is experiencing a global resurgence, Myers is emerging as one of its most exciting young protagonists. His composure, tactical awareness, and devastating finishing speed point to an athlete not only of immense promise, but one already capable of competing at the very highest level.

Under bright lights in Melbourne, before an inspired home crowd, Cam Myers did not simply win a race—he delivered a performance that signals the dawn of a new force in world middle-distance running.

The men’s 3000m at the Madrid Indoor Tour delivered exactly what modern indoor racing promises: patience, positioning, and a decisive final lap where speed becomes the ultimate weapon. In a race featuring championship experience and rising global talent, South Africa’s Tshepo Tshite emerged victorious with a perfectly timed finishing surge, clocking 7:39.11 in one of the most competitive indoor races of the season.

Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale entered the race as the clear favorite. Known for his relentless strength and proven championship pedigree, Wale took responsibility early, setting a controlled tempo designed to gradually wear down the field. For much of the race, the pack remained tightly grouped, with no one willing to commit too early in what quickly became a tactical contest.

In today’s indoor 3000m, races are often decided not by who leads early, but by who executes best when it matters most. That moment came with just over one lap remaining.

Tshite, a former 800m and 1500m specialist, demonstrated both patience and confidence. With 400 meters to go, he made his move, accelerating decisively and forcing the field to respond. Uruguay’s Valentín Soca, one of the sport’s fastest-rising young talents, answered immediately, matching Tshite stride for stride as the two separated themselves from Wale and the rest of the pack.

The final straight became a test of speed, timing, and composure. Tshite held his form and crossed the line first in 7:39.11. Soca followed closely in 7:39.91, while Wale, who had carried the early pace, finished third in 7:39.98, underscoring how narrow the margins are at this level.

Tshite’s victory continues an exceptional stretch of racing. Just days earlier in Ostrava, he set a South African indoor record of 7:38.17, confirming his transition from middle-distance specialist to elite 3000m contender. His ability to combine endurance with world-class finishing speed makes him one of the most dangerous competitors on the indoor circuit.

Soca, only 23, continues to build his reputation as one of South America’s most promising distance runners. Already a continental record holder, he showed he belongs among the world’s best, demonstrating both tactical intelligence and finishing strength.

For Wale, the race reinforced both his consistency and the evolving nature of modern distance running. His strength and experience remain formidable, but indoor racing increasingly rewards athletes who can shift gears instantly in the closing stages.

Madrid’s 3000m was a clear reminder of how the event continues to evolve. Strength still matters—but speed, timing, and tactical precision now define success. On this night, Tshepo Tshite delivered all three, and his victory confirmed his arrival as one of the leading distance runners of 2026.

Tshepo Tshite could not have asked for a more emphatic start to his 2026 season. Under the bright lights of the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava on Tuesday night, the 29-year-old middle-distance star delivered a performance that etched his name even deeper into South African athletics history.

Lining up for the men’s 3,000m short track race, Tshite ran with confidence and control across the 15 laps, producing a superb time of 7:38.17. That effort not only secured him second place in a highly competitive field, but also shattered the South African national record. The previous mark of 7:39.55, set by Elroy Gelant in Belgium back in February 2014, was pushed firmly into the record books.

Victory narrowly slipped away by the finest of margins, as Portugal’s Isaac Nader crossed the line first in 7:38.05, just 0.12 seconds ahead of the South African. Still, the night belonged to Tshite, whose run stood out as one of the highlights of the meeting.

This latest achievement adds yet another chapter to Tshite’s growing legacy. He now holds four South African national records, underlining his remarkable consistency across middle-distance events. His previous national bests include the 1500m indoor (3:35.06), 1500m outdoor (3:31.35), and the indoor mile (3:54.10)—a rare and impressive collection that showcases both speed and endurance.

With the season only just underway, Tshite’s record-breaking performance in Ostrava sends a clear message: he is in top form and ready to challenge the very best. For South African athletics fans, this was more than just a fast race—it was a statement of intent from one of the country’s finest middle-distance runners.

At just 17 years old, Gout Gout has already rewritten the record books. The Queensland-based sprinter, born in December 2007 to South Sudanese parents, is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in global athletics. His rapid rise has drawn comparisons to legends like Usain Bolt — and for good reason.

Gout currently holds the Oceanian 200m record with a time of 20.02 seconds, set at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava earlier this year. He also clocked 10.17 in the 100m to win the Australian U-18 title and later dominated the U-20 division. His combination of top-end speed, graceful stride, and fierce competitive drive has made him a must-watch on the world stage.

Now, the teen phenom is set to represent Australia at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, scheduled for July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland. He is expected to compete in the 100m, while his entry in the 200m remains under consideration due to scheduling conflicts with the World Junior Championships, which will take place shortly after in Eugene, Oregon.

Gout’s Path to Stardom

Gout’s emergence as a global sprint force has been nothing short of remarkable. Raised in Ipswich, Queensland, he was introduced to athletics at a young age and quickly caught the attention of Australia’s elite coaches. Under the guidance of Diane Sheppard, Gout has developed into a technically polished athlete with a mature race strategy far beyond his years.

His silver medal at the 2024 World U20 Championships in the 200m confirmed what many already believed — Gout Gout isn’t just Australia’s future; he’s already one of its best.

Sheppard has praised his dedication, humility, and focus, noting:

“With Gout, it’s not just talent — it’s mindset. He’s willing to do the work and stay grounded.”

Glasgow 2026: A Games Reimagined

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will mark a return to Glasgow, which last hosted the event in 2014. Following Victoria’s withdrawal as host due to financial concerns, Glasgow stepped up with a streamlined, cost-efficient plan built on existing infrastructure.

The Games will feature:

• 10 core sports and 47 para-sport events

• Key venues including Scotstoun Stadium (track and field), Tollcross International Swimming Centre, and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome

• A strong focus on sustainability and legacy, with no new athletes’ village planned

Mascot “Finnie the Unicorn”, named after the Finnieston Crane and created by local students, has already captured hearts with its fun, distinctly Scottish vibe.

Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen is heading back to the mountains of St. Moritz to resume altitude training after a difficult first half of the 2025 season marked by injury and family challenges. The 23-year-old Norwegian has been recovering from a strained Achilles tendon that derailed his early outdoor campaign and forced him to miss several key meets.

Recovery First

Ingebrigtsen initially planned to train at altitude in Sierra Nevada in the spring, but his Achilles issue required a change of course. He instead remained home to focus on recovery, missing high-profile events in Oslo, Ostrava, the Pre Classic, and the London Diamond League.

In a recent update shared on social media, Jakob acknowledged the long road back but said he was grateful for the time spent with his young daughter and dogs. “At least I had the best company,” he wrote, sharing photos from a forest outing. His message suggests a turning point in his recovery, both physically and emotionally.

Altitude Training in St. Moritz

Coach Filip Ingebrigtsen has confirmed that Jakob will now join Norway’s altitude group in St. Moritz for a three- to four-week training block. The plan is to carefully build back fitness without rushing into competition. If all goes well, Jakob could return to racing in mid-August, with the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland emerging as a likely target.

While his return has been delayed, confidence remains high. Ingebrigtsen’s indoor season earlier this year was exceptional—he broke the world indoor records for both the 1500m and mile. In June, shortly before his Achilles flare-up, he set a new European 1500m record of 3:27.95 and clocked 7:54.10 in the two-mile, a world best.

Personal Challenges and Legal Closure

In the midst of his recovery, Ingebrigtsen also had to navigate a difficult legal chapter. On June 23, his father, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, was convicted of minor assault against Jakob’s younger sister, Ingrid, for an incident involving a wet towel. Gjert received a 15-day suspended sentence and was ordered to pay damages. He was acquitted of similar charges involving Jakob due to lack of evidence.

The verdict marks a formal conclusion to a painful and public family dispute that first came to light in late 2023. With this chapter behind him, Jakob appears ready to shift focus fully back to his training and racing.

Looking Ahead

Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s approach to 2025 has been cautious but strategic. Rather than forcing an early comeback, he’s prioritized recovery, stability, and preparation. If his return to St. Moritz goes as planned, fans can expect to see him back on the track in top form later this summer—potentially just in time to contend for another global title.

World Athletics has officially recognized the 300m hurdles as an official event, marking a major shift in the sport’s landscape. While it has long existed as a training and exhibition distance, the 300m hurdles will now count toward world rankings and all official statistical purposes, similar to the 400m hurdles.

In a statement released by World Athletics, the governing body noted:

“It will serve all World Athletics statistical purposes, including world rankings towards which it will score as a similar event to the 400m hurdles. A list of world best performances will be kept, while conditions for setting an inaugural world record will be decided at a later stage, once the popularity of the event has reached a meaningful level.”

Though not yet eligible for world records, the event already boasts elite-level performances. Norway’s Karsten Warholm—the 400m hurdles world record holder—blazed 33.26 in Oslo in 2021, a mark widely recognized as the world best. He followed it up with a 33.28 performance in Bergen last year.

On the women’s side, Dutch superstar Femke Bol holds the top time with her 36.86 run in 2022.

The move to formalize the event brings renewed attention to what has typically been a non-championship distance. A major showcase is already on the calendar: the men’s 300m hurdles will feature at the Oslo Diamond League on June 12, 2025, setting the stage for a high-profile showdown in Warholm’s home country.

With elite athletes already embracing the event and more high-level races on the way, the 300m hurdles may soon become a fan favorite—and a mainstay in international competition.

Photos: Karsten Warholm Sets 300m Hurdles World Record

Norwegian hurdler Karsten Warholm setting the 300m hurdles world record with a time of 33.26 seconds at the Impossible Games in Oslo.  

Femke Bol Breaks Women’s 300m Hurdles World Record

Dutch athlete Femke Bol breaking the women’s 300m hurdles world record with a time of 36.86 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spike event.  

World indoor 1500m champion Freweyni Hailu delivered one of the fastest 3000m performances of all time at the Czech Indoor Gala—the fourth World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of the season—held in Ostrava on Tuesday (4).

Competing in just the third 3000m race of her career, the Ethiopian 23-year-old dominated with an 8:24.17 season opener, moving her to eighth on the world all-time list. Following a 2:52.08 split at 1000m and hitting 2000m in 5:45.8, Hailu surged over the final five laps, closing the last kilometre in 2:39 to secure victory.

Portugal’s Salome Afonso, who ran with Hailu in the early stages, finished second in a personal best of 8:39.25, followed closely by Kenya’s Purity Kajuju Gitonga in 8:39.36. Great Britain’s 18-year-old Innes FitzGerald shattered the European indoor U20 record by over 10 seconds, running 8:40.05 to claim fourth place.

The men’s 800m also saw a standout performance, with Belgium’s Eliott Crestan breaking the 1:45 barrier indoors for the first time, clocking a national record of 1:44.69 in his season debut. The world indoor bronze medallist improved on his previous best of 1:45.08 from last year’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, securing 12th place on the world all-time list. Italy’s Catalin Tecuceanu finished second in 1:45.35, while Algeria’s Slimane Moula, making his indoor debut, took third in 1:45.50.

In the women’s 800m, Gabriela Gajanova emerged victorious in 2:02.16, overtaking world indoor bronze medallist Noelie Yarigo in the final 150m as Yarigo faded in the closing stretch.

Meanwhile, Portugal’s Isaac Nader continued his dominance in Ostrava, setting his second consecutive meeting record with a 3:54.17 mile after breaking the 1500m record last year. He surged past Great Britain’s Elliot Giles in the home straight, with Giles finishing second in 3:54.62 in his first indoor race since 2022. Sweden’s Samuel Pihlstrom also made history, running a Swedish indoor record of 3:54.78 to place third.

With multiple meeting records shattered and world-leading times set, the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava reaffirmed its status as a premier stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold circuit.

The Czech Indoor Gala, scheduled for February 4, 2025, in Ostrava, is set to feature thrilling middle-distance races, particularly in the men’s 800 meters and the women’s 3000 meters.

Men’s 800 Meters:

Czech national record holder Jakub Dudycha will compete on home soil. As a junior, he set a national U20 indoor record of 1:47.42 at the Czech Indoor Gala, later improving it to 1:47.12. Outdoors, he advanced to the semi-finals at the European Championships in Rome, clocking a time under 1:45, and subsequently set a new Czech senior record of 1:44.82 in Bydgoszcz. Dudycha has expressed his ambition to break the national indoor record this season.

