The 2023 Wanda Diamond League continues in Florence on Friday (2), with the likes of Fred Kerley, Faith Kipyegon, Grant Holloway, Katie Moon and Joshua Cheptegei all in action at the Stadio Luigi Ridolfi.
The action will start at 18:30 local time (GMT+1) with the women's discus and the main programme will kick off at 20:00 local time with the women's 400m hurdles.
<a href="https://rome.diamondleague.com/en/programme-results/programme-results-rome/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results, programme and entry lists</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/64799c8f4a5960db10f0924c.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media information sheets and athlete biographies</a> 
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<h2>Where to watch</h2>
The meeting will be streamed in a number of territories on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@diamondleague/streams" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wanda Diamond League YouTube page</a> from 20:00 local time (GMT+1).
The livestream will&nbsp;NOT&nbsp;be available in all territories.
To find out the broadcast rights holder in your country, check the list below. If your country does not appear on the list, please check local listings. The list is&nbsp;subject to change, and some broadcasters may only show highlights coverage, while others will show the meeting live.&nbsp;Please check your local listings to find out more information.&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #333333; border-style: solid;" border="1" width="90%" cellpadding="2">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Territories</td>
<td>Broadcaster/ rights holder</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Africa (English language):&nbsp;Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Democratic republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Reunion, Sao Tome &amp; Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Socotra, South Africa, St. Helena and Ascension, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Zanzibar, Chad, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan&nbsp;</td>
<td>Supersport (English)&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Africa (French language):&nbsp;Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo</td>
<td>NWTV+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Argentina</td>
<td>TeleRed</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania</td>
<td>TV3 (SIA)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Balkans:&nbsp;Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia</td>
<td>Sportklub</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Belgium</td>
<td>VRT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Brazil</td>
<td>Globo / Newco - Band Sport / COB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bulgaria</td>
<td>A1 - Sport Max</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>CBC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Caucasus/Central Asia:&nbsp;Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia.</td>
<td>Saran</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), Cayman Islands, Cuba, Cura&ccedil;ao, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Barth&eacute;lemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands</td>
<td>Flow Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Central America:&nbsp;Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic</td>
<td>Sky Mexico</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>China</td>
<td>CCTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Chinese Taipei</td>
<td>Elta</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Czech Republic</td>
<td>Ceska Televize</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Denmark</td>
<td>Viaplay</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Finland</td>
<td>MTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Germany</td>
<td>Sky Deutschland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Greece / Cyprus</td>
<td>ERT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hungary</td>
<td>MTVA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>India</td>
<td>Viacom 18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Israel</td>
<td>Charlton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Italy and the Vatican City</td>
<td>Sky / Rai</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Macau</td>
<td>TDM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Malaysia</td>
<td>Measat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mongolia</td>
<td>Premier Sports Network</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Netherlands</td>
<td>Ziggo Sports / NOS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>New Zealand</td>
<td>TVNZ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Norway</td>
<td>NRK</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Philippines</td>
<td>TAP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Poland</td>
<td>Polsat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Portugal</td>
<td>Sport TV Portugal</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Slovakia</td>
<td>RTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Singapore</td>
<td>Starhub</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Spain</td>
<td>Movistar</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>South Korea</td>
<td>KBS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>South America: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela</td>
<td>Panam Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sweden</td>
<td>C More-TV4 / SVT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Switzerland</td>
<td>SRG</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Thailand</td>
<td>Cineplex / Mono / JKN</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Turkey</td>
<td>TRT/ Ssport</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>United Kingdom, Guernsey, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man- audio BBC Service overseas</td>
<td>BBC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ukraine</td>
<td>Setanta</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>USA</td>
<td>NBC Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, France, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Myanmar, North Korea, Romania, Sri Lanka, Vietnam
</td>
<td>Wanda Diamond League YouTube / Facebook</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Social media</h2>
- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> - Wanda Diamond League: <a href="https://twitter.com/diamond_league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DiamondLeague/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diamondleagueathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> - Golden Gala Pietro Mennea: <a href="https://rome.diamondleague.com/en/home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Website</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/goldengala_roma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/goldengala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>
&nbsp;
</div>

Here's how you can catch all the action from the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea

How to follow and watch the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence

World Athletics has been recognised for world-leading innovation in the &lsquo;best digital technology&rsquo; category at The Sports Technology Awards for its Web Competition Information System (WebCIS).
<a href="https://player.vimeo.com/video/637775119?h=0a446df665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WebCIS </a>&ndash; developed by World Athletics and content marketing agency Wonderly &ndash; is a ground-breaking, online solution that offers real-time event data, video, athlete profiles, infographics and automated commentary to content producers such as broadcasters, commentators and journalists, increasing accessibility while reducing carbon footprint.
The bespoke technology solution is currently being used for all World Athletics Series events, including the World Athletics Championships, and was also available for the athletics competition during the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Replacing a legacy system of physical hardware (VLAN cables) and tablets, the new system is accessible anywhere in the world in real time.
&ldquo;The team is very pleased that the sport industry awarded our Web Competition Information System in the very disputed category of &lsquo;best digital technology&rsquo;,&rdquo; said An Dang Duy, Chief Information Officer at World Athletics.
&ldquo;It has been a truly transversal project, taking input from communications, competition and broadcast. It also leverages the great work from the statistics team and the new performance data we are collecting.
&ldquo;We are still at the beginning of our digital journey, but we are already proud that features such as live generation of sport commentaries and data infographics have been acknowledged as world premier innovations with a bright future for upcoming major championships.&rdquo;
Recognised as the leading, international mark of excellence, <a href="https://www.sportstechgroup.org/sports-technology-awards/winners/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sports Technology Awards</a> celebrates tech-led innovation in sports. The judging panel includes more than 50 industry experts.
&ldquo;This entry is exciting for many reasons, but its sustainability impact alone is highly commendable,&rdquo; the judges concluded. &ldquo;This is clever and provides a smart and sustainable solution to a challenge which all events face. We look forward to seeing its growth.&rdquo;
Six nominees &ndash; World Athletics and Wonderly, Bayes Esports, Kiswe, SponsorUnited, ViewLift, and WSC Sports &ndash; were shortlisted in the best digital technology category, before World Athletics and Wonderly were announced as the winners during the awards ceremony in New York.
World Athletics

World Athletics has been recognised for world-leading innovation in the ‘best digital technology’ category at The Sports Technology Awards for its Web Competition Information System (WebCIS).

