Sadly, the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium in Christchurch is no longer with us. Devastated by the earthquake that struck the largest city on New Zealand&rsquo;s South Island in 2011, the arena was demolished in 2012.
It was there, on the afternoon of 2 February 1974, that Filbert Bayi produced the stunning gun-to-tape 1500m performance that sent shock waves reverberating around the track and field world.
&ldquo;The most devastating piece of front running by any athlete in middle distance events,&rdquo; the BBC television commentator David Coleman reflected in the aftermath of Bayi&rsquo;s victory in the men&rsquo;s 1500m final at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand&rsquo;s Garden City.
The 20-year-old Tanzanian, who forged his speed endurance herding cows in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro and running eight miles a day to and from school, achieved his breath-taking tour de force wearing the national singlet, shorts and race number that, 60 years on, he has kindly donated to <a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a>.
Bayi did not just destroy Jim Ryun&rsquo;s seven-year-old world record figures of 3:33.1; he left his rivals as distant also-rans in a performance Mel Watman described in the Athletics 74 annual as &ldquo;the most uncompromising run ever seen in a major international 1500m championship&rdquo;.
To many of the leading lights in what Brendan Foster called &ldquo;the greatest ever mass race at 1500m&rdquo;, it came as a bolt from the blue.
Foster himself was part of the illustrious cast that day. A week earlier, the two-mile world record-holder had been edged out in an epic duel for the Commonwealth 5000m crown with Ben Jipcho, the Kenyan clocking 13:14.4 and the Briton 13:14.6 to go second and third on the world all-time list, behind Emiel Puttemans&rsquo; 13:13.0.
Foster wound up a distant seventh in the 1500m final, a whopping 5.4 seconds behind Bayi &ndash; in 3:37.6, a British record.
The stacked field also included Jipcho, who was gunning for a hat-trick of golds, having also won the 3000m steeplechase.
A decade older than Bayi, the 30-year-old Kenyan had first-hand knowledge of the daring tactic the Tanzanian had been attempting to perfect since suffering the disappointment of being knocked out in the heats of the 1500m and the 3000m steeplechase at the Munich Olympics in 1972.
On the European circuit in the summer of 1973, Bayi tried to burn off his rivals by setting a scorching pace. In a stunning mile race in Stockholm, he zipped through 400m in 52.5, 800m in 1:51.0 and 1200m in 2:52.0, forging a lead of 80 metres, before folding in the final 200 metres.
He was caught and passed in the last 50 metres by Jipcho, whose winning time of 3:52.0 ranked second on the all-time list behind Ryun&rsquo;s 3:51.1.
<h2>&lsquo;I&rsquo;ll surprise you people&rsquo;</h2>
Bayi had finished just 0.6 behind that day, yet most of the 35,000 crowd in Christchurch, and the other leading players in the race, expected another capitulation when he set off at a similarly devilish pace.
Passing 400m in 54.9 and 800m in 1:52.2, the young Tanzanian was some 15 metres clear at the bell, glancing over his right shoulder to check for possible danger.
With 200 metres to go, Jipcho made an effort to close the gap but was overtaken 120 metres out by John Walker, the emerging New Zealander who had beaten Bayi to bronze in the 800m final, and by Rod Dixon, the Kiwi who claimed Olympic 1500m bronze in Munich in 1972.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66b33903294ac3630c5d9701.jpg" alt="Filbert Bayi presents his singlet to Sebastian Coe in Paris" />
Filbert Bayi presents his singlet to Sebastian Coe in Paris (&copy; James Rhodes)
</div>
The crowd roared as the home duo charged off the final bend, but Bayi had too much in hand.
Glancing over his shoulder again halfway down the home straight, he noted Walker closing on him but applied his foot on the pedal sufficiently to keep two steps ahead.
&ldquo;I had another gear if I needed it,&rdquo; Bayi maintained, after crossing the line in 3:32.2 (3:32.16, with electric timing) &ndash; 0.9 inside the world record.
Walker was also inside Ryun&rsquo;s global figures, with 3:32.5 in second place. Jipcho snatched third place in 3:33.2, breaking Keino&rsquo;s Kenyan record, with the tiring Dixon fourth in 3:33.9 and fifth placed Graham Crouch clocking 3:34.2 to eclipse Herb Elliott&rsquo;s Australian record.
&ldquo;Nobody was talking about me before the race,&rdquo; Bayi reflected. &ldquo;I was the underdog. I said to myself, &lsquo;Ok, don&rsquo;t talk about me; I&rsquo;ll surprise you people&rsquo;.
&ldquo;I thought I needed to do the same thing I had done in 1973 at the African Games, when I beat Kipchoge Keino. I made my move from the beginning and people thought they would catch me.
&ldquo;I saw John Walker was coming behind me in the home straight and I just accelerated. I said, &lsquo;Ok, catch me if you can&rsquo;.&rdquo;
Fittingly, Bayi&rsquo;s autobiography, which details not just his running career but his life as an inspiring educator in his homeland and as leading sports administrator, echoes the challenge he issued that day: &ldquo;Catch me if you can.&rdquo;
Having fallen short, Walker was magnanimous in defeat. &ldquo;Filbert ran an extraordinary race,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was coming from behind but I was never going to catch him.&rdquo;
<h2>Tanzania&rsquo;s first ever Olympic medallist</h2>
In May the following year, Bayi broke Ryun&rsquo;s world record for the mile, running 3:51.0 in the Jamaican capital, Kingston. Thereafter, however, he was overtaken by fate, and by Walker, in the battle for global middle-distance supremacy.
Injury cut short his European season in 1975 and Walker cut down his mile record, pushing through the 3:50 barrier with a time of 3:49.4 in Gothenburg.
The hotly-anticipated showdown between the Tanzanian and the New Zealander at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal was scuppered by an African boycott, though at the time of the Games Bayi was suffering from malaria while Walker strode to 1500m gold.
Bayi continued to be dogged by injury and illness but he earned Commonwealth 1500m silver behind England&rsquo;s Dave Moorcroft in Edmonton in 1978, before reverting to the 3000m steeplechase for the 1980 Olympics.
In the final he was overhauled just before the final water jump by the muscular Pole Bronislaw Malinowski but was happy to hold on for silver in 8:12.5, proud to be his country&rsquo;s first ever Olympic medallist.
The great front runner held his 1500m world record until 1979.
Fittingly, it fell to a devotee who had adopted Bayi&rsquo;s bold tactics after watching his televised Christchurch masterclass as a star-struck teenager.
Sebastian Coe took particular pride in shaving 0.1 off the Tanzanian&rsquo;s time with his 3:32.1 run in Zurich.
&ldquo;It was one of the best world records on the books,&rdquo; said Coe, &ldquo;and it was the hardest of the 11 I broke.&rdquo;
Bayi&rsquo;s singlet, bib number and shorts can be viewed in glorious 3D in <a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a>.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics

Looking back at Filbert Bayi's world 1500m record run

‘The most uncompromising run ever seen’ – Bayi’s world record singlet enters MOWA

Olympic and world indoor medallists Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse will renew their rivalry in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games &ndash; a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting &ndash; in New York on 8 February.
Great Britain&rsquo;s Kerr, the world 1500m champion, won the world indoor 3000m title on home soil in Glasgow last year and went on to secure 1500m silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In both Glasgow and Paris he finished one place ahead of USA&rsquo;s Nuguse.
Nuguse is a two-time Wanamaker Mile winner who clocked 3:47.83 in 2024 and his PB of 3:47.38 in 2023, while Kerr has an indoor mile PB of 3:48.87, set in 2022. Those times by Nuguse are No.2 and No.3 on the world indoor mile all-time list behind the world record of 3:47.01 set by Yomif Kejelcha in Boston in 2019. Kerr also raced at the Millrose Games last year and set a world best for two miles of 8:00.67.
They have never raced each other in an indoor mile, but Kerr won their sole clash over the distance outdoors at the Prefontaine Classic last year, while their career outdoor 1500m head-to-head record in finals stands 3-2 in Nuguse&rsquo;s favour.
In New York they will be joined by USA&rsquo;s world road mile champion Hobbs Kessler and Britain&rsquo;s Neil Gourley, who each finished second to Nuguse in the past two editions of the Wanamaker Mile, plus Italy&rsquo;s Pietro Arese and Azeddine Habz of France.
Another Olympic medallist and world indoor champion announced for this season&rsquo;s World Indoor Tour Gold is Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tsige Duguma who will race the 800m at the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava on 4 February.
The 23-year-old won the world indoor 800m title in Glasgow last March and was then runner-up to Keely Hodgkinson at the Paris Olympics.
Her competition in Ostrava will include Benin&rsquo;s world indoor bronze medallist Noelie Yarigo, Slovakia&rsquo;s European silver medallist Gabriela Gajanova of Slovakia and Oceanian record-holder Catriona Bisset of Australia.

Olympic and world indoor medallists Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse will renew their rivalry in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games

Kerr and Nuguse in Wanamaker Mile head-to-head

Jamaica&rsquo;s Olympic medallist Kishane Thompson is set to make his indoor debut at the Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes, the first World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2025, on 25 January.
The 23-year-old, who secured 100m silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, has been announced for the 60m in Astana, Kazakhstan. While he has not raced indoors in his career so far, Thompson does have a PB for 60m&nbsp;of 6.67, set in an outdoor race in 2022.
His last competition was the Paris Olympics, where he ran 9.79 to finish a close second behind Noah Lyles in the 100m final. Thompson&rsquo;s 100m PB of 9.77 was set at the Jamaican Championships last June.
His competition in Astana will include Canada&rsquo;s Andre De Grasse, the Tokyo Olympic 200m champion who ran 6.66 to finish sixth in the final in Astana last year.
In the women&rsquo;s 60m, Tia and Tina Clayton will be joined by their Jamaican compatriot Natasha Morrison and Bahamian sprinter Anthonique Strachan. Sada Williams and Janieve Russell will race the women&rsquo;s 400m, while Alex Haydock-Wilson is entered for the men&rsquo;s event.
Two-time world champion Chase Jackson will be in action in the shot put, while Marquis Dendy will contest the long jump. The list of athletes entered so far also includes Hirut Meshesha in the 3000m, Nia Ali in the 60m hurdles and Cornelius Tuwei in the 1500m.
<h2>Ogunleye, Jackson and Mitton to clash in Karlsruhe</h2>
After competing in Astana, Chase Jackson will travel to Germany for the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe, the season&rsquo;s fifth World Indoor Tour Gold meeting, on 7 February.
There, the two-time world indoor medallist will face Canada&rsquo;s world indoor champion Sarah Mitton and home favourite Yemisi Ogunleye, who won Olympic gold in Paris, in a clash of the top three athletes on the world rankings.
There will also be strong home support in Karlsruhe for Tokyo Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo, who has been announced for the long jump.