He will face formidable international competitors, including Belgium’s Eliott Crestan, who is the sixth fastest European in history with a national record of 1:42.43 set at the Paris Diamond League meeting. Crestan is a bronze medallist from both the European and World Indoor Championships. Another strong contender is Catalin Tecuceanu, representing Italy since 2022, who secured European bronze in Rome and boasts personal bests of 1:45.00 indoors and 1:43.75 outdoors.

Women’s 3000 Meters:

Kristiina Sasínek Mäki, a Tokyo Olympics finalist, will compete in the 3000 meters. She has been training under Swiss coach Louis Heyer and is eager to showcase her progress. However, she will face stiff competition from African athletes. Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu, the 1500m world indoor champion from Glasgow 2024, returns after setting a meeting record in the mile at last year’s Czech Indoor Gala. Joining her is compatriot Sembo Almayew, the junior world record holder in the steeplechase and World U20 champion, as well as Norah Jeruto, the World 3000m steeplechase champion from the 2022 Eugene Championships, now representing Kazakhstan.

The Czech Indoor Gala, part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series, continues to attract top-tier talent, ensuring a night of exceptional athletic performances in Ostrava.

World 800m record holder David Rudisha has revealed the three key athletes who will shape the two-lap race this Olympic season and might even threaten his world record.

World 800m record holder David Rudisha has singled out three athletes that could shape the 800m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and beyond.

Rudisha was an 800m maestro and defined the two-lap race in his prime and he believes other athletes are coming up and have the ability to change the quality of the 800m race.

The two-time Olympic champion set his first 800m World Record of 1:41.09 on August 22, 2010 in Berlin, Germany before lowering his time to clock another world record of 1:40.91 set during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

No athlete has gotten near to the world record but the two-time world champion believes the trio of Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Marco Arop and Djamel Sedjati have the ability to redefine that.

“From Kenya, we have Emmanuel Wanyonyi. Marco Arop from Canada. And I saw also a young kid Djamel Sedjati from Algeria running the world-leading time in Ostrava,” Rudisha told AFP.

“This is really amazing. We are looking forward to seeing how they are going to perform. In the Olympics, anything can happen. It's always very competitive and everybody goes there to win. So, there's a lot of expectation.”

Wanyonyi, the youngest of the three, has been in great form this season, and he will certainly be an athlete to watch in the city of love.

The world 800m silver medallist has been unbeaten in the 800m this season, winning the Kip Keino Classic and the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Morocco. He also set the road mile world record at the Adizero road to records event.

Meanwhile, Arop, the reigning world champion, has only raced once in the 800m outdoor and won in the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen. He has been in great form, however, in his indoor events and will certainly be out to give his competitors a run for their money one more time.

Sedjati, 25, has also proven to be a strong athlete, striking with a world leading time of 1:43.51 in Ostrava in his season opener. He will also be looking to impress at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, following his silver medal at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Ferdinand Omanyala's Italian track rival hopes to make a grand return this season as he gears up to defend his Olympic title in Paris, France.

Ferdinand Omanyala’s track rival Marcel Jacobs had a poor run last season due to a bout of injuries but the Italian hopes to make a strong comeback this season.

Jacobs, the reigning Olympic champion made a few changes at the end of last season where he parted ways with his coach Paolo Camossi who guided him to the 100m title at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games.

At the time, Jacobs had yet to decide on his new coach but noted that he would be leaving Rome where he had been based. Last season, he competed in four 100m races and failed to clock a sub-10 in all four and also failed to win any of the 100m races.

His final race last season was the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića in Croatia where he finished third and he hopes to bounce back this season as he gears up to defend his Olympic title.

The Italian has also skipped the indoor tour this season, a move that is unlike him since he is usually a frequent competitor during the indoor races.

As per World Athletics, Jacobs will head straight to the outdoor season where he intends to open his season at the Ostrava Golden Spike for the first time as he works towards the European Championships on home soil.

As per World Athletics, Jacobs will head straight to the outdoor season where he intends to open his season at the Ostrava Golden Spike for the first time as he works towards the European Championships on home soil.

Sprinter Ewa Swoboda is bang on target for her first global senior medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 next month. And the Pole, No.2 in the world this year over 60m, is sure to be well supported at the Scottish venue on March 1-3.

Not only is it the same arena in which she won European Indoor Championships 60m gold in 2019, but she also has strong family ties nearby.

“It’s a big event for me,” she says. “I want to win a medal and a PB.

“I like Glasgow. It’s also close to where my brother lives in Edinburgh.”

Swoboda opened her year in searing style, winning at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze event in Lodz and then at World Indoor Tour Gold events in Ostrava and Torun. At the latter, she clocked a then world lead of 7.01, her best time for two years. Only Julien Alfred, with the 6.99 she ran in New York, has gone faster so far this year. That 6.99 matches Swoboda's PB, set in Torun in 2022.

Speed has always been a feature in the life of the Zory-born runner, who also takes an interest in fast cars. Recalling her school days, Swoboda says: “I (was) faster than the boys too and my teacher looked at me and she told my parents, ‘She must go to training.’ And here I am, since 2009.”

Her first major competition saw her finish fourth in the 2013 World U20 Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, aged 16. She then placed fifth at the same event in 2014 in Eugene, USA, and became European U20 champion in Eskilstuna, Sweden, in 2015.

Then, at the 2016 Bydgoszcz World U20 Championships, she thrilled the home crowd by winning 100m silver. She went on to represent her country at the Rio Olympic Games, where she reached the semifinals.    

Now, 26, she is asserting herself on the world stage. She was fourth at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and last year she reached her first World Athletics Championships final, placing sixth over 100m.

It followed an unfortunate career blip, which meant she missed the opportunity to defend her 60m title at the 2021 Torun European Indoor Championships in her home country due to Covid-19 and then the Tokyo Olympics through injury.

Now, as well as enjoying her current success on the track, Swoboda embraces being an extrovert figure in the sport. Her heavily tattooed body, painted nails and playful personality have won her a legion of fans at home and overseas.  

“I am not playing any role,” she says “I am just Ewa. I am open, I don’t have a problem smiling! It’s important. I like what I do, and I am happy.” 

She also welcomes being part of the current era of the women’s 100m and its colourful crop of champions, particularly world champion Sha’Carri Richardson.

“I love to run with Sha’Carri,” smiles Swoboda. “Sha’Carri is a gorgeous girl, and her energy is welcome and it’s nice to be a part of this little family.” 

This year promises to be a huge one for Swoboda, with the World Indoor Championships, European Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games all in her plans: “First Glasgow, then Rome and Paris!”

As for whether, there will be more body art this year, she says: “Not now. Maybe when I win something? Maybe after (the) indoors, some more tattoos. 

“I like this, it’s my hobby,” she adds, putting precious metal above tattoos as her favoured decoration for now.

Letsile Tebogo ran faster than Michael Johnson and Usain Bolt to set a new world 300m record but that would perhaps not have happened had he not changed his running shoes.

Botswana sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo is currently basking in the glory of his new world record after lowering the 300m mark last weekend.

Tebogo smashed the world 300m record following an incredible run at the Simbine Curro Classic in South Africa, running 30.71, to beat South African Wayde van Niekerk's mark of 30.81 set in Ostrava, Czech Republic in 2017.

In what was a world lead and his personal best over the distance, the 20-year-old obliterated the field to take a giant lead, leaving a big gape between him and the chasing pack as he sprinted to the finish line.

It has now emerged that things would have perhaps been different had he not opted for a change of shoes, having decided to ditch his trainers for spikes ahead of the race.

Since sustaining an injury that locked him out of the Zurich Diamond League 200m finals, Tebogo has not used spikes and wore trainers in his season-opening race in January, but his coach Dose Mosimanyane advised him to use spikes in last Saturday’s race in Pretoria only to yield a world record.

“The world record was not in the plan. But I am not surprised. With his training partner, Bayapo Ndori and other athletes in the mix, I knew he would do something but this is not what we came here for,” Mosimanyane said.

The world 100m silver medallist did not just break the seven-year world record but his time was faster than that of American great Michael Johnson, who clocked 30.85 at the same venue in 2000, and Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, who timed 30.97 in 2010.

The world 200m bronze medallist had an impressive 2023 season when he became the first African to win a medal at the World Championships in 100m and also the first from his country to achieve such a feat.

He is hoping to go one better this during the Paris 2024 Games in France where he is seeking to make history by winning his country’s first ever Olympics gold.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Lamecha Girma both made history earlier this month in Paris, where they set a world two-mile best and a world 3000m steeplechase record, respectively. Now they have the chance to push each other to fast 1500m performances when they return to Wanda Diamond League action in Lausanne on Friday (30).

Norway’s Ingebrigtsen, who broke the world indoor 1500m record by running 3:30.60 in Lievin in February, clocked 7:54.10 in Paris to improve Daniel Komen’s world best for two miles. Despite still having that race in his legs, the 22-year-old improved his own European 1500m record to 3:27.95 in Oslo six days later – a time that places him sixth on the world all-time list.

Although the world record had not been his aim in Oslo, Lausanne’s Athletissima gives Ingebrigtsen another opportunity to take further strides toward Hicham El Guerrouj’s almost 25-year-old world record of 3:26.00.

“I 100% have more left in me,” Ingebrigtsen said after his performance in Oslo. “I just have to keep focused on each race ahead in the build-up to Budapest (World Championships), where it really matters.”

Girma will hope to be up there with him. The Ethiopian 22-year-old stormed to a time of 7:52.11 for his specialism in Paris, taking 1.52 seconds off the world 3000m steeplechase record set by Said Saeed Shaheen in 2004, and then turned his attention to attacking the Ethiopian 1500m record of 3:29.91 at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday (27). He still looked like he had plenty left in the closing stages but having to run wide down the home straight, he focused on the win, running a PB of 3:33.15 that he will aim to improve again in Lausanne.

It will be the first time that Ingebrigtsen and Girma have clashed in any discipline.

In Oslo, Ingebrigtsen led the first eight men under 3:30 for the first time in history, and this time the line-up includes two other men who have dipped under that barrier so far in their careers: Britain’s Olympic bronze medallist Josh Kerr and Australia’s Stewart McSweyn. They are joined on the entry list by Ethiopia’s Teddese Lemi, New Zealand’s Sam Tanner and Britain’s Neil Gourley.

In the 5000m – the discipline in which Ingebrigtsen won world gold last year after his 1500m silver – Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei will take on Olympic 10,000m gold medallist Selemon Barega, world 5km record-holder Berihu Aregawi, Telahun Haile Bekele, Birhanu Balew and their fellow sub-13:00 runner Muktar Edris.

In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, world U20 silver medallist Sembo Almayew is back on the track after her world-leading PB performance of 9:00.71 to win in Florence. The 2021 world U20 gold medallist, Jackline Chepkoech, was second on that occasion and is also racing, along with world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech and world bronze medallist Mekides Abebe.

The world leader also heads the entries in the women’s 800m, where world and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson – who improved her British record to 1:55.77 to win in Paris – will look to make another statement as she renews her rivalry with Kenya’s Mary Moraa.

World bronze medallist Moraa, who won Commonwealth Games and Diamond League titles ahead of Hodgkinson last year, has run a best of 1:58.72 so far this season and the strong field also features Habitam Alemu, Noelie Yarigo, Jemma Reekie, Catriona Bisset, Natoya Goule and Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who recently ran a world U20 1000m record of 2:34.89 in Nice.

The presence on the final entry-list of the Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs adds a huge and intriguing element to the sprints at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships from 15-21 August, part of the wider multisport European Championships.

The 27-year-old Italian was a surprise winner at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in a European record of 9.80, although his win over 60m at the European Athletics Indoor Championships earlier in the year indicated his rising potential having started his career primarily as a long jumper. 

In March this year he beat the defending world indoor champion Christian Coleman to the world indoor 60m title in Belgrade but Jacobs’ outdoor season has been undermined so far by illness and muscle problems which forced him to scratch from the semifinals at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

It will be a huge feature of the Munich 2022 athletics programme if he can toe the line in the 1972 Olympic stadium – and it will be fascinating to see what degree of fitness he has been able to reclaim. 

On the eve of the championships, Jacobs’ coach Paolo Camossi was optimistic about his prospects in the Munich Olympic Stadium next week. "He's running free, he's having fun, the workouts are promising. If we are here in Munich it is because he is fine and can compete…Marcell is the Olympic gold medalist and he is here to win, but it is not a race to be taken lightly," said Camossi as quoted by FIDAL.

Among his prospective rivals include Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes who stands ready to defend the 100m title he won in Berlin four years ago in a championship record of 9.95.