World Athletics wins award for online competition platform

A rematch of the full men&rsquo;s 100m podium from last year&rsquo;s World Championships in Oregon is on the menu at the Golden Gala in Florence on Friday night, after the eleventh-hour addition of silver medallist Marvin Bracy to the stellar line-up for the third meeting of this year&rsquo;s Wanda Diamond League.
The Italian organisers might have been deflated by the late withdrawal of Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs from his home Diamond League meeting last night &ndash; which put on hold a high-anticipated duel with Kerley &ndash; but they immediately took the opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade by inviting Bracy to fill the vacant lane.
Kerley (gold), Bracy (silver) and Trayvon Bromell (bronze) completed a memorable US shutout of the podium in front of their home crowd in Oregon last year and will go again in Florence.
Jacobs has now withdrawn from his past two scheduled starts, in Rabat and Florence, due to an ongoing back problem. However, Italy will be represented by the surprise European indoor 60m champion Samuele Ceccarelli, who defeated Jacobs in that race and will be hoping to carry his career-best indoor form to the outdoor track this year.
Kerley offered sympathy to his rival Jacobs in the Golden Gala press conference, saying: "I&rsquo;m not upset that he&rsquo;s not competing, I just wish him health and he gets back to competing at 100 percent."
The top two African sprinters &ndash; Kenya&rsquo;s Ferdinand Omanyala and South Africa&rsquo;s Akani Simbine &ndash; will add further interest to the showdown.
Omanyala currently tops the performance list for this year with his 9.84 clocking at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, just ahead of Kerley&rsquo;s 9.88 at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Yokohama, but Kerley won their first direct meeting for the year in Rabat last weekend.
The women&rsquo;s 100m will features two world medallists in the short sprint, Great Britain&rsquo;s Dina Asher-Smith and Ivory Coast&rsquo;s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, while the brilliant teenager Erriyon Knighton heads the men&rsquo;s 200m field.
At the other end of the Diamond League track spectrum, Florence will present a trio of exciting middle and distance races in the men&rsquo;s 5000m, women&rsquo;s 1500m and women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase.
The men&rsquo;s 5000m sees the return of Uganda&rsquo;s world 10,000m and Olympic 5000m champion Joshua Cheptegei to the track for the first time since his triumph in Oregon, and an extraordinary challenge awaits him, including an all-star Ethiopian quartet of Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega, 2021 Diamond League champion Berihu Aregawi, Yomif Kejelcha and Samuel Tefera, as well as Kenya&rsquo;s world silver medallist Jacob Krop and last year&rsquo;s Golden Gala winner Nicholas Kipkorir.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6238b509f74fd745cca6c77b.jpg" alt="Joshua Cheptegei races at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic" />
Joshua Cheptegei races at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic (&copy; Getty Images)
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The queen of middle distance Faith Kipyegon returns to Florence eager to make amends for a rare loss at her last start at the Stadio Luigi Ridolfi, in 2021, when Sifan Hassan had her measure. However, after narrowly missing the 1500m world record in Monaco last year, Olympic and world champion Kipyegon has declared her intent to attack it again at every opportunity this year, which may well start in Florence. However, British Olympic silver medallist and natural front-runner Laura Muir is certain to keep the race honest.
Kipyegon said that her first ambition in Florence was to improve on her season-opening performance to win the 1500m in Doha last month, where she clocked an impressive 3:58.57, but she would not rule out an attempt on the world record this week.
&ldquo;Everything is possible,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The record is in my heart and on my mind and I hope this will be a perfect year for me."
Current world record-holder in the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase Beatrice Chepkoech has looked more like her old self in the early part of the season and has the opportunity to take a strong win in Florence, against a field that includes Ethiopia&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Mekides Abebe, USA&rsquo;s 2017 world champion Emma Coburn, and the talented Kenyan duo of world U20 champion Jackline Chepkoech and Fancy Cherono.
Also going over the barriers in Florence will be the indomitable Dutchwoman Femke Bol, who will line up for the 400m hurdles in an intriguing match-up with Anna Hall. The newly-crowned winner of the heptathlon at the legendary Hypo Meeting in Gotzis is clearly unafraid of a challenge.
In Gotzis last weekend, Hall fell just short of tallying 7000 points, her total of 6988 lifting her to fifth on the world all-time list to underline her quality.
World silver medallist Bol opened her season with a world-leading 53.12 in Oordegem, Belgium four days ago and the presence of competitors like Hall, Shamier Little and Rushell Clayton should surely push her through the 53-second barrier for the first time this year.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/630921562c05591d9fbbfaef.jpg" alt="Femke Bol on her way to a 400m hurdles win at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne" />
Femke Bol on her way to a 400m hurdles win at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
Bol is introducing a new stride pattern to her race this year as she tries to reach the standard set by world and Olympic champion and world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
The Dutchwoman has moved from 15 strides between each hurdle, to 14 strides to the seventh hurdle and 15 strides to the last three barriers, to make best use of her height advantage over the American.
She set her fastest-ever season opener trying out her new strategy in Oordegem, and expects to be faster again in Florence.
&ldquo;I learned quite a lot because it was the first time with 14 strides &ndash; I have to take bigger steps and change from the (take-off) leg so it was nice to try it out,&rdquo; Bol said.
&ldquo;I wanted to go to hurdle seven and it was nice to do that so now I have a bit more confidence to go out faster and also make the switch to 15 after the seventh hurdle.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, world champion Grant Holloway will have plenty of motivation going into the 110m hurdles, after he was upset by Jamaica&rsquo;s Rasheed Broadbell in Rabat last weekend. Holloway will renew acquaintance with his domestic rival turned NFL star Devon Allen. Others in the mix include Freddie Crittenden and Switzerland&rsquo;s Jason Joseph.
Holloway revealed he had made adjustments to his training regime after his loss in Rabat, saying he needed to learn not to be distracted by noise in the crowd at the start.
&ldquo;It threw me off my A game but that was a moment I had to learn from,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said.
&ldquo;So what I have been doing in practice, I have my team playing loud, blaring music, and it&rsquo;s my goal to focus on the gun. So maybe that was what I needed in Rabat to get a little bit more focussed on that.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s long jump and pole vault should both provide highlights in the field.
The pole vault features another full Oregon podium in Katie Moon (nee Nageotte), Sandi Morris and Australia&rsquo;s Nina Kennedy, while world and Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo faces an all-star field in the long jump.
Among those lining up are world indoor champion Ivana Vuleta, Ukraine&rsquo;s world silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers and the US pair of Tara Davis-Woodhall (7.07m this year) and Quanesha Burks, who have taken their rivalry to social media this season. Home hopes rest with Italy&rsquo;s Larissa Iapichino.
The men&rsquo;s high jump will miss Italy&rsquo;s Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi but does have the equally expressive Korean world indoor champion Woo Sanghyeok, world medallist Andriy Protsenko of Ukraine and rising American JuVaughn Harrison to hit the heights.
Four-time world champion Christian Taylor continues on his comeback journey in the men&rsquo;s triple jump, taking on world silver medallist Hugues Fabrice Zango and Cuba&rsquo;s Andy Diaz Hernandez.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63a0b7e0131dd1c47a49f862.jpg" alt="Joe Kovacs celebrates at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich" />
Joe Kovacs celebrates at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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In the throws, two-time world shot put champion Joe Kovacs gets his first chance to respond to long-time rival Ryan Crouser&rsquo;s world record of 23.56m in Los Angeles last weekend. New Zealand&rsquo;s Tom Walsh finished second to Crouser there with a big throw of his own (22.12m) and will look to build on that in a stadium where he won in 2021.
Kovacs said he had been more focussed on the gym than grooving his technique since the birth of his twins seven months ago but would use this competition to &ldquo;get back into throwing shape."
He expects that Crouser&rsquo;s early season world record will inspire all of the world&rsquo;s best shotputters to lift their game this year.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think 23.50 is in any way the limit, I think 24 (metres) is probably right around the corner for a lot of us," he said." I think (Crouser&rsquo;s world record) is a stepping stone and we are all excited to be part of that journey.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s discus will feature a clash between the world champion Feng Bin of China and Olympic champion Valarie Allman of the USA.
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics

A rematch of the full men’s 100m podium from last year’s World Championships in Oregon is on the menu at the Golden Gala in Florence

