Linda Botkov&aacute; produced the standout performance of the European U18 Championships in Rieti, smashing the European U20 record in the girls&rsquo; 400m hurdles before returning little more than an hour later to claim a second gold medal on Sunday (19), the final day of the four-day championships.
The 16-year-old Czech athlete clocked 55.19 to take almost two seconds off her pre-championships PB and move to second on the world U18 all-time list, behind only world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Botkov&aacute; had broken the championship record in every round, running 56.79 in the heats and 56.78 in the semifinals before making an enormous breakthrough in the final. Still eligible for the U18 category next year, she then contributed to Czechia&rsquo;s victory in the 1000m medley relay.
&ldquo;These championships were amazing and I still cannot believe it,&rdquo; said Botkov&aacute;. &ldquo;In those three days, every race was my PB and also a championships record, so it could not be better. To be the new European champion, it sounds incredible.&rdquo; She now turns her attention to the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, where she intends to contest the 100m hurdles.
Botkov&aacute; spearheaded an impressive championships for Czechia, but Great Britain enjoyed the greatest overall medal success. The British team collected eight gold medals, setting championship records in five disciplines.
Samuel James produced one of the biggest breakthroughs of the championships in the boys&rsquo; high jump. He added 16 centimetres to his lifetime best, clearing a world U18-leading championship record of 2.25m.
The mark equalled the British U18 best and moved James to equal 13th on the world U18 all-time list. No U18 athlete had jumped higher since 2019.
Divine Iheme won the boys&rsquo; 100m in 10.29, also a championship record, with Spain&rsquo;s Francisco de las Heras taking silver in 10.36.
Britain was even more dominant in the 200m. Ethan Heggarty broke the championship record with 20.77 in the heats but was later disqualified from the semifinals for a lane infringement.
His teammate Bronson Hearn-Smith ensured the title still went to Britain, lowering the record to 20.70 in the final. Poland&rsquo;s Bartosz Pytlik finished second in 21.01.
Tito Odunaike equalled his own world U18 lead of 16.12m to win the boys&rsquo; triple jump, while Moyo Stumpenhusen threw a British U18 record of 64.92m to take the discus title.
<h2>Doualla delivers on home soil</h2>
Kelly Doualla provided the host nation with one of the defining moments of the championships, delighting the Italian crowd by winning the girls&rsquo; 100m in a European U18 best of 11.14.
Doualla&rsquo;s performance was also a championship record and world U18 lead, moving her to equal 10th on the world U18 all-time list.
Italy&rsquo;s other individual gold medal came at the opposite end of the athletics spectrum. Rebecca D&rsquo;Alessandro won the longest event on the programme, completing the girls&rsquo; 5000m race walk in 22:58.95.
<h2>Remic dominates as records fall</h2>
Slovenia&rsquo;s Živa Remic completed a championship-record double in the girls&rsquo; 800m. After clocking 2:04.19 in the semifinals to improve the previous record, Remic led the final from the front and crossed the line almost two seconds clear of the field in 2:03.77.
The Netherlands&rsquo; Eljahro Philipsen became the first European U18 athlete to break 13 seconds for the boys&rsquo; 110m hurdles, clocking 12.96 in the opening round. In the final, however, T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s Yunus Emre Civelek took gold in 13.08, finishing 0.01 ahead of Philipsen.
Switzerland&rsquo;s Aimie Decrausaz was in a class of her own in the girls&rsquo; 3000m. She broke the championship record with 9:06.60 and finished almost 15 seconds ahead of her nearest opponent.
Czechia&rsquo;s Krist&yacute;na Z&aacute;horov&aacute; added another championship record in the girls&rsquo; long jump, winning with a leap of 6.47m.
Bulgaria&rsquo;s Viktoria Angelova produced a world U18 lead of 13.98m to win the girls&rsquo; triple jump in just the fifth competition of her career in the discipline.
Julie Bourgis, meanwhile, cleared a championship record of 4.40m to lead a French one-two in the girls&rsquo; pole vault from Isild Drouet.
<h2>World U18 leads in combined events and throws</h2>
Finland&rsquo;s Alisa Launonen prevailed in a high-quality heptathlon, scoring a world U18 lead of 6154. Launonen also set a Finnish U18 record but was pushed throughout by Germany&rsquo;s Svea Funck, who surpassed 6000 points for the first time to take silver with 6065.
Czechia&rsquo;s Sebastian Andrejev secured another world U18 lead in the boys&rsquo; decathlon, winning a close contest with 7523. He entered the concluding 1500m in second place but did enough in the final discipline to take the title by 16 points.
Czechia&rsquo;s Josef Pazdera added more than three metres to his previous best to win the hammer with 79.07m, finishing almost four metres clear of the rest of the field.
Finland&rsquo;s Jere Murto was even more dominant in the javelin, winning by more than 10 metres with a world U18-leading 80.41m in the fifth round.
Ukraine&rsquo;s Milaniia Kokhan saved her best for the final round of the girls&rsquo; hammer, throwing a European U18-leading 70.19m to secure gold. She is the younger sister of Olympic and world bronze medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan.
&bull; <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7176515" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Linda Botková produced the standout performance of the European U18 Championships in Rieti

Botková breaks continental U20 record to highlight European U18 Championships in Rieti

Ephantus Mwangi Njeri claimed the first World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup victory of his career and Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga moved to the top of the overall standings at the Vauban Mountain Trail in Brian&ccedil;on, France, on Sunday (19). Their wins came 24 hours after Richard Omaya Atuya and Italy&rsquo;s Francesca Ghelfi triumphed in the uphill races.
Kenya swept both podiums in Sunday&rsquo;s 14km classic up-and-down contest, which featured approximately 1000 metres of ascent and descent. Njeri used his strength on the downhill section to win in 1:03:01, while Gitonga held off compatriot Gloria Chebet to take the women&rsquo;s race in 1:14:03.
Atuya, who had won the uphill race the previous day, again established himself at the front during the opening climb. He was the first athlete to reach the high point at the Croix de Toulouse, about 1950 metres above sea level, and appeared on course to complete a weekend double.
But Njeri began to close the gap once the race turned downhill. The Kenyan passed Atuya during the rapid descent towards Brian&ccedil;on and continued to extend his advantage on the return to Parc de la Schappe, eventually winning by 27 seconds.
Atuya followed in 1:03:28 to complete a weekend featuring one victory and one runner-up finish across two contrasting disciplines. Elijah Kamau Kariuki finished third in 1:05:06, completing the first of the day&rsquo;s two Kenyan podium sweeps.
Mexico&rsquo;s Brayan Rodriguez Flores placed fourth in 1:05:43, one day after finishing second in the uphill race, while Kenya&rsquo;s Paul Machoka was fifth in 1:06:14.
The women&rsquo;s race was more closely contested at the front. Gitonga, runner-up in Saturday&rsquo;s uphill event, went one place better in the classic race, reaching the finish in 1:14:03.
Chebet remained within striking distance but could not overhaul her compatriot, finishing 19 seconds behind in 1:14:22. Miriam Chepkirui completed the Kenyan sweep in 1:19:08.
Italy&rsquo;s Arianna Dentis came close to breaking up the podium, finishing just five seconds behind Chepkirui in 1:19:13 to achieve her best World Cup result. Britain&rsquo;s Elle Twentyman completed the top five in 1:20:08.
Gitonga&rsquo;s victory, combined with her second-place finish the previous day, took her to the top of the overall World Cup standings. Sunday&rsquo;s race was the final classic up-and-down contest before the category finals in Qu&eacute;bec in October.
A day earlier, Atuya successfully defended his Vauban uphill title on the 6km course, which climbs 1150 metres from the base of the Prorel gondola to its upper station.
The Kenyan attacked from the opening stages and quickly moved away from the rest of the field before completing the uninterrupted ascent in 40:40 &ndash; exactly the same time he recorded when winning on the course in 2025.
Kariuki occupied second place for much of the race, but Rodriguez Flores closed strongly and overtook him during the final 800 metres. The Mexican finished second in 42:38, with Kariuki taking third in 42:55. Italy&rsquo;s Henri Aymonod was fourth in 43:53 and France&rsquo;s Theodore Klein fifth in 44:16.
Ghelfi produced the biggest comeback of the weekend to win the women&rsquo;s uphill race. At the intermediate station, France&rsquo;s Christel Dewalle, Britain&rsquo;s Kirsty Skye Dickson and Gitonga were together at the front, while the Italian was back in sixth place.
Ghelfi then made rapid progress during the second half of the climb, catching and passing the leaders on the exposed upper slopes before reaching the finish in 49:18.
Gitonga finished second in 50:12, with Dickson nine seconds further back in 50:21. Dewalle placed fourth in 50:46 and Italy&rsquo;s Benedetta Broggi was fifth in 52:35.
The two races formed stages nine and 10 of the 2026 WMRA World Cup and offered contrasting tests around Brian&ccedil;on, with Saturday&rsquo;s continuous climb followed by Sunday&rsquo;s combination of steep ascent and fast descending through the trails and historic fortifications surrounding the city. The circuit resumes at Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland on 8 August.
With assistance from H&eacute;ctor Rubio (WMRA)