Hughes had an ultimately frustrating time at last summer’s Olympics, false-starting in the individual 100m final and then seeing the 4x100m silver-medal winning performance to which he had contributed annulled because of a positive doping test for team-mate CJ Ujah. 

Last week he indicated he is in fine racing form as he won Commonwealth silver in the 200m in Birmingham and helped England win 4x100m gold. 

While Jacobs won the Olympic title in 9.80, he has only run 10.04 this year although he did open his season with a marginally wind-aided 9.99. Hughes is second fastest this season with 9.97 but top spot goes to his enigmatic fellow Briton Reece Prescod, who ran 9.93 this season at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava – into a significant headwind. 

France’s Meba-Mickael Zeze is the third sub-10 second performer this season with 9.99 and will be in medal contention along with home sprinter Lucas Ansah-Peprah, who has clocked 10.04 this season. 

And it doesn’t do to rule out the experienced French performer Jimmy Vicaut, who has run 10.10 this year but has a best of 9.86 - the former European record which Jacobs surpassed when he blazed to the Olympic title in Tokyo last summer.

A clash of youth and experience in the 200m

Fresh from a medal at the Commonwealth Games Hughes will also fancy his medal chances in the 200m, where his British teammate Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, silver medalist four years ago, is also entered. 

Turkey’s defending champion Ramil Guliyev, who has a best of 19.76 from the 2018 European Athletics Championships where he came within 0.04 of Pietro Mennea’s long-standing European record, has run 20.21 this year. 

Zeze will also double up, and is looking good for a podium place given his 19.97 personal best this season. 

But the most intriguing presence will be that of 18-year-old Israeli Blessing Afrifah, who won the world U20 title in Cali in a European U20 record of 19.96 - to surpass Guliyev’s previous mark of 20.04 - and in so doing beat Botswana’s hugely favoured Letsile Tebogo, who had earlier won the 100m title in a world U20 record of 9.91 despite showboating over the final 30 meters. 

Afrifah was born in Tel Aviv and raised in Israel to parents from Ghana - his father came to Israel as an employee of the Ghanaian consulate – and was granted permanent residence in 2010. 

Will this hugely talented runner be able to adapt to the pressures and rigors of a senior international competition less than two weeks after his record-breaking exploits in Cali? It will be fascinating to see. 

Also in the 200m mix will be a sprinter who brought home the baton for a historic 4x100m victory at last year’s Tokyo 2020 Games - Italy’s Filippo Tortu - who has run a personal best of 20.10 this season and harbors aspirations of broaching the 20 second-barrier for the first time. 

Jacobs and Tortu are also named in an Italian 4x100m relay squad that could produce another historic performance in Munich although a squad - admittedly devoid of Jacobs who was injured - didn’t make it through the heats at the World Athletics Championships.

Reigning champions Great Britain, France, hosts Germany and Turkey will all offer strong opposition along with surprise Tokyo 2020 Olympic finalists Denmark.

Brazil's Alison Dos Santos ran the third fastest time of all time to win the world 400m hurdles on Tuesday as Norwegian prodigy Karsten Warholm wilted at Hayward Field.

Dos Santos clocked a championship record of 46.29 seconds, finishing ahead of Americans Rai Benjamin and Trevor Bassitt, who finished in 46.89 and 47.39sec respectively.

Olympic champion and world record holder Warholm led coming into the home straight but seized up badly and eventually came in seventh (48.42).

Warholm last lost a 400m hurdles race in September 2018 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Since then, he had notched up a winning streak of 18 races and another four qualifying races in the 2019 world championships and 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Warholm laid down a performance that is widely considered one of the greatest Olympic track performances of all time when he smashed the 29-year-old world record to win the 400m hurdles at the Tokyo Games in a time of 45.94sec.

But the 26-year-old pulled up injured at the Diamond League meet in Rabat in early June with a "muscle fiber tear" in a hamstring and although insisting he was at 100% going into the race, he missed his usual gas over the final 80 meters.

Dina Asher-Smith set for 200m defence as part of GB’s World Championships squad. 

The 26-year-old, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Keely Hodgkinson headline the 64-strong team for the competition in Eugene, Oregon, in July.

Asher-Smith won gold in Doha three years ago, having collected 100m silver, before going on to also secure silver in the 4x100m relay, and will look to improve on that haul in the United States.

She is expected to run at the Stockholm Diamond League meet on Thursday in her final race before the World Championships, which were rescheduled from last year after the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Outgoing Olympic head coach Christian Malcolm said: “We’ve seen a number of athletes step up on the global circuit so far this season, which has been really encouraging.

“We are confident that we’ve selected a team that optimises medal success and that have the ability to progress through rounds to reach finals.

“The World Championships is the start of a very busy summer of Championships and Games, so there are a number of opportunities for athletes to represent their country this summer.

“For those who have been selected for the team for Oregon, I wish the athletes and their coaches the best over the next week or so and to keep focus to achieve your goals.”

Daryll Neita, who reached last year’s Olympic 100m final and beat Asher-Smith in Manchester at the weekend to become British 100m champion, is also included for the 100m and 4x100m.

Despite winning the 200m at the British Championships on Sunday, however, 25-year-old Neita does not have the time for 200m qualification, with Asher-Smith joined by Beth Dobbin.

Johnson-Thompson missed the Manchester championships at the weekend but will look to defend the heptathlon world title she won in 2019.

The 29-year-old has been dogged by injury for 18 months since rupturing her Achilles in late 2020 and pulled out of the Olympics having suffered a calf problem in the heptathlon’s 200m.

Hodgkinson, who is expected to challenge American Athing Mu for 800m gold, is included along with Laura Muir, with the Scot aiming for her first World Championships outdoor medal after claiming 1500m silver in Tokyo last year.

Hodgkinson is joined in the 800m by Alex Bell and Jemma Reekie while Holly Bradshaw, who won Olympic bronze last year, will contest the pole vault.

Zharnel Hughes and Reece Prescod are Britain’s hopes in the men’s 100m with Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Adam Gemili in the 200m.

Prescod ran 9.93 seconds in Ostrava last month to leave him 11th fastest in the world this year but he remains well behind world lead Fred Kerley, who posted 9.76 seconds at the US trials at the weekend.

All four are in the men’s 4x100m relay squad, with Hughes and Mitchell-Blake aiming to ease their heartbreak having been stripped of their Olympic relay silver after CJ Ujah’s positive drugs test.

They are joined by Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, new British 100m champion Jeremiah Azu and Jona Efoloko.

Asher-Smith, Dobbin, Neita, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Ashleigh Nelson, Asha Philip and Bianca Williams make up the women’s 4x100m squad.

Max Burgin, the fastest man in the world over 800m this year, won the British title on Sunday to seal his place.

World Athletics will publish its final world rankings ahead of the Championships on Wednesday, meaning there are likely to be a number of additions to the squad based on rankings.

The World Championships sparks a frantic summer with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham starting days after the end of competition in Eugene and then the European Championships in Munich in August.

At 35, Jamaica’s two-time Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has done it all. But she still hasn’t finished, and her appearance at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris on Saturday (18) will represent another significant step in her campaign to defend her world 100m title in Oregon next month.

Fraser-Pryce established her name early on this season’s world list when she ran in the rarified air of Nairobi and won in 10.67 - only seven-hundredths off the personal best she ran last year to put herself third on the all-time list.

Her Jamaican compatriot and twice successor as Olympic 100m champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah, has since made a good start to her pursuit of a first individual world title with a best of 10.79 on the Eugene track that will stage the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

But now Fraser-Pryce is back to make another impression in top-level competition at the Meeting de Paris on the ultra-fast blue track at Stade Charlety, which was renovated in 2019.

She will be taking on some talented sprinters including Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, the surprise – and surprised – winner of the world indoor 60m title in Belgrade earlier this year in a personal best of 6.96. Kambundji, who turns 30 on the day before the race, will be targeting her personal best of 10.94. 

Also in the mix will be Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago, who has run 10.94 this season and has a personal best of 10.82, and Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, who missed a 100m medal by one place in Tokyo as she ran 10.91.

Two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who has raced well but not exceptionally at 200m this season, will get down to serious business at her specialist event.

The 28-year-old Bahamian, who lowered her own continental record to 48.36 in Tokyo last summer, is third in this year’s top list with her time of 49.91, but that was set in April and the Olympic champion will want to check in on her current form having run over 200m recently.

She faces a strong Polish trio of Natalia Kaczmarek, who ran a huge personal best of 50.16 in Ostrava and stands sixth in this year’s world list, European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic and Anna Kielbasinska.

The Bahamas will be providing both Olympic 400m champions in Paris, with Steven Gardiner hoping to further fine-tune his world title defence in Oregon with a rare Diamond League appearance.

The leggy 26-year-old, who is 1.93m tall and has run 43.48, making him the sixth best performer of all time, did not compete in any Diamond League race last year and only raced once in Europe, at Szekesfehervar in Hungary.

His last appearance on the sport’s top circuit was at Monaco in 2019, when he won. Gardiner is already in good shape, having run 44.22 at Baton Rouge in Louisiana on 23 April - the fastest time recorded so far this year.

Meanwhile, European champion Matthew Hudson-Smith, who recently took one hundredth of a second off the British record of 43.36, set by Iwan Thomas in 1997, could be in position to better a record of even longer standing, this time the European one of 44.33 set by East Germany’s Thomas Schoenlebe in 1987. 

Devon Allen of the United States, whose 12.84 clocking in last Saturday’s New York Grand Prix – the third-fastest ever run – earned him a handsome victory ahead of world champion and compatriot Grant Holloway, maintained winning momentum over 110m hurdles in Oslo, although this victory was earned in 13.22 into a headwind of -1.2 m/s.

Allen, who will take up a professional American football career at the end of this season as a wide receiver with National Football League side Philadelphia Eagles, is due to run in Paris against a field that includes home hurdler Wilhem Belocian.

Canada’s Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse has been running 100m recently to sharpen up, but after clocking 10.24 at the Birmingham Diamond League on 21 May he dropped out of the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games on 5 June. On Thursday in Oslo, however, he returned to form in the 100m – in which he won Rio 2016 bronze – as he earned victory in 10.05 from Britain’s Reece Prescod, who clocked 10.06.

On Saturday, like Miller-Uibo, he will get down to business in his main event against a field that includes Prescod, who produced a big personal best over 100m of 9.93 in blustery conditions at the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting on 31 May. Meanwhile, Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic will be seeking to build on what has been a good start to the season, in which he has run 20.07.

Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega, who won the Ethiopian World Championships trials race in Hengelo and then finished fourth in the 5000m in Rome, is expected to race over the shorter distance in Paris.

One month from yesterday,  the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 – the first to be held in the United States – will get under way at the all-new Hayward Field in Eugene.

One week from today, that same venue will stage the fearsome, first-three-home drama of the USATF Championships, where home athletes will seek to earn the right to return to the re-built arena once the global event starts on 15 July.

The perennial jeopardy of that event means that some of the most likely home medallists cannot yet be inked in for the World Championships. But wild card entries for defending champions mean that US athletes such as 200m gold medallist Noah Lyles, who has demonstrated convincing form in recent weeks and days, will count on toeing the line.

Prospective challengers for medals in Eugene, notably from Europe and Africa, have been laying down their markers in earnest over the last fortnight, however, as the meetings have come thick and fast. The level of excitement and anticipation is rising rapidly on the Road to Oregon. 

Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson has her sights firmly set on world 800m gold in Oregon. As does her fellow 20-year-old Athing Mu of the US, who beat her to Olympic gold in Tokyo last year. Something has to give.

Hodgkinson eschewed an almost certain 800m medal at the World Indoor Championships in March as a precaution after feeling a muscle twinge in warm-up for the final – it had to be gold or nothing for her, and she didn’t want to risk what promises to be a richly busy outdoor season.

After an impressive victory in Birmingham she travelled to the Eugene Diamond League keyed up for a pre-World Championships battle with her rival, only to find that Mu was a no-show following the after-effects of having Covid-19.

The Briton did all she could to lay down a big marker on the track where the world golds will be disputed, piling in to win in 1:57.72, the fastest time of the year.

The glove was down. And less than a fortnight later at the Rome Diamond League meeting it was firmly grasped by Mu as she answered the challenge by romping home to win in 1:57.01.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the phenomenal 17-year-old who won the world U20 men’s 800m title on his home track of Nairobi last year, has maintained impressive momentum this season, winning in 1:44.15 in Ostrava and coolly outrunning Botswana’s 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos at the Rabat Diamond League meeting to win in 1:45.47.