Jamaica’s Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson is set to make his indoor debut at the Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes

Olympic 100m medallist Thompson to make indoor debut in Astana

The World Athletics scoring tables have been updated for 2025 and are available to download from the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/technical-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics website</a>.
These tables are separate from the combined events scoring system, which remains unchanged.
Statistical data has been analysed since the last edition of the scoring tables &ndash; including performances from 2022, 2023 and 2024 &ndash; and has been used to produce this latest version.
Created in 1982 by the late Bojidar Spiriev, the scoring tables have in recent years been maintained by his son Attila.
The World Athletics scoring tables can be found in the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/technical-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener">technical information section of the World Athletics website</a>.
World Athletics

The World Athletics scoring tables have been updated for 2025 and are available to download from the World Athletics website

World Athletics scoring tables updated for 2025

Defending Boston Marathon champions Hellen Obiri and Sisay Lemma are among the many star names in the elite fields for the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on 21 April.
Obiri &ndash; the only woman in history to have won world titles indoors, outdoors and at cross country &ndash; is aiming to become the first woman to achieve three consecutive Boston Marathon wins since Fatuma Roba achieved the feat in 1999.
&ldquo;Defending a win is never easy, and to win the Boston Marathon twice in a row was hard, but I am happy to have done it,&rdquo; said Obiri, the 2023 and 2024 winner. &ldquo;On race day I will again push for the win and hope to make it three in a row.&rdquo;
But the three-time Olympic medallist won&rsquo;t have it all her own way as she&rsquo;ll be up against seven women with sub-2:20 PBs, including world champion Amane Beriso. The 2023 runner-up, who has a PB of 2:14:58, is the fastest in the field and will be joined on the start line by compatriot Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the 2022 London Marathon champion.
Obiri is one of several strong Kenyans in the field, alongside two-time Boston winner Edna Kiplagat, 2022 New York Marathon winner Sharon Lokedi, Hamburg Marathon champion Irene Cheptai, and 2012 Boston Marathon winner Sharon Cherop.
Former North American record-holder Keira D&rsquo;Amato is the fastest of the US entrants. She&rsquo;ll be joined by Emma Bates, Sara Vaughn, Lindsay Flanagan, Sara Hall and 2018 Boston Marathon Desiree Linden.
Not only is Sisay Lemma the defending champion, he is also the fastest entrant in the men&rsquo;s field. His PB of 2:01:48, set when winning in Valencia in 2023, makes him the fourth-fastest marathon runner in history.
&ldquo;I was very happy after winning the Boston Marathon last year, and in 2025 I know it will be an even bigger challenge to win again,&rdquo; said Lemma. &ldquo;I was unlucky, because of an injury, not to be able to participate at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and I was not completely ready at the Valencia Marathon last December, but I will be 100% ready in April because the Boston Marathon is a special event.&rdquo;
Five of the top seven men&rsquo;s finishers from last year&rsquo;s Boston Marathon return, including two-time winner Evans Chebet, who was third last year. Chicago Marathon champion John Korir and fellow Kenyan Albert Korir, who finished fourth and fifth respectively last year, will also return.
Cybrian Kotut and Haymanot Alew were second and third at last year&rsquo;s Berlin Marathon and both have lifetime bests inside 2:04. World champion Victor Kiplangat seeks to become the first Ugandan man to win in Boston, while two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris will be making his marathon debut.
Other leading names include two-time Boston winner Lelisa Desisa, Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Mateiko, Tanzania&rsquo;s Alphonce Felix Simbu, Lesotho&rsquo;s Tebello Ramakongoana, Kenya&rsquo;s Abel Kipchumba and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yemane Haileselassie.
Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who were eighth and ninth respectively in the Olympic marathon last year before finishing in the top 10 at the New York Marathon, lead the US charge.
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Women Amane Beriso (ETH) 2:14:58 Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 2:16:52 Irine Cheptai (KEN) 2:17:51 Joan Melly (ROU) 2:18:04 Keira D'Amato (USA) 2:19:12 Rahma Tusa (ETH) 2:19:33 Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:50 Buze Diriba (ETH) 2:20:22 Mary Ngugi (KEN) 2:20:22 Sara Hall (USA) 2:20:32 Bedatu Hirpa (ETH) 2:21:09 Calli Hauger-Thackery (GBR) 2:21:34 Sharon Cherop (KEN) 2:22:28 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 2:23:10 Sharon Lokedi (KEN) 2:23:14 Emma Bates (USA) 2:23:18 Viola Chepngeno (KEN) 2:23:23 Sara Vaughn (USA) 2:23:24 Lindsay Flanagan (USA) 2:23:31 Stacy Ndiwa (KEN) 2:23:42 Gabi Rooker (USA) 2:24:29 Kellyn Taylor (USA) 2:24:29 Dakotah Popehn (USA) 2:24:40 Jackie Gaughan (USA) 2:24:40 Cynthia Limo (KEN) 2:25:10 Lily Partridge (GBR) 2:25:12 Angie Orjuela (COL) 2:25:35 Jess McClain (USA) 2:25:46 Lauren Hagans (USA) 2:25:47 Desiree Linden (USA) 2:25:55 Tristin Colley (USA) 2:25:58
Men Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:01:48 John Korir (KEN) 2:02:44 Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:03:00 Cybrian Kotut (KEN) 2:03:22 Haymanot Alew (ETH) 2:03:31 Daniel Mateiko (KEN) 2:04:24 Alphonce Felix Simbu (TAN) 2:04:38 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45 Victor Kiplangat (UGA) 2:05:09 Asefa Boki (ETH) 2:05:40 Tebello Ramakongoana (LES) 2:06:18 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 2:06:49 Albert Korir (KEN) 2:06:57 Tsegay Weldlibanos (ERI) 2:07:25 Patrick Tiernan (AUS) 2:07:45 Conner Mantz (USA) 2:07:47 Clayton Young (USA) 2:08:00 Rory Linkletter (CAN) 2:08:01 CJ Albertson (USA) 2:08:17 Amanuel Mesel (ERI) 2:08:17 Erenjia Jia (CHN) 2:08:32 Zach Panning (USA) 2:09:16 Colin Bennie (USA) 2:09:38