Ephantus Mwangi Njeri claimed the first WMRA World Cup victory of his career and Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga moved to the top of the overall standings at the Vauban Mountain Trail

Njeri and Gitonga among winners at Vauban

Great Britain&rsquo;s Josh Kerr achieved his much-publicised aim of breaking the long-standing world mile record with a stunning 3:42.66* run at the Novuna London Athletics Meet &ndash; this season&rsquo;s 11th Wanda Diamond League meeting &ndash; on Saturday (18).
Kerr added his name to the pantheon of world record-holders after attacking the mark in the Emsley Carr Mile as part of &lsquo;Project 222&rsquo; &ndash; the number of seconds he hoped to complete the distance in to improve on the world record set by Hicham El Guerrouj in Rome in 1999.
And he did so &ndash; the 2023 world 1500m champion, two-time Olympic medallist and two-time world indoor champion becoming the first athlete to break 3:43, improving on El Guerrouj&rsquo;s 3:43.13 set 27 years ago.
Kerr was paced by his training partner Brannon Kidder and Žan Rudolf, and Kidder hit 400m on world record tempo in 54.75, Kerr a few strides back in 55.3. Kidder led through 800m, which Kerr reached in 1:51.1, before the pacemakers stepped aside and Kerr took over to pass 1200m in 2:46.39, roared on by the 60,000-strong London Stadium crowd. Kerr then hit 1500m in 3:27.62 &ndash; faster than his own British record for the distance &ndash; and the world record looked within reach.
Months of preparation had led to that point and Kerr dug deep to hit the finish line in 3:42.66, taking 0.47 off El Guerrouj&rsquo;s record. The 28-year-old had been tracked by USA&rsquo;s Yared Nuguse earlier in the race but Nuguse couldn&rsquo;t stick with the closing pace and finished second in 3:45.69. Great Britain&rsquo;s Jake Heyward was third in a PB of 3:46.73 and Robert Farken finished fourth in a German record of 3:46.82.
&ldquo;It is very overwhelming. There was a lot of hype,&rdquo; said Kerr. &ldquo;I am surrounded by amazing people, so I have continued to put the work in and I knew I had a 3:42 in me. I nearly lost it there at the end, but I got over the line.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Out there, I am just the body, but there is an incredible amount of work behind the scenes. Today is a result of all that hard work. The last lap was incredible. I was deaf in the last 110 metres.&rdquo;
Kerr&rsquo;s run was among a number of record-breaking performances in London. Cierra Jackson set a Diamond League record with a final throw thriller in the discus, while meeting records were set by Karsten Warholm in the 400m hurdles, Julien Alfred in the 200m and Ja'Kobe Tharp in the 110m hurdles.
<h2>Jackson throws 71.72m</h2>
USA&rsquo;s Cierra Jackson improved her PB by almost four metres to win the discus with her final throw of 71.72m &ndash; a mark that added 34 centimetres to the Diamond League record set by Sandra Elkasević in Doha in 2018.
Jackson was in third place heading into the last round of a competition led by world and Olympic champion Valarie Sion with 68.39m from the third round. But Jackson, who won the NCAA title last year, saved her best for last and launched the implement 71.72m to win ahead of Sion and Jorinde van Klinken with 67.99m.
"I was super nervous going into that throw," said Jackson. "I couldn't feel my hands, my stomach was hurting. I just took a deep breath and threw and I watched it fly. I was like, 'oh my god', and then I saw the mark and I could not breathe."
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a5bc9f30164f8e1d7e73261.jpg" alt="Cierra Jackson after her Diamond League record in London" />
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Cierra Jackson after her Diamond League record in London (&copy; Diamond League AG <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Marta Gorczynska)
<h2>Meeting records for Warholm, Alfred and Tharp</h2>
Norway&rsquo;s world record-holder Karsten Warholm stormed to the fastest 400m hurdles in the world this year, improving his own meeting record to 46.61 to clinch a clear victory. Back at the scene of the first of his three world title wins in 2017, Warholm ensured the Diamond League track action started in style as he got his first hurdles race win of the season. Emil Agyekum was second in a German record of 47.45.
Saint Lucia&rsquo;s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred was also delighted with her performance on her return to London as she won a 200m clash against USA&rsquo;s Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas &ndash; 21.66 to 21.81 (0.1m/s). It was Alfred&rsquo;s third win in nine days after her 21.51 at the Diamond League in Monaco that moved her to third on the world 200m all-time list and her 10.87 100m win in Budapest on Tuesday. Shaunae Miller-Uibo was third in London in 22.24.
USA&rsquo;s world 110m hurdles record-holder Ja'Kobe Tharp dipped under 13 seconds for the fifth time this season, maintaining his magnificent run of form with a meeting record of 12.89 (0.3m/s). The 20-year-old is the first athlete in history to go sub-13 seconds in five consecutive 110m hurdles races.
Tharp set his world record of 12.75 during last month&rsquo;s NCAA Championships semifinals and followed that with 12.90 in the final. He then ran 12.91 when finishing runner-up at the Eugene Diamond League before returning to winning ways with 12.85 in Budapest on Tuesday. His run in London improves a meeting record that was set by former world record-holder Aries Merritt in 2012 and it saw Tharp win clear ahead of Kendry L. Men&eacute;ndez in a PB of 13.01. Trey Cunningham was third in 13.12.
NCAA champion Kanyinsola Ajayi beat world champion Oblique Seville for the second time this season &ndash; 9.84 to 9.87 (-0.7m/s) &ndash; as Ajayi matched his time from the Prefontaine Classic to equal his own Nigerian 100m record. Racing in the lane next to Seville, Ajayi looked across at the Jamaican as they crossed the finish line, separated by just 0.03. Romell Glave was third in a PB of 9.97, the same time as Emmanuel Eseme in fourth.
USA&rsquo;s world 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin ran a PB to pip home star Matthew Hudson-Smith in the 400m, Benjamin clocking 44.05 and Hudson-Smith 44.18. Jacory Patterson was third in 44.25. Dominican Republic&rsquo;s Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino maintained her 400m win streak, charging away from her rivals down the home straight to triumph in 48.97 &ndash; her fourth race under 49 seconds this season. Henriette J&aelig;ger was runner-up in a Norwegian record of 49.15, while Stacey Ann Williams finished third in 49.52.
<h2>Two-lap triumph for Hodgkinson and Miller</h2>
London offered Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol their first ever clash over 800m and it ended with a first win of the season for Olympic champion Hodgkinson in front of a home crowd. Taking to the track a short while after Kerr&rsquo;s world record, Hodgkinson claimed the final win of the day in 1:56.21 as world 400m hurdles champion Broeders-Bol clocked 1:56.46. Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma was third in 1:56.92.
USA&rsquo;s Brandon Miller ran the race of his life to clinch his 800m win, improving his PB by almost a second to 1:42.19. Miller tracked Kenya&rsquo;s world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Great Britain&rsquo;s Max Burgin, who won at the Diamond League in Rabat, as they approached the final bend. Timing his kick to perfection, Miller catapulted himself off the curve and his rivals had no response &ndash; he took the win ahead of Ireland&rsquo;s fast-finishing Mark English who also dipped under 1:43 for the first time with 1:42.97. Burgin was third in 1:43.30 and Wanyonyi &ndash; who ran a world 1000m record in Monaco just eight days earlier &ndash; finished fourth in 1:43.31.
Australia&rsquo;s Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull also used a fierce kick to take victory in the 3000m. Content to sit back in the early stages, she made her way up the field and surged hard with 200 metres remaining. Rose Davies gave chase but couldn&rsquo;t catch her compatriot &ndash; Hull winning in 8:24.69 ahead of Davies in a PB of 8:25.38. The next three also set PBs &ndash; Sarah Healy in 8:25.63, Hannah Nuttall in 8:26.48 and Fantaye Belayneh in 8:26.98.
Australia&rsquo;s world champion Nicola Olyslagers and Ukraine&rsquo;s world record-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh were evenly matched in the high jump as they both cleared an outdoor world-leading height of 2.01m, Olyslagers clinching the win on countback. Germany&rsquo;s multiple global champion Malaika Mihambo kept her cool after four fouls in the long jump, soaring 7.05m in the fifth round to win ahead of Claire Bryant with a leap of 6.94m.
USA&rsquo;s two-time world champion Sam Kendricks won a pole vault contest that ended in disappointment for world record-holder Mondo Duplantis.
Kendricks, Duplantis, Kurtis Marschall and Emmanouil Karalis all cleared 5.95m, Kendricks getting the win on countback thanks to his first-time clearances up to and including that height. But after failing once at 5.85m and passing straight to 5.95m, which he cleared first time, Duplantis had his left thigh strapped and then decided to retire from the competition.
&ldquo;It wasn't my best day,&rdquo; said Duplantis. &ldquo;I need to go back, reassess and maybe get a scan. I am sorry to the fans for not putting a good performance together.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
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Great Britain’s Josh Kerr achieved his much-publicised aim of breaking the long-standing world mile record with a stunning 3:42.66* run at the Novuna London Athletics Meet

