Olympic champions Noah Lyles, Rai Benjamin and Haruka Kitaguchi will be among the headline acts at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix when the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting returns to Tokyo&rsquo;s National Stadium on Sunday (17).
For many of the leading athletes in action, the meeting offers an early-season opportunity to return to the venue that staged last year&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships. For others, it will be a chance to build on strong starts to 2026.
Lyles will contest his first 100m of the season, returning to the stadium where he won his first Olympic medal five years ago. Now a four-time world 200m champion and Olympic 100m champion, the US sprinter opened his outdoor campaign in Gainesville last month with a 19.91 run over 200m and a 37.78 victory in the 4x100m.
He will be joined by Canada&rsquo;s Jerome Blake, the Olympic 4x100m champion who opened his individual season with a PB of 9.93. Blake will be looking to make amends after pulling up with cramp at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone earlier this month.
The home challenge includes Ryota Yamagata, the Japanese 100m record-holder with 9.95 and a member of the nation&rsquo;s 2016 Olympic silver medal-winning 4x100m team, while 17-year-old Sorato Shimizu will make his first appearance of the year. Shimizu set a world U18 best of 10.00 last year and will now test himself against one of the strongest fields of his young career.
The men&rsquo;s 200m features another strong US contingent. Courtney Lindsey, the world 4x100m champion with a 19.71 PB, is set for his first 200m of the year after clocking 10.02 for 100m last month. He represented the USA in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at last year&rsquo;s World Championships.
He will face Jordan Anthony, the world indoor 60m champion, who has already run a 100m PB of 9.91 and a season&rsquo;s best of 20.07 for 200m this year.
Benjamin, the world and Olympic 400m hurdles champion, contests the 400m flat for his first race of 2026. The US athlete, who has a 400m PB of 44.21, hasn&rsquo;t raced since last year&rsquo;s World Championships.
He faces Zambia&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Muzala Samukonga, who has a PB of 43.74 and recently ran 44.55 to finish second at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi last month. More recently, Samukonga clocked 31.38 over 300m in Pretoria, moving to sixth on the world all-time list.
Japan&rsquo;s Yuki Joseph Nakajima, sixth at last year&rsquo;s World Championships and the national record-holder, will also line up, as will Australia&rsquo;s Reece Holder, fresh from helping his national team break the Oceanian 4x400m record at the World Relays with a 43.12 split. USA&rsquo;s Vernon Norwood adds further depth to the field.
The women&rsquo;s 400m includes two-time world 4x400m champion Britton Wilson, who has a PB of 49.13 and ran 50.66 indoors earlier this year. This will be her first outdoor 400m of the season.
Bailey Lear arrives after helping the USA to victory in the mixed 4x400m at the World Relays and has a season&rsquo;s best of 51.03. Britain&rsquo;s Yemi Mary John, a world and Olympic relay medallist, will also contest her first outdoor 400m of the year after running some strong relay legs in Gaborone.
<h2>Field event stars return to world stage</h2>
Few athletes will command more home support than Kitaguchi. Japan&rsquo;s Olympic javelin champion and 2023 world champion returns to one of the biggest stages in Japanese athletics as she makes her first appearance since last year&rsquo;s World Championships.
Ecuador&rsquo;s Juleisy Angulo, the surprise world champion in Tokyo last year, also makes her first competition appearance since that global triumph.
They are joined by Colombia&rsquo;s Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado, the 2023 world silver medallist, who opened her season with 61.76m last month, and Greece&rsquo;s Elina Tzengko, the Diamond League Final winner and world-ranked No.1, who began her season in March with 58.21m.
The men&rsquo;s javelin features the current world leader, Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka. He threw 89.37m earlier this year and surpassed 89 metres again in Nairobi. Undefeated in four competitions so far this season, the 2025 World Championships seventh-place finisher will aim to extend that winning run in Tokyo.
Czechia&rsquo;s Jakub Vadlejch, a four-time global medallist, three-time Diamond League champion and meeting record-holder, opens his season after an injury-restricted 2025 campaign. Brazil&rsquo;s Luiz Mauricio da Silva, the South American record-holder with 91.00m last year, has an 82.62m season&rsquo;s best.
In the men&rsquo;s high jump, Korea&rsquo;s Woo Sanghyeok, the world silver medallist and two-time world indoor champion, takes on Olympic silver medallist Shelby McEwen of the USA.
<h2>Muratake leads home hopes in hurdles</h2>
Rachid Muratake will be one of the main home hopes on the track. The Japanese 110m hurdles record-holder, Asian champion and 12.92 performer finished fifth at both the 2024 Olympics and last year&rsquo;s World Championships. Last weekend he opened his season with 13.05, the second-fastest time of his career.
He will face USA&rsquo;s Freddie Crittenden, a world and Olympic finalist with a PB of 12.93, and Japan&rsquo;s Shunsuke Izumiya, a 2023 world finalist.
In the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, Alia Armstrong brings strong credentials to the field. The US indoor champion, who finished fourth at the 2022 World Championships, has a PB of 12.32. Jamaica&rsquo;s NACAC champion Amoi Brown and Japanese record-holder Maku Fukube are also in the line-up.
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles features a clash between USA&rsquo;s Chris Robinson and Japan&rsquo;s Ken Toyoda, while the middle-distance races will offer further home interest.
Australia&rsquo;s Jude Thomas, who set a meeting record over 3000m last year, returns to contest the men&rsquo;s 1500m. In the women&rsquo;s 1500m, Japan&rsquo;s Nozomi Tanaka takes on USA&rsquo;s Shelby Houlihan.

