The scene in the immediate aftermath of the heptathlon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics was not dissimilar to the classic shot of Daley Thompson in the wake of his decathlon world record at the 1982 European Championships in Athens.
Like the Great British master of combined events, there was Nataliia Dobrynska, standing victorious, hands nonchalantly on hips with her vanquished rivals lying flat on their backs, strewn across the Bird&rsquo;s Nest track in a collective state of exhaustion.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/67864e94950fbacd95a5683c.jpg" alt="Nataliia Dobrynska after the 2008 Olympic heptathlon" />
Nataliia Dobrynska after the 2008 Olympic heptathlon (&copy; Getty Images)
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Proudly wearing the blue and yellow Ukrainian leotard and spikes she has generously donated to <a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a>, Dobrynska did not just shatter her fellow competitors in the Chinese capital.
She did the same to the form book.
The 26-year-old lined up for the first of the seven events ranked 13th.
At the annual Hypo Meeting in Gotzis 10 weeks earlier, Dobrynska finished a distant ninth with 6268, having been suffering from a respiratory illness at that time. Nonetheless, without an international combined events victory to her name, and with a modest 6387 PB dating back to 2003, Dobrynska was not among those expected to challenge for the Olympic heptathlon crown left up for grabs by Carolina Kluft&rsquo;s decision to concentrate on the long jump.
Not that the Ukrainian&rsquo;s subsequent triumph came as a surprise to everyone.
Dobrynska herself arrived in Beijing convinced that she was capable of seizing her chance in a wide-open contest.
&ldquo;Coming into the Games, I thought I could win,&rdquo; she confessed after the two-day competition was done. &ldquo;I expected to set personal bests in every event.&rdquo;
As it happened, Dobrynska recorded lifetime bests in five of the seven disciplines.
She notched three on the first day, opening with 13.44 in the 100m hurdles, throwing 17.29m in the shot, and clocking 24.39 in the 200m.
Together with a 1.80m high jump, that left her lying in second place with 3996 points, 64 behind US champion Hyleas Fountain, with Britain&rsquo;s 2004 Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton in third place.
Dobrynska edged into the lead by 16 points with a long jump PB of 6.63m at the start of day two, before moving 145 clear with a lifetime best of 46.80m in the javelin.
She could afford to ease round the 800m in 2:17:72 and still comfortably collect the gold medal with a tally of 6733 points, a huge improvement of 346 points on her PB.
Following the doping disqualifications of Lyudmila Blonska and Tatyana Chernova, Fountain took the silver medal with 6619 and Sotherton ultimately the bronze with 6517.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66ad127c4b7ae367ffc87fa6.jpg" alt="Nataliya Dobrynska and Sebastian Coe in Paris" />
Nataliya Dobrynska and Sebastian Coe in Paris (&copy; Christel Saneh for World Athletics)
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<h2>&lsquo;Everything and everyone around me didn&rsquo;t matter&rsquo;</h2>
On the World Athletics Inside Track Podcast in April this year, Dobrynska was asked by host Sotherton how it felt to be crowned as Olympic champion.
&ldquo;When I crossed the finish line, I realised what it meant,&rdquo; she told her old rival.
&ldquo;During that era, it felt as though all of us were really close, as though we were all in a line, so it was always difficult to predict who was going to win.
&ldquo;But I always tried to just concentrate on myself, on my technique, on what I needed to do. Everything and everyone around me didn&rsquo;t matter.&rdquo;
Several years prior, Dobrynska described the Beijing Olympic heptathlon as &ldquo;the perfect competition for me&rdquo;.