Kerr breaks world mile record with 3:42.66 in London

It was two minutes before midnight on Wednesday 16 July 1986 that Peter Chumba entered the track and field history books. Running barefoot at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, the 17-year-old Kenyan injected a 2:04 final 800m to emerge victorious from the men&rsquo;s 10,000m at what was known at the time as the IAAF World Junior Championships.
In doing so, Chumba became the first ever world junior champion at what is now known as the World Athletics U20 Championships. He went on to win the 5000m three days later, notching a double that has since been matched by Haile Gebrselassie, Daniel Komen and Assefa Mezgebu.
While the latter trio all went on to make a name for themselves on the global senior stage &ndash; the Ethiopian Gebrselassie as one of the distance greats of all time, the Kenyan Komen as a world champion and world record-breaker and Mezgebu as the third man in that classic 2000 Olympic 10,000m final in which his compatriot Gebrselassie and Kenya&rsquo;s Paul Tergat slugged out their epic duel &ndash; Chumba disappeared into obscurity.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a58c2a3f01bc746c87c33ce.jpg" alt="Peter Chumba on his way to winning the 1986 world U20 10,000m title" />
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Peter Chumba on his way to winning the 1986 world U20 10,000m title (&copy; Getty Images)
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Still, 40 years on, those inaugural World U20 Championships stand out as a launch pad for talented teenagers who proceeded to make their mark in the senior global track and field arena.
Some of them didn&rsquo;t manage to make the podium in Athens, or even the finish line. Indeed, you have to dig deep into the archives to discover that Brahim Boutayeb was alongside Chumba in the lead group in that 1986 10,000m final before dropping out at halfway. Two years later, the unheralded young Moroccan was crowned Olympic 10,000m champion in Seoul.
Peter Rono was another surprise gold medal winner in the South Korean capital: &ldquo;the most unexpected Olympic 1500m champion since Luxembourg&rsquo;s Josy Bartel in 1952,&rdquo; Mel Watman ventured in his report for Athletics Today.
In Athens Rono took 1500m silver in 3:45.52, 0.90 behind his Kenyan teammate Wilfred Kirochi. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, with several leading contenders absent or below full fitness, Rono seized the day to win gold ahead of Peter Elliott.
In doing so, he became the first in a long line of Olympic champions to emerge from Brother Colm O&rsquo;Connell&rsquo;s remarkable middle and long distance running stable at St Patrick&rsquo;s High School in Iten.
And, unlike Peter Chumba, Wilfred Kirochi didn&rsquo;t fade away. After retaining his world junior crown ahead of Noureddine Morceli in Sudbury in 1988, he claimed Commonwealth silver behind Elliott in 1990 and senior world silver behind the Algerian Morceli a year later.
Of the inaugural world U20 champions crowned in Athens in 1986, four proceeded to establish themselves as major forces in their events at senior level: Javier Sotomayor,&nbsp;Colin Jackson, Mikhail Shchennikov and Ilke Wyludda.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a58c2e4f01bc746c87c33d1.jpg" alt="Javier Sotomayor in action at the 1986 World U20 Championships" />
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Javier Sotomayor in action at the 1986 World U20 Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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Sotomayor won the men&rsquo;s high jump title in Athens with 2.25m and went on to dominate his event, winning Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992, plus two world titles outdoors and four indoors. The Cuban also set three world records outdoors, the last of them the 2.45m clearance in Salamanca that remains intact today.
Hollis Conway took world U20 silver behind Sotomayor in Athens with 2.22m and proceeded to claim two Olympic medals (silver in 1988, bronze in 1992), and world indoor gold and outdoor bronze in 1991.
In taking the 110m hurdles title in 13.44, Jackson turned the tables on his British nemesis Jon Ridgeon, relieving him of the European U20 record he set ahead of him at the continental junior championships in Cottbus the previous year and relegating him to the role of distant silver medallist in 13.91.
Ridgeon, who was a member of the victorious British 4x100m relay team in Athens, subsequently regained the upper hand in their rivalry, claiming a senior world silver medal behind Greg Foster of the US in Rome the following year, equalling his own British record of 13.29, with Jackson third in 13.38.
Thereafter, however, Jackson &ndash; who had taken Commonwealth Games silver in Edinburgh just two weeks after his world U20 victory &ndash; forged ahead and the unfortunate Ridgeon became bedevilled by injuries. At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Jackson finished second and his British teammate, hit by a viral infection, fifth.
Jackson went on to become a star of the event. In addition to his Olympic silver, he won two world titles outdoors, one indoor, four European outdoor gold medals, four indoors (one of those in the flat 60m) and two Commonwealth golds. The 110m hurdles world record he set at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart survived for 12 years. He also held the world indoor 60m hurdles record (7.30) for 27 years.
&ldquo;When I consider my career, the World Junior Championships gold is one of my most memorable races,&rdquo; Jackson wrote in his autobiography. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always remember it because it had all those ingredients that I would need later to be a champion.&rdquo;
Ridgeon, meanwhile, has enjoyed a highly successful post-competition career, since 2019 as Chief Executive Officer of World Athletics.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a58c3fa24703aef39f08c76.jpg" alt="Jon Ridgeon anchors Great Britain to 4x100m victory at the 1986 World U20 Championships" />
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Jon Ridgeon anchors Great Britain to 4x100m victory at the 1986 World U20 Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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Shchennikov won the men&rsquo;s 10,000m race walk title in Athens in 40:38.01 and went on to become one of the leading race walkers of his generation. Competing first for the Soviet Union and later for Russia, he claimed four successive world indoor 5000m race walk titles between 1987 and 1993, and also became a European indoor champion on three occasions.
Outdoors, his senior career proved similarly distinguished. Shchennikov held the world record for the 20km race walk, won the European 20km title in Helsinki in 1994, and claimed world silver medals over the distance in 1991 and 1997. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, having finished seventh in the 20km race walk, he returned to win silver in the 50km event.
Wyludda was a decisive winner of the women&rsquo;s discus, throwing 64.02m, and retained her title in Sudbury two years later. The East German won Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996 &ndash; four years before developing septicaemia and having her right leg amputated.
She was a finalist at the 2012 Paralympics in London and won shot put bronze at the 2015 World Para Athletics Championships. She died in 2024, aged 55.
Wyludda&rsquo;s East German teammate Franka Dietzsch finished runner-up in that inaugural world junior final, with 60.26m. She went on to claim a hat-trick of world senior titles: in 1999, 2005 and 2007.
Three other podium placers in Athens achieved global gold medals in the senior arena: 100m bronze medallist Maicel Malone of the USA (as a relay runner), East Germany&rsquo;s 200m bronze medallist Katrin Krabbe, and 400m bronze medallist Sandie Richards of Jamaica.
Soviet Olimpiada Ivanova, 15th in the 5000m race walk, won two world 20km titles, while Britain&rsquo;s Fiona May, eighth in the long jump in Athens, won three world titles for Italy (one of them indoors) &ndash; after claiming world U20 gold for her native country in Sudbury in 1988.
Hassiba Boulmerka failed to make the finals of the 800m and 1500m but the Algerian was crowned Olympic 1500m champion in Barcelona in 1992.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage
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Looking back at the inaugural World U20 Championships