Kerley ready to take on fellow world medallists in Florence

While winning a global gold medal might be the pinnacle of the year &ndash; if not career &ndash; for many athletes, Beatrice Chebet remains motivated for another title to add to her ever-expanding CV.
The world 5000m silver medallist became the world cross country champion in February, winning the senior women&rsquo;s race and leading the Kenyan squad to the team title at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23. Now the 23-year-old has turned her attention back to the track as she plots her path to the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 in August.
Chebet started her season on a high note, winning the 5000m at the Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Nairobi, Kenya, on 13 May.
Her victory in front of a home crowd at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani was a good indication that her training is going well, and on the right course, for her next big goal: to win the world 5000m title in Budapest.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64765c43aa03252373a9e88b.JPG" alt="Beatrice Chebet wins the 5000m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi" />
Beatrice Chebet wins the 5000m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi (&copy; Sila Kiplagat)
</div>
&ldquo;I will be happy if I place on the podium this year in Budapest, although my main aim &ndash; which I know should be the same for all the runners who will be running at the World Championships &ndash; is the gold medal,&rdquo; Chebet says. &ldquo;However, I will be thankful for any medal I get there.&rdquo;
On the morning of 23 August, Chebet &ndash; who already has a wild card place to run in Budapest after winning the 2022 Wanda Diamond League title, subject to selection by her national federation &ndash; will be standing at the start line for the heats of the women&rsquo;s 5000m at the National Athletics Centre to begin her quest for the world title. But, with all the best runners in the world yearning for gold, she knows it won&rsquo;t be easy.
From her experiences during past battles on the world stage, Chebet believes that the Ethiopian runners and some of her Kenyan compatriots are likely to be her main rivals. The defending champion, who won the 5000m title in a close race ahead of Chebet in Oregon, for example, is Ethiopia&rsquo;s Gudaf Tsegay. Another Ethiopian athlete, Letesenbet Gidey, is the world record-holder who had looked on course to beat Chebet to the world cross country title in Bathurst before she fell in the closing stages.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VjxmlYORpi8" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Chebet had similar encounters when winning her world U20 5000m title and world U20 cross country gold in 2019. In the latter, she won in a photo finish ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Alemitu Tariku and Tsigie Gebreselama as they all clocked 20:50 for the 6km race.
&ldquo;I talked with Gidey some time after the incident in Bathurst, and she was doing well, health wise, and looking forward to coming back strong,&rdquo; Chebet says.
Their rivalry is a friendly one. When asked whether she thinks Gidey will be looking forward to revenge in their next competition, Chebet replies: &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t talk about competing against each other. It was to check up on her.&rdquo;
While the rest of her 2023 racing calendar is yet to be confirmed, Chebet &ndash; who has a 5000m PB of 14:34.55 that she ran at the Oslo Diamond League in 2021 &ndash; will be hoping to remain a strong presence in the 12-and-a-half lap discipline this year.
&ldquo;My training is going on well,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I am working hard and praying to God for good health and that everything else goes well. In my races this year, I will watch and hope to see continuous progress. I know all will go well with good training.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64765de5776f1b064517f695.jpg" alt="Beatrice Chebet races in the 5000m final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22" />
Beatrice Chebet races in the 5000m final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Chebet currently trains in Kericho, on the undulating and beautiful landscapes of Kenyan tea plantations, under coach Gabriel Kiptanui as part of the Kericho Athletics Club.
Being part of the same training group and working with the same coach that guided her during her great 2022 season seems to be a good forecast of what Chebet&rsquo;s season could look like this year.
&ldquo;I hope I have another good year, like last year,&rdquo; she adds.
So far, her career highlight was when, at the age of 18, she won her first gold medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. It was a tough battle in the final 400m of the race between Chebet and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ejgayehu Taye, who Chebet edged at the finish line by a mere 0.10. Taye&rsquo;s compatriot, Girmawit Gebrzihair, completed the podium.
&ldquo;Of all the medals and titles that I have ever won, the one that I cherish the most is the world U20 gold medal that I won at the Ratina Stadium in Tampere in 2018,&rdquo; Chebet says of the 5000m victory that ended a 10-year winning streak by Ethiopian athletes. &ldquo;It was my first big victory, so I will not forget it.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/c66a2750-b0c5-4bb1-9dd1-1c6b627409b4.jpg" alt="Beatrice Chebet wins the women's 5000m at the IAAF World U20 Championships Tampere 2018" />
Beatrice Chebet wins the women's 5000m at the World U20 Championships in Tampere (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Since then, Chebet has remained a force to be reckoned with in the women&rsquo;s 5000m event. She won the African U20 title in 2019 and the African senior title last year in Mauritius, before she claimed her silver medal at the World Championships in Oregon and gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Can she emulate her 2022 success this year? It looks good so far, and a world title in Budapest would be the icing on the cake.
Justin Lagat for World Athletics

While winning a global gold medal might be the pinnacle of the year – if not career – for many athletes, Beatrice Chebet remains motivated for another title to add to her ever-expanding CV.

From Bathurst to Budapest, Chebet is motivated for more

In-form world medallists Ryan Crouser, Kristjan Ceh and Marileidy Paulino will look to continue their strong seasons when they compete at the Ostrava Golden Spike, the 11th Gold meeting in this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Continental Tour, on 27 June.
Using his new technique, Crouser improved his own world shot put record at the most recent World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in Los Angeles. Throwing 23.56m, the US Olympic and world champion added 19cm to the previous world record he recorded in 2021.
The 30-year-old has already competed twice in Ostrava, first in 2018 when he finished fourth and then in 2020 when he won with a meeting record throw of 22.43m.
For this year&rsquo;s competition the shot put sector will have a new position, in the direction of the 100m run near the pole vault. Among those going up against Crouser will be Czech record-holder Tomas Stanek.
Joining them in throws action in Ostrava is Slovenia&rsquo;s world discus champion Ceh. The 24-year-old has surpassed 70 metres in two competitions so far this season, throwing 70.89m and 70.32m to win the Diamond League meetings in Doha and Rabat, respectively. He will surely have his eye on the long-standing Golden Spike record of 68.06m set by Cuba&rsquo;s Luis Delis in 1983.
"I am looking forward to Ostrava and I believe that I will show some long throws," said Ceh.
Paulino has also impressed already this season. The Olympic and world 400m silver medallist is unbeaten so far this year and most recently improved her Dominican Republic record to 48.98 to win at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix.
&ldquo;I have only positive news about Ostrava, about the audience and the fast track,&rdquo; said Paulino, who will target the meeting record of 49.67, also set in 1983. &ldquo;It will be an honour for me to try to break one of the oldest meeting records.&rdquo;
Sweden&rsquo;s world pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis has already been announced for the Golden Spike and will also have a meeting record in his sights as he looks to better the 5.93m set by Sam Kendricks and soar over six metres yet again.
Organisers for World Athletics

In-form world medallists Ryan Crouser, Kristjan Ceh and Marileidy Paulino will look to continue their strong seasons when they compete at the Ostrava Golden Spike

Crouser, Ceh and Paulino announced for Ostrava

Noah Lyles claimed his second world 200m title in Oregon, and he did it in style.
Clocking 19.31 at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, the 25-year-old broke Michael Johnson's US record set at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and moved to third on the world all-time list, behind only Jamaica's Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.
Here Lyles&nbsp;looks back on that race and talks through each detail, step by step.
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Noah Lyles claimed his second world 200m title in Oregon, and he did it in style.