In the Moroccan capital, local hero Soufiane El Bakkali, whose Tokyo victory in the men’s 3000m steeplechase provided his country with its only medal from the Games, once again defeated his great Ethiopian rival Lamecha Girma in a race that nearly blew the roof off the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Czech Republic’s Zuzana Hejnova, the two-time world 400m hurdles champion and Olympic bronze medalist, has confirmed her retirement from competitive athletics.

The 35-year-old, who has announced that she is expecting a baby, is to bid an official farewell to her successful career at the Ostrava Golden Spike – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting – on 31 May.

“I wanted to say goodbye in front of Czech spectators,” she said. “I have had a great career and from the bottom of my heart I thank everyone who supported me. I'm looking forward to a new role now.”

World U18 gold in 2003 was the first of the global titles claimed by Hejnova, the then 16-year-old clocking 57.54 to win the 400m hurdles in Sherbrooke, Canada.

She broke the Czech U20 record for the first time at the World U20 Championships in Grosseto the following year, her 57.44 securing silver, and lowered it again in 2005, eventually taking it to 55.89 when winning the 2005 European U20 title in Kaunas.

Hejnova then broke the Czech senior record the following year and improved it every season from 2006 to 2011. During that period she claimed 400m hurdles bronze at the 2007 European U23 Championships, made her Olympic debut with a seventh-place finish in Beijing in 2008 and secured silver as part of the Czech 4x400m team at the 2010 World Indoor Championships.

Hejnova became an Olympic medalist two years later, winning bronze at the 2012 Games in London, and that was to prove just the start.

During an unbeaten 2013 season in her specialist event, Hejnova won the first of her two world 400m hurdles titles and she did it with the performance of her life – clocking a still-standing Czech record of 52.83 to get gold in Moscow. She won the overall Diamond League title – a feat she repeated in 2015 – and was named athlete of the year by European Athletics and the Czech Athletics Federation.

She retained her world title in Beijing in 2015 – becoming the only athlete to win back-to-back world gold medals in the women’s 400m hurdles – and also achieved top-five finishes in London in 2017 and Doha in 2019. Hejnova then became a three-time Olympian in 2016, finishing fourth in the 400m hurdles in Rio, and claimed European indoor 400m silver in Belgrade the following year.

Despite injury struggles, she returned to reach the final of the World Championships in 2019 and then ran her last race at the Ostrava Golden Spike in September 2020. There she contested the 300m hurdles, an event in which she set the world best of 38.16 in 2013.

Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson has set her sights on upgrading her 800m silver in 2021 to gold at the next Olympics in Paris in three years' time.

The 19-year-old broke Kelly Holmes' British record en route to claiming second place in the 800m in Tokyo.

"I want to turn this into a gold one day, that's the long-term goal in Paris," she told BBC Breakfast.

"I'm just going to carry on doing what I am doing because that is what has got me here."

Hodgkinson began 2021 aiming to add a European junior gold to the youth title she won in 2018, however a first sub-two minute time in January followed by European indoor gold and an impressive victory in Ostrava made her re-evaluate her plans.

In June, she surged past Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie to defend the national title she won against a weaker field 12 months earlier and book her place on the plane to Tokyo.

"I didn't really think about the enormity of it," said Hodgkinson of her Olympic final.

"I was most relaxed in the final because you have made it there, it is more the heats and the semi-finals where you get nervous.

"I just wanted to enjoy it because that is the biggest stage I have been on."

Hodgkinson was beaten to gold by another 19-year-old - Athing Mu of the USA - and their rivalry seems likely to be witnessed for years to come.

"Athing is a lovely girl and a great athlete," added Hodgkinson on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"To have two 19-year-olds on the podium was quite something I think, it bodes for a very bright future.

"We all get on really well, they are lovely girls and we have the utmost respect for each other. I think we are just going to push each other on throughout the years."

Six races in eight days on the Tokyo track? No problem, says Sifan Hassan, who overcame a Monday morning fall in the 1500m heats to win 5000m gold in the evening.

How about 24,500 meters of Olympic racing in the matter of eight days?

The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan has said she’ll try it, competing in each of the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m races at Tokyo 2020, a line-up rarely seen – especially in the hot conditions athletics runners are facing at these Games.

“For me it is crucial to follow my heart,” said Hassan in a press release. “Doing that is far more important than gold medals. That keeps me motivated and it keeps me enjoying this beautiful sport.”

Having already run on Friday (July 30) to qualify for the 5000m final, Hassan fell with a lap to go in Monday morning's 1500m first round, but picked herself up to win the heat!

Just 12 hours later, Hassan produced her famed finishing kick to take her first global title over 5000m and her first Olympic medal.

That may have been the hardest of three with the mile world record holder completing a 1500m-10,000m double at the 2019 World Championships.

See her full schedule below – and find out what other similar feats have been attempted in athletics in Games past, as you get to know the distance running star.

Born in Ethiopia in 1993, Hassan arrived in the Netherlands as a 15-year-old refugee in 2008. She split her time between running and studying to become a nurse.

She became a Dutch citizen in late 2013, which allowed her to represent the Netherlands in competition.

As early as 2011, Hassan began making her mark on the international stage, winning the Eindhoven Half Marathon that year. In 2013, she won the 3000m at the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting in June.

At the 2014 European Championships in Zurich, Hassan took gold in the 1500m and a year later, she won bronze in the 1500m at the World Championships in Beijing, joining Dafne Schippers as the only Dutch athletes to win medals at the Worlds.

She had clearly established herself as one to watch ahead of Rio 2016, though injuries hampered her build-up to those Games, where she went out in the heats in the 800m but reached the final of the 1500m, where she finished fifth behind Kenya’s gold medalist Faith Kipyegon.

Has anyone tried such an Olympic programme before? Let’s compare it with two great long-distance feats at Olympic Games.

According to  The Guardian, Paavo Nurmi went for four at Paris 1924: Nurmi won the men's 1500m, 5000m, and 3000m team event – as well as two cross-country events – but “Finnish officials feared for his health and refused to let him race the 10,000m.”

The 1500, 3000 and 5000 happened over a span of just five days.

At Helsinki 1952, Czechoslovakia’s Emil Zatopek won the 5000m, 10,000m, and marathon (42km) – all in Olympic records. Those four races (a semi and a final for the 5000), took place over eight days.

After Rio, Hassan joined Alberto Salazar’s training group in Oregon, keeping her focus largely on the 1500m. She was fifth again (behind Kipyegon) in the 1500m at the 2017 World Championships in London and took bronze in the 5000m with another Kenyan, Hellen Obiri, winning gold.

In 2019, after a quiet season to start, she set a new mile world record at the Monaco Diamond League in 4:12.33.

At the World Championships in Doha, she entered the 10,000m having only ran the race competitively just once before. But Hassan closed down Letesenbet Gidey before sprinting clear on the last lap to take her first global title.

A week later, she showed her versatility by winning the 1500m to complete a unique double at Worlds.

After worlds, it was announced that her coach, Salazar, would be suspended from athletics due to doping allegations. Hassan denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.

She continued to perform at the top level after his suspension: She set the aforementioned mile world record in 2019, then ran the fourth fastest 10,000m ever before setting a new world record at that distance in June of 2021. (That record was broken two days later, by Gidey.)

Hassan will almost certainly fight it out with Gidey for gold in the 10,000, but the Dutch runner’s famed finishing kick gives her a great chance of adding the Olympic title to her world title.

Here’s a breakdown of Hassan’s potential schedule, having already advance through into the final of the 5000m on Monday night (Aug 2).

Fri 30 July 19:00 JST - 5000m semi-finals – Finished 1st, to reach final.

Mon 2 August 09:47 JST - 1500m round 1 - Finished 1st in heat despite falling, to reach semi-finals.

Mon 2 August 21:40 JST - 5000m final

Wed 4 August around 17:00 JST - 1500m semi-finals.

Fri 6 August 21:50 JST - 1500m final (if she qualifies)

Sat 7 August 19:45 JST - 10,000m final.

Five world champions, four Olympic gold medallists and two world record-holders are set to compete at the FBK Games – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting – in Hengelo on Sunday (6).

Pole vault world record-holder Mondo Duplantis will be raring to go after his 23-meet winning streak came to an end at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Gateshead at the end of last month. Battling tough conditions, the 21-year-old from Sweden gave the bar a slight nudge on his final attempt at 5.80m – what would have been a winning height – and it came down, meaning victory went to two-time world champion Sam Kendricks.

Kendricks won’t be in Hengelo, but Duplantis will have one eye on the US vaulter’s meeting record and Dutch all-comers’ record of 5.91m.

Olympic champion Thiago Braz and Dutch vaulter Menno Vloon, who set a national indoor record of 5.96m earlier this year, are also in the line-up.

Double world champion Sifan Hassan will return to the track on which she set a European 10,000m record of 29:36.67 last year and will again contest the 25-lap discpline. The Dutch distance runner has tested her form over a range of distances this year, clocking 8:33.62 for 3000m indoors, followed by 14:35.34 for 5000m and 2:01.54 for 800m outdoors.

Kenya’s Daisy Cherotich, New Zealand’s world finalist Camille Buscomb and Canada’s Andrea Seccafien will all be hoping to emerge from the race with lifetime bests.

World 800m champion Halimah Nakaayi will open her 2021 campaign over her specialist distance. The Ugandan middle-distance runner takes on a quartet of Britons – Laura Muir, Kelly Hodgkinson, Jemma Reekie and Adelle Tracey – as well as Norway’s Hedda Hynne and France’s Renelle Lamote.

In the men’s event, indoor sensation Elliot Giles lines up for his first outdoor 800m of the year, taking on fellow Brits Max Burgin – who set a European U20 record of 1:44.14 in Ostrava last month – and Daniel Rowden. Tony van Diepen, one of the Netherlands’ top performers at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, is also in the field.

Recent Montreuil winner Abel Kipsang goes in the men’s 1500m where he’ll take on Uganda’s Ronald Musagala and Britain’s sub-3:30 performer Jake Wightman.

Asher-Smith, Kerley and McLeod set to produce sprint highlights

Although she has raced there only once before, world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith has fond memories of racing in Hengelo.

It is where, as a teenager back in 2015, she set her first senior national record over 100m, clocking 11.02. Six years on from that performance, and having bagged many more records and medals, the world 200m champion will be hoping for a sub-11-second clocking to improve on the 11.35 season’s best she recorded when winning in Gateshead, running in heavy rain and into a -3.1m/s headwind.

Nigeria’s world and Olympic medallist Blessing Okagbare, who has a season’s best of 10.90, and two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers are also in the line-up.

World 4x400m champion Fred Kerley has so far this year produced his most impressive performances at 100m, clocking 9.91 and 9.96 in recent weeks. In Hengelo, however, he’ll step back up to his specialist 400m discipline and will aim to improve on the 44.60 season’s best he recorded in Doha last week.

All eyes were on Joshua Cheptegei ahead of Wednesday’s Ostrava Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic, as the 24-year-old Ugandan was looking to break the 3,000m world record. Cheptegei ended up running to a disappointing finish, falling well short of the record, but the meet was far from uneventful, as several other athletes posted remarkable times. Among these impressive performances were runs from teenaged Brits Max Burgin and Keely Hodgkinson in the men’s and women’s 800m races and an amazing showing from Cheptegei’s compatriot Jacob Kiplimo in the 10,000m. 

Cheptegei falls short 

Cheptegei had an incredible 2020 season that saw him run three world records (5K, 5,000m and 10,000m) in four races. He had already raced twice in 2021 ahead of Wednesday’s meet, and he was itching to add another record to his resume, so he targeted Kenyan Daniel Komen‘s 3,000m mark of 7:20.67, which has been the time to beat for 24 years.

Before the run, Cheptegei’s agent, Jurrie van der Velden, told LetsRun.com that this record could be the toughest one Cheptegei has tried to beat, and after he finished 13 seconds behind Komen’s time on Wednesday, that appears to be true. Cheptegei opened the race on world record pace, and he passed through the first 1,600m in 3:55. He proceeded to slow considerably in the following few laps, though, and crossed the line far off the world record. 

British domination 

Young Brits won both 800m races. Hodgkinson’s win wasn’t too much of a surprise, as she has had a tremendous season so far. The 18-year-old opened her season in Austria in January with a U20 indoor 800m world record of 1:59.03 (which American Athing Mu lowered a month later with a 1:58.40 run in Arkansas), and she followed that up with a win in the women’s 800m at the European Indoor Championships. On Wednesday, she broke two minutes for the first time outdoors, winning the women’s race in Ostrava in 1:58.89, which is a new U20 European record. 