Forty years since the World Athletics U20 Championships began

Katie Moon has won it all from the past three world titles to Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games five years ago. But as her pole vault career was taking off, she was also studying fashion and psychology. She spoke to World Athletics about her passions away from the sport in the last edition of Side Track.
<h3>What&rsquo;s your relationship with fashion?</h3>
I love fashion, I love style and I just think you can say so much about who you are with how you dress. Athleisure is now becoming prominent in fashion and loungewear is much more elevated so you can have a lot of fun in it.
<h3>Were there highlights of your time in fashion circles?</h3>
I went to Paris to study in 2013 to finish my degree at the Paris Fashion Institute for a four-week intensive fashion programme. I got to dress models for Paris Fashion Week and we created our own line without actually physically making the clothes. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m creative enough to create and design things but I love the styling aspect.&nbsp;
<h3>Was a love of fashion deep rooted in you from a young age?</h3>
I think even as a little kid I loved dressing up Polly Pocket and Barbies, and probably played with them longer than most people did but, for me, it was mostly just about putting them in outfits. I&rsquo;ve always loved fashion but I don&rsquo;t get to showcase it quite as often as I&rsquo;d like. For most people, it might not be the first thing they think of me with my social media but I very much enjoy going on trips and planning my outfits. I do that a few days out and love making lists for what to pack for everyday is. At the end of the season the family and I after Budapest are off to Dubrovnik and I&rsquo;m already planning my outfits for that.
<h3>How did you get into studying fashion?</h3>
I went to a university for two years which didn&rsquo;t have a fashion programme but I transferred and, while it was too late to change my major, I added fashion as a minor.
<h3>Can fashion be taught or is it instinctive and intuitive?</h3>
I think it can be taught to a certain degree. Some people are just born with it and I&rsquo;m not necessarily one of those people. I look at some people how they put things together that I&rsquo;d never ever think of and it just looks incredible. I think that&rsquo;s something you&rsquo;re born with&hellip; the best stylists in the world anyway.
<h3>Nowadays, is your fashion interest just for you or would you like it to be something more after your athletics career?</h3>
As of right now it&rsquo;s just for me. I love the idea of one day getting into some form of it one day. I&rsquo;ve talked about working in a bridal dress shop which has got to be the ultimate fashion choice for a woman. I don&rsquo;t fully know what I want to do when I retire now but I&rsquo;ve thought about different avenues. I did colour analysis where you figure out your best ones and see how the skin reacts and your eyes light up. They classify you as a season and I was winter, which is bright, cool colours like royal blue, burgundy, emerald green or Christmas colours.&nbsp;Maybe I&rsquo;ll go into that.&nbsp;
<h3>What about getting involved with a sponsor about a fashion lilne?</h3>
Oh, I would love that. I&rsquo;m sponsored by Nike and I love the idea of one day working with them. During my career, the designers at Nike have been great at listening to me and I think us athletes can have insights into what works.&nbsp;
<h3>You also studied psychology. How and why did that interest emerge?</h3>
I&rsquo;ve always been fascinated by abnormal psychology - true crime and that sort of thing. And I do actually think at some level from an athlete perspective it has helped. I know the value of speaking to psychiatrists and psychologists if I&rsquo;m struggling. As a student, I don&rsquo;t think I had patience for the research, I just wanted to learn about the cases. When I was younger, I loved the show CSI or a whodunit, and it&rsquo;s morphed into what I read now. It&rsquo;s either suspense thrillers or something romantic - nothing educational just pure entertainment! It&rsquo;s just fascinating to me that in theory a brain in its physical make-up is the same person to person but the way that someone thinks or behaves is so drastically different person to person.
<h3>Does that mean you enjoy true crime podcasts?</h3>
I absolutely love them and documentaries too. There&rsquo;s so many good ones. There&rsquo;s so many fascinating ones. I&rsquo;m not so interested in the cold cases, I need a resolve, the process of a whodunit and why.&nbsp;
<h3>Might you go down a psychology route in &lsquo;retirement&rsquo;?</h3>
I don&rsquo;t know that I&rsquo;d end up using it as it&rsquo;s a lot and to be a good psychologist requires a lot of research and time. I don&rsquo;t think I have the patience for that!&nbsp;
<h3>As an athlete is it healthy to have other passions away from the sport?</h3>
I think the distractions are helpful and you need to find the right outlets for you. It's part of my way of keeping my mind off the track and keeping things in perspective. I love what I do but, if it doesn&rsquo;t go well, it can be really frustrating. But a bad day at track is ok and really puts it into perspective that you&rsquo;re fine when other people are really going through bad things.

World Athletics Ultimate Championship

Katie Moon is a world renowned pole vaulter, an Olympic gold medallist and a three-time world champion. But just as her athletics career was getting off the ground, she was also delving into the world of fashion and psychology. She sat down to chat to World Athletics for the latest edition of Side Track.

Side Track with Katie Moon

Deep fields full of global medallists and world record-holders will light up the Novuna London Athletics Meet when Wanda Diamond League action continues in the UK capital on Saturday (18).
Emmanuel Wanyonyi races the 800m a week on from becoming the fastest 1000m runner in history. His fellow world record-holder Ja&rsquo;Kobe Tharp headlines the 110m hurdles and Josh Kerr goes on the hunt for a world record of his own.
Julien Alfred, Mondo Duplantis, Keely Hodgkinson, Femke Broeders-Bol and Yaroslava Mahuchikh are among the many other world and Olympic champions who will be in London as the race towards the Diamond League Final in Brussels and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September intensifies.
Kenya&rsquo;s Olympic and world 800m champion Wanyonyi improved the world 1000m record by 0.13 during the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, running 2:11.83 on his debut at the distance. Now he returns to race the 800m. His opposition includes Britain&rsquo;s Max Burgin, who handed Wanyonyi one of his two Diamond League 800m defeats this season in Rabat. Mark English, Peter Bol, Bryce Hoppel and Ben Pattison are also in action, while 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman is a late withdrawal after running 2:12.77 when finishing runner-up to Wanyonyi in Monaco, a mark that moved the Briton to fifth on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to talk about the world record in the 800m,&rdquo; Wanyonyi said after his Monaco performance, referring to David Rudisha&rsquo;s mark of 1:40.91 set in the same London stadium almost 14 years ago. &ldquo;I first want to run fast and improve my personal best. Let me keep quiet, actions speak louder than words.&rdquo;
Olympic champion Hodgkinson targets her first win of the season in an 800m that pits her for the first time against Dutch star Broeders-Bol, who continues her journey from the 400m hurdles to the 800m, as well as Ethiopia&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma.
Hodgkinson sits second on this season&rsquo;s world top list with the national record of 1:54.33 she ran during the Diamond League in Stockholm and she clocked 1:56.73 in Eugene despite feeling the effects of a fall she suffered the day before she flew to the US. World 400m hurdles champion Broeders-Bol ran 1:55.60 in Paris, while Duguma has clocked 1:57.24 so far this year. Isabelle Boffey and Jemma Reekie will also be racing on home soil.
"I&rsquo;m not putting any pressure on myself to chase times to everybody else&rsquo;s expectation," said&nbsp;Hodgkinson, who broke the world 800m short track record indoors in February, during the pre-event press conference. "I know what I am capable of and I know it&rsquo;s going to be there when I need it. Whether that&rsquo;s tomorrow, whether that&rsquo;s at the European final, whether it&rsquo;s at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship &ndash; I trust my team, I&rsquo;ll be ready when I need to be. I&rsquo;m in a good place."
Kerr has made no secret of his plan to attack the long-standing world mile record on home soil. The 2023 world 1500m champion and two-time Olympic medallist will be paced by his training partner Brannon Kidder as he targets 3:42 as part of &lsquo;project 222&rsquo; &ndash; the number of seconds he hopes to complete the distance in to improve on the world record of 3:43.13 set by Hicham El Guerrouj in Rome in 1999.
Kerr currently sits sixth on the world all-time list with the British record of 3:45.34 he set in Eugene in 2024 and in London he will line up alongside the athlete two places ahead of him on that all-time list &ndash; USA&rsquo;s Olympic medallist Yared Nuguse who ran 3:43.97 in 2023. Joining them in the field are Mohamed Abdilaahi, who ran a world lead of 7:25.77 to win the 3000m in Shanghai in May, and his German compatriot Robert Farken, plus Ethan Strand.
"My body is capable of the mark, so my job tomorrow is to have my mind be available to let my body do its job," said Kerr. "My goal is to get through 1200 metres as smoothly as possible and then see what I&rsquo;ve got left for that last 400 metres.
"What you&rsquo;ll see out there tomorrow is all of me."
The 3000m pits Australia&rsquo;s Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull, fresh off pacing Agnes Ngetich to the third-fastest performance in history (8:08.95) in Monaco, against her compatriots Linden Hall and Georgia Griffith, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Medina Eisa and Hirut Meshesha, and Great Britain&rsquo;s Megan Keith and Laura Muir.
<h2>Tharp in sharp form</h2>
The 110m hurdles stars three of the seven fastest men of all time as world record-holder Ja'Kobe Tharp renews his rivalry with his compatriots Jamal Britt and Cordell Tinch.
Tharp set a surprise world record of 12.75 during last month&rsquo;s NCAA Championships semifinals and backed it up with 12.90 in the final. He then won at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Budapest on Tuesday in 12.85 &ndash; the fifth-fastest performance in history &ndash; despite celebrating ahead of the finish. In that most recent race he beat Britt, the winner ahead of Tharp at the Diamond League in Eugene in a PB of 12.86, and world champion Tinch, who clocked 12.87 last year.&nbsp;
Adding further strength to the field are world silver medallist Orlando Bennett and 2022 world silver medallist Trey Cunningham, who won the Rome Diamond League in a PB of 12.98.
Another world record-holder leads the entries for the 400m hurdles as Norway&rsquo;s Karsten Warholm returns to the scene of his first world title win in 2017. He seeks his first Diamond League win of the season after runner-up finishes in Oslo, Shanghai and Xiamen where he ran 46.82. Only Alison dos Santos has gone quicker than that in 2026 and while the Brazilian won&rsquo;t be in London, Warholm does face Emil Agyekum, who won in Budapest on Tuesday, as well as Ezekiel Nathaniel, Trevor Bassitt, Matheus Lima and Caleb Dean.
Saint Lucia&rsquo;s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred blazed to third on the world 200m all-time list with 21.51 in Monaco. USA&rsquo;s Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas also impressed there with 21.84 for third place, following her 21.70 run in Texas. They raced separately in Budapest earlier this week &ndash; Alfred winning the 100m in 10.87 and Thomas the 200m in 21.83 &ndash; but they clash again in London, Alfred as the meeting record-holder thanks to her 21.71 from last year.
They will line up for the 200m alongside Great Britain&rsquo;s Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt as well as Bahamian two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Oblique Seville returns as the world champion to defend his 100m crown. The world leader, who ran 9.82 in Kingston in June and 9.88 to win in Monaco last week, again takes on USA&rsquo;s world indoor 60m champion Jordan Anthony, who was the runner-up in Monaco, as well as NCAA champion Kayinsola Ajayi, who beat Seville in Eugene in 9.84, and British record-holder Zharnel Hughes.
World 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin continues to focus on the flat event as he races the 400m against home star Matthew Hudson-Smith and Jacory Patterson, while Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino heads the women&rsquo;s field against Henriette J&aelig;ger and Yemi Mary John.
<h2>Duplantis makes London return</h2>
Swedish pole vault star Mondo Duplantis returns to compete in London for the first time since 2018. In that time he has become a 15-time world record-breaker, taking the mark to 6.31m, as well as a two-time Olympic, three-time world and four-time world indoor champion. He has surpassed six metres in seven of his eight competitions this year, suffering a rare defeat to Kurtis Marschall during one of them, in Stockholm. Marschall also competes in London, as does Emmanouil Karalis who cleared 6.17m to move to second on the world all-time list in February.
Both Ukraine&rsquo;s world record-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Australia&rsquo;s 2022 world champion Eleanor Patterson have cleared 2.00m so far this outdoor season and they clash in the high jump against Patterson&rsquo;s compatriot Nicola Olyslagers, the world champion, as well as Iryna Gerashchenko and Morgan Lake.
World and Olympic discus champion Valarie Sion will want to maintain a Diamond League win streak that dates back to 2023, while Larissa Iapichino leads the long jump field following her 7.12m Italian record set in Eugene.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Deep fields full of global medallists and world record-holders will light up the Novuna London Athletics Meet when Wanda Diamond League action continues in the UK capital on Saturday