The road to that perfection had been a long and winding one.
Born in Vinnytsia in 1982, Dobrynska was blessed with high quality sporting genes. Her mother, a sports journalist, was a handball player and shot putter. Her father was a skier and long distance runner.
She was eight when her father took her to a track for the first time and in 1999, aged 17, she won her first national junior heptathlon title.
Her first impact at international level came at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Budapest in March 2004, where she finished just 32 points down on Naide Gomes of Portugal with a silver medal winning pentathlon tally of 4727.
Eighth in the heptathlon at that summer&rsquo;s Olympics in Athens, Dobrynska claimed her second international medal in another indoor pentathlon, finishing third with 4667 behind the imperious Kluft (4948) and Sotherton (4733) at the 2005 European Indoor Championships in Madrid.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/368103c0-211d-4473-b11c-d6299fab5120.jpg" alt="Ukraine's Olympic Champion Nataliya Dobrynska achieves the longest shot put of the Heptathlon" />
Nataliiaa Dobrynska in the heptathlon shot put at the 2009 World Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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Injury dogged Dobrynska after her 2008 triumph in Beijing but she made three more podium finishes &ndash; all of them in tussles with her eventual successor as Olympic champion, Jessica Ennis-Hill.
The emerging Briton won the 2009 world heptathlon title in Berlin, where Dobrynska finished fourth, and she was too strong for the Ukrainian at the 2010 World Indoor Championships in Doha. Ennis-Hill won with 4937, breaking Kluft&rsquo;s championship record. Dobrynska finished a solid second with 4851.
In a gripping heptathlon head-to-head at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona, Dobrynska scored a PB of 6778 but again had to settle for silver, behind Ennis-Hill&rsquo;s championship record of 6823.
<h2>Golden memorial</h2>
It was different at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul in 2012. Dobrynska was the epitome of consistency through all five diciplines, becoming the first woman to cross the 5000-point barrier in the indoor pentathlon.
Nailing PBs in the long jump (6.57m) and 800m (2:11.15), she finished with a points tally of 5013, breaking Irina Belova&rsquo;s 20-year-old world record by 22. Ennis took silver with 4965.
Unknown to the watching world, Dobrynska&rsquo;s husband and coach Dmytro Polyakov was terminally ill back home, phoning and texting instructions to her. He died of cancer two weeks later.
It said much about Dobrynska&rsquo;s character that she was able to honour her beloved &lsquo;Dima&rsquo; with a world record and a gold medal in Istanbul and, through the heartbreak of such a tragic loss, that she managed to prepare to defend her Olympic title in London later that year.
Far from her best, after ending the opening day in 10th place, she withdrew after two fouls and a botched 3.70m effort in the long jump, relinquishing her crown for Ennis-Hill.
Retirement followed in 2013 but the 2008 Olympic heptathlon champion has since continued to serve her sport as a leading administrator.
A World Athletics Council Member and vice president of the Ukrainian Athletics Federation, Dobrynska has helped track and field maintain a strong sporting influence in her homeland through the ravages of wartime.
&ldquo;The Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme from World Athletics has been provided to many of the small cities in Ukraine so that kids can compete and enjoy the sport,&rdquo; she said on Inside Track.
&ldquo;The sport cannot stop. Otherwise, we may lose the next generation of athletes.&rdquo;
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage
 &bull; Check out Dobrynska&rsquo;s leotard and spikes in glorious 3D in <a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a>