Athletes React: Lyles on his 19.31 200m gold medal run in Oregon

World and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali brought the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athletisme de Rabat to an exciting climax, winning the steeplechase in a PB of 7:56.68 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting on Sunday (28).
It was a world-leading mark and meeting record &ndash; feats that were also achieved by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Gudaf Tsegay, who won the 1500m in 3:54.03, and Ukraine&rsquo;s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who won the high jump with 2.01m.
There were three more meeting records and one other world-leading mark at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in what was the second stop on the Wanda Diamond League circuit.
But El Bakkali&rsquo;s steeplechase triumph was undoubtedly the performance that inspired the biggest response from the crowd. The Moroccan latched on to the pacemaker who went through the first 1000m in 2:37.51, inside world record schedule. The pace settled slightly in the second kilometre as El Bakkali passed through 2000m in 5:20.25, but he still had Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getnet Wale and Kenya&rsquo;s Abraham Kibiwot for company just&nbsp; a few strides behind.
But from then on, El Bakkali continued to extend his lead with each lap, and it had grown to more than four seconds by the time he reached the bell. And as his leading margin grew, so did the volume from the crowd.
He hit top gear on the final lap, and despite letting his foot off the pedal with about 10 metres to go, he still crossed the line in a PB of 7:56.68 to break the meeting record he set last year. It&rsquo;s the fastest time in the world for 11 years and moves El Bakkali up to eighth on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;I can't describe my happiness for achieving the meeting record, personal best, and world lead,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My aim was to break the world record but I got tired on the last lap. Now I will rest to get ready for my next competitions and especially for the World Championships where my aim is to keep my title.&rdquo;
Wale held on to second place in a PB of 8:05.15 and Kibiwot was third in 8:05.51.
Tsegay was similarly dominant in the women&rsquo;s 1500m. The world 5000m champion went out hard, covering the first lap in 1:01.3 before reaching 800m in 2:03.6. Fellow Ethiopian Birke Haylom, aged 17, was close behind at this stage, but Tsegay gradually extended her lead in the second half.
By the time the world indoor record-holder entered the home straight, there was no doubt about the outcome of the race, and Tsegay went on to win in 3:54.03, an African all-comers&rsquo; record.
She led an Ethiopian 1-2-3-4 with Freweyni Hailu claiming second place in 3:57.65, just 0.01 ahead of Birke Haylom, who set an African U18 best. Worknesh Mesele was fourth (4:01.81).
&ldquo;This was my first outdoor competition of the season, so I&rsquo;m more than happy with the time and the victory,&rdquo; said Tsegay. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m already in great shape and injury free. So far, all is perfect.&rdquo;
World indoor champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh maintained her unbeaten streak in 2023, winning her ninth high jump competition of the year. She did so with a world-leading leap of 2.01m, which she cleared on her first try. Fellow Ukrainian Iryna Gerashchenko was second with 1.91m.
The fourth world-leading mark night of the night came in the women&rsquo;s triple jump, which was won by Cuba&rsquo;s Leyanis Perez Hernandez. One week after setting a PB of 14.80m on home soil in Havana, the 21-year-old extended it to 14.84m in Rabat. She backed it up with a 14.66m leap in round three, while Ukraine&rsquo;s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk took second place with 14.65m.
<h2>Meeting records tumble in sprints</h2>
Meeting records were broken in three of the shorter disciplines on the programme.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6473ca9c163ac3413959fe56.jpg" alt="Fred Kerley wins the 100m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat" />
Fred Kerley wins the 100m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Despite the recent withdrawal of Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, the men&rsquo;s 100m didn&rsquo;t lack excitement. World champion Fred Kerley was put under pressure first by the fast-starting Trayvon Bromell, and then by South Africa&rsquo;s Akani Simbine, but the US sprinter emerged victorious in a meeting record of 9.94. Simbine was second in 9.99 and Ferdinand Omanyala was third (10.05).
Jamaica&rsquo;s Shericka Jackson contested her first 200m of the year &ndash; the distance at which she is world champion &ndash; and won comfortably in a meeting record of 21.98. But the biggest surprise came from Bahamian Anthonique Strachan, who broke her 10-year-old PB with 22.15 to take second place.
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Shericka Jackson, the 200m winner in Rabat (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Commonwealth champion Rasheed Broadbell came from behind to win the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles in 13.08, overtaking world champion Grant Holloway (13.12) off the final hurdle. The world indoor record-holder got a fantastic start and led for most of the way, but fast-finishing Broadbell had the better momentum at the end.
<h2>Ceh surpasses 70 again</h2>
In yet another incredibly consistent series, world champion Kristjan Ceh won the men&rsquo;s discus with a throw beyond 70 metres.
In fact, the Slovenian produced two efforts beyond that line, plus three more beyond 69 metres. He opened with 70.07m, but Olympic champion Daniel Stahl applied the pressure in the fourth round with a 69.21m throw. Ceh then responded with 70.32m in round five, which remained the best of the day.
In the other throwing event of the evening, world indoor champion Auriol Dongmo won the women&rsquo;s shot put with 19.28m from Netherlands&rsquo; Jessica Schilder (18.85m).
World and Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen got his outdoor campaign under way in the 1500m. The Norwegian was less focused on times and more on winning and he did more than enough to hold off USA&rsquo;s Yared Nuguse and Australia&rsquo;s Oliver Hoare.
Ingebrigtsen crossed the line in 3:32.59 with Nuguse and Hoare following a few strides behind in 3:33.02 and 3:33.39 respectively.
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Jakob Ingebrigtsen leads the 1500m in Rabat (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Mary Moraa employed similarly effective finishing speed to win the women&rsquo;s 800m in a season&rsquo;s best of 1:58.72 from Australia&rsquo;s Catriona Bisset (2:00.11).
It was the second Kenyan 800m victory of the evening, as Emmanuel Wanyonyi had won the men&rsquo;s event in 1:44.36 from compatriot Wycliffe Kinyamal (1:44.73).
USA&rsquo;s Shamier Little won a competitive women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in a season&rsquo;s best of 53.95, holding off a three-pronged Jamaican challenge from Rushell Clayton (54.15), Shiann Salmon (54.42) and Janieve Russell (55.41). Former world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad was fifth in 55.72.
In his first ever race in Africa, Olympic champion Steven Gardiner won the men&rsquo;s 400m comfortably in 44.70, finishing 0.41 ahead of USA&rsquo;s Vernon Norwood.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

World and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali won the steeplechase in a PB of 7:56.68