The men’s 800m was the first race of the season for Burgin, but he ran extremely well and took the win in 1:44.14. Like Hodgkinson, Burgin (who turns 19 on Thursday) now owns the U20 European 800m record, and his result in the Czech Republic is a new world-leading time for 2021. Both Hodginson’s and Burgin’s times are under the Olympic 800m standards. 

Kiplimo crushes the 10,000m 

With all of the attention on Cheptegei, Kiplimo managed to fly under the radar until his race. Then, lining up in the men’s 10,000m, the 20-year-old flew away from the rest of the field, and 25 laps later, he stopped the clock in 26:33.93. This is a new world-leading time, it crushed the second-place finisher (who crossed the line in 27:07.49) and it shattered Kiplimo’s previous PB of 27:26.68 by close to a full minute. Before the race, Kiplimo said he was hoping to break 27 minutes, and he accomplished this goal with ease. His result now puts him at seventh-best in history at the distance. 

Canadian sprints 

Canadian sprinters Andre De Grasse and Aaron Brown were both in action in Ostrava. De Grasse raced the 100m, and he crossed the line in 10.17 seconds. He finished in third place behind American Fred Kerley (9.96) and Justin Gatlin (10.08). Brown also finished in third place, although he raced the 200m. Brown ran 20.40 seconds, and he finished behind Kenny Bednarek of the U.S. (19.93) and Kerley (20.27). Both De Grasse and Brown are set to race at the Gateshead Diamond League on Sunday in the U.K.

Last year, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei set world records in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters as part of an unforgettable 2020 season.

On Wednesday at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, he will try to go one better and become just the third man to hold the 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 records simultaneously. Yes, that’s right. Cheptegei will attempt to break Daniel Komen‘s legendary 7:20.67 3,000-meter world record which has stood for nearly 25 years — since September 1, 1996.

Cheptegei´s camp is under no illusions as to the difficulty of the feat.

“It’s a big ask for Joshua to break [the 3,000-meter world record], we have to be realistic about that,” Cheptegei’s agent Jurrie van der Velden told LetsRun.com. “But we believe it’s possible with the training he’s done. It will be the toughest attempt for him thus far.”

There are several reasons why. First is the 3,000-meter record itself is one of the longest-standing men’s world records and has scarcely been challenged since. Only Hicham El Guerrouj, who ran 7:23.09 in 1999, has come within four seconds of the mark. Even the great Kenenisa Bekele, previous holder of the 5,000 and 10,000 records, never ran faster than 7:25.79.

Second is Cheptegei’s skillset. While the World Athletics scoring tables say 7:20 is equivalent to 12:36 and 26:15 for 5,000 and 10,000 — both marks Cheptegei has bettered — it will be tougher for Cheptegei who, as a distance specialist, is more suited to the longer events. He will need a lot of speed to break 7:20.67 — it’s 3:56 mile pace for seven-and-a-half laps — and Cheptegei, whose 3,000 pb is 7:33.26, has yet to demonstrate the raw 1500 speed of Komen, who had a personal best of 3:29.46.

In Cheptegei’s defense, he has barely raced the 1500. His Tilastopaja profile lists just three races at the distance, the most recent of which was a pb of 3:37.36 on April 24 in Kampala (elevation: 3,937 feet). He will have to run close to that pace for twice the distance to break Komen’s record.

Cheptegei does have a few things working in his favor, however. He has an ace pacemaker in Australia’s Stewart McSweyn, who ran 3:30 and 7:28 last year, and will also benefit from the pacing light system that aided Cheptegei in his world records in Monaco and Valencia last year. The pace is scheduled for 2:26-2:27 per kilometer, with Dutchman Richard Douma serving as the first pacer through 1200 meters before giving way to McSweyn, who will attempt to go through 2000.

Cheptegei also has Nike’s superspikes, which have made Komen’s once-untouchable record seem more attainable. For eight years — from 2012 through 2019 — no man broke 7:28 for 3,000. In the last eight months, five men have done it, all in Nike spikes.

Paul Chelimo, Joshua Cheptegei, Genzebe Dibaba, Barbora Spotakova and Anita Wlodarczyk have all gone where no other athlete in history has, while with his indoor world record of 18.07m earlier this year, Hugues Fabrice Zango showed he has the potential to one day surpass Jonathan Edwards’ triple jump world record of 18.29m.

With 1500 fans allowed in the stadium, every set of eyes will be trained on Cheptegei when he takes to the track for the men’s 3000m, the final event on the programme. Edged by Duplantis for Male World Athlete of the Year in 2020, the Ugandan 24-year-old has been untouchable on the track since 2019, setting world records at 5000m and 10,000m.

Cheptegei’s current best for 3000m is 7:33.26, but the enlisting of Australia’s Stewart McSweyn – a 7:28 man – as pacemaker suggests the Ugandan is ready to take a massive chunk off that. If conditions are favourable, he looks primed to challenge Daniel Komen’s 3000m world record of 7:20.67, which has stood for 25 years. The world 10,000m champion sharpened his speed last month with a 3:37.36 1500m PB at altitude in Kampala. Olympic 5000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo is likely to be his closest pursuer.

Elsewhere in the distance events, world half marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo will open his season over 10,000m where it seems the 20-year-old Ugandan’s personal best of 27:26.68 is due for serious revision. In the men’s 3000m steeplechase, 2019 Diamond League champion Getnet Wale of Ethiopia will be looking to improve on his best of 8:05.21, having clocked a blazing 7:24.98 for 3000m indoors back in February.

Poland’s world bronze medalist Marcin Lewandowski takes on Ugandan record-holder Ronald Musagala in the men's 1500m. European Indoor 800m champion Patryk Dobek will race the two-lap distance in Ostrava, and the Pole remains undecided between the 800m and the 400m hurdles for the Tokyo Olympics. He should get a good indicator of his medal chances at the longer distance on Wednesday as he takes on seasoned veterans Adam Kszczot and Amel Tuka.

Genzebe Dibaba is the star attraction in the women’s 1500m, her first outing at the distance in which she holds the world record since August 2019. The Ethiopian made an eye-catching half marathon debut last December when clocking 1:05:18 in Valencia, but she failed to finish on her only outing since, an indoor 3000m in February. Uganda’s Winnie Nanyondo should be her biggest rival. In the women’s 800m, European indoor champion Keely Hodgkinson should be tough to beat.

Richardson takes on Schippers and Okagbare

In the sprints, the women’s 200m will take top billing, with fans eager to see what Sha’Carri Richardson can produce after her red-hot form in recent weeks. The 21-year-old US sprinter clocked wind-legal 100m times of 10.72, 10.74 and 10.77 already this season and she seems primed to dip below 22 seconds over 200m for the first time. Also in the field is two-time world champion Dafne Schippers and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare.

Olympic 100m bronze medallist Andre De Grasse will face 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin in the men’s 100m and while both have edged below 10 seconds this year, they will have it all to do to beat 400m specialist Fred Kerley, who clocked 9.91 (2.0m/s) in Miami last month.

Kerley is also slated for the 200m, which takes place 80 minutes after the 100m. In the latter, Kenny Bednarek should prove tough to beat, having run 19.94 behind Noah Lyles at the USATF Golden Games recently.

In the men’s 400m, 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James will be looking to return to his best as the clock counts down towards the Tokyo Games. The Grenadian opened his season with a 44.88-second clocking in Phoenix, USA, last month, though Vernon Norwood is the quickest in the field this year with his 44.64.

Olympic bronze medallist Yasmani Copello headlines the men’s 400m hurdles, while Denmark’s Sara Slott Petersen is the quickest on paper in the women’s event.

World record-holders Monto Duplantis and Joshua Cheptegei, along with world U20 record-holder Sha’Carri Richardson, will compete in the Czech Republic for the first time in their careers when they line up at the Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Ostrava on May 19.

This year’s Golden Spike will be the 60th edition and the line-up of top names already announced for the competition will ensure that the meeting will be a memorable one.

Duplantis, the Male World Athlete of the Year, will have one eye on breaking the meeting record in the pole vault.

“Ostrava will be my first outdoor competition in Europe and I am really looking forward to jumping for the first time in the Czech Republic,” said Duplantis, who will compete against two-time world champion Sam Kendricks in Ostrava. “My training and preparation back home in Louisiana has gone very well so I feel confident and hope for good conditions.”

Cheptegei, who last year set world records over 5000m and 10,000m, will step down to the 3000m in Ostrava. His best for that distance is 7:33.26, but the meeting record of 7:31.66 looks to be within reach for the world 10,000m and cross country champion from Uganda.

Richardson has already started her year in fine form. She sped to a lifetime best of 10.72 over 100m in Miramar last month, then clocked a season’s best of 22.11 over 200m one week later, just 0.11 shy of the PB she set last year.

The 21-year-old will contest the 200m in Ostrava and will face multiple world and Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and two-time world champion Dafne Schippers.

Canada’s world and Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse is confirmed for the men’s 100m, while three-time world indoor champion Pavel Maslak will go in the 400m.

World record-holder Barbora Spotakova and European indoor shot put champion Tomas Stanek are among the other leading Czech athletes who’ll be in action on 19 May. Spotakova will take on fellow Czech javelin thrower Nikola Ogrodnikova, while 2017 Diamond League winner Jakub Vadlejch will contest the men’s event.

Other confirmed Czech stars include two-time world 400m hurdles champion Zuzana Hejnova, long jumper Radek Juska, middle-distance runners Jakub Holusa and Filip Sasinek, and decathlon specialist Adam Sebastian Helcelet.

As was announced last week, world hammer record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk and 2017 world javelin champion Johannes Vetter are also confirmed to compete in Ostrava.

The Golden Spike was granted an exemption from the Czech Republic’s ban on holding mass events, and the meeting is permitted to welcome 1500 fans into the stadium.

Global medallists Raevyn Rogers, Donavan Brazier and Christian Taylor are preparing for an early-season top-quality test of their form at the USATF Grand Prix – the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold standard meeting of 2021 – on Saturday (24).

As well as offering the opportunity for some high-class clashes, the event also gives the US trio the chance to compete at Eugene’s recently renovated Hayward Field, which will stage the US Olympic Trials in June and this weekend welcomes athletes for its first professional competition since 2018.

“I am very nervous and excited to compete at the new Hayward,” said Taylor, the four-time world and two-time Olympic triple jump champion. “I had the previous stadium record and had lifelong memories made in front of the grandstands. This is a glorious new beginning but also has that special sense of the unknown.

“This will be a very serious competition for us,” he added, “to have an idea of exactly where we are and what areas we need to focus on moving forward.”

While Taylor has fond memories, world 800m champion Brazier is looking to make up for the disappointment he felt when he last raced at the iconic venue five years ago.

“I’m really excited to race there,” said the 24-year-old, who this time steps up to compete over 1500m. “The last time I raced there I ran pretty bad, I think it was the Olympic Trials in 2016, so I’d like to get the monkey off my back and finally start racing good again in Eugene.

“We’re going to see where we’re at this weekend and that’s part of the reason why we’re doing the 1500m instead of 800m.”

Rogers – star of the track and tower

For Rogers, it's a sense of ‘being home’.

“It is a huge weekend, especially to be running the 800m at Eugene,” said the world 800m silver medallist, who won multiple NCAA titles while racing for the University of Oregon. “I’m just looking forward to kicking it (her 800m season) off and seeing where all of this hard work in practise will lead to.”

Rogers is one of five icons – along with legendary coach Bill Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine, Ashton Eaton and Otis Davis – pictured on the Tower at Hayward Field and on whether there will be any extra pressure to perform, the 24-year-old said: “Just to be able to run the 800m at the ribbon-cutting meet, I did express (to her coach, Pete Julian) ‘you want me to do my first 800m in Eugene at the new stadium?!’ Of course, I was factoring in some of that pressure, but he was very reassuring to understand that the focus is about June and of course later on, God willing, the Olympics.

“It’s more to see where we are and get some races under our belt. That helped a lot to ease some of those outside thoughts in my head in regards to factoring in the pressure of running at the stadium.”

As well as it being the ‘ribbon-cutting’ professional competition at the reimagined Hayward Field – which will host next year’s World Athletics Championships Oregon22 – the event also kicks off this year’s Continental Tour Gold-standard series of meetings. The aim of the Tour is to offer a coherent global series of the best international one-day meetings outside of the Wanda Diamond League.