Nataliia Dobrynska won the 2008 Olympic heptathlon title, proudly wearing the Ukrainian leotard and spikes she has generously donated to the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)

‘The perfect competition for me’ – Dobrynska’s Olympic winning leotard and spikes join the MOWA collection

Olympic champions Sifan Hassan and Tamirat Tola will return to the TCS London Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday 27 April.
It will be the first time Hassan has raced in the British capital since her triumph at the 2023 London Marathon on what was her debut at the distance. After falling behind the leaders and seemingly out of contention for victory, the Dutch distance runner produced a staggering finish to claw her way back to the front and then sprint to victory.
It proved to be a near-template for her victory in the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Having already secured bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m on the track, Hassan appeared to be losing contact with the leaders of the marathon, only to once again find a way to recover and then use her famous finish to win the sprint for gold.
&ldquo;It feels so special to come back to the TCS London Marathon,&rdquo; said Hassan, who won the 2023 Chicago Marathon in a European record of 2:13:44 and is the only woman in history to win Olympic gold over 5000m, 10,000m and the marathon. &ldquo;This is where I ran my very first marathon and began my journey in this incredible distance. London is also where I learned to be patient, to trust myself, and to keep pushing even when it feels impossible. It is a place where I grew, not just as an athlete, but as a person.&rdquo;
Tola is one of a select group of athletes to have won world and Olympic titles at the marathon. The Ethiopian earned the world title in 2022 in a championship record of 2:05:36, then lifted the Olympic crown in Paris two years later in a Games record of 2:06:26.
The 33-year-old has contested the London Marathon three times to date, his best result being his third-place finish in 2023.
&ldquo;Winning the Paris Olympic Marathon was the greatest moment of my running career but I don&rsquo;t want it to be my last great moment,&rdquo; said Tola, who also won the 2023 New York Marathon and 2021 Amsterdam Marathon. &ldquo;I want to continue competing for the biggest titles in this sport and the TCS London Marathon is very much one of those. I know that London always brings the best marathon racers in the world together so it will not be easy, but it is my ambition to win this historic race for the first time in April.&rdquo;

Olympic champions Sifan Hassan and Tamirat Tola will return to the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 27 April