Star-studded fields ready to line up in London

World Athletics is saddened to hear that former British national coach Tom McNab has died at the age of 92.
Born in Glasgow in December 1933, McNab trained as a physical education teacher. He competed in the triple jump and won five Scottish titles, but he went on to make a far greater impact on the sport through coaching, development and writing.
McNab played a significant role in reshaping the domestic structure of the sport. Following a fact-finding visit to Poland with fellow coach Tony Ward in 1966, McNab helped develop the concept of the British Athletics League in the late 1960s.
He developed a range of programmes intended to strengthen the pathway for young athletes. He established a national junior decathlon programme and later helped guide a young Daley Thompson towards the combined events, contributing to the early development of an athlete who would become a two-time Olympic decathlon champion.
McNab also served as a British Olympic team coach at the 1972 Games in Munich and the 1976 Games in Montreal. Decades later, he worked with Greg Rutherford during the early stages of the long jumper&rsquo;s career. Their collaboration began in 2005, the year Rutherford became European U20 champion, seven years before he went on to win the Olympic title in London.
McNab&rsquo;s extensive knowledge of athletics history led to him serving as an Olympic historian for the International Olympic Committee from 1976. He was also recruited as the technical director and athletics consultant for the film Chariots of Fire, training its actors and advising the filmmakers on the depiction of the sport. The film went on to win four Academy Awards, including best picture.
McNab was also a prolific author. His coaching books included Modern Schools Athletics, Triple Jump and Decathlon, while his technical and historical works included The Complete Book of Track &amp; Field.
He also wrote several novels inspired by sport. His best-known work, Flanagan&rsquo;s Run, told the story of a transcontinental foot race across the United States and became an international bestseller, translated into 16 languages. His other novels included Rings of Sand and The Fast Men.
Beyond athletics, McNab worked as a fitness adviser to England&rsquo;s rugby union team, including during its run to the 1991 Rugby World Cup final, served as performance director for British bobsleigh, advised Chelsea Football Club and contributed to a review of amateur boxing.
&ldquo;Tom was one of the sport&rsquo;s most loyal friends and a man of many talents &ndash; a world-class coach, a great writer, historian, and conscience for athletics,&rdquo; said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. &ldquo;He will of course be sadly missed but his legacy is unquestioned.&rdquo;