SEIKO Golden Grand Prix

Olympic champions Noah Lyles, Rai Benjamin and Haruka Kitaguchi will be among the headline acts at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix

Lyles, Benjamin and Kitaguchi return to Tokyo for Seiko Golden Grand Prix

Many Olympic and world champions will get their Wanda Diamond League seasons under way when the first event of the 2026 series takes place in Shanghai/Keqiao on Saturday (16).
World record-holders Faith Kipyegon, Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm will be joined by fellow global gold medallists such as Shericka Jackson, Cordell Tinch, Letsile Tebogo, Ditaji Kambundji and Daniel St&aring;hl as the sport&rsquo;s leading stars look to make some early season statements.
Sprint showdowns, distance duels and fierce field clashes will set the tone for the season, which features 14 Diamond League meetings before the two-day final in Brussels in September.
Multiple global medallists will collide in the women&rsquo;s 200m. Jamaica&rsquo;s two-time world 200m champion Jackson and USA&rsquo;s world and Olympic 100m medallist Sha'Carri Richardson both contest their first half-lap races of the year, lining up alongside world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt, two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, last year&rsquo;s winner Anavia Battle and Jenna Prandini, who has already clocked 10.97 for 100m and 22.36 for 200m this season.
Olympic 200m champion Tebogo races the 100m, fresh from forming part of Botswana&rsquo;s victorious 4x400m team on home soil at the World Athletics Relays. The field is stacked with sub-10.00 sprinters including two-time Olympic and world 200m medallist Kenny Bednarek, two-time world 100m bronze medallist Trayvon Bromell, South African record-holder Akani Simbine and Lachlan Kennedy, who ran 9.96 to win the Australian title last month.
The women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles stars a clash between the past four global outdoor champions &ndash; Kambundji, Masai Russell, Danielle Williams and world record-holder Tobi Amusan &ndash; and the athlete who has won the past three world indoor 60m hurdles titles: Devynne Charlton.&nbsp;
Tinch stormed into the spotlight in Shanghai last year, clocking 12.87 to move to fourth on the world 110m hurdles all-time list. He returns as the world champion and Diamond League champion, ready for a rematch against Olympic silver medallist Orlando Bennett and Japanese record-holder Rachid Muratake, who clocked 12.92 in 2025.
After winning the 400m hurdles in Shanghai last year, three-time world gold medallist Warholm returns to race the 300m hurdles &ndash; an event for which he owns the world best of 32.67. He races for the first time since the World Championships in Tokyo, where he finished fifth, and he&rsquo;s not easing himself in gently as he faces 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos, 2023 world silver medallist Kyron McMaster and 2022 world bronze medallist Trevor Bassitt.
<h2>Duplantis and Kipyegon make season debuts</h2>
Swedish pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis competed three times during the indoor season &ndash; his performances including another world record &ndash; 6.31m &ndash; and another world indoor title win. Now he opens his outdoor season &ndash; the start of a campaign that he hopes will end with another crown from the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September.
He might not have things all his own way this year, however. In Shanghai he faces Emmanouil Karalis, who moved to second on the world all-time list with a 6.17m clearance in February, as well as two-time world champion Sam Kendricks and two-time world bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall.
Kenya&rsquo;s Faith Kipyegon makes her season opener in the non-Diamond League 5000m &ndash; the event in which she won world gold in 2023 as part of a 1500m and 5000m double. Since then, she has added another world 1500m title and another Olympic 1500m crown to her haul, which now stands at three Olympic and five world titles.
She ran a world 1500m record of 3:48.68 during the Diamond League meeting in Eugene last year and will want to make her mark in the 5000m again after running 14:05.20 &ndash; a since-improved world record &ndash; in Paris in 2023. Her competition this time includes two-time world U20 champion Medina Eisa, two-time world U20 cross-country champion Marta Alemayo and Hirut Meshesha.
Jess Hull got Olympic silver and world bronze behind Kipyegon in Paris and Tokyo, and the Australian races that distance in Shanghai against the athlete who got world silver between them &ndash; Dorcus Ewoi. Olympic 800m silver medallist Tsige Duguma makes her outdoor 1500m debut.
Kenya&rsquo;s 2019 world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot steps up to contest the 3000m against his compatriots Jacob Krop, Edwin Kurgat and Reynold Cheruiyot, the world 1500m bronze medallist. World 10,000m bronze medallist Andreas Almgren adds further strength to the field.
The men&rsquo;s 800m includes three sub-1:43 runners in Wycliffe Kinyamal, Ben Pattison and Peter Bol, while the women&rsquo;s 400m pits Salwa Eid Naser against Nickisha Pryce and two-time world bronze medallist Sada Williams.
Three global gold medallist race in the 3000m steeplechase as world champion Faith Cherotich faces 2022 world champion Norah Jeruto and Tokyo Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai.
There will be a clash of titans in the men&rsquo;s discus as the in-form Matt Denny and Steven Richter go up against three-time world champion Daniel St&aring;hl, Olympic champion Roj&eacute; Stona, 2022 world champion Kristjan Čeh and world bronze medallist Alex Rose. Denny and Richter both threw 74 metres in Ramona last month.
A host of global gold medallists are in shot put action, too. Two-time world outdoor champion Chase Jackson won her first world indoor title in Poland in March ahead of two-time champion Sarah Mitton and they renew their rivalry against world champion Jessica Schilder and Olympic champion Yemisi Mabry (n&eacute;e Ogunleye).
Lex Brown will want to continue her strong form in the long jump after leaping 7.07m last month &ndash; one centimetre farther than the PB Larissa Iapichino set last year. They both compete in Shanghai against world bronze medallist Natalia Linares and 2025 world indoor champion Claire Bryant.
World champion Mattia Furlani leads the non-Diamond League men&rsquo;s long jump field as he takes on world indoor bronze medallist Bozhidar Sar&acirc;boyukov, Tajay Gayle, Wayne Pinnock and home favourite Shi Yuhao, world bronze medallist last year in Tokyo.
&nbsp;