El Bakkali, Tsegay and Mahuchikh impress in Rabat

US all-rounder Anna Hall gave the 7000-point barrier a scare at the Hypo Meeting in G&ouml;tzis, winning the heptathlon at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting with a world-leading 6988.
It means that, at just 22 years of age, Hall moves to fifth on the world all-time list behind the four members of the 7000-point club: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Carolina Kluft, Nafissatou Thiam and Larisa Nikitina.
The Hypo Meeting decathlon title, meanwhile, remained in Canadian hands, but seven-time winner Damian Warner had to surrender his crown to compatriot Pierce LePage, who won with a world-leading 8700.
Hall, the world bronze medallist, set the tone for the weekend in the first discipline, winning the 100m hurdles in 12.75 to take 0.03 off the meeting record. She moved straight into the lead, and there she stayed for the duration of the competition.
US compatriot Taliyah Brooks finished second in the 100m hurdles (12.85), while Cuba&rsquo;s Adriana Rodriguez also dipped under 13 seconds to place third (12.97) ahead of Adrianna Sulek from Poland (13.18).
Hall set another PB in the high jump with 1.92m, a height that was matched by Croatia&rsquo;s 17-year-old Jana Koscak, the European U18 champion. Sulek moved into third after clearing 1.83m, while Britain&rsquo;s 2019 world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson cleared 1.89m to move to fourth place.
Two-time world U20 champion Saga Vanninen from Finland moved into fourth after winning the shot put with 14.98m. Hall recorded 13.90m to hold on to her lead ahead of Sulek, who improved her PB to 14.44m to move into second place. Johnson-Thompson, meanwhile, added six centimetres to her PB with 13.92m to remain in contention.
Hall&rsquo;s momentum continued in the 200m, which she won in a PB of 22.88, giving her a day-one score of 4172. Only Joyner-Kersee, the world record-holder, ever managed a better day-one score. Johnson-Thompson ran 23.26 to move into third place behind Sulek, who ran 23.80.
Despite producing the three best marks of the long jump at the start of day two &ndash; 6.54m PB, 6.51m and 6.50m &ndash; Hall was frustrated that she took off significantly behind the board on some of those attempts. Nevertheless, she extended her lead over Sulek and Johnson-Thompson, who jumped 6.29m and 6.32m respectively.
Vanninen also moved up the leaderboard thanks to a PB of 6.43m. But the discipline marked the exit of Multistars winner Brooks, who registered three no-jumps.
The top four were relatively evenly matched in the javelin, Hall maintaining her lead after throwing 43.08m and Johnson-Thompson overtaking Sulek with their respective efforts of 44.14m and 41.83m.
Heading into the final discipline, the 800m, Hall knew that she needed to take 0.87 off her already highly respectable PB (2:03.11) to achieve a 7000-point score. Hall &ndash; who won the US indoor 400m title earlier this year &ndash; went out hard, covering the first lap in 58.51. She held on well in the second half and eventually crossed the line in a PB of 2:02.97, bringing her score to 6988.
Both Hall&rsquo;s 800m performance and her overall score are the second-best marks ever achieved in G&ouml;tzis. Having added 233 points to her PB, Hall also moves to second on the North American all-time list.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy with the score,&rdquo; said a delighted Hall, who made a big breakthrough last year to earn world bronze. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s incredible. The crowd carried me through. It&rsquo;s a dream. I am just 22 and I have time for a score over 7000 points. I am now focused on progressing. I will run the 400 metres hurdles in Florence next Friday and then I will return to the USA to get ready for the US National Championships and the World Championships.&rdquo;
Johnson-Thompson held off Sulek in the 800m, 2:12.40 to 2:14.33, to claim second place in 6556 &ndash; her best score since the 2019 World Championships. Sulek was third in 6480.
Vanninen improved her PB to 6391 to finish fourth, while Germany&rsquo;s Sophie Weissenberg completed the top five with a PB of 6375. Annie Kunz (6330), Sofie Dokter (6321) and Carolin Schaefer (6321) also broke 6300. Koscak, meanwhile, received the &lsquo;Rookie of the Meeting&rsquo; award after finishing ninth with 6293.
World and Olympic silver medallist Anouk Vetter withdrew from the competition on day two as a precaution due to a slight achilles injury.
<h2>LePage succeeds Warner</h2>
As was the case in the heptathlon, the winner of the first decathlon discipline went on to take the overall title. But the lead changed hands more often in the men&rsquo;s contest.
Pierce LePage was fastest in the 100m with a PB of 10.28, matched by Kendrick Thompson of The Bahamas. Olympic champion Damian Warner was close behind with 10.29, while Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Moloney clocked 10.39.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t competed for a while, so I didn&rsquo;t expect a PB,&rdquo; said LePage. &ldquo;It was the first time that I&rsquo;ve beaten Warner in the 100m.&rdquo;
Warner&rsquo;s 7.75m leap in the long jump gave him the overall lead from LePage, who jumped 7.57m. Moloney moved up to third with 7.60m, but European silver medallist Simon Ehammer had three fouls in the discipline at which he is the world bronze medallist.
Grenada&rsquo;s Lindon Victor moved into contention after throwing 16.13m in the shot put, but at the top of the leaderboard Warner held on to his lead after throwing 14.92m to LePage&rsquo;s 15.05m. Moloney, meanwhile, improved his PB to 15.20m to remain in third.
Norway&rsquo;s European indoor silver medallist Sander Skotheim cleared 2.15m to win the high jump, climbing from 11th to third overall. LePage cleared 2.03m to close the gap on Warner, who jumped 2.00m to maintain his overall lead by just six points.
A 47.66 run from Warner in the 400m helped increase his margin over LePage, who clocked 48.01. Moloney was quickest overall with a meeting record of 46.46, consolidating his third place. Skotheim, meanwhile, set a PB of 47.64.
At the start of the second day, Warner won the 110m hurdles in 13.60, edging Finley Gaio by 0.02. LePage finished in 13.87 to keep his compatriot within his sights.
But the tables turned in the discus, as LePage out-performed Warner by more than three metres, 49.34m to 46.32m, giving LePage a nine-point lead.
LePage went on to extend his lead over the next two disciplines, clearing 5.00m to Warner&rsquo;s 4.50m in the pole vault, and throwing a PB of 63.09m in the javelin to finish comfortably ahead of Warner (59.92m). Skotheim held third place for the duration of the second day, but Moloney had a disappointing pole vault and javelin and so did not start for the 1500m.
Going into the final discipline, LePage had a 206-point lead over Warner, which translates to roughly half a minute in 1500m terms.
Skotheim won the 1500m with a PB of 4:19.38, but the focus was on the two Canadians behind him. Warner finished in 4:26.16 while LePage followed in 4:45.74, giving him a winning score of 8700. Warner took second place overall with 8619 and Skotheim was rewarded with a massive PB of 8590, earning him the men&rsquo;s &lsquo;Rookie of the Meeting&rsquo; award.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s my first time winning G&ouml;tzis, and my first international win since 2019,&rdquo; said LePage, whose winning score was just one point shy of his PB. &ldquo;The crowd was amazing. Damian pushed me the entire way. He is still the king of G&ouml;tzis.
&ldquo;I came here to have fun,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;The javelin PB came from nowhere. This was one of my least favourite disciplines in the past. It was not a perfect competition.&rdquo;
Warner was magnanimous in defeat. &ldquo;The better man won today,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a matter of time before Pierce LePage is on the big stage and is putting up big numbers. He is coming and I am coming up with him. It was the toughest battle I&rsquo;ve had for a while, but I never thought about giving up.&rdquo;
One month after winning the Multistars meeting, Estonia&rsquo;s Karel Tilga was fourth with 8403. Germany&rsquo;s Manuel Eitel was fifth a PB of 8351 ahead of Australia&rsquo;s Daniel Golubovic (8301) and Lindon Victor (8293).
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics

US all-rounder Anna Hall gave the 7000-point barrier a scare at the Hypo Meeting in Götzis, winning the heptathlon at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting with a world-leading 6988.