Tom McNab, 1933-2026

Former athletics coach and writer McNab dies

Ja&rsquo;Kobe Tharp confirmed his status as the new force in sprint hurdling with a stunning 12.85 (-0.4m/s) victory in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles at the Istv&aacute;n Gyulai Memorial &ndash; the last World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of 2026 &ndash; in Budapest on Tuesday (14).
The US hurdler, who set a surprise world record of 12.75 in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships last month, produced the fifth-fastest performance in history in the Hungarian capital and did so with a display that suggested there could be more to come.
Tharp won by 0.16, easing slightly to celebrate before the line and making some of the world&rsquo;s best hurdlers almost look ordinary. Jamal Britt, a regular sub-13 performer this season, was a distant second in 13.01, while world champion Cordell Tinch finished third in a season&rsquo;s best of 13.06.
The win also allowed Tharp to avenge his defeat to Britt at the Eugene Diamond League, where Britt won in 12.86 from Tharp&rsquo;s 12.91. Budapest marked Tharp&rsquo;s fourth consecutive race inside 13 seconds, a streak that began with his world record in the NCAA semifinals and continued with his NCAA final victory in 12.90.
<h2>Katzberg and Thomas among meeting record-breakers</h2>
Tharp&rsquo;s victory in the sprint hurdles was one of seven meeting records set at Budapest&rsquo;s Nemzeti Atl&eacute;tikai K&ouml;zpont, venue for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in two months&rsquo; time.
Ethan Katzberg produced another major mark in the men&rsquo;s hammer, winning with a world-leading meeting record of 83.64m.
The world and Olympic champion opened with 82.47m, a mark that would have been good enough to win, then improved to a world-leading 83.55m in the third round and 83.64m in round five. Germany&rsquo;s Merlin Hummel finished second with 81.74m and Bence Halasz third with 81.65m, replicating the podium from the 2025 World Championships.
Katzberg also avenged his defeat from last year&rsquo;s meeting, when Halasz won, and broke the Hungarian&rsquo;s meeting record of 83.18m for good measure.
Gabby Thomas overcame a relatively poor start to win the women&rsquo;s 200m in a meeting record of 21.83.
Kayla White was the early leader and slingshotted herself well into the home straight, but Olympic champion Thomas used her trademark finish to reel in her US compatriot. White was rewarded with a PB of 21.92 in second, her first sub-22 clocking.
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles produced one of the closest races of the evening. Matheus Lima came off the final bend and began to open up a slight lead, but was caught by the chasing trio in the lanes outside him.
Emil Agyekum timed his finish best, winning in a meeting record of 47.58, moving to within 0.10 of Harald Schmid&rsquo;s long-standing German record from 1982. Trevor Bassitt was second in 47.59, just ahead of US compatriot Caleb Dean, who ran 47.62, while Lima was fourth in 47.74. The top six finishers all went inside the previous meeting record of 48.35.
Eleanor Patterson equalled her season&rsquo;s best to win a high-quality women&rsquo;s high jump with 2.00m. The 2022 world champion beat fellow Australian Nicola Olyslagers, the world champion, who cleared 1.98m. The pair had been matched at every height up to and including 2.00m, which Patterson cleared on her first attempt.
On a great evening for Australian vertical jumpers, Olympic champion Nina Kennedy won the women's pole vault on countback from Eliza McCartney, both clearing a meeting record of 4.80m before opting not to continue vaulting.
There was another meeting record in the men&rsquo;s 1500m, where Phanuel Koech edged fellow Kenyan teenager Danson Kiplangat on the line. Koech, the world U20 record-holder, was contesting his first international race of 2026 and won in 3:31.09, just 0.01 ahead of Kiplangat.
<h2>Olympic champions take victories</h2>
Mondo Duplantis returned to the meeting where he set a world record of 6.29m last year and was made to work for victory in a high-quality men&rsquo;s pole vault.
Six men were still vaulting with the bar at 6.00m, three of them &ndash; Kurtis Marschall, Emmanouil Karalis and Sondre Guttormsen &ndash; having cleared 5.90m. Duplantis failed his first attempt at 6.00m, before Marschall became the first to clear it, doing so for the first time outdoors after twice achieving the height indoors. It was also the 300th six-metre vault in history.
Duplantis responded by clearing 6.00m on his second attempt to move into the lead, then consolidated his advantage with a first-time clearance at 6.07m. Marschall attempted that height but was unsuccessful, and with victory secured Duplantis raised the bar to 6.32m. It wasn&rsquo;t to be this time, but the Swedish world record-holder now has 136 clearances at 6.00m or higher.
Olympic champion Masai Russell won the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in 12.33 (-0.4m/s), leading a US sweep from Rayniah Jones, who ran 12.47, and Alaysha Johnson, who clocked 12.49.
Julien Alfred powered to victory in the women&rsquo;s 100m, clocking 10.87 (-0.3m/s). The Olympic champion beat Jamaica&rsquo;s Tina Clayton, who ran 10.97, in their first clash since the 2025 World Championships, where Clayton took silver ahead of Alfred. Multiple Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah finished fourth in 11.04.
Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou improved throughout the men&rsquo;s long jump and landed a winning 8.31m leap in the final round to beat Anvar Anvarov, who jumped 8.12m.
<h2>Jones, Samukonga and Hssine among other winners</h2>
World silver medallist Jasmine Jones produced an assured run to win the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in 52.91, taking a second off her season&rsquo;s best and becoming the third woman this year to break 53 seconds. Rushell Clayton finished second in 53.34.
Zambia&rsquo;s Muzala Samukonga won the men&rsquo;s 400m in a season&rsquo;s best of 44.02, his fastest run since August 2024, the month in which he earned Olympic bronze. Attila Molnar was second in 44.51, just shy of the 44.47 Hungarian record he set in Monaco last week.
Yassine Hssine came through in the closing stages to win the men&rsquo;s 200m in 19.92, his fifth Moroccan record over the distance in 2026. The time was also an Arab record. Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Makanakaishe Charamba was second in 20.09, while Gary Card finished fifth in 20.28, making him the second-fastest Jamaican U20 athlete in history behind Usain Bolt.
Italy&rsquo;s two-time world medallist Leonardo Fabbri was the only man to throw beyond 22 metres in the shot put, winning with 22.04m.
Algeria&rsquo;s world silver medallist Djamel Sedjati emerged from the pack in the final 40 metres to win the men&rsquo;s 800m in 1:43.19 in his first race over the distance this year. Laban Chepkwony, who set the meeting record last year, was second this time in 1:43.54.
Elsewhere, Abbey Caldwell led an Australian one-two in the women&rsquo;s 1500m, winning in 4:01.79 from Claudia Hollingsworth, who ran 4:02.09. Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang won the men&rsquo;s 3000m in 7:31.90, while Cameroon&rsquo;s Emmanuel Eseme came through to take the men&rsquo;s 100m in 9.99 from Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, who clocked 10.01.
&bull; <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar-results/7214030/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Ja’Kobe Tharp confirmed his status as the new force in sprint hurdling with a stunning 12.85 victory at the István Gyulai Memorial

Tharp backs up world record form with 12.85 in Budapest

Letsile Tebogo first properly burst on to the global scene at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest where he won individual medals in the 100m and 200m. On his return to the Hungarian capital, we asked the Olympic 200m champion What's your Ultimate?
Ultimate performance&hellip; The Paris 2024 Olympics and the men's 200m final&nbsp;
Ultimate event (bar your own)&hellip; FIFA Club World Cup 2025.&nbsp;
Ultimate career goal&hellip; To reach legendary status.&nbsp;
Ultimate athlete&hellip; Kobe Bryant.
Ultimate clash&hellip; The men's 4x400m - Africa vs the rest of the world.
Ultimate memory&hellip; The Paris 2024 Olympics and the men's 4x400m relay final.
Ultimate venue&hellip; Botswana National Stadium (World Athletics Relays, Gaborone 2026).
Ultimate meal... Setswana traditional food (Bogobe jwa lerotse, Beef and morogo).
Ultimate night out/night in&hellip; Games night.&nbsp;
Ultimate possession&hellip; Toyota Land Cruiser, LXV8.
Ultimate hidden talent&hellip; Self-taught car mechanic. 😅
Ultimate day off&hellip; Farm visit.
Ultimate holiday&nbsp; destination&hellip; Dumatau camp (Linyanti) and Mombo (Okavango Delta) - Botswana .
Ultimate pre-competition song&hellip; Ditiro Leero (Ke tswa kgakala Ga Maila).
Ultimate movie&hellip; Shooter (ok it's a TV series!).

Sprinter Letsile Tebogo of Botswana is the Olympic champion for the 200m and was also part of the star-studded national 4x400m team to win the world title last year. He's the latest athlete being asked What's your Ultimate?

What's your Ultimate with Letsile Tebogo

Jahcario Wilson of The Bahamas became the fourth fastest U18 110m hurdler ever, while Jamaica&rsquo;s Lavanya Williams, Alana Reid and Bouwahjie Nkrumie produced world-class performances to highlight the North, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 and U18 Championships, held at the Una Nueva Historia track in Apizaco, Mexico.
The city, located 2380m above sea level, was conducive to producing fast times and strong jumps, though excessive wind made many of the top performances ineligible for personal bests or championships records.
Thankfully for Wilson, the wind settled to a perfect 2.0m/s during the time of the boys&rsquo; U18 110m hurdles final. He stormed from the blocks and cruised to victory in 12.94, two tenths of a second faster than his previous best. The time places him fourth on the world U18 all-time list and is just 0.07 shy of Sasha Zhoya&rsquo;s world U18 best.
Born on the last day of 2009, Wilson has succeeded in both sprint and long hurdles, winning silver in the 110m and finishing fourth in the one-lap event at the CARIFTA Games in April.
Lavanya Williams, the third leg runner on Jamaica&rsquo;s victorious 4x100m team at this year&rsquo;s World Relays, earned her first international individual medals. She first dominated the 100m in a marginally wind-assisted 10.91 (2.1m/s) ahead of Olympic relay finalist and world U20 champion Alana Reid (11.05) and Puerto Rico&rsquo;s Frances Colon (11.23).
Two days later, Reid and Williams met again in the 200m final. Reid, who beat Williams for her first national senior title in June, took the upper hand again with 22.29 (3.0m/s). Williams (22.40) and Kelia Bentham (23.00) of Barbados followed her across the finish line.
Bouwahjie Nkrumie &ndash; who ran 9.99 as an U20 athlete in 2023 but then picked up an injury &ndash; returned to winning ways by taking the U23 men&rsquo;s 100m title on the opening day. Nkrumie, the 2022 world U20 100m silver medallist, stopped the clock at 9.92 (2.7m/s), also wind assisted.
Fellow Jamaican Damor Miller finished second (10.03). He and Nkrumie later teamed up to win the 4x100m in 39.30.
Teenagar Jayden Green of Barbados won a close 200m final in 20.17 (3.5m/s), finishing 0.02 ahead of Aaron Charles of Trinidad and Tobago. Green, the 2025 Carifta champion, had set a wind-legal PB of 20.42 in the semifinals, and he will now switch his focus to the World U20 Championships in Eugene later this summer.
The U18 sprinters benefitted from ideal wind conditions in their respective finals. Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Mekhi Guischard-Yearwood won the boys&rsquo; 100m in 10.33, finishing 0.01 ahead of 15-year-old Kai Kelly of Jamaica.
At only 15 years old, Bahamian prodigy Jazae Johnson cruised to an 11.42 victory in the girls&rsquo; 100m. A long and triple jump champion at this year&rsquo;s Carifta Games, she added the long jump silver in Apizaco with a PB of 6.13m, finishing behind Jamaica&rsquo;s Zavien Bernard (6.21m). Bernard also won the U18 triple jump (12.73m).
Jamaica&rsquo;s Jason Pitter cruised to a 45.98-second victory in the U18 boys&rsquo; 400m, his second sub-46-second run this year. 16-year-old Shameika McLean made it a Jamaican U18 double, winning the girls&rsquo; final in 52.37 as 15-year-old Eden Chee Wah of Trinidad and Tobago set a big PB of 52.48 in second.
A day later, Chee Wah won the 200m title in 23.10, pushed by a strong 6.0m/s wind.
Jayden Walcott of Barbados improved his personal best by more than 70 centimetres to win the U18 boys&rsquo; shot with 21.82m, moving him to 14th on the world U18 all-time list. Mexico&rsquo;s Kendra Silvery Duany delighted the host nation by winning the U18 girls&rsquo; shot put (16.98m) and discus (48.02m).
Combining both age groups, hosts Mexico topped the medals table with 60 medals (22 gold, 16 silver and 22 bronze), followed by Jamaica and The Bahamas. 20 of the 26 participating nations won at least one medal.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for World Athletics