Olympic champions Hassan and Tola to contest London Marathon

Kenya's Hellen Ekalale Lobun and Sweden&rsquo;s Andreas Almgren claimed victories at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja by Kiprun, a World Athletics Label road race, on Sunday (12).
Lobun, who took the women&rsquo;s title in 29:30, moved to fourth on the world all-time list while Almgren took 11 seconds off the European record, winning the men&rsquo;s race in 26:53.
In a race of incredible depth, the first four women now feature in the top 10 on the world all-time list, while the men&rsquo;s contest marked the first time 11 athletes had finished inside 27:30.
The women&rsquo;s contest had been billed as an assault on the Ethiopian record (29:14) by pre-race favourite Fotyen Tesfay, who won the Valencia Half Marathon in 1:03:21 in October. Paced by Spain&rsquo;s Abedarrahman El Khayami, the lead quartet of Tesfay, Lobun, Girmawit Gebrezihair and teenager Asayech Ayichew went through 3km in 8:46, putting them on course to break the world record of 28:46.
The cadence soon dropped, however, and Tesfay went through 5km in 14:31 with Lobun five seconds behind, Ayichew another two seconds in arrears and Gebrezihair clocking 14:42. Soon after, Tesfay had been reeled back in, and the lead trio &ndash; Tesfay, Lobun and Gebrezihair &ndash; reached 7km in 20:29.
Approaching the final kilometre, Tesfay dropped back, leaving Lobun and Gebrezihair to duel for the victory. Lobun broke away from her Ethiopian rival with 600 metres to go, crossing the line in 29:30 in what was her first standalone 10km race (though she has previously contested two half marathons).
Gebrezihair was second in 29:34, taking more than a minute off her previous best, while a tired Tesfay (29:42) managed to hold off Ayichew (29:43), both women setting PBs. It&rsquo;s just the second time in history &ndash; after last year&rsquo;s Valencia 10k &ndash; that four women have finished inside 30 minutes.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t expect to win but I knew I was in good shape,&rdquo; said Lobun who is based in Kirenget and is coached by Williams Langat. &ldquo;It was my first 10km ever so my debut has been fantastic. I&rsquo;ll next compete on 23 February at the Lobo Village cross country race in Eldoret and later I&rsquo;ll focus on the track season as I try to make the Kenyan team for the World Championships in Tokyo.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6783b272457e1bf7b0238a29.jpg" alt="Hellen Lobun wins the Valencia 10k" />
Hellen Lobun wins the Valencia 10k (&copy; Martin P&eacute;rez for Sportmedia)
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Despite the absence of the scheduled pacemaker Rodrigue Kwizera, who was forced to withdraw because of flu, the men&rsquo;s contest ended up being one of the best ever in terms of depth.
Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Kinyanjui, Vincent Langat and Benard Langat, along with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tadese Worku and Telahun Haile Bekele took charge of the pacing duties with Almgren, Switzerland&rsquo;s Dominic Lobalu and Belgium&rsquo;s Isaac Kimeli also part of the leading pack. The opening 3km was covered in 8:13 and half way was passed in 13:43, suggesting a finishing time well outside 27 minutes.
The pace soon started to increase, though, as Bekele, Langat and Lobalu started to push harder, reaching 7km in 19:05 with seven athletes in the lead pack. The pace, now at 2:40/km, continued to increase as Lobalu, Langat and Almgren reached 9km well ahead of the rest.
European 10,000m champion Lobalu tried to surge in the closing stages, but Langat and Almgren stayed on his shoulder. With just seconds to go, track specialist Almgren put his kick finish to good use and edged in front to cross the line in 26:53, having covered the second half in 13:10.