Hellen Obiri and Sisay Lemma are among the many star names in the elite fields for the Boston Marathon

Defending champions Obiri and Lemma lead Boston Marathon elite fields

Olympic medallists Jess Hull and Georgia Bell will clash in two World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meetings within one week when they race the 3000m in Boston and then the mile in New York in February.
Australia&rsquo;s Hull secured 1500m silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while Great Britain&rsquo;s Bell bagged bronze. Those medals were claimed in a season that also saw Hull set a world 2000m record and multiple Oceanian records, and Bell break the British 1500m record and become a European silver medallist.
First they will meet in the 3000m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on 2 February, the discipline in which Hull finished fourth at last year&rsquo;s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where Bell claimed the same place finish in the 1500m final. Hull won last year's 3000m in Boston in&nbsp;8:24.93.
Then they will race in the Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile in New York on 8 February, where their rivals will include Nikki Hiltz and Elise Cranny. In Boston the pair will join the already announced Parker Valby in the 3000m.
The men&rsquo;s 60m in Boston will feature the past two Olympic 100m champions, with Italy&rsquo;s Marcell Jacobs added to a field that already features USA&rsquo;s Noah Lyles.
Jacobs is the 2022 world indoor 60m champion, while Lyles secured 60m silver at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow last year.
Another Olympic champion in action in Boston is USA&rsquo;s Rai Benjamin, the Olympic 400m hurdles gold medallist, who will return to indoor competition this season for the first time since 2021. He takes on the 300m, with his Olympic 4x400m gold medal-winning teammate Vernon Norwood among his rivals.
Double Olympic medallist Grant Fisher, who got 5000m and 10,000m bronze in Paris, will line up alongside the already announced 2022 world champion Jake Wightman in the 1500m.
<h2>Charlton set for Torun</h2>
World record-holder Devynne Charlton and Ackera Nugent will be among those going for 60m hurdles glory in New York and they have both also been announced for the ORLEN Copernicus Cup, this season&rsquo;s penultimate World Indoor Tour Gold meeting, in Torun on 16 February.
Joining world indoor champion Charlton and Jamaican 100m hurdles champion Nugent in Poland will be home star Pia Skrzyszowska, Nadine Visser, Ditaji Kambundji and Alaysha Johnson.

Olympic medallists Jess Hull and Georgia Bell will clash in two World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meetings within one week

Olympic medallists Hull and Bell to race in Boston and New York

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Telahun Haile Bekele and Italy&rsquo;s Nadia Battocletti won their races in contrasting styles at the Campaccio, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting, in San Giorgio su Legnano on Monday (6).
While home star Battocletti ran the entire race alone, Bekele had a group of strong contenders for company until he made a decisive move ahead of the final 2km loop. Both athletes achieved back-to-back wins, as Bekele won the 10km and&nbsp;Battocletti the 5km at the BOclassic road race in Bolzano on 31 December.
It was a superb return for Bekele, who was contesting his first cross country race in six years. He was happy to sit back in the pack during the opening stages of the 10km contest but made his presence felt, edging to the front during the first half of the race.
Olympic steeplechase fourth-place finisher Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui of Tunisia slipped in the mud while in third place just before the halfway point and lost ground on Bekele, Kenya&rsquo;s Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto and Burundi&rsquo;s Celestin Ndikumana. Bekele and Ndikumana continued to push the pace and broke away over the next kilometre, before the Ethiopian 25-year-old surged again around the 7km mark.
From there Bekele was never challenged. He was four seconds ahead of Ndikumana heading into the final 2km loop, with the pair being chased by Uganda&rsquo;s 2022 world 5000m bronze medallist Oscar Chelimo who was a further 14 seconds back.
Enjoying his dominant run, Bekele waved to the crowds on his way to the finish line, which he crossed in 31:32. Ndikumana followed him in 31:50, while Chelimo followed his runner-up finish last year with a third place this time, clocking 32:09. Jhinaoui finished fourth in 32:11.
In winning the women&rsquo;s 6km contest, Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Battocletti became the first Italian winner at Campaccio in 31 years.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/677c1badc832845231d9f9f8.jpg" alt="Nadia Battocletti wins the Campaccio women's 6km" />
Nadia Battocletti wins the Campaccio women's 6km (&copy; Sportmedia.es/Campaccio)
</div>
On a wet afternoon, the 24-year-old went straight to the front of the field and had created a seven-second gap by the end of the first of the three 2km laps. Finland&rsquo;s mountain running specialist Susanna Saapunki and Battocletti&rsquo;s compatriot Elisa Palmero were locked in battle behind her, with Burundi&rsquo;s Micheline Niyomahoro a further couple of seconds back.
Battocletti picked up the pace over the next loop and was 28 seconds ahead of Palmero and Saapunki by the 4km mark, and her advantage only grew during the final loop. The multiple European champion went on to cross the finish line in 21:14, with Palmero winning the race for the runner-up spot as she clocked 21:58 to finish eight seconds ahead of Saapunki in third. Niyomahoro was fourth in 22:18.
&ldquo;Today I felt like I was back to the races I did as a girl, with the rainy and cold weather,&rdquo; Battocletti told organisers. &ldquo;This Campaccio, with the changes to the route of this edition, was even more technical and a higher level of difficulty that made it even more fun. It is an honour to have won this wonderful race, last year I was very close.&rdquo;
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1&nbsp;Nadia Battocletti (ITA) 21:14 2&nbsp;Elisa Palmero (ITA) 21:58 3&nbsp;Susanna Saapunki (FIN) 22:06 4&nbsp;Micheline Niyomahoro (BDI) 22:18 5 Michela Cesaro (ITA) 22:20 6 Linda Palumbo (ITA) 22:35 7 Adele Roatta (ITA) 22:39 8 Francesca Annoni (ITA) 22:45 9 Licia Ferrari (ITA) 22:57 10 Lucia Arnoldo (ITA) 23:14
Men 1&nbsp;Telahun Haile Bekele (ETH) 31:32 2&nbsp;Celestin Ndikumana (BDI) 31:50 3 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 32:09 4&nbsp;Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui (TUN) 32:11 5 Maxime Chaumeton (RSA) 32:21 6 Emile Hafashimana (BDI) 32:25 7 Iliass Aouani (ITA) 32:27 8 Luca Alfieri (ITA) 32:40 9 Pasquale Selvarolo (ITA) 32:49 10 Egide Ntakarutimana (BDI) 33:07

Ethiopia’s Telahun Haile Bekele and Italy’s Nadia Battocletti won their races in contrasting styles at the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in San Giorgio su Legnano

Bekele and Battocletti claim Campaccio crowns

Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet and Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi lived up to their status as pre-race favourites by capturing commanding wins at the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza &ndash; a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting &ndash; in the Spanish town of Elgoibar on Sunday (5).
It was the first time that both winners retained their titles in Elgoibar.
Newly-minted world 5km record-holder Chebet of Kenya took command of the women's 7.62km race from the start and covered the opening lap on the track in a comfortable 1:22 with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Melknat Wudu, Burundi&rsquo;s Francine Niyomukunzi and Spain&rsquo;s Carolina Robles in close attendance.
After the short opening circuit, Chebet was already a lonesome leader some three seconds ahead of that trio. A second kilometre timed at 3:09 by the two-time world cross country champion killed the race as Chebet strengthened her lead at the end of the first 2.2km lap to 24 seconds following a 7:04 loop.
It was Robles who stayed at the helm of the chasing group but Niyomukunzi and Wudu ran comfortably at the Spaniard&rsquo;s shoulder. Way ahead, Chebet maintained her frantic cadence to cover the second lap in 7:07 and extend her advantage to 46 seconds over her pursuers, with Robles at the helm by the bell. Rather than slow her speed over the closing lap, Chebet clocked her quickest time of 7:02 to run home completely unopposed in 25:49.
Robles began to lose ground midway through the closing loop as Niyomukunzi injected a brisker rhythm which was only followed by Wudu. The battle for the runner-up spot was fierce, the young Ethiopian prevailing over the Burundian after a sprint finish, both athletes given the same time.
&ldquo;Honestly, I expected to win,&rdquo; said the 24-year-old victor. &ldquo;The circuit is arguably one of the toughest I have ever run with plenty of ups and downs, but at the same time it&rsquo;s perfect to build up for the championships. Last year I won here and then became world champion in Belgrade. I now return to Kenya to keep on training as I have not scheduled more races until 9 March, when I compete at the Lisbon 10K.&rdquo;
Asked whether she plans an assault on her compatriot Agnes Ngetich&rsquo;s world record there, a cautious Chebet laughed and said: &ldquo;That record is impressive, I&rsquo;m not sure I can do that. I&rsquo;ll just try to win the race.&rdquo;
<h2>Aregawi proves to be the strongest</h2>
The men&rsquo;s 9.71km contest kicked off at a reasonable pace, the opening 400m on the track being covered in 1:11. The small lap witnessed the lead of Spain&rsquo;s Adel Mechaal and Britain&rsquo;s Alfie Manthorpe, while the favourites Aregawi and Rodrigue Kwizera ran comfortably close to them. The first big loop was covered in a slow 6:47 but shortly afterwards Mechaal picked up the pace and the large lead group whittled down to seven athletes: Aregawi, Kwizera, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Samuel Firewu, the Spanish trio of Mechaal, Miguel Baidal and Miguel Angel Martinez, plus Britain&rsquo;s Tomer Tarragano.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/677a9fb3f1762f552cc33bf7.jpg" alt="Berihu Aregawi on his way to Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza victory" />
Berihu Aregawi on his way to Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza victory (&copy; Felix Sanchez / Fotorunners)
</div>
The second loop was timed at 6:27 just before Aregawi moved to the front for the first time to push hard and only Kwizera, Firewu and Mechaal managed to follow in his footsteps, running in crocodile file. Aregawi then clocked a frantic 6:12 for the penultimate lap and by the bell he had built a two-second margin on Kwizera, the Burundian three seconds clear of Firewu, while Mechaal had already lost any podium chance and travelled 15 seconds in arrears.
The final circuit was thrilling as a powerful Aregawi continued to run aggressively but a brave Kwizera never surrendered and maintained his chances throughout, while Firewu ran lonesome in third. Finally, the two-time world cross country silver medallist Aregawi held off the challenge to cross the finish line one second ahead of his rival following a blistering 5:57 closing circuit.
&ldquo;I had competed earlier this week in Madrid and the course is quite tough,&rdquo; said Aregawi, &ldquo;so I decided to be cautious for the first half, then I pushed hard and could get rid of Kwizera, who is a great rival.&rdquo;
While Chebet joined the likes of her compatriot Hellen Obiri, women&rsquo;s winner in 2019 and 2020, Aregawi became the third athlete to take back-to-back men&rsquo;s victories this century to match Kenyans Abraham Chebii, victor in 2001 and 2002, and Leonard Komon, who took the spoils in 2010 and 2011.
The winners in the U20 category were Britain&rsquo;s Eleanor Strevens and Belgium&rsquo;s Sem Serrano to take the Mamo Wolde Trophies.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women (7.6km) 1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) 25:49 2 Melknat Wudu (ETH) 26:31 3 Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 26:33 4 Carolina Robles (ESP) 27:03 5 Carla Arce (ESP) 27:26 6 Holly Dixon (GBR) 27:27 7 Tugba Guvenc (TUR) 27:39 8 Angela Viciosa (ESP) 27:40 9 Marie Bouchard (FRA) 27:42 10 Blanca Fern&aacute;ndez (ESP) 27:54
Men (9.7km) 1 Berihu Aregawi (ETH) 29:36 2 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 29:37 3 Samuel Firewu (ETH) 29:59 4 Adel Mechaal (ESP) 30:28 5 Miguel Angel Martinez (ESP) 30:39 6 Miguel Baidal (ESP) 30:50 7 Richard Slade (GBR) 30:55 8 Alfie Manthorpe (GBR) 30:56 9 Tomer Tarragano (GBR) 31:08 10 Jacob Cann (GBR) 31:16
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-tour/calendar-results/7215803/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet and Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi lived up to their status as pre-race favourites by capturing commanding wins at the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza

Chebet and Aregawi confirm supremacy in Elgoibar

Ruti Aga and Dawit Wolde achieved an Ethiopian double at the C&amp;D Xiamen Marathon, both athletes setting course records to win the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday (5).
Aga and Wolde were the fastest athletes in their respective fields and Aga won the women&rsquo;s race in 2:18:46, claiming a dominant victory ahead of her compatriot Gutemi Shone Imana in 2:23:11, while Wolde secured the men&rsquo;s title in 2:06:06 ahead of Lesotho&rsquo;s Tebello Ramakongoana, who ran a national record of 2:06:18.
Aga lined up as the Chinese all-comers' record-holder thanks to the PB of 2:18:09 she set in Dongying&nbsp;in 2023. The 30-year-old now owns the two fastest women&rsquo;s marathon performances ever achieved in China, as she was just 37 seconds off that mark in Xiamen.
It was a return to winning ways for the 2019 Tokyo Marathon champion, who won the Daegu Marathon last April and then was runner-up in the Sydney Marathon in September.
Her time of 2:18:46 improved the previous course record by more than a minute. That course record of 2:19:52 had been set by Aga&rsquo;s compatriot Mare Dibaba in 2015, the year in which she became the world marathon champion in Beijing.
Dibaba was also part of the field in Xiamen on Sunday and this time she ran 2:27:49 to finish fifth.
Behind Aga and Shone, Fikrte Wereta Admasu completed an Ethiopian sweep of the podium as she was third in 2:23:15, while Kenya&rsquo;s Mercy Jerop Kwambai was fourth in 2:23:58.
While Aga was joined only by pacemakers in the final stages of the women&rsquo;s race, Wolde still had three athletes for company as the men&rsquo;s race reached the 40km mark.
But he managed to move away from his rivals to eventually claim a 12-second victory. Behind Wolde and Ramakongoana was Ethiopia&rsquo;s defending champion Asefa Boki Kebebe, third in 2:06:32. His compatriot Chalu Deso Gelmisa was fourth in 2:06:45.
Ramakongoana&rsquo;s performance took 1:40 off the national record he had set when finishing seventh at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Ruti Aga (ETH) 2:18:46 2 Gutemi Shone Imana (ETH) 2:23:11 3 Fikrte Wereta Admasu (ETH) 2:23:15 4 Mercy Jerop Kwambai (KEN) 2:23:58 5 Mare Dibaba (ETH) 2:27:49
Men 1 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:06:06 2 Tebello Ramakongoana (LES) 2:06:18 3 Asefa Boki Kebebe (ETH) 2:06:32 4 Chalu Deso Gelmisa (ETH) 2:06:45 5 Ablelom Kesete Maryo (ERI) 2:07:05
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-label-road-races/calendar-results/7219922/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Ruti Aga and Dawit Wolde achieved an Ethiopian double at the C&D Xiamen Marathon, both athletes setting course records to win the World Athletics Platinum Label road race

Aga and Wolde run course records to win in Xiamen

Devynne Charlton will return to the scene of her first world 60m hurdles record when she races at the Millrose Games &ndash; a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting &ndash; in New York on 8 February.
The Bahamian hurdles star clocked 7.67 to win at the Armory last year, taking 0.01 off Susanna Kallur&rsquo;s 16-year-old record.&nbsp;
Tia Jones then equalled that mark just five days later to win the US indoor title in Albuquerque, before Charlton improved the world record by another 0.02 with her 7.65 performance to win the world indoor title in Glasgow.
In a season that gives Charlton the chance to defend her world indoor title in Nanjing in March, she will go head-to-head with Jones as well as the previously announced Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell at the Millrose Games.
They will be joined by Jamaican 100m hurdles champion Ackera Nugent as well as US Olympic finalists Grace Stark and Alaysha Johnson.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t wait to be back at the Millrose Games this year,&rdquo; said Charlton. &ldquo;Almost a year ago, I broke the world record there for the first time and I&rsquo;m looking forward to having another great showing and defending my title.&rdquo;
Other athletes already announced for the meeting include Olympic silver medallists Katie Moon and Daniel Roberts, plus Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker and double Olympic bronze medallist Grant Fisher, who will go head-to-head in the 3000m.

Devynne Charlton will return to the scene of her first world 60m hurdles record when she races at the Millrose Games

Charlton, Jones and Russell head New York hurdles clash

Asefa Boki Kebebe will defend his title in the men&rsquo;s race, while past winners Mare Dibaba and Meseret Abebayehu Alemu will clash with Ruti Aga in the women&rsquo;s race at the C&amp;D Xiamen Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (5).
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Aga is the fastest in the women&rsquo;s field and the PB of 2:18:09 she set in Dongying&nbsp;in 2023 stands as the Chinese all-comers' record. The 30-year-old also won the Tokyo Marathon in 2:20:40 in 2019 and has achieved four other major marathon podium places, including a 2:18:34 runner-up finish in the 2018 Berlin Marathon.
Last year she won the Daegu Marathon in April and was second in the Dubai Marathon in January.
Her compatriot Dibaba set the Xiamen Marathon course record of 2:19:52 in 2015 and went on to win that year&rsquo;s world marathon title in Beijing. She claimed Olympic bronze in Rio the following year and won the Xiamen Marathon for the first time in 2014.
That 2:19:52 run in Xiamen equalled the PB Dibaba had set in Dubai three years prior and most recently she ran 2:22:36 to finish second in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in October.
Abebayehu Alemu achieved her Xiamen Marathon win in 2023, when she clocked 2:24:41. She set her PB of 2:19:50 when finishing second in Amsterdam in 2023 and her most recent race was a win in Dongying in October in 2:22:00.
That trio will be joined in Xiamen by their compatriot Buzunesh Getachew Gudeta, the fourth sub-2:20 runner in the women&rsquo;s field. Her best of 2:19:27 was set when winning the Frankfurt Marathon in 2023 and she was a distant runner-up to Abebayehu Alemu in Dongying in October.
The field also features Ethiopia&rsquo;s Gutemi Shone Imana and Fikrte Wereta Admasu, Kenya&rsquo;s Gladys Chesir and China&rsquo;s Liu Min.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Kebebe ran 2:06:46 to win last year&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s race, securing the biggest victory of his career so far. He improved to 2:05:40 in Amsterdam in October, finishing runner-up to his compatriot Tsegaye Getachew.
This time his competition includes Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dawit Wolde, who is the fastest in the field thanks to the PB of 2:03:48 he set to finish third in Valencia in 2023. He will be looking to return to that sort of form in 2025, having achieved a best of 2:10:53 last year when finishing 15th in the Chicago Marathon.
Kebebe and Wolde will be joined on the start line by two other men with sub-2:06 PBs: their compatriot Chalu Deso Gelmisa and Morocco&rsquo;s Othmane El Goumri. Gelmisa is the 2023 Tokyo Marathon champion who set his PB of 2:04:53 when finishing sixth in Valencia in 2020, while El Goumri set a national record of 2:05:12 when finishing second in Barcelona in 2023 and was third in Xiamen in 2:07:18 last year.
Also in action is El Goumri&rsquo;s compatriot Hicham Laqouahi, as well as Ethiopia&rsquo;s Melaku Belachew and China&rsquo;s Yang Shaohui, who raced the Olympic marathon in Paris last year and claimed marathon bronze at the Asian Games in 2023.
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Women Ruti Aga (ETH) 2:18:09 Buzunesh Getachew&nbsp;Gudeta (ETH) 2:19:27 Meseret Abebayehu Alemu (ETH) 2:19:50 Mare Dibaba (ETH) 2:19:52 Gutemi Shone Imana (ETH) 2:20:11 Gladys Chesir (KEN) 2:20:30 Fikrte Wereta Admasu (ETH) 2:21:32 Tigist Gashaw (BRN) 2:24:39 Emebet Niguse Mamo (ETH) 2:25:25 Mercy Jerop Kwambai (KEN) 2:25:57 Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (MGL) 2:26:32 Liu Min (CHN) 2:28:36
Men Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48 Chalu Deso Gelmisa (ETH) 2:04:53 Othmane El Goumri (MAR) 2:05:12 Asefa Boki Kebebe (ETH) 2:05:40 Melaku Belachew (ETH) 2:06:30 Hicham Laqouahi (MAR) 2:06:32 Yang Shaohui (CHN) 2:07:09 Berhane Tsegay Tekle (ERI) 2:07:21 Tebello Ramakongoana (LES) 2:07:58 Dong Guojian (CHN) 2:08:12 Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 2:08:50 Vincent Kimaiyo (KEN) debut

Asefa Boki Kebebe will defend his title in the men’s race, while past winners Mare Dibaba and Meseret Abebayehu Alemu will clash with Ruti Aga in the women’s race

Kebebe defends title, course record-holder Dibaba faces Aga in Xiamen

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Telahun Haile Bekele faces tough opposition in the form of young Kenyan Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto at Campaccio, while Nadia Battocletti has high hopes of securing an Italian victory at the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in San Giorgio su Legnano on Monday (6).
Bekele is one of the fastest men in history on the track, with his PBs for 3000m (7:25.48) and 5000m (12:42.70) placing him inside the top 10 on the all-time lists for those disciplines. He came close to the latter when placing third at the Diamond League Final in September, clocking 12:45.63.
More recently, he triumphed over 10km at the BOclassic in Bolzano on 31 December, clocking 27:59. The 25-year-old now turns his attention to cross country, a discipline he hasn&rsquo;t contested for six years. He was victorious in his last cross-country race, though, winning at the Cross della Vallagarina in Rovereto back in 2019.
Kipruto may be a teenager and not as fast as Bekele on the track, but the Kenyan is a proven cross-country performer. He claimed bronze in the U20 race at last year&rsquo;s World Cross, and this winter has notched up victories at the Cinque Mulini and the Festival du Cross Country in Carhaix. A win on Monday would put him in the joint lead in the Cross Country Tour standings.
Like Bekele, Kipruto is fresh from a victory on New Year&rsquo;s Eve, having won over 5km in Barcelona in 13:28.
It won&rsquo;t be just a two-man race, though, as eight of the top-10 finishers from last year&rsquo;s Campaccio are returning.
Uganda&rsquo;s 2022 world 5000m bronze medallist Oscar Chelimo was second at Campaccio last year. More recently, he also finished second in Amorebieta and Atapuerca in October, and then placed fifth on the roads in Bolzano behind Bekele.
Burundian duo Egide Ntakarutimana and Celestin Ndikumana finished fourth and fifth respectively in last year&rsquo;s race. They&rsquo;ll be joined by young compatriots Emile Hafashimana and Lionel Nihimbazwe, who respectively placed fifth over 3000m and seventh over 5000m at the World U20 Championships last year and will be making their Campaccio debuts.
South African 5km record-holder Maxime Chaumeton finished fourth in Bolzano on New Year&rsquo;s Eve, just ahead of Chelimo, and will be aiming to be competitive once again on Monday.
Belgian 10,000m champion Guillaume Grimard, Olympic steeplechase fourth-place finisher Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui of Tunisia, 2:06:06 marathon performer Iliass Aouani and Turin Marathon champion Pasquale Selvarolo &ndash; who placed sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively last year &ndash; are all returning for Monday&rsquo;s race.
It has been 31 years since there was an Italian winner at Campaccio, but there&rsquo;s a strong chance that drought will end on Monday thanks to the presence of Nadia Battocletti.
The double European champion and Olympic 10,000m silver medallist has carried her strong track form into the winter season. After a third-place finish at the Cinque Mulini in November, she went on to win in Alcobendas and then at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya.
Like Bekele, she too won in Bolzano on New Year&rsquo;s Eve, taking the women&rsquo;s 5km title in 15:31. After finishing second last year, she&rsquo;ll now start as the overwhelming favourite against a largely domestic field.
Compatriot Elisa Palmero will perhaps be Battocletti&rsquo;s strongest opponent. She finished sixth in the 10,000m at the European Championships last year in a PB of 31:38.45, just two days after placing 15th in the half marathon in a PB of 1:11:22. Palmero was sixth in Bolzano on New Year&rsquo;s Eve, and earlier in December she placed 13th at the European Cross.
Fellow Italians Rebecca Lonedo and Michela Cesaro, who were fifth and sixth respectively last year, are also in the line-up, as is Burundi&rsquo;s Micheline Niyomahoro and Finland&rsquo;s mountain running specialist Susanna Saapunki.

Telahun Haile Bekele faces tough opposition from Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto at Campaccio, while Nadia Battocletti has high hopes of securing an Italian victory

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