“I’m excited about the fact that we are getting some World Athletics type of races in,” said Rogers. “I feel like we are still kind of holding on to the slowness of last year, with things not being open, but now people are feeling like vaccinations are a little bit more allowing of us getting outside and being able to do things. And so now that we are able to focus on getting some good competition and more races in, I think it will help get more of that type of competitive experience that we have when it comes to the Olympics, because this is really necessary.

"I feel like as we get into championship season, since it is in almost two months, it’s super necessary and the time window to be able to get those type of races in is very short. So the fact that they are trying to implement this World Athletics Continental Tour will help get those Diamond League type of races and experiences in, instead of just having to have them straight at the Olympics.”

Following the Continental Tour Gold season opener in Eugene, the series will move on to California, Tokyo, Ostrava and Boston in May before meetings in Hengelo, Turku, Bydgoszcz and Szekesfehervar ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Reigning world half-marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda will be in the spotlight at the 64th edition of the Campaccio in San Giorgio su Legnano when the first leg of the World Athletics Cross Country Permit series takes place on Sunday (21).

The popular Northern Italian cross-country race was originally scheduled for its traditional 6 January date, but it was postponed until the end of March due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time in its long history, the Campaccio will be held in spring.

Kiplimo won the world half-marathon title in Gdynia in 58:49 last October and ran the second-fastest time in history over the 21.1km distance with 57:37 in Valencia last December. The 20-year-old also set PBs on the track last year, clocking 7:26.64 in the 3000m in Rome and 12:48.63 in the 5000m in Ostrava. In 2019 he won the world cross-country silver medal in Aarhus. In the build-up to the Campaccio, Kiplimo dominated the men’s race at the Italian Cross Country Club Championships in Campi Bisenzio near Florence in rainy conditions.

Kiplimo will race against his younger brother Oscar Chelimo, who won the BOclassic 5km World Athletics Label road race in Bolzano last December. In 2018 Chelimo finished seventh in the 5000m at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere and won the 3000m at the Olympic Youth Games in Buenos Aires. One year later, the 19-year-old won the world under-20 cross-country bronze medal in Aarhus and finished fifth in the 5000m at the African Games in Rabat. 

Another Ugandan runner in the line-up is 2017 and 2018 world mountain running silver medallist Joel Ayeko.

Last year’s surprise Campaccio winner Mogos Tuemay will return to San Giorgio su Legnano to defend his title. The Ethiopian runner set his 10,000m PB in Hengelo in 2019 with 27:23.49 and finished 18th at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Aarhus in 2019.

The top Italian runner is Eyob Faniel, who broke Stefano Baldini’s national marathon record with 2:07:19 in Seville last year. Faniel improved Rachid Berradi’s long-standing Italian half-marathon record with 1:00:07 at the Tuscany Camp Half Marathon in Siena at the end of February. Faniel also won the 2019 BOclassic road race and equalled Daniele Meucci’s 10km national record with 28:08 at the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid last December.

“I have always used cross-country competitions as preparation for the marathon,” said Faniel. “I finished ninth in 2017 and 10th in 2018 in my previous two appearances at the Campaccio. This year I am in different form, as I trained for shorter distances to prepare for the half-marathon. The turning point in my career was my win at the Boclassic in Bolzano in 2019.”

Faniel will battle for top place among Italian runners against Iliass Aouani, who won the national individual cross country title in Campi Bisenzio last week. Aouani, who graduated in engineering at the Syracuse University in New York, finished fourth at the 2019 World University Games in Naples in the 10,000m and equalled the national indoor mile record with 4:00.07 last year in Boston. 

Other Italian runners to watch out for are Yohanes Chiappinelli, who won the European bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase in Berlin in 2018, plus 2017 European indoor 3000m finalist Yassin Bouih, 2019 world mountain running silver medallist Cesare Maestri and 2017 world mountain running gold medallist Francesco Puppi.

In the women’s race, Lilian Kasait Rengeruk from Kenya will be bidding to win the Campaccio title for the second time, three years after her triumph in 2018. Rengeruk won the world cross country bronze medal in 2017 and finished fifth in the 5000m at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha with her PB of 14:36.05. 

Rengeruk will take on Winfred Mutile Yavi, who finished fourth in the 3000m steeplechase in Doha and won the past two editions of the Cinque Mulini Cross Country Permit race in San Vittore Olona in 2019 and 2020. Yavi clocked a world all-time best in the indoor 2000m steeplechase with 5:45.09 in Lievin last February. 

The line-up also features Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu, who finished sixth at the 2019 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Aarhus. 

Nadia Battocletti leads the Italian contingent. Battocletti won two consecutive European under-20 cross-country gold medals and the European under-20 silver medal in the 5000m in 2019. The daughter of former Italian cross-country star Giuliano Battocletti finished sixth in last year’s edition of the Campaccio. She won her first national senior cross-country title in Campi Bisenzio last weekend after being sidelined by an injury problem at the end of January.

The other top Italian runners are Ludovica Cavalli, who won the Italian under-23 titles in the 1500m and 5000m last year and in the 3000m indoors in 2021, plus 3000m steeplechase specialist Martina Merlo (PB 9:41.06).

“Despite the restrictions due to the global pandemic, we managed to put together a world-class field. We are proud to announce that the special guest will be fresh European 60m champion Marcell Jacobs, who will offer his support for all athletes,” said Campaccio Technical Director Marcello Magnani.

Claudio Pastori, President of the local Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese, said: “We are determined to organise the Campaccio race this year. It is important to give a message of hope to the younger generation in this difficult period.”

Reigning world half-marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda will be in the spotlight at the 64th edition of the Campaccio in San Giorgio su Legnano when the first leg of the World Athletics Cross Country Permit series takes place on Sunday.

The popular Northern Italian cross-country race was originally scheduled for its traditional 6 January date, but it was postponed until the end of March due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time in its long history, the Campaccio will be held in spring.

Kiplimo won the world half-marathon title in Gdynia in 58:49 last October and ran the second-fastest time in history over the 21.1km distance with 57:37 in Valencia last December. The 20-year-old also set PBs on the track last year, clocking 7:26.64 in the 3000m in Rome and 12:48.63 in the 5000m in Ostrava. In 2019 he won the world cross-country silver medal in Aarhus. In the build-up to the Campaccio, Kiplimo dominated the men’s race at the Italian Cross Country Club Championships in Campi Bisenzio near Florence in rainy conditions.

Kiplimo will race against his younger brother Oscar Chelimo, who won the BOclassic 5km World Athletics Label road race in Bolzano last December. In 2018 Chelimo finished seventh in the 5000m at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere and won the 3000m at the Olympic Youth Games in Buenos Aires. One year later, the 19-year-old won the world under-20 cross-country bronze medal in Aarhus and finished fifth in the 5000m at the African Games in Rabat. 

Another Ugandan runner in the line-up is 2017 and 2018 world mountain running silver medallist Joel Ayeko.

Last year’s surprise Campaccio winner Mogos Tuemay will return to San Giorgio su Legnano to defend his title. The Ethiopian runner set his 10,000m PB in Hengelo in 2019 with 27:23.49 and finished 18th at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Aarhus in 2019.

The top Italian runner is Eyob Faniel, who broke Stefano Baldini’s national marathon record with 2:07:19 in Seville last year. Faniel improved Rachid Berradi’s long-standing Italian half-marathon record with 1:00:07 at the Tuscany Camp Half Marathon in Siena at the end of February. Faniel also won the 2019 BOclassic road race and equalled Daniele Meucci’s 10km national record with 28:08 at the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid last December.

“I have always used cross-country competitions as preparation for the marathon,” said Faniel. “I finished ninth in 2017 and 10th in 2018 in my previous two appearances at the Campaccio. This year I am in different form, as I trained for shorter distances to prepare for the half-marathon. The turning point in my career was my win at the Boclassic in Bolzano in 2019.”

Faniel will battle for top place among Italian runners against Iliass Aouani, who won the national individual cross country title in Campi Bisenzio last week. Aouani, who graduated in engineering at the Syracuse University in New York, finished fourth at the 2019 World University Games in Naples in the 10,000m and equalled the national indoor mile record with 4:00.07 last year in Boston. 

Other Italian runners to watch out for are Yohanes Chiappinelli, who won the European bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase in Berlin in 2018, plus 2017 European indoor 3000m finalist Yassin Bouih, 2019 world mountain running silver medallist Cesare Maestri and 2017 world mountain running gold medallist Francesco Puppi.

World 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei and world 3000m leader Jacob Kiplimo are among the athletes selected to represent Uganda at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020 on 17 October.

Cheptegei, the world cross-country champion, broke the world 5000m record at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco last month with 12:35.36 and is targeting a tilt on the 10,000m mark on 7 October before heading to Poland.

Kiplimo, meanwhile, won the 5000m at the World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Ostrava with a PB of 12:48.63 and then went on to triumph over 3000m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome in a world-leading 7:26.64, breaking the Ugandan record and becoming the fastest teenager in history for the distance.

Given their exploits on the track in recent months, Cheptegei and Kiplimo will be among the medal favourites when they take to the startline in Gdynia – despite the fact that both men will be making their half marathon debut.

They are joined on the team by 2009 world U20 cross-country bronze medallist Moses Kibet, Stephen Kissa and Abel Chebet.

Juliet Chekwel, who holds the Ugandan records for 10,000m (31:37.99), half marathon (1:09:45) and the marathon (2:23:13), leads the women’s team.

Doreen Chemutai, Doreen Chesang, Rachael Zena Chebet make up the rest of the Ugandan women’s roster.

Ugandan team for Gdynia

Men: Abel Chebet, Joshua Cheptegei, Moses Kibet, Jacob Kiplimo, Stephen Kissa

Women: Juliet Chekwel, Doreen Chemutai, Doreen Chesang, Rachael Zena Chebet

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah has said he will not defend his 5,000 meters title in Tokyo next year and will focus on the 10,000m race instead as age catches up with the Briton.

Farah, 37, won gold in both events at the 2012 London Games as well as the 2016 edition in Rio and is bidding to become the first athlete to win the 10,000m three times at the Olympics.

“I’m getting on a bit and I think the key thing is to stick to one event and see what I can do,” Farah told the BBC.

“I’m definitely motivated, I’m still hungry and I still want it more. It would be history, and I’ve already made history in terms of long distance and I was the first British athlete to achieve back-to-back Olympics (gold medals).

“I have to keep enjoying it, keep smiling and I love what I do. It’s going to be hard but it is possible.”

The Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for this year, were postponed to July-August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, Farah returned to the track after three years away to break the world record for the one-hour run.

Farah ran a distance of 21,330 meters at the Brussels Diamond League meeting to eclipse Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie’s mark, set in Ostrava 13 years ago, by 45 meters.

Kiplimo’s track break-out:

In the men’s 5000m, the 19-year-old Kiplimo fought off Selemon Barega in a fierce homestraight brawl to take the win in 12:48.63, one of seven meeting records to fall on a clear night in this eastern Czech city where 3000 spectators were allowed entry to Mestsky Stadium to help celebrate the meeting’s 59th edition.

Just 3:30 into the race it was Barega, running behind pacer Lamecha Girma, who looked to be in control. With four laps to go he was already all alone and well ahead of the sprawled out pack.

“I wanted the fast time so I kept on pushing,” said Kiplimo, the silver medallist in the senior race at last year’s World Cross Country Championships. “It was a fight in the home straight. And it was wonderulf.”

It was also the first big-meet victory for the teenager. More are likely on their way.

Strong, solo Kipyegon:

Faith Kipyegon produced a powerful performance to take the 1500m in convincing fashion.

Controlling the tempo from the 800m point, the Olympic champion pulled away for good with some 250 metres remaining, with Laura Weightman briefly giving chase. Kipyegon clocked 3:59.05, a season's best and another meeting record.

Weightman, who was briefly passed by Jemma Reekie as they approached the final bend, overtook the Scot in the homestretch to finish second in 4:01.96 with Reekie further back in 4:03.25.

Taylor triples 17.42m world lead:

In typical fashion, Christian Taylor produced the goods in the final round to win the triple jump, reaching a world-leading 17.46 in the final round to steal the win from Hugues Fabrice Zango, who controlled the competition since the second round when he jumped 17.42m. 

Taylor needed time to find his rhythm, shaking off a pair of back-to-back modest efforts with a 17.12m jump in round three. He didn’t produce another measured jump until his last. 

