There was very little doubt that the United States was going to win the inaugural Mixed 4×400 m relay at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar. What was not known was who was going to run and by how much a new world record would be set.
In the first serious running of the event, the U.S. set a world record of 3:12.42 in the semis, then trotted out a new foursome of Wil London, Allyson Felix, Courtney Okolo and Michael Cherry in the final. It was no contest.
London passed the stick first in about 44.6, with Felix passed by Poland’s Rafal Omelko as the Poles decided to run their men first and then hold on. Felix (50.4) held off Roneisha McGregor of Jamaica to give Okolo a sizable lead over everyone except Poland, which handed to 2018 European champ Jusytna Swiety-Ersetic.
Okolo’s leg was clocked at 49.9 and she passed to Cherry, who rocketed around the turn to take the lead and then cruised home, wearing a huge smile down the home straight as he finished in 44.2 and annihilated the world record at 3:09.34!
The first five teams finished under the world record from the semis; Jamaica won the silver at 3:11.78 with Javon Francis on anchor.
For the amazing Felix, it was her 17th World Championships medal – in her ninth World Championships – and her 12th gold. That’s the most ever by anyone, and broke a tie that Felix had with Jamaica’s Usain Bolt.
On the infield, the women’s vault started with 17 jumpers, but was whittled down to six at 4.80 m (15-9) and just three at 4.85 m (15-11). And it was the usual suspects: Olympic and World Champion Katerina Stefanidi (GRE), American Sandi Morris and Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova (competing as an Authorized Neutral Athlete).
At 4.90 m (16-0 3/4), Morris and Sidorova made it on their first attempts and Stefanidi passed to 4.95 m (16-2 3/4), then missed twice. Morris and Sidorova missed twice and after Morris missed on a third try, Sidorova snaked over to win the world title.
The men’s triple jump went just as expected: a duel between American stars Will Claye – the world leader – and three-time champ Christian Taylor. Claye got out to the lead immediately at 17.61 m (57-9 1/2) and 17.72 m (58-1 3/4) in the first two rounds, but Taylor fouled twice. On the brink of elimination, Taylor took off way behind the board but managed 17.42 m (57-2) in the third round to make the finals. Then the jumping really started.
Taylor took the lead in round four at 17.82 m (58-5 1/2) and them boomed out to 17.92 m (58-9 1/2) in round five. Claye improved slightly at 17.74 m (58-2 1/2), but that was a far as he got. Taylor won his fourth world title and will now go for a third Olympic title in 2020.
Four titles was the goal of Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the women’s 100 m and she had no trouble. Wearing a multi-colored hair style instead of the glowing yellow for the heats, she won her semi in 10.81 and then exploded in the final to win in a world-leading 10.71, ahead of Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (10.83) and Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV: 10.90).
Although well behind Felix, Fraser-Pryce now has 10 career Worlds medals, including eight golds and two silvers.
The U.S.’s Teahna Daniels was seventh in the final in 11.19; Tori Bowie withdrew before the semis and Morolake Akinosun and English Gardner did not make the final. Gardner suffered what appeared to be another hamstring injury during her semi.
In the prelims:
● Men/200 m: Christian Coleman withdrew, Rodney Rowe was sixth in his heat and Kenny Bednarek pulled up in his heat, just as he did in the USATF finals. Noah Lyles cruised in his heat and was passed at the tape by Trinidad’s Jareem Richards, 20.23-20.24. Britain’s Adam Gemili had the fastest time at 20.06 in heat one and Ecuadorian Alex Quinonez won heat three in 20.08.
● Men/800 m: Three Americans made it into the final, as Donovan Brazier ran a controlled race and won impressively in 1:44.87, running down Marco Arop of Canada in the final straight. Bryce Hoppel waited until the final 120 m to make his move, but moved out to lane three to charge down the straight for second in the third heat in 1:45.95, just behind Amel Tuka (BIH: 1:45.63). Puerto Rico’s Wesley Vazquez went out insanely fast in the first heat, but it worked for him as he won in a staggering 1:43.96 (!). Kenyan Ferguson Rotich ran 1:44.20 for second and American Clayton Murphy got third (1:44.48) and advanced on time.
While the light show for the women’s 100 m was again impressive, much more so was the elegant staging of the awards ceremonies, with a giant three-screen backdrop that showed all three athletes during the playing of the winner’s anthem. That was great and will be much appreciated during the week.
Summaries so far:
IAAF World Championships
Doha (QAT) ~ 27 September-6 October 2019
(Full results here)
Men
100 m (wind +0.6 m/s): 1. Christian Coleman (USA), 9.76; 2. Justin Gatlin (USA), 9.89; 3. Andre De Grasse (CAN), 9.90; 4. Akani Simbine (RSA), 9.93; 5. Yohan Blake (JAM), 9.97; 6. Zharnel Hughes (GBR), 10.03; 7. Flilppo Tortu (ITA), 10.07; 8. Aaron Brown (CAN), 10.08.
50 km Walk: 1. Yusuke Suzuki (JPN), 4:04:20; 2. Joao Vieira (POR), 4:04:59; 3. Evan Dunfee (CAN), 4:05:02; 4. Wenbin Niu (CHN), 4:05:36; 5. Yadong Luo (CHN), 4:06:49; 6. Brendan Boyce (IRL), 4:07:06; 7. Carl Dohmann (GER), 4:10:22; 8. Jesus Angel Garcia (ESP), 4:11:28.