Jahcario Wilson of The Bahamas became the fourth fastest U18 110m hurdler ever

Wilson, Williams, Reid and Nkrumie highlight NACAC U23 and U18 Championships

Adrianna Sułek-Schubert improved her own Wiesław Czapiewski Memorial record to 6449 to win her fourth heptathlon title at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting in Nakło nad Notecią on Saturday and Sunday (11-12).
The decathlon was closer, Puerto Rico&rsquo;s Yariel Soto setting a PB of&nbsp;8124 to take the title ahead of Lithuania&rsquo;s Edgaras Benkunskas (8080).
In the heptathlon,&nbsp;Sułek-Schubert displayed some of her best form since returning to competition after giving birth in 2024.
The Polish record-holder &ndash; who was formerly coached by the late Wiesław Czapiewski &ndash; got off to a strong start with a 13.09 clocking in the 100m hurdles, just 0.01 shy of the PB she set four years ago. Sweden&rsquo;s Lovisa Karlsson was fastest overall, though, setting a PB of 13.03 &ndash; the fastest time by a Swedish athlete since 2016 and taking 0.35 off Sułek-Schubert&rsquo;s meeting record.
The home favourite moved into the lead after the high jump, thanks to her 1.80m clearance. Karlsson&rsquo;s Swedish teammate Erika W&auml;rff impressed in the shot put, topping the field with 14.31m. Austrian duo Verena Mayr (14.24m) and Sarah Lagger (14.15m) also threw beyond 14 metres, as did Switzerland&rsquo;s Lucia Acklin (14.16m). Sułek-Schubert, meanwhile, managed 13.69m which was enough to maintain the overall lead.
Another meeting record fell in the 200m, this time to Czechia&rsquo;s Ad&eacute;la Tk&aacute;čov&aacute;. The 21-year-old sped to an impressive 23.27 &ndash; just 0.05 shy of the PB she set last month &ndash; to smash the meeting record by 0.73. Three other women &ndash; Vilma It&auml;linna (23.63), Sułek-Schubert (23.84) and Acklin (23.90) &ndash; were inside the previous meeting record.
Sułek-Schubert ended the first day with a tally of 3858, putting her 203 points ahead of Karlsson, with W&auml;rff a further 18 points in arrears.
Karlsson started strongest on day two, soaring 6.45m in the long jump for another meeting record and a mark just 10 centimetres off her PB. Sułek-Schubert managed a wind-aided 6.21m (4.4m/s) to retain the lead by 127 points.
They both achieved PBs in the javelin, Sułek-Schubert launching the implement 43.49m to improve on her previous best of 42.86m set as part of her European silver medal-winning performance in 2022 and Karlsson throwing 41.88m. W&auml;rff threw farthest, managing 47.74m from her final attempt to sit just 34 points behind Karlsson with one event to go. Sułek-Schubert looked clear at the top, on 5507.
Chasing her compatriot&nbsp;Edyta Bielska who clocked 2:08.55, Sułek-Schubert ran&nbsp;2:11.58 to finish second in the 800m and successfully defend her heptathlon title, taking her tally to a meeting record of 6449 &ndash; her highest score since her maternity break and the fourth-best score of her career.
Karlsson ran 2:16.67 and&nbsp;W&auml;rff set a PB of&nbsp;2:19.86 to hold on to second and third place, respectively.&nbsp;Karlsson improved her PB to&nbsp;6218, while&nbsp;W&auml;rff scored 6140. Lagger moved up through the field to finish fourth on&nbsp;5986 and&nbsp;It&auml;linna was fifth with a PB of&nbsp;5915.
By contrast, the decathlon was close throughout.
Switzerland&rsquo;s Nino Portmann, the World University Games bronze medallist, sped to a 10.70 clocking to win the 100m. Puerto Rico&rsquo;s Yariel Soto moved into the lead after soaring to a meeting record of 7.80m in the long jump. Switzerland&rsquo;s Finley Gaio, the former meeting record-holder in that discipline, also performed well, leaping a wind-assisted 7.65m while Portmann jumped 7.55m, also marginally wind assisted.
Lithuania&rsquo;s Edgaras Benkunskas climbed up the leader board after throwing a meeting record of 15.66m in the shot put. Soto&rsquo;s 13.45m meant he dropped down slightly, while Portmann threw a PB of 14.81m to remain in contention.
Adam Havl&iacute;ček was the last man standing in the high jump, clearing 2.03m. The Czech athlete had earlier set PBs of 11.07 in the 100m and 7.34m in the long jump. Benkunskas (2.00m), Portmann (1.94m, a PB) and Soto (1.91m) were all in the top half of the field in the high jump.
Gaio&rsquo;s 48.32 run in the 400m meant that five different athletes topped the five different disciplines on day one. Soto (48.69) and Portmann (48.72) also completed the lap within 49 seconds.
Portmann led at the end of the first day with 4278, 84 points ahead of Soto. Gaio, Vil&eacute;m Str&aacute;sk&yacute;, Havl&iacute;ček and Benkunskas were all close behind.
Gaio and&nbsp;Portmann led the 110m hurdles at the start of the second day, respectively clocking 14.00 and 14.25. Soto ran a wind-aided 14.90, moving him down a place behind&nbsp;Portmann and&nbsp;Gaio after six events.&nbsp;Str&aacute;sk&yacute; continued his consistency with 14.31 to put him just one point ahead of Benkunskas, who clocked the same time.&nbsp;Havl&iacute;ček did not finish the race.
Benkunskas moved up into third after the best discus throw of the day, 48.59m.&nbsp;Portmann held on to the lead with&nbsp;43.61m but Gaio's PB of 44.45m moved him closer to his rival, while Soto threw 45.08m and&nbsp;Str&aacute;sk&yacute; a PB of&nbsp;45.77m to complete the top five at that stage.
Soto's 4.80m in the pole vault made the difference as it launched him from fourth to first on 6673, 26 points ahead of&nbsp;Benkunskas who managed 4.60m.&nbsp;Maxime Moitie-Charnois of France had the best clearance &ndash; 5.00m.
Benkunskas fought back with the leading mark in the javelin &ndash; 65.12m to Soto's 55.04m to put him 125 points ahead with just the 1500m remaining, but with Soto the stronger runner. The 1500m went to the form book and so Soto secured the overall title in style, winning the final event in a PB of 4:23.61 as&nbsp;Benkunskas clocked&nbsp;4:50.04.&nbsp;Str&aacute;sk&yacute; ran&nbsp;4:24.31 to cross the line runner-up to Soto and clinch third place overall (8056) ahead of Portmann (7947) and Moitie-Charnois (7843).
Soto's winning score of 8124 added 92 points to his previous PB set in Arona last month &ndash; his score then of 8032 seeing him surpass 8000 points for the first time.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7236891?day=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Adrianna Sułek-Schubert improved her own Wiesław Czapiewski Memorial record to 6449 to win her fourth heptathlon title