Warholm dominates:

Two-time world 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm extended his unbeaten streak to ten with a convincing 47.62 victory, another meeting record.

It wasn’t quite the follow-up he was expecting after his stunning 46.87 European record in Stockholm where a clip of the final hurdle dashed his world record ambitions there. This time, he chopped his stride badly as he approached the ninth barrier, but if he was disappointed, he hid it well.

“It’s always nice to get a win, but I was a little surprised by the time to be honest,” said Warholm, who was flown to Ostrava on Sunday on a private jet.

“I had a little stutter step, I had to switch (lead legs). There was nothing dramatic about it, I just had to do a switch. But that probably affected my time. Everything that breaks your rhythm is going to impact your finish time.”

Ludvy Vaillant of France was second in 49.14, a season’s best.

Hassan out-sprints Chelangat:

Sifan Hassan, Sheila Chelangat and Yasemin Can waged a strong battle in the women’s 5000m, but through it all, Hassan, the world 1500m and 10,000m champion, was just biding her time. That came, she decided, with about 300 metres to go, when she pulled past Chelangat and ran off down the backstretch and eventually to a convincing 14:37.85 victory. 

Chelangat, who took care of much of the pacesetting chores, was second, passing Can in the waning stages to clock in 14:40.51, a career best for the 22-year-old Kenyan. Can, running in her first race on the track this year, was next in 14:40.70.

800m wins for Muir and Wightman:

Laura Muir was again the class of the field in her event, this time the 800m, turning in a solid 1:58.84 victory. Poland’s Sofia Ennaoui, who was second to the Scot in the Silesia 1500m on Sunday, was second again in 2:00.82.

Jake Wightman took down a solid field in the men’s race in 1:44.18, a career best for the 26-year-old who's better known for his 1500m exploits. The performance lopped a hefty sum from his previous best of 1:44.61 set two years ago.

Four times Olympic champion Mo Farah has asked for pacing assistance in this weekend's P&O Antrim Coast Half Marathon which is shaping up to be the highest quality road race ever in the province.

The 37-year-old is planning for the Larne event on the back of his weekend one hour World track record in Brussels.

Farah ran a total of 21,330 metres, which beat Haile Gebrselassie's 2007 record by 45m, to seal his first ever outdoor world record.

Farah was so focused that he appeared not to realise when the hour was up and kept running before being told he could stop.

There was also a world record in the women's event as Holland's Sifan Hassan set a new best of 18.93km.

Farah has made it clear that, in Larne, he is hoping to beat his own British Half Marathon record of 59 mins 32 secs set five years ago.

In order to do so, however, he has requested help to maintain the hectic pace.

This has created an issue for the organisers as there is no-one in the current list of runners who is capable of maintaining the tough sub one hour pace alongside Farah. GB's Ben Conor is the fastest athlete with a personal best of 61.11.

A possible compromise is simply for Farah to be paced by someone for as much of the race as possible.

Either way, a new NI All Comers record is certain. The current record stands to the Klimes twins, who were joint winners of the 1986 Belfast Half when they ran 62.22.

World Championship 1,500 metres finalist Ciara Mageean will, meanwhile, race tomorrow in the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic.

The 28-year-old Portaferry woman will be trying to repeat her recent top form which has produced Irish records at 800 and 1,000 metres.

Elsewhere, around 400 competitors took part in the latest Eikon road races at Down Royal.

Victory in the 5k event went to Willowfield's Aaron Woodman in 15 minutes, 31 seconds. He was followed by Peter Donnelly (15.42), who was a second ahead of Foyle Valley's Darragh Crossan.

In the ladies race, North Down's Jessica Craig was a comfortable winner in 16.18. She was followed by Finn Valley's Natasha Kelly (17.46) and Omagh's Lauren Molloy (17.52).

The 10K race went to Derry's Stephen McAlary (31.50) followed by North Belfast's David Hamilton (32.47).

Lagan Valley's Caitlyn Harvey took the ladies prize in 38.00 from Newcastle's Anne Gosling (39.57).

60-year-old Tommy Hughes, of Strive Racing, dominated in the 10 miles race with a time of 54.40.

Second went to team mate Eoin Hughes (55.09), followed by Edward Cooke of Victoria Park (55.45). Sperrin's Karen Alexander won the Ladies race by four minutes in 63.49.

After settling for another world record near-miss in the Brussels Diamond League on Friday, Kenya's Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon is set to resume her special rivalry with Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava on Sept. 8.

Having finished just 17 hundredths of a second short at last month's opening Diamond League meeting in Monaco, Kipyegon seemed on track to achieve her ambition with 200 meters remaining, but faltered slightly over the final few meters to cross the line in 2:29.92.

The Kenyan now will return to her 1,500m specialty against Dibaba with hope of continuing her perfect start to Diamond League series at the Ostrava Golden Spike (Czech Republic) on Tuesday.

"I'm happy with the win, the record didn't come out as we had planned but I'm satisfied with my general performance, now I will concentrate on the next competition, the Ostrava meeting," Kipyegon told Xinhua on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Kenya's world marathon record-holder Brigid Kosgei's track debut ended in disappointment after losing the battle to The Dutch world 1,500m and 10,000m champion Sifan Hassan who went to break the World Hour record after she reached 18,930 meters as the hour elapsed, beating the existing mark of 18,517 meters set by Ethiopia's Dire Tune in 2008.

Kosgei was later disqualified for infringement after she was found to have stepped on the rail.

In the men's One Hour event, Britain's and Olympic champion Mo Farah held off the challenge of his training partner, home athlete Bashir Abdi, to set a new mark of 21,330m - eclipsing the 2007 mark of 21,285m set by Haile Gebrselassie. Abdi finished eight meters behind.

When the global implications of COVID-19 were made clear in early March, the UK’s Mo Farah and Belgium’s Bashir Abdi immediately thought about their families. Abdi had just come off of a stellar performance at the Tokyo Marathon – finishing 2nd in a time of 2:04.51 to break his own national record. He then went to Belgium to spend some time with his family but was planning to return to Ethiopia for a training camp in the spring. Farah was still in Ethiopia, training through an injury and looking to find his next race. Deciding to transition back down to the track from the roads meant that he wanted to sharpen his skills a few times in the leadup to the Olympic Games.

Neither, however, had any plans to line up at the beginning of September in an empty stadium in Belgium to break a world record. But since the end of July, the two have been training in Font-Romeu, France, with the goal of breaking Haile Gebrselassie’s one hour record. On September 4, they will be chasing a distance, rather than a time, at the reimagined AG Memorial Van Damme competition.

Months earlier, in highland Ethiopia, Farah was focused on getting into some races. “At that time I wasn’t thinking anything except finding a race to test myself,” he said. “I was supposed to go leave at the end of March but so many countries were going into lockdown and I left quickly to make sure I didn’t get stuck and could get back to the UK to be with my family.”

With his four children at home due to school closures, Farah embraced the time with his family after his safe arrival. It allowed him to recover from his injury and was a welcome distraction to the Olympic Games being cancelled. He even got some of his competitive juices flowing while being a stay-at-home dad, challenging his kids and his wife to competitions like mini-triathlons, and shooting football penalties in a dizzied state.

Abdi was in Belgium but was so sure of his plans to return to Ethiopia in April, that he left many of his belongings in a house the Mudane team rents outside of Addis Ababa. Instead, he trained in the uncertainty in a much colder and damper Belgium, and was able to care for his wife before she gave birth in June. “Cancelling the Olympics was obviously sad to hear, especially after getting so much motivation from the race in Tokyo,” Abdi said. “But the most important thing is health, and it was nice to get to spend more time with my family. It would have been a difficult period welcoming in a new child and training for the Games.”

Even as they both embraced the circumstances and stayed in shape at home, the itch to compete lingered. Thus, as soon as the idea was presented to chase the record, they were in.

While in cycling, the one hour record is an oft-contested event, in running it is far more rare. Although the event has roots dating back to the mid-1800s, it never garnered comparable popularity, despite legends such as Paavo Nurmi, Emil Zatopek, Jos Hermens, and the current record holder, Haile Gebreselassie, owning impressive titles at various points.

To get the record, Farah will have to beat Gebreselassie’s distance of 21,285 meters, which he ran in 2007 at the 46th Golden Spike Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic. However, Gebreselassie had an important asset on his side, which Farah and Abdi will not: a packed stadium. Because of the pandemic, the event will be closed off to spectators. In the final meters when they are throwing down the hammer, the arena will remain still and silent.

But little phases Farah at this point in his career, whose accomplishments are too long to list. “I’ve been running since I was 12 and over the years you just learn from races what works for you and what doesn’t work for you,” he said. Obviously this is a different style of running, but he plans to employ similar tactics for this attempt. “It’s really first just about getting fit – once I’m fit enough to run under 60 minutes for a half marathon I can build smaller components from there.”

Freshly minted 5,000 meters world record holder Joshua Cheptegei will be looking to smash the 10,000m world record before the Olympics.

However, the Ugandan, 23,  said it will depend on if organisers of Diamond League races and other major events include the 5,000m and 10,000m races.

Cheptegei, who is also the World Cross Country Championships 10km champion, shattered Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele’s 16-year-old world 5,000m record on Friday last week, setting a new time of 12 minutes and 35.36 seconds during the Diamond League leg in Monaco.

“I would like to improve my 5,000m world record as well as take a shot at the 10,000m world record. I’m in good shape. Let’s hope more long distance events on the track will be organized,” he said.

Bekele, who has since moved to road running, holds the 10,000m world record, having broken it twice - the first time on June 8, 2004 (26:20.31) in Ostrava, Czech Republic and on August 26, 2005 (26:17.53) in Brussels, Belgium.

Cheptegei is alive to the fact that staying healthy is key during the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s hard to predict the future since it’s in God’s hands. The best you can do is to strive to remain healthy,”  he said.

The 10,000m race had not been held as a Diamond League event for over five years and World Athletics (WA) scrapped the competition entirely from the Diamond League alongside 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase last year. The longest track race is 3,000m but events that will accommodate 5,000m and 10,000m won’t have them featured on prime time.

Only four events have been lined up in this year’s Diamond League series that have been delayed with some events being scrapped owing to Covid-19.

The next events are in Stockholm, Sweden on August 23; Rome, Italy on September 18 and Doha on September 25.

Hassan is the top name announced by organizers today to mark one month to go to the meeting's 59th edition.

Primary among the 27-year-old Dutchwoman's ambitions will the meeting record of 14:30.18 set by Meseret Defar in 2007.

“Going back to Ostrava to compete at the Golden Spike is very special to me," she said.

"Back in 2013 it was the Golden Spike that gave me the chance to run for the first time at a big international competition. It was a surprise to me that I won this race. After that I was able to compete at the highest level. So Ostrava means a lot to me and I really look forward to compete there again."

Hassan clocked 4:04.02 to win on that occasion, a PB in that early stage of her international career. She's gone on to clock 3:51.95 and 14:22.12 for the 5000m, both among her wide-ranging collection of European records.

This year's 1500m race will feature 22-year-old Jemma Reekie of Great Britain, a double winner at last year's European U23 Championships whose breakthrough 2020 indoor season included personal bests with 1:57.91 and 4:00.52 in the 800m and 1500m, respectively. Organisers are hoping she can mount an assault on Gudaf Tsegay's meeting record of 4:00.96 from 2017.

Poland's 2018 European Championships medallist Sofia Ennaoui (4:01.00 PB) and Simona Vrzalova, who was fifth at the last edition of the European championships and who is from Ostrava, are also in the field.

Reekie's well-known training partner, the continental European indoor and outdoor 1500m champion Laura Muir, will headline the 800m. She has a 1:58.42 career best and is certainly targeting another sub-two minute performance. She'll take on top Czech runner Diana Mezulianikova and Slovak Gabriela Gajanova. 

With the altitude and good form expected to play a critical role for “Team Ingebrigtsen” in their mission at the virtual Maurie Plant Memorial Race, their rivals, “Team Cheruiyot”, will have a dig deep to stop the Norwegians.

The two teams that have arguably the best metric race athletes in the world, go head-on in the 2,000m race that is part of the “Impossible Games” on Thursday at 9.40pm (Kenyan time).

The “Impossible Games” have been made possible by the Norwegian National Athletics Association and World Athletics to replace the Diamond League leg of Oslo that has been put off due to Covid-19 pandemic.