Many Olympic and world champions will get their Wanda Diamond League seasons under way when the first event of the 2026 series takes place in Shanghai/Keqiao

Global stars in Shanghai for start of Diamond League season

World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that World Athletics Council Member Hamad Kalkaba Malboum died on Wednesday (13) at the age of 75.
As well as serving on the World Athletics Council since 2007, Kalkaba Malboum was President of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) for more than two decades.
&ldquo;I have known Hamad Kalkaba Malboum for the best part of 20 years, first meeting him in Mombasa at the World Cross Country Championships in 2007,&rdquo; said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
&ldquo;The character of a man is often shaped early in his life, and this was indeed true of Hamad. He has always been a private and dignified man &ndash; a family man, a sportsman, a military man, a businessman and a musician. A man who has overcome prejudice by exploring the opportunities presented to him and the world around him and by working quietly, calmly and diligently to further himself, his colleagues, his family and whatever mission he was on &ndash; whether that was on the sports track or field, delivering a sporting event, handling military manoeuvres, serving communities, nurturing an orchestra or writing songs and music.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Determination, kindness, excellence and the quiet strength, focus and discipline he has bought to all aspects of his life is how I will remember him best. A man that has always paid homage and respect to his African ancestors, while embracing and accepting global customs and culture quietly, patiently and successfully. He will be missed.&rdquo;
The Cameroonian administrator dedicated his life to athletics and sport. He was born in Kawadji in Cameroon on 11 November 1950 and explored his passions for both sport and music while at school.
His own athletics career saw him focus on the 100m, 200m and long jump, and he was a member of the national 4x100m team between 1970 and 1974.
Kalkaba Malboum then turned his attention to administration and was a leading figure in developing national sports federations in his home country. He became President of the Cameroon Handball Federation in 1976, the same year he first served as Director of Military Sport at the Ministry of Defence of Cameroon.
He was President of the Cameroon Athletics Federation from 1993 to 2001, previously serving as Vice President from 1989.
At the time of his death, as well as being a World Athletics Council Member and CAA President, Kalkaba Malboum was President of the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee, a Member of the IOC Sport and Environment Commission, a Member of the Board of the IOC Olympic Truce Foundation, and Senior Vice President of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation.
World Athletics

Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, 1950-2026

World Athletics Council Member Kalkaba Malboum dies

The World Athletics Ultimate Championship features three nights of finals showcasing the greatest athletes on the planet in their quest to be crowned the champion of champions.&nbsp;
In a new four-part series, we look at some of the key battles brewing ahead of the global gathering in Budapest on 11-13 September. First up, it&rsquo;s the men&rsquo;s track. 
<h3>100m</h3>
Competition will be fierce in the fight to become the sprint king in Budapest. As ever, there&rsquo;s no shortage of contenders for the US$150,000 top prize in an event that often brings the biggest pre-championship buzz.
Oblique Seville won world gold in Tokyo in 9.77 and, last year, was only bettered in pace terms by his Jamaican compatriot Kishane Thompson (9.75), who had to make do with the silver medal.
Third was USA&rsquo;s Noah Lyles, the Olympic champion whose early part to the season was hampered by injury. So far in 2026 that hasn&rsquo;t been the case, and, like Thompson, he tested himself over 60m indoors, the pair clocking bests of 6.46 and 6.51, respectively.
Further afield, excitement is building over the future of Australian Gout Gout, who only turned 18 at the end of last year and has already run 10 seconds flat this year. Talking of newcomers, the new world indoor champion Jordan Anthony will also be looking to transfer that speed outdoors. 
<h3>400m</h3>
Botswana&rsquo;s Collen Kebinatshipi is not a man lacking in confidence. After winning the world title in a thrilling final in Japan, he immediately shifted his sights to Wayde van Niekerk&rsquo;s world record of 43.03.
The 22-year-old would dearly love to shatter that with the world watching the September showcase. The double world champion &ndash; he also sealed gold in the 4x400m &ndash; still has half a second to claw back and he would also have some of the best one-lap runners in the world trying to hunt him down.
Breathing down his neck between now and the Ultimate Championship will be Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Jereem Richards, who was two tenths of a second behind him in the world final, as well as his Botswana compatriot Bayapo Ndori, who came away with the bronze.&nbsp;
The US contingent has promised to hit back with a vengeance come the Budapest clash, while Britain&rsquo;s Matt Hudson-Smith and South African Zakithi Nene, the world&rsquo;s fastest man prior to Tokyo, should again be among the forces to be reckoned with. 
<h3>400m hurdles</h3>
We&rsquo;re in the golden age for the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles. Fans will be eager to find out if world record-holder Karsten Warholm can bounce back to clinch the title. The rebuild is on early in 2026 for the Lego obsessive after the fastest man in the world last year could only finish fifth in the World Championships final.
And what a final it ended up being, with USA&rsquo;s Rai Benjamin winning gold in a season&rsquo;s best. But it was not without drama. Declared the winner, he was then disqualified before being reinstated moments later.
He and Warholm should be duelling again for yet another season but there are no shortage of suitors lining up to catch them along the banks the Danube, notably Brazilian Alison dos Santos, Abderrahman Samba of Qatar and Nigeria&rsquo;s Ezekiel Nathaniel.

World Athletics Ultimate Championship

A look at the key head to heads for men's track in the build-up to the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26

Ultimate clashes: men’s track

After running a world record of 1:59:30 in London, Sabastian Sawe has confirmed that he will return to the BMW Berlin Marathon to defend his title at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on 27 September.
With that performance in London last month, the Kenyan 31-year-old became the first athlete to officially break two hours for the marathon &ndash; taking 65 seconds off the previous world record set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 and surpassing Eliud Kipchoge&rsquo;s 1:59:41 exhibition performance from 2019.
It was Sawe&rsquo;s first race since winning the Berlin Marathon in September in 2:02:16 &ndash; which was then the second-fastest marathon of his career behind the 2:02:05 he ran in Valencia in 2024.
&ldquo;I am very happy to return to the BMW Berlin Marathon this year and to defend my title,&rdquo; Sawe told event organisers.
&ldquo;Many people may be wondering what my goals are this time. After coming off my win in London and sub-2 performance, I can only say that, like always, I plan to prepare myself to the best of my ability and to come to Berlin to honour this great event and organisation which has invited me, and to run as well and fast as possible. Then, on the day, we will see what will happen.&rdquo;
Berlin is one of the fastest marathons in the world &ndash; eight consecutive men&rsquo;s world records were set there between 2003 and 2022. The course record is Kipchoge&rsquo;s 2:01:09, run in 2022.
Sawe is unbeaten in his marathon career so far. The 2:02:05 he ran to win in Valencia in 2024 came on his marathon debut and he followed it with 2:02:27 to win in London the following April, 2:02:16 to win in Berlin and then 1:59:30 to retain his title in London. On a landmark day for marathon running, Yomif Kejelcha finished second in 1:59:41 &ndash; the second-fastest time in history and the fastest marathon debut ever &ndash; and Jacob Kiplimo joined them in finishing inside the previous world record, placing third in 2:00:28. Tigst Assefa also successfully defended her title, improving her own women-only world record to 2:15:41.

Sabastian Sawe has confirmed that he will return to the BMW Berlin Marathon to defend his title at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race

World record-holder Sawe to defend Berlin Marathon crown

Brian Pintado, Hayato Katsuki and Alegna Gonz&aacute;lez headline the Grande Pr&