Sułek-Schubert sets meeting record to retain title in Nakło nad Notecią

Two-time world U20 triple jump champion Sharifa Davronova and sprinter Muhammad Azeem Fahmi were among the winners as a new chapter was added to Asian Athletics history with the inaugural Asian U23 Championships taking place in Ordos from 9-12 July.
Malaysian record-holder Fahmi lived up to his billing by taking the 100m crown in 10.17 (-0.7m/s) on the first day of competition. Fahmi, a bronze medallist at the 2023 Asian Games in Guangzhou, is a student in the United States and helped Auburn University wrest sprint relay titles at the NCAA Championships in 2024 and 2025.
He sent an early warning with 10.15 in the heats. In the final, he edged past Falah Al-Khazaali for the gold, the Iraqi sprinter clocking a national record 10.21 for silver. Qatar&rsquo;s Salah Nur Ismail Yunis finished third, while home favourite Zeng Keli finished joint fourth with his Chinese teammate Xia Jianduo.
&ldquo;It is a good sign, winning here, going towards the Asian Games,&rdquo; said Fahmi.&nbsp;
Xue Kunzhi brought some cheer to the home crowd as she won her 100m title in a personal best of 11.37 (0.7m/s) less than three weeks on from forming part of the Chinese 4x100m team that secured Asian Relays silver in Shaoxing.
&ldquo;I have improved my PBs several times this year and attained the Chinese athletics international standard here,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;
Xue was a non-starter in the 200m, while Fahmi was disqualified for a false start. China&rsquo;s Huang Youwen (20.43w) and Jiang Yutong (23.47) clinched the titles.
India won a thriller in the mixed pelay, pipping China at the post.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a53e1e0a03245f1ad7cb8a1.jpg" alt="The men's 100m final at the Asian U23 Championships in Ordos " />
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The men's 100m final at the Asian U23 Championships in Ordos (&copy; Asian Athletics <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,CiAgICA8c3ZnIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyIgd2lkdGg9IjE2IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjE2IiB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgNDgwIDM2MCI+CiAgICAgIDxnIHRyYW5zZm9ybT0idHJhbnNsYXRlKDAsMzYwKSBzY2FsZSgwLjEsLTAuMSkiIGZpbGw9IiNCMkIyQjIiPgogICAgICAgIDxwYXRoIGQ9Ik0xOTA1IDMxODIgYy0xMjYgLTQ0IC0xODcgLTEwMCAtMjUzIC0yMzMgbC00NyAtOTQgLTM1MCAtNSBjLTMyNiAtNQogICAgICAgIC0zNTQgLTYgLTQwMSAtMjYgLTE0NyAtNjAgLTI0NiAtMTgwIC0yNzQgLTMzMSAtMTQgLTc2IC0xNCAtMTY1OSAwIC0xNzM0IDMxCiAgICAgICAgLTE2NyAxNzMgLTMxMyAzMzggLTM0OCAzNyAtOCA0NzYgLTExIDE0OTAgLTExIDE1NDMgMCAxNDgwIC0yIDE1ODggNTAgMTA0IDUxCiAgICAgICAgMjAwIDE4MSAyMjQgMzA1IDggNDMgMTAgMzAwIDggOTEwIGwtMyA4NTAgLTIzIDU2IGMtNDcgMTEyIC0xNDEgMjA2IC0yNTIgMjUyCiAgICAgICAgLTUyIDIxIC03MiAyMiAtNDA1IDI3IGwtMzUwIDUgLTQ2IDk1IGMtNTQgMTEyIC0xMDYgMTY2IC0yMDcgMjEzIGwtNjcgMzIKICAgICAgICAtNDYwIDIgYy00MTYgMyAtNDY1IDEgLTUxMCAtMTV6IG05NzIgLTIzNyBjMTggLTEzIDUyIC02OCA5MyAtMTUwIDQyIC04MyA3NQogICAgICAgIC0xMzcgOTMgLTE1MCAyNyAtMTkgNDcgLTIwIDQxNSAtMjUgNDM4IC02IDQyNyAtNCA0ODcgLTg5IGwzMCAtNDMgMyAtODM2IGMyCiAgICAgICAgLTYxMCAwIC04NDggLTggLTg3NiAtMTcgLTU2IC01NCAtMTAyIC0xMDQgLTEyNSAtNDIgLTIxIC01MSAtMjEgLTE0ODggLTIxCiAgICAgICAgbC0xNDQ1IDAgLTQ0IDIzIGMtMjkgMTYgLTU0IDQwIC03NCA3MiBsLTMwIDQ4IDAgODUxIGMwIDg0NCAwIDg1MSAyMSA4OTEgMTEKICAgICAgICAyMiA0MCA1NCA2MyA3MCBsNDMgMzAgMzg4IDUgYzM2OSA1IDM5MCA2IDQxNyAyNSAxOCAxMyA1MCA2NCA4OCAxNDEgMzMgNjcgNjcKICAgICAgICAxMjkgNzUgMTM5IDM2IDQzIDUzIDQ1IDUxMiA0MiA0MjIgLTIgNDM4IC0zIDQ2NSAtMjJ6Ii8+CiAgICAgICAgPHBhdGggZD0iTTIzMDAgMjQ1MSBjLTM4MiAtNTQgLTY3MSAtMzYzIC02OTcgLTc0NiAtMjEgLTMxOCAxNjEgLTYyNyA0NTIKICAgICAgICAtNzY2IDEyNiAtNjAgMTg5IC03NCAzNTAgLTc0IDExOSAwIDE1MSA0IDIxNSAyMyAyNzYgODcgNDgwIDI5NiA1NTYgNTcyIDI1CiAgICAgICAgOTAgMjYgMjk5IDEgMzkwIC03OCAyODggLTMwMCA1MDkgLTU4OSA1ODQgLTcxIDE4IC0yMTYgMjcgLTI4OCAxN3ogbTI3MCAtMjQ5CiAgICAgICAgYzE5NyAtNjggMzM0IC0yMTQgMzg1IC00MDcgNzQgLTI4NyAtMTA0IC01OTkgLTM5MCAtNjg0IC0xMDEgLTMwIC0yNjcgLTI3CiAgICAgICAgLTM2MCA3IC0xNzQgNjQgLTMyNyAyNDAgLTM2NCA0MjAgLTYyIDMwNSAxMzUgNjA4IDQzOSA2NzcgODIgMTkgMjE1IDEyIDI5MAogICAgICAgIC0xM3oiLz4KICAgICAgPC9nPgogICAgPC9zdmc+CiAgICA=" alt="photographer icon" /> Edwin Koo)
<h2>Impressive field work on Friday</h2>
Chinese Taipei&rsquo;s world U20 silver medallist Chu Pin-Hsun unleashed a personal best of 57.31m to win the women&rsquo;s javelin on day two. China&rsquo;s world U20 bronze medallist Ma Yinglong also set a PB of 17.11m to win the men&rsquo;s triple jump.
The penultimate day witnessed an impressive 400m hurdles victory from the host nation&rsquo;s Xu Xinfeng. He equalled the national record (48.68) for the top spot ahead of Sri Lankan Ayomal Akalanka Liyanage (49.03).&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;My pre-race goal was simply to dip under 49 seconds, hence clocking my PB and equalling the national record was completely unexpected,&rdquo; said Xu. &ldquo;This result has given me a huge confidence boost.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Shinya Hayashi, who was part of the Japanese team at this year&rsquo;s World Relays in Gaborone, won the men&rsquo;s 400m with the second-best time of his career, 45.26. Last year&rsquo;s Asian Championships bronze medallist Dhzonbibi Khukmova of Uzbekistan clocked a personal best of 51.19 for the women&rsquo;s title, well ahead of second-placed Naomi Kaylia Johnson (52.34) from the Philippines &ndash; a student at the University of California Los Angeles, who a few weeks earlier became eligible to participate for the Southeast Asian nation.
Braving the rain, Qatari pole vaulter Seifeldin Abdelsalam scaled 5.45m to win his favourite event. Abdelsalam, a world finalist in Tokyo with a 5.75m clearance, was an Asian U20 champion two years ago.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>Davronova delivers best mark on final day</h2>
The highlight of the final day was achieved by triple jumper Sharifa Davronova of Uzbekistan. The two-time world U20 champion, who is also the Asian Games and World University Games champion, cheered the crowd with her 14.24m jump to set a standard for the upcoming athletes to follow at the championships.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
In another interesting contest, two of the top Indian javelin throwers, Anand Singh (80.57m) and Shivam Lohakare (77.70m), made it to the podium. While Singh improved his PB to clinch the gold, Lohakare was almost six and a half metres behind his best from last year to finish third. China&rsquo;s world U20 silver medallist Wang Xiaobo snatched the silver with a 79.41m throw.
China&rsquo;s unheralded Zhao Shiqi (13.38) and Zhang Zijun (13.41) set PBs to secure the top two spots in the 110m hurdles ahead of Qatar&rsquo;s world U20 finalist and Asian U20 champion Oumar Doudai Abakar.
Chinese relay quartets won three of the four finals decided on the concluding day. India dominated the women&rsquo;s 4x400m in 3:33.62.
Host China finished top of the medals tally with 23 gold, 17 silver and 12 bronze medals followed by Japan (7-8-7), Uzbekistan (5-4-1), India (3-4-9), Qatar (3-2-3) and Chinese Taipei (3-1-1). A total of 14 of the 27 participating countries won at least one medal.
Ram. Murali Krishnan for World Athletics
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7235212?day=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
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Two-time world U20 triple jump champion Sharifa Davronova and sprinter Muhammad Azeem Fahmi were among the winners as a new chapter was added to Asian Athletics history

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