“Team Ingebrigtsen” comprising the Norwegian Ingebrigtsen brothers, will run at the Bislett Stadium, Oslo, Norway while “Team Cheruiyot” will be at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

Jakob, the European 1,500m and 5,000m champion, Henrik and Filip will be joined by fellow Norwegians Narve Gilje Nordås and Per Svela in “Team Ingebrigtsen.”

Three Norwegian brothers have shown pedigree, going on to become European champions in the 1,500m even though they have fallen short of victory in global events like the World Championships, Olympic Games or the Continental Cup.

It’s no wonder the brothers who are trained by their father, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, have been christened, the “Machine Team.” Gjert has already published a book entitled “How to raise a world champion”, talking about his son’s performances.

The elder of the brothers, Henrik, 29, won the European title in 2012 before getting bronze at the 2018 Continental Cup in Ostrava.

Perhaps Filip is the most successful, having won the European title in 2016 before claiming bronze at the 2017 London World Championships. Filip, 27, holds the Norwegian 1,500 record with time 3:30.01, set at a Diamond League meet in Monaco on July 20, 2018.

The youngest, Jacob has been phenomenal since the year 2018, from winning the European Under-20 Championships in 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase to winning silver in 1,500m and bronze in 5,000m at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.

Then in 2018, Jakob would claim victory in 1,500m and 5,000m at the European Championships in Berlin, making him the most successful at the event among the brothers. It’s that year that he settled for bronze at the Continental Cup, losing the battle to Kenya’s Elijah Manang’oi and Marcin Lewandowski from Poland.

After bagging gold in 3,000m and silver in 1,500m at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow and gold in Under-20 at the European Cross Country Championships, Jakob would settle fourth in 1,500m and fifth in 5,000m at the World Championships all in 2019.

This week marks the opening of the voting process for the 2019 World Athletes of the Year ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2019 in Monaco on Saturday 23 November.

The IAAF is pleased to confirm a list of 11 nominees for Female World Athlete of the Year who were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of the IAAF. The nominations of 11 athletes reflects the remarkable range of exceptional performances that the sport has witnessed this year, at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, and in the Diamond League and in road and cross country events. The IAAF’s Competition Performance Ranking show that the World Championships in Doha was the highest quality competition in the history of the event.

The nominees for 2019 Female World Athlete of the Year are (in alphabetical order):

Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN)- won world 3000m steeplechase title in a championship record of 8:57.84- won Diamond League title- won seven of her eight steeplechase races

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM)- won world 100m and 4x100m titles in world-leading times of 10.71 and 41.44- won Pan-American 200m title- won seven of her 10 races at 100m

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR)- won world heptathlon title in a world-leading 6981- undefeated in all combined events competitions, indoors and outdoors- won European indoor pentathlon title with a world-leading 4983

Sifan Hassan (NED)- won world 1500m and 10,000m titles in world-leading times of 3:51.95 and 30:17.62- won Diamond League 1500m and 5000m titles- broke world mile record with 4:12.33 in Monaco

Brigid Kosgei (KEN)- set a world record of 2:14:04 to win the Chicago Marathon- won the London Marathon- ran a world-leading 1:05:28 for the half marathon and 1:04:28 on a downhill course

Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)- won world high jump title with 2.04m- jumped a world-leading 2.06m in Ostrava- won 21 of her 23 competitions, indoors and outdoors

Malaika Mihambo (GER)- won world long jump title with a world-leading 7.30m- won Diamond League title- undefeated outdoors

Dalilah Muhammad (USA)- broke world record with 52.20 at the US Championships- improved her own world record to win the world 400m hurdles title in 52.16- won world 4x400m title

Salwa Eid Naser (BRN)- won world 400m title in 48.14, the third-fastest time in history- won Diamond League title and three gold medals at the Asian Championships- undefeated at 400m outdoors

Hellen Obiri (KEN)- won world cross-country title in Aarhus- won world 5000m title in a championship record of 14:26.72- ran a world-leading 14:20.36 for 5000m in London

Yulimar Rojas (VEN)- won world triple jump title with 15.37m- jumped world-leading 15.41m to move to second on the world all-time list- won nine of her 12 competitions, including the Pan-American Games

A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.

The IAAF Council and the IAAF Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the IAAF's social media platforms. Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram this week; a 'like' on Facebook and Instagram or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.

The IAAF Council’s vote will count for 50% of the result, while the IAAF Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.

Voting for the Female World Athlete of the Year closes on 5 November. At the conclusion of the voting process, five men and five women finalists will be announced by the IAAF.

The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced live on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2019.

 

 

The Prefontaine Classic relocated, temporarily, and it brought the best fields of the Diamond League season with it to Stanford, California on Sunday June 30.

That includes the world’s fastest man and woman this year (Christian Coleman and Elaine Thompson), the athlete who has made the most worldwide headlines this season (Caster Semenya) and a bevy of other reigning Olympic and world champions.

Notably, Olympic 10,000m champion Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia and Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon will compete for the first time since 2017. World 100m champions Justin Gatlin and Tori Bowie are in their first Diamond League meets in more than one year. It’s the first Diamond League in two years for 2008 Olympic 400m champ LaShawn Merritt. It’s also the first race of 2019 for Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz.

NBC and NBC Sports Gold air live coverage Sunday from 1-3 p.m. Pacific.

The Pre Classic has been held annually since 1975 in Eugene, Ore. But Hayward Field’s reconstruction ahead of the 2020 Olympic Trials forced a move to Cobb Track and Angell Field at Stanford.

Here are the Pre Classic entry lists. Here’s the schedule of events (all times Pacific):

Here are 10 events to watch:

Men’s Pole Vault — 12:43 p.m.The Big Three of the event meet for the first time this season: 2012 Olympic champion and world-record holder Renaud Lavillenie of France, 2017 World champion Sam Kendricksand 2018 and 2019 world leader Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, who just turned pro after his freshman year at LSU. Lavillenie has competed just once this season due to injury. Duplantis was beaten at NCAAs by Chris Nilsen (also in the Pre field). But Kendricks has been hot, winning the first three Diamond League pole vaults this season (though Lavillenie and Nilsen weren’t in any of those fields and Duplantis just one).

Women’s High Jump — 1:08 p.m.U.S. champion Vashti Cunningham takes another crack at Russian Mariya Lasitskene, who has just two losses in the last three years. Cunningham is 0-7 versus Lasitskene but has this spring already bettered her top clearance of 2018. Lasitskene, though, appears in top form after taking three attempts at a world record 2.10 meters in Ostrava last week.

Women’s 3000m Steeplechase — 1:11 p.m.Six of the eight fastest in history, headlined by world gold and silver medalists Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs. The only time either Coburn or Frerichs won a steeple that included any of the four fastest Kenyans in history was at those 2017 Worlds. Another chance Sunday.

Women’s 100m — 1:27 p.m.NCAA champion Sha’Carri Richardson would have been the favorite here in her pro debut if not for what happened Friday. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a two-time Olympic 100m champion, clocked her fastest time in six years (10.73 seconds) to become the fastest mom in history and No. 2 in the world this year behind Rio gold medalist Elaine Thompson. Also watch reigning world champ Tori Bowie, who is coming back from a quad tear and coaching change.

Women’s 800m — 1:47 p.m.Caster Semenya races her trademark event for the first time since a Swiss Supreme Court ruled her eligible while it deliberates on her appeal against a Court of Arbitration for Sport decision to uphold an IAAF rule capping testosterone in women’s events from the 400m through the mile. The Swiss court ruling applies only to Semenya and not the other Rio Olympic medalists, Francine Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui, who are also affected by the new rule. So Semenya’s closest threat at Pre is American record holder Ajeé Wilson, but Semenya has won 30 straight 800m races dating to 2015.

Men’s Shot Put — 2:01 p.m.Olympic champion Ryan Crouser had a sterling record at Hayward Field, taking NCAA, Pre Classic and Olympic Trials titles. He’s pretty strong in California, too, recording his personal best (22.74 meters) in Long Beach in April. Nobody has been within a foot and a half of that this season, but the last two world champions (New Zealand’s Tom Walsh and American Joe Kovacs) will try to snap his undefeated 2019 on Sunday.

Men’s 400m — 2:19 p.m.Lost some sizzle with the withdrawal of 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James, who has missed time with Graves’ disease and, more recently, his mother’s death. Instead, the three fastest Americans of the last decade line up — 2018 and 2019 world leader Michael Norman (43.45 from April 20), 2017 world No. 2 Fred Kerley and 2008 Olympic championLaShawn Merritt.

Women’s 200m — 2:25 p.m.Strongest sprint field of the meet: 2016 Olympic champion Elaine Thompson, 2015 and 2017 World champion Dafne Schippers and 2018 world leader Dina Asher-Smith. Should produce the fastest time in the world this year, which is currently 22.16, and the favorite for world champs.

Men’s 100m — 2:39 p.m.Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman go head-to-head for the first time since the 2017 Worlds, where Gatlin took gold, Usain Bolt silver and Coleman bronze. Coleman is the world’s fastest man this Olympic cycle (9.79) and this year (9.85). Gatlin, 37, hasn’t broken 10 seconds since beating Bolt but has a bye to defend his title in Doha in September.

Men’s Mile — 2:51 p.m.Olympic 1500m champ Matthew Centrowitz races on the track for the first time since July 22, eyeing his first win in the Pre mile in his sixth try. The foes are formidable, including the top two milers since Rio — Kenyans Timothy Cheruiyot and Elijah Manangoi — Norwegian brothers Filip and Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, who on March 3 broke the 22-year-old indoor mile world record. Nobody has been within four seconds of the outdoor mile word record (Hicham El Guerrouj‘s 3:43.13 in 1999) since 2007.

For the third year in a row, Caster Semenya went undefeated in the 800 meters. And though there was no global championship to cap it off, this was her most impressive year yet as she broke 1:56 five times and broke 1:55 three times (after never having broken 1:55 prior to 2018).

Only one woman in history had ever accomplished either of those feats: Pamela Jelimo, who broke 1:55 four times and 1:56 eight times during the 2008 season.

One of the reasons Semenya ran faster in 2018 was that, more so than in previous years, she chose to cut loose and chase times rather than solely concentrating on wins.

At the Diamond Leagues in Paris and Monaco and the Continental Cup in Ostrava, Semenya — running without a pacemaker — went out hard from the gun and was rewarded with the three fastest times of her life, including a sparkling 1:54.25 PR in Paris that ranks her fourth on the all-time list.

For much of her career, Semenya from South Africa has faced criticism for “sandbagging” — she made winning look so easy that some thought she was intentionally holding back. Maybe a (very fast) pacemaker could have helped her this year, but the Semenya we saw in 2018 was one that pushed herself to her limits.

The question now becomes: have we seen the last of this version of Caster Semenya? The IAAF announced that it will be implementing new eligibility regulations for the female classification that include testosterone limits for women in events between 400 and the mile (the events that Semenya just so happens to run).

Semenya challenged the ruling, with a decision due by the Court of Arbitration for Sport due in March. That decision will determine the future of the women’s 800, because it has become clear over the last three years that, as things stand, no non intersex or transgender woman is beating Caster Semenya.

European 5000m champion Sifan Hassan took more than a minute off the European record at the Copenhagen Half Marathon on Sunday (16), winning the IAAF Gold Label road race in a course record of 1:05:15. The Dutch runner showed that she is not only a world-class runner on the track but also on the road, improving on the European mark of 1:06:25 set 11 years ago by her compatriot Lornah Kiplagat in Udine. In near perfect weather conditions, the 25-year-old was ultimately just 24 seconds shy of the world record in her first attempt at the distance.   Hassan started out fast and stuck to pre-race favourite Joan Chelimo Melly, who had announced beforehand that she would be targeting the world record. The Kenyan appeared to be on course for her goal after passing through five kilometres in 15:06 and 10 kilometres in 30:36. Two-time world bronze medallist Hassan was the only woman who could match that pace, but even she lost grip on the Kenyan at several points throughout the race. She finally settled into a rhythm, though, and passed 15 kilometres in 46:09, still with Melly for company. Hassan, who last week won the 3000m at the IAAF Continental Cup Ostrava 2018 in a world-leading 8:27.50, broke free from Melly in the closing stages and went on to win in 1:05:15. Ababel Yeshaneh came through for second place in 1:05:46 with Melly finishing third in 1:06:15. “I often thought I was going to die!” said Hassan, whose only previous attempt at the distance was as a teenager back in 2011 when she ran 1:17:10. “The pace was so hard, but I just kept coming back.” With four women finishing inside 67 minutes and another four finishing within 68, it was the deepest half marathon ever held on European soil.