Hall scores 6988 to win Götzis heptathlon, LePage takes decathlon

USA&rsquo;s Ryan Crouser threw 23.56m* to improve his own world shot put record at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, this season&rsquo;s sixth World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on Saturday (27).
Making history on a sunny but blustery afternoon at the UCLA&rsquo;s Drake Stadium,&nbsp;Crouser added 19cm to the previous world record of 23.37m that he recorded at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene in June 2021.
The explosive 23.56m throw was achieved by the world and Olympic champion on his fourth attempt.
Crouser said that althrough the throw was good, he has more left in him.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited because it didn&rsquo;t feel polished,&rdquo; Crouser explained. &ldquo;It felt like I had a tonne of power and I caught a big one.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Crouser has been working on a new technique, which involves a larger step across the ring rather than a more static stance. He said that he used the step in rounds two through to six, and the technique really &ldquo;clicked&rdquo; for him.
&ldquo;I finally saw that spread I&rsquo;ve been looking for,&rdquo; Crouser added. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what has me the most excited.&rdquo;
He was already sending remarkable throws into the field before the record &mdash; his first attempt of 23.23m becomes the joint fifth-longest throw in history and his second attempt of 23.31m is the third-longest throw in history. His series also included marks of 22.94m, 22.86m and 22.80m.&nbsp;
Olympic bronze medallist Tom Walsh of New Zealand was second with a throw of 22.12m, and USA&rsquo;s Payton Otterdahl came in third with a personal best of 21.99m.
After a wind-aided 12.17 in Bermuda a week earlier, Olympic champion and world bronze medallist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico continued her domination to set a world-leading time of 12.31 (-0.2m/s) in the 100m hurdles. Keni Harrison of the USA chased her to the finish but came in second in 12.35. Tia Jones, also of the USA, finished third in 12.50.
World record-holder and world champion Tobi Amusan of Nigeria finished last in the event in 12.69.
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A Dominican Republic record was produced by world silver medallist Marileidy Paulino in the 400m when she won in 48.98, the fastest time in the world so far this season. Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain tried to put up a challenge to Paulino but finished runner-up in 50.27. Lynna Irby-Jackson of the USA was third in 50.38.
An underdog broke through in the men&rsquo;s 400m when Jamaican Sean Bailey managed a shocking kick over the final metres, setting a personal best of 44.43. Kirani James, the world silver medallist and 2012 Olympic champion in the event from Grenada, was runner-up behind Bailey in 44.50. USA's Quincy Hall came in third in 45.09.
In the women&rsquo;s 100m, there were notable absences in lanes four and five from Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson, who hold the two fastest times in the world so far this season. They ran 10.88 and 10.90 respectively in their heats, but did not return for the final. Morolake Akinosun of the USA won the event in 10.97 (0.2m/s), while the USA&rsquo;s Melissa Jefferson and Jamaica&rsquo;s Alana Reid took second and third in 11.07 and 11.08, respectively.&nbsp;
A world-leading mark was set by USA&rsquo;s Maggie Ewen when she achieved a massive 20.45m throw on her third attempt to win the women&rsquo;s shot put. The 28-year-old set a personal best to move to third on the US all-time list.
World champion Chase Ealey, who is second on that all-time list with the 20.51m she threw last year, was runner-up with 19.98m. Danniel Thomas-Dodd finished in third place when she set a Jamaican record with a throw of 19.77m.
In the last minutes of the meeting, announcers at Drake Stadium encouraged the crowd to descend down into seats closest to the pole vault pit to watch the final jumps of the men's competition. Sweden's world record-holder, world champion and Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis alternated with two-time world gold medallist Sam Kendricks to attempt a height of 6.01m. Neither of the men could clear that bar, leaving Duplantis with the win from his 5.91m first-attempt vault. Chris Nilsen was third after clearing 5.71m.&nbsp;
Kendricks said later that the conditions prevented better pole vault performances.
Olympic silver medallist and 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya set a world-leading time of 3:31.47 in the men&rsquo;s 1500m. Cheruiyot&rsquo;s fellow Kenyan, Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot, was second in 3:32.01, and Hobbs Kessler of the USA finished third in 3:32.61, setting a personal best.&nbsp;Matthew Centrowitz, the 2016 Olympic champion, finished in 3:36.64 to take eighth place.
The women&rsquo;s 1500m got off to a hot pace and saw a world-leading time from Ethiopian Diribe Welteji in 3:57.84. Britain&rsquo;s Kate Snowden finished second in a personal best of 4:00.04 and the USA&rsquo;s Josette Andrews finished third in 4:00.77.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Ackeem Blake won the men&rsquo;s 100m in a personal best of 9.89 (1.0m/s), holding off USA&rsquo;s Cravont Charleston and&nbsp;Christian Coleman who were separated by a thousandth of a second after they both ran 9.91, a PB for&nbsp;Charleston.
US teammates in last year's World Championships-winning 4x100m relay, Jenna Prandini (22.34) and Twanisha Terry (22.44), claimed the top two spots in the women&rsquo;s 200m. Anavia Battle was third in 22.57.
USA's Terrance Laird won the men&rsquo;s 200m in 20.06, but Jereem Richards was close behind him to take second in 20.08. Laird&rsquo;s compatriot Elijah Morrow was third in 20.22.
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles was dominated by US performances. The event featured a win by CJ Allen, who set a 47.91 personal best. Khallifah Rosser took second in 48.60, and Trevor Bassitt finished third in 48.62. Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands stumbled over a hurdle in the final curve and did not finish.
In the men&rsquo;s 800m, 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Clayton Murphy of the USA set a season's best of 1:44.75 to win the event. Kenya&rsquo;s Festus Lagat finished second in 1:44.98, while the USA&rsquo;s Isaiah Jewett took third in 1:45.10.
World indoor champion Ajee&rsquo; Wilson won the women&rsquo;s 800m in 1:59.01, with Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda following for second place in 1:59.35 and Kaela Edwards (2:00.22) finishing third.
In the women&rsquo;s javelin, Sun Xiaomei of China threw a winning 55.67m on her second attempt. USA's Ariana Ince threw 55.58m to grab second place, and Liu Shiying Liu of China (55.30m) took third.
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada won the men&rsquo;s javelin throw from his first attempt throw of 83.16m. His winning performance was well ahead of the rest of the field, with USA's Curtis Thompson (75.27m) and Capers Williamson (75.02m) taking second and third place.
<h2>Wins for Rogers and Nur as action kicks off</h2>
Brilliant triumphs by Camryn Rogers and Abdihamid Nur highlighted the first evening of action in Los Angeles on Friday (26)&nbsp;
World-class athletes gathered in southern California and in the women&rsquo;s hammer competition Rogers broke her own Canadian record when she reached 78.62m on her final attempt. The distance moves the world silver medallist to fifth on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;I was very surprised,&rdquo; Rogers said, &ldquo;but also very happy. We&rsquo;ve put in a lot of work going into this competition and I feel like we&rsquo;re off to a really good start for the season.&rdquo;
World champion Brooke Andersen of the USA finished second with a 76.06m throw, while US record-holder DeAnna Price took third with a season&rsquo;s best of 75.89m.
In the men&rsquo;s hammer throw, Olympic champion and world silver medallist Wojciech Nowicki of Poland achieved a winning 77.18m throw. He beat USA&rsquo;s Rudy Winkler by only a centimetre, with the pair tied at 77.17m until the sixth and final round. Winkler finished in second and Ethan Katzberg finished third with 75.28m.
After a dramatic tumble on the first lap of the men&rsquo;s 5000m, Abdihamid Nur unearthed a jaw-dropping recovery &mdash; he set a Drake Stadium record and shot under the qualifying standard for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (13:07.00) with a 13:05.17 personal best. The field maintained a determined pace from the gun, and 13 of the 24 finishing athletes set personal bests.
Nur said he was bumped on the back, which threw him off his rhythm and caused the fall.
&ldquo;I just stayed calm, respected the competition and let it come to me,&rdquo; Nur said. &ldquo;I went out at two and a half laps because that&rsquo;s where I feel confident. And when I knew to strike.&rdquo;
Edwin Kurgat of Kenya finished second in 13:08.46, and USA&rsquo;s Morgan Beadlescomb was third in 13:08.82.
Competition winnowed down in the pole vault to bring USA&rsquo;s Olympic and world silver medallist Sandi Morris head-to-head with Canadian champion Alysha Newman. Morris&rsquo; single successful vault at 4.61m ultimately brought her the win ahead of Newman, who needed two attempts to clear the height. Both women attempted 4.71m and missed. Rachel Baxter of the USA finished third after reaching 4.51m.
Olympic and world champion Katie Moon struggled to hit her typical heights and exited the competition when she failed to clear the second height progression of 4.41m.
USA&rsquo;s Craig Engels celebrated his win early in the second of the evening&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s 800m races by throwing his fist into the air a few metres from the finish line. His celebration of the win in 1:47.32 was narrowly earned, as runner-up Abraham Alvarado was close behind in 1:47.48. Ghana&rsquo;s Alex Amankwah took third in 1:47.52.
USA&rsquo;s Laurie Barton went quickest in the women&rsquo;s 800m races, winning in 2:02.54 ahead of Sweden&rsquo;s Hanna Hermansson (2:03.63).
The 3000m steeplechase races were won with PB performances by Madie Boreman of the USA (9:22.99) and Tunisia&rsquo;s Ahmed Jaziri (8:17.64). Lifetime bests were also set by the 1500m winners, Canada&rsquo;s Kieran Lumb clocking 3:35.99 and USA&rsquo;s Emily Mackay running 4:07.03.
USA&rsquo;s Emily Lipari won the women&rsquo;s 5000m in 15:08.87. Australian Lauren Ryan finished second in a 15:11.84 PB and Bethany Hasz of the USA also achieved a personal best of 15:14.08 for third.
Madeline Ryan for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Marileidy Paulino and Mondo Duplantis are also among the winners at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting

Crouser breaks world shot put record with 23.56m in Los Angeles

Rivalries will be renewed in Rabat when some of the sport&rsquo;s biggest stars compete in the second Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season on Sunday (28).
Moroccan home favourite Soufiane El Bakkali will hope to put on a show in his first 3000m steeplechase race since the Diamond League Final in Zurich last year, while Fred Kerley and Trayvon Bromell clash in the 100m, and Grant Holloway goes head-to-head with Hansle Parchment in the 110m hurdles. Yaroslava Mahuchikh will have her sights on another two-metre-plus clearance in the high jump, while world champions Shericka Jackson and Jakob Ingebrigtsen will aim to make a statement when they return to the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athletisme de Rabat.
El Bakkali was among the five finalists for the Men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year honour in 2022, a year in which he became world champion, won the Diamond League title and remained unbeaten. Among his winning performances was the 7:58.28 world lead he set in Rabat &ndash; his second-quickest ever time behind the 7:58.15 PB he recorded in Monaco in 2018. Speaking ahead of the World Athletics Awards in December, El Bakkali again voiced his career goal of breaking the world record of 7:53.63 that was set by Saif Saaeed Shaheen in 2004.
Whether he goes for it on Sunday or uses the event more to test his steeplechase form after a 3000m PB of 7:33.87 in Doha, the certainty is that he won&rsquo;t want to lose on home soil. Looking to challenge him will be Kenya&rsquo;s two-time world and 2016 Olympic gold medallist Conseslus Kipruto and Ethiopia&rsquo;s world and Olympic fourth-place finisher Getnet Wale, as well as Kenya&rsquo;s Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwot and Leonard Bett, who finished second and third respectively at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi earlier this month.
<h2>Track clashes aplenty</h2>
Italy&rsquo;s Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs may have withdrawn from the meeting &ndash; postponing his 100m clash with world champion Kerley &ndash; but Rabat will still host a sprint showdown as the US star goes up against his compatriot Trayvon Bromell, the 2016 world indoor 60m champion who claimed world 100m bronze in Oregon. Both Kerley and Bromell have the chance to race for a second Diamond League 100m crown in 2023 &ndash; Kerley won his in 2021, while Bromell claimed his last year &ndash; and they kick off their campaigns in Rabat.
Kerley raced the 200m in Doha and won in 19.92 but it&rsquo;s not just Bromell he&rsquo;ll need to watch if he&rsquo;s to triumph again as the field also features Yohan Blake, Akani Simbine, Letsile Tebogo and Ferdinand Omanyala.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/645548a1712382f47cab2569.jpg" alt="Fred Kerley on his way to 200m triumph at the Doha Diamond League" />
Fred Kerley on his way to 200m triumph at the Doha Diamond League (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
Like Kerley, Jamaica&rsquo;s world 200m champion Jackson also opened her Diamond League campaign in Doha, where she finished runner-up to Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson in the 100m in 10.85. Jackson races the 200m in Rabat, going up against USA&rsquo;s Kayla White and Tamari Davis, plus Anthonique Strachan of The Bahamas.
The men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles pits world champion against Olympic champion. The last time USA&rsquo;s two-time world gold medallist Holloway clashed with Jamaica&rsquo;s Olympic Games winner Parchment was at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, where Holloway won and Parchment finished third. Their career head-to-head record stands at 4-1 to Holloway, but that sole win for Parchment did come at the Olympic Games. Looking to push them will be Devon Allen, Rasheed Broadbell, Freddie Crittenden and Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, who makes his season debut.
A lot of hype also surrounds the men&rsquo;s 1500m, as training partners Yared Nuguse, Oliver Hoare and Mario Garcia take on Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen.
Ingebrigtsen, who won world 5000m gold and 1500m silver in Oregon last year, is the man to beat as he opens his outdoor season, but USA&rsquo;s Nuguse demonstrated his strong form with area indoor records in the 1500m, mile and 3000m earlier this year and will be looking to build on that outdoors as he races Ingebrigtsen in a 1500m final for the first time. The field also features Kenya&rsquo;s Abel Kipsang, the world indoor bronze medallist behind Ingebrigtsen in Belgrade last year.
Another world and Olympic champion is in action in the men&rsquo;s 800m, as Kenya&rsquo;s Emmanuel Korir takes to the track along with his compatriots Wyclife Kinyamal and Emmanuel Wanyonyi, plus Canada&rsquo;s Marco Arop and Morocco&rsquo;s Moad Zahafi.
World indoor 1500m record-holder Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who ran 4:16.16 for the mile and 8:16.69 for 3000m indoors in February, makes her outdoor season debut in a race also featuring her compatriot Freweyni Hailu and Australia&rsquo;s Linden Hall. In the women&rsquo;s 800m, Australia&rsquo;s world leader Catriona Bisset, who ran 1:58.32 in April, races Kenya&rsquo;s reigning Diamond League champion Mary Moraa, who clocked 1:58.83 to win in Nairobi earlier this month, plus Natoya Goule, Anita Horvat and Noelie Yarigo, who races her first 800m of the season after an indoor breakthrough.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6470f2ea9a0c4bcd337278af.jpg" alt="Mary Moraa races in the Diamond League Final" />
Mary Moraa races in the Diamond League Final (&copy; Matthew Quine for Diamond League AG)
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Olympic champion Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas races USA&rsquo;s Vernon Norwood and Britain&rsquo;s Matthew Hudson-Smith in the men&rsquo;s 400m, while the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles features 2019 world champion Dalilah Muhammad in her first race over the barriers since the Diamond League Final last year, plus her US compatriot Shamier Little, the 2015 world silver medallist, and Jamaica&rsquo;s Janieve Russell and Rushell Clayton.
<h2>Fierce field action features Mahuchikh and Ceh</h2>
Ukraine&rsquo;s world indoor high jump champion Mahuchikh became the first athlete this season to soar over two metres with her performance at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi and she will be looking for more of the same in Rabat, where she claimed one of her five wins on last year&rsquo;s Diamond League circuit.
She competes against her compatriots Iryna Gerashchenko, the Olympic and world fourth-place finisher, and Yuliya Levchenko, the 2017 world gold medallist, plus Italy&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Elena Vallortigara, Britain&rsquo;s Morgan Lake and U20 stars Karmen Bruus and Angelina Topic.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/644b808f64300fbe5d1d1f0a.JPG" alt="Yaroslava Mahuchikh competes at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Brussels" />
Yaroslava Mahuchikh competes at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Brussels (&copy; Dan Vernon for Diamond League AG)
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Slovenia&rsquo;s world discus champion Ceh will be looking to extend a six-meeting win streak in the Diamond League, having taken top spot at all five events in 2022 and then won the 2023 season opener in Doha with a meeting record of 70.89m.
Sweden&rsquo;s Olympic champion Daniel Stahl was second and USA&rsquo;s Sam Mattis third in Doha and they both form part of the competition again in Rabat, where they will be joined by 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius and Olympic silver medallist Simon Pettersson.
Portugal&rsquo;s world and European indoor champion Auriol Dongmo takes on world bronze medallist Jessica Schilder, Commonwealth Games champion Sarah Mitton and 2018 world indoor gold medallist Anita Marton in the shot put. In the women&rsquo;s triple jump, Thea LaFond will aim to retain her Rabat title in a competition that puts her up against world indoor silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, two-time world outdoor silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts and world fourth-place finisher Leyanis Perez.