Lobalu settled for second in 26:54 and Langat completed the podium in 26:55. Further down the field, Uruguay&rsquo;s Santiago Catrofe set a South American record of 27:16 in eighth.
&ldquo;Last year I ran 27:20 here and I knew I could run much faster today,&rdquo; said Almgren, the 2014 world U20 800m bronze medallist who has moved up in distance in recent years and ran 26:53.57 for 10,000m on the track last year. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my first European record so I&rsquo;m over the moon; I&rsquo;ll now spend four weeks in the altitude of Sierra Nevada to focus on my next target, the 3000m at the European Indoor Championships.&rdquo;
In addition to the area records, national records were also set by Switzerland&rsquo;s Lobalu, Eritrea&rsquo;s Dawit Seare (27:21), Great Britain&rsquo;s Rory Leonard (27:38), Spain&rsquo;s Ilias Fifa (27:41) and Ireland&rsquo;s Efrem Giday (27:43).
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Hellen Lobun (KEN) 29:30 2 Girmawit Gebrzihair (ETH) 29:34 3 Fotyen Tesfay (ETH) 29:42 4 Asayech Ayichew (ETH) 29:43 5 Fentaye Belayneh (ETH) 30:00 6 Christine Chesiro (KEN) 30:06 7 Maurine Toroitich (KEN) 30:28 8 Miriam Serem (KEN) 30:29 9 Alice Chemtai (KEN) 30:47 10 Lomi Muleta (ETH) 31:01
Men 1 Andreas Almgren (SWE) 26:53 2 Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (SUI) 26:54 3 Vincent Langat (KEN) 26:55 4 Daniel Kinyanjui (KEN) 27:06 5 Isaac Kimeli (BEL) 27:10 6 Benard Langat (KEN) 27:11 7 Telahun Haile Bekele (ETH) 27:13 8 Santiago Catrofe (URU) 27:16 9 Dawit Seare (ERI) 27:21 10 Celestin Ndikumana (BDI) 27:23
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<h2>Hirpa and Gemechu lead Ethiopian sweep at Dubai Marathon</h2>
Bedatu Hirpa came from behind to take the women&rsquo;s title at the Dubai Marathon in a huge PB of 2:18:27, while marathon debutant Bute Gemechu made it an Ethiopian double by taking the men&rsquo;s title at the World Athletics Label road race in 2:04:51 on Sunday (12).
After an intriguing five-way tussle up to 25km, Dera Dida and training partner Hirpa forged a lead which was to prove unassailable for the pursers. When Dida eased away with 5km to go, it looked as though she was set to repeat her 2023 victory.
But as soon as she came into the lengthy finishing straight, she started to struggle with stomach cramps. At that stage, with less than a kilometre to run, Hirpa was still 10 seconds behind, but the 2015 world U18 1500m champion soon made up the ground and eased into the lead.
Hirpa crossed the line in 2:18:27, a substantial improvement on the PB of 2:21:09 she set in Amsterdam three months ago. Dida finished five seconds behind but was rewarded with a PB of 2:18:32. Tigist Girma, contesting her first marathon since December 2022, was third in 2:20:47.
Bute Gemechu broke away from the leading men&rsquo;s group at 35km. Compatriot Shifera Tamru cut the gap to about 20 metres with two kilometres to go, but his challenge was short-lived.
Gemechu went on to win in 2:04:51, becoming the fifth Ethiopian debutant in succession to win the Dubai men&rsquo;s race. Berehanu Tsegu came through for second place in 2:05:14 ahead of Tamru (2:05:28).
Ethiopian athletes filled the top 16 places in the women&rsquo;s race and the first 14 positions in the men&rsquo;s race.
Women 1 Bedatu Hirpa (ETH) 2:18:27 2 Dera Dida (ETH) 2:18:32 3 Tigist Girma (ETH) 2:20:47 4 Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 2:21:12 5 Bertukan Welde (ETH) 2:21:54 6 Kuftu Tahir (ETH) 2:22:53 7 Gadise Mulu (ETH) 2:23:19 8 Almaz Kebede (ETH) 2:23:30 9 Kebebush Yisma (ETH) 2:24:04 10 Dibabe Beyene (ETH) 2:24:38
Men 1 Bute Gemechu (ETH) 2:04:51 2 Berehanu Tsegu (ETH) 2:05:14 3 Shifera Tamru (ETH) 2:05:28 4 Desalegn Girma (ETH) 2:06:52 5 Dejene Hailu (ETH) 2:07:03 6 Getachew Masresha (ETH) 2:07:04 7 Tadele Demissie (ETH) 2:08:21 8 Boki Diriba (ETH) 2:09:06 9 Embay Goitom (ETH) 2:09:08 10 Yismaw Atinafu (ETH) 2:09:32