Long Jump: 1. Tajay Gayle (JAM), 8.69 m (28-6 1/4); 2. Jeff Henderson (USA), 8.39 m (27-6 1/2); 3. Juan Miguel Echevarria (CUB), 8.34 m (27-4 1/2); 4. Luvo Manyonga (RSA), 8.28 m (27-2); 5. Ruswahl Samaai (RSA), 8.23 m (27-0); 6. Jianan Wang (CHN), 8.20 m (26-11); 7. Eusebio Caceres (ESP), 8.01 m (26-3 1/2); 8. Yuki Hashioka (JPN), 7.97 m (26-1 3/4).
Triple Jump: 1. Christian Taylor (USA), 17.92 m (58-9 1/2); 2. Will Claye (USA), 17.74 m (58-2 1/2); 3. Hugues Zango (BUR), 17.66 m (57-11 1/4); 4. Pedro Pablo Pichardo (POR), 17.62 m (57-9 3/4); 5. Cristian Napoles (CUB),17.38 m (57-0 1/4); 6. Donald Scott (USA), 17.17 m (56-4); 7. Alexis Copello (AZE), 17.10 m (57-1 1/4); 8. Jordan Diaz Fortun (CUB), 17.06 m (55-11 3/4).
Women
100 m (+0.1): 1. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM), 10.71; 2. Dina Asher-Smith (GBR), 10.83; 3. Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV), 10.90; 4. Elaine Thompson (JAM), 10.93; 5. Murielle Ahoure (CIV), 11.02; 6. Jonielle Smith (JAM), 11.06; 7. Teahna Daniels (USA), 11.19; did not start – Dafne Schippers (NED.
10,000 m: 1. Sifan Hassan (NED), 30.17.62; 2. Letesenbet Gidey (ETH), 30:21.23; 3. Agnes Tirop (KEN), 30:25.20; 4. Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN), 30:35.75; 5. Hellen Obiri (KEN), 30:35.82; 6. Senbere Teferi (ETH), 30:44.23; 7. Susan Krumins (NED), 31:05.40; 8. Marielle Hall (USA), 31:05.71. Also: 9. Molly Huddle (USA), 31:07.24; 10. Emily Sisson (USA), 31:12.56.
Marathon: 1. Ruth Chepngetich (KEN), 2:32:43; 2. Rose Chelimo (BRN), 2:33:46; 3. Helelia Johannes (NAM), 2:34:15; 4. Edna Kiplagat (KEN), 2:35:36; 5. Volha Mazuronak (BLR), 2:36:21; 6. Roberta Groner (USA), 2:38:44; 7. Mizuki Tanimoto (JPN), 2:39:09; 8. Ji Hyang Kim (PRK), 2:41:24. Also: 13. Carrie Dimoff (USA), 2:44:35.
50 km Walk: 1. Rui Liang (CHN), 4:23:26; 2. Maocuo Li (CHN), 4:26:40; 3. Elenorora Giorgi (ITA), 4:29:13; 4. Olena Sobchuk (UKR), 4:33:38; 5. Faying Ma (CHN), 4:34:56; 6. Khrystyna Yudkina (UKR), 4:36:00; 7. Magaly Bonilla (ECU), 4:37:03; 8. Julia Takacs (ESP), 4:38:20. Also: 17. Katie Burnett (USA), 5:23:05.
Pole Vault: 1. Anzhelika Sidorova (RUS), 4.95 m (16-2 3/4); 2. Sandi Morris (USA), 4.90 m (16-0 3/4); 3. Katerina Stefanidi (GRE), 4.85 m (15-11); 4. Holly Bradshaw (GBR), 4.80 m (15-9); 5. Alysha Newman (CAN), 4.80 m (15-9); 6. Angelica Bengtsson (SWE), 4.80 m (15-9); 7. tie, Iryna Zhuk (BLR), Jenn Suhr (USA) and Katie Nagetotte (USA), 4.70 m (15-5).
Hammer: 1. DeAnna Price (USA), 77.54 m (251-1); 2. Joanna Fiodorow (POL), 76.35 m (250-6); 3. Zheng Wang (CHN), 74.76 m (245-3); 4. Zalina Petrivskaya (MDA), 74.33 m (243-10); 5. Iryna Klymets (UKR), 73.56 m (241-4); 6. Alexandra Tavernier (FRA), 73.33 m (240-7); 7. Hanna Skydan (AZE), 72.83 m (238-11); 8. Na Luo (CHN), 72.04 m (236-4).
Mixed
4×400 m: 1. United States (Wil London, Allyson Felix, Courtney Okolo, Michael Cherry), 3:09.34 (World Record; old, 3:12.42, U.S. in semis); 2. Jamaica, (Allen, McGregor, James, Francis), 3:11.78; 3. Bahrain (Isah, Jamal, Naser, Abbas), 3:11.82; 4. Great Britain, 3:12.27; 5. Poland, 3:12.33; 6. Belgium, 3:14.22; 7. India, 3:15.77; 8. Brazil, 3:16.22.