Rivalries will be renewed in Rabat when some of the sport’s biggest stars compete in the second Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season on Sunday

Global champions return to battle in Rabat

Fred Kerley and Yokohama school children traded their wisdom on sprinting and sustainability during a visit the world 100m champion made to the Otsuna Elementary School ahead of the recent Seiko Golden Grand Prix.
USA&rsquo;s Kerley, who won the 100m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in the Japanese city on 21 May, met with students as part of the school's Education for Sustainable Development programme.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6469ebdaab72de315a47b166.jpg" alt="Fred Kerley on his way to a 100m win in Yokohama" />
Fred Kerley on his way to a 100m win in Yokohama (&copy; Michael Thomas)
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During his visit Kerley listened to student presentations, held a clinic on how to run faster and raced against some of the children.
The visit forms part of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) <a href="https://www.jaaf.or.jp/sdgs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&lsquo;Sustainable Development Goals&rsquo; initiative</a> #LetsThink_ , which encourages the athletics family to contribute to sustainable development goals and various social issues through the sport of athletics.
Yokohama City and the JAAF teamed up to deliver an opportunity to school children to drive their interest toward international understanding, diversity and inclusion, and achieving wellbeing through sport. The aim of the event with Kerley was to have the children open their eyes to the world and deepen their interest in sport, including athletics, as they spent time interacting with a top-class athlete who has travelled around the globe.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6474781ead1dbf381923a986.JPG" alt="Fred Kerley demonstrates some sprint drills at the Otsuna Elementary School in Yokohama" />
Fred Kerley demonstrates some sprint drills at the Otsuna Elementary School in Yokohama (&copy; JAAF / Manabu Takahashi)
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Five groups of children made presentations to Kerley on topics including &lsquo;mechanism of global warming&rsquo;, &lsquo;protecting sea life abundance&rsquo; and &lsquo;think about climate change&rsquo; and the sprinter said: &ldquo;It was a great presentation. I learnt something new today.&rdquo;
Then it was Kerley&rsquo;s turn to share his knowledge, as he held a running clinic featuring sprint tips and drills.
The 28-year-old introduced a high-knee drill, emphasising the importance of keeping good posture and staying tall. He also took part in a rock-paper-scissors drills warm-up with the children and then demonstrated his speed to the whole school of more than 850 before racing some of the students.
Ikumi Kodama for World Athletics

Fred Kerley and Yokohama school children traded their wisdom on sprinting and sustainability during a visit the world 100m champion made to the Otsuna Elementary School

Sustainability and sprinting in the spotlight as Kerley visits Yokohama school

The third edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC) will take place in Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain, between 25-28 September 2025.
The awarding of the event to Canfranc in the Pyrenees follows a successful bid by the Government of Aragon, the Canfranc Town Council, the Huesca Provincial Council, the Higher Sports Council and the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) to event partners the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU), the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), alongside World Athletics.
As well as the four-day elite race programme, the event will include a summer-long cultural and leisure festival to promote the Pyrenees Mountain Range.
Around 1700 athletes from 70 countries are expected to meet in September 2025 in Canfranc-Pirineos, which takes over from Innsbruck in Austria &ndash; host of the next edition of the championships, taking place this year between 6-10 June.
The race programme will feature&nbsp;uphill mountain running, classic up and down mountain running, short trail, long trail and U20 classic up and down mountain events.
&ldquo;On behalf of the LOC, we are thrilled to be hosting the 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in our country and look forward to welcoming the best mountain and trail runners from all corners of the globe,&rdquo; said RFEA President&nbsp;Raul Chapado.
&ldquo;As a team, we express our deep satisfaction and appreciation to World Athletics and its partners WMRA, IAU and ITRA for choosing our beautiful region of Canfranc and the stunning Aragonese Pyrenees as the venue for this world-class event.
&ldquo;The championships offer a unique opportunity for fans to witness the best mountain and trail runners from around the world compete in an unparalleled natural environment. We are excited to collaborate with the public administrations, sponsors and volunteers to leave a permanent legacy and create an unforgettable experience for all participants.&rdquo;
The Aragonese proposal was backed by great experience in the organisation of sporting events such as the Canfranc-Canfranc, an annual event that features two Gold level Valsir Mountain Running World Cup races.
Canfranc-Pirineos offers a superb sporting environment, which will allow each athlete to perform to the best of their ability and create a complete competitive experience for athletes, teams, federations and international associations. That is proven by the list of world champions who have run and won at the Canfranc-Canfranc: from Kenya&rsquo;s Joyce Muthoni Njeru to USA&rsquo;s Grayson Murphy and Britain&rsquo;s Charlotte Morgan, as well as Spain&rsquo;s Oihana Kortazar, Manuel Merillas, Luis Alberto Hernando and Daniel Osanz.
In 2024, the Canfranc-Canfranc will host the World Masters Championships, before the region welcomes athletes for the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in 2025.
Events due to take place as part of the associated festival include a series of awareness days, with emphasis on respectful use of the environment, and a natural running congress on the technical history and future convergence between the disciplines of athletics in nature: cross country, mountain running and trail running.
&ldquo;It is our great pleasure to see the joint initiative to organise the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships continue its great momentum and we are excited that the third WMTRC will take place in Canfranc, Spain, in 2025 in the beautiful Pyrenees &ndash; a paradise for mountain and trail running,&rdquo; said ITRA President Janet Ng, IAU President Nadeem Khan and WMRA President Tomo Sarf in a joint statement.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It will be the second time that the championships have been held in Europe. The initial event took place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and was a huge success. We are confident that the second edition in Innsbruck and Stubai will build on that in the coming days and that the third edition in Canfranc will reach even greater heights.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We would like to thank the bidding committee, the Spanish athletics federation and World Athletics for all the cooperation and support during the application process to host the championships. The bidding committee worked extremely hard to prepare a compelling and impressive bid and we are all very much looking forward to being in Canfranc with the world&rsquo;s best athletes in 2025.&rdquo;
<h2>Innsbruck-Stubai entries confirmed</h2>
A total of 1122 athletes from 67 member federations are entered to compete in the next edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, taking place in Innsbruck-Stubai in Austria between 6-10 June.
That number includes 506 athletes entered into 574 women&rsquo;s events and 616 athletes entered into 710 men&rsquo;s events, with the programme featuring uphill mountain running, classic up and down mountain running, short trail and long trail. U20 men and women will compete in classic up and down mountain running.
USA&rsquo;s Allie McLaughlin and Adam Peterman, Kenya&rsquo;s Patrick Kipngeno, Norway&rsquo;s Stian Angermund, Romania&rsquo;s Denisa Dragomir and Blandine L'Hirondel of France were among the winners at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in November.

The third edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC) will take place in Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain, between 25-28 September 2025.

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