Sweden’s Andreas Almgren timed his finish to perfection to win the 10K Valencia Ibercaja in a European record of 26:53

Almgren breaks European 10km record in Valencia, Hirpa comes from behind to win in Dubai

Mattia Furlani made quite the leap in 2024. At the age of just 19, the Italian jumps talent became an Olympic medallist, a world indoor medallist, a European medallist and a world U20 record-holder.
All this in what was deemed a &ldquo;transition year&rdquo; as he made the move from the U20 to senior ranks. It led to him being named Men&rsquo;s Rising Star at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco.
&ldquo;I dreamed of this season. For me, it was a perfect year,&rdquo; he reflected. &ldquo;I am so happy with this season &ndash; from the indoors, to Rome, to the Olympic Games and the final in the Diamond League.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/67768bc8af3e5ee68047caf6.JPG" alt="Rising Stars Mattia Furlani and Sembo Almayew on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2024" />
Rising Stars Mattia Furlani and Sembo Almayew on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2024 (&copy; World Athletics)
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As Furlani explained when receiving his Rising Star award on stage at the Theatre Princesse Grace in Monaco in December, it was the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March that kicked it all off.
&ldquo;Glasgow, it was my first senior medal on the global stage,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There were amazing emotions.&rdquo;
At 19 years and 24 days, Furlani became the youngest athlete in history to win a world indoor medal in the horizontal jumps. His first-round leap of 8.22m matched the mark achieved by multiple global gold medallist Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece, with Tentoglou only beating his teenage rival on countback courtesy of a superior second-best jump.
&ldquo;What a great day &ndash; I have been dreaming about this medal for weeks and I want to thank everybody who has worked with me," said Furlani. "This is the beginning of a long journey.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/678292add504dcd421d3f2f9.jpg" alt="Mattia Furlani at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow" />
Mattia Furlani at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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His journey continued the following month, when he opened his outdoor season at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Suzhou before heading back home to compete in Savona in May. Leaping 8.36m, Furlani added one centimetre to the world U20 record of 8.35m that had been set by Russia&rsquo;s Sergey Morgunov in 2012. In the lead up to the World Indoor Championships, Furlani had jumped 8.34m at the Italian Championships, missing that record by a single centimetre.
&ldquo;Finally! I have been looking for this result for a long time and it means a lot,&rdquo; Furlani told the Italian athletics federation at the time. &ldquo;It means that we are working well and on the right path, on the threshold of two very important events such as the European Championships in Rome and the Paris Olympics.&rdquo;
Furlani was to make the most of both of those opportunities, too. At the European Championships, competing in front of a home crowd once again, he improved the world U20 record to 8.38m to secure another silver medal behind Tentoglou.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6782949a161d001e356d529a.JPG" alt="Mattia Furlani at the World Athletics Awards" />
Mattia Furlani at the World Athletics Awards (&copy; World Athletics)
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Furlani became an Olympic medallist two months later, leaping 8.34m to bag bronze behind Tentoglou and Jamaica&rsquo;s Wayne Pinnock in Paris.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a dream. I live the dream every day,&rdquo; said Furlani afterwards. &ldquo;With dedication, work and belief, I&rsquo;m here with this medal.&rdquo;
It earned him high praise from Tentoglou, too.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I tell him all the time that he is crazy. What he does is unreal,&rdquo; said the two-time Olympic champion. &ldquo;As a young talent, I was jumping eight metres when I was 18 and 19 years old, but I was never able to be so consistent at that young age. It took me a long time to get to that stage.&rdquo;
In total, Furlani surpassed eight metres in eight competitions in 2024. The double 2022 European U18 champion, who claimed gold in both the long jump and high jump in that competition in Jerusalem, has improved his long jump best from 8.04m in 2022 to 8.24m in 2023 and 8.38m in 2024.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62c4c3dfc76235b90dc02f91.jpg" alt="Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani at the European U18 Championships in Jerusalem" />
Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani at the European U18 Championships in Jerusalem (&copy; Getty Images)
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He intends to build on this in 2025, with the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March and the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September his big targets.
&ldquo;It was a transition year for him (in 2024), so I am really happy that he is getting to an elite level. We want to go further,&rdquo; explained his mother Khadidiatou Seck, a former sprinter who is now Furlani&rsquo;s main coach. She guides her son alongside his father Marcello, a 2.27m high jumper. &ldquo;I am really happy for him, with how things have gone this year. I am expecting more in the future.&rdquo;
Furlani agrees. &ldquo;We are very excited because we are working very well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The emotion and these vibes, I want to try to get the best out of myself.&rdquo;
Furlani has great memories of watching the Olympic Games in Tokyo and hopes to be part of another successful Italian team when global athletics action returns to Japan&rsquo;s capital in 2025.
&ldquo;For Italy, it was a special Olympic Games because we got five gold medals,&rdquo; Furlani reflected when asked about his memories of the Games. &ldquo;The gold medal by Gianmarco (Tamberi, in the high jump), because that was when I did high jump and I was not a long jumper.
&ldquo;I saw with my eyes, the emotion. He is one of my biggest inspirations. And the gold medal in the 100m from Marcell (Jacobs). That was a big inspiration, too, because before the 100m, Marcell was a long jumper.&rdquo;
Considering his own progression,&nbsp;Furlani&nbsp;added: &ldquo;Every year I beat my personal best and maybe this year (2024) people expected more evolution from me. Maybe this is one important point of this year: to try to evolve year after year.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

At the age of just 19, the Italian jumps talent became an Olympic medallist, a world indoor medallist, a European medallist and a world U20 record-holder

Rising Star Furlani's leaps of confidence

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

Jepchirchir, Mutiso and Chepngetich confirmed for London Marathon

Clarke’s world record rampage

Ingebrigtsen to make indoor mile debut in Lievin

Meeting record-holders Swoboda, Hailu and Nader return to Ostrava

Tebogo confirmed to run 400m in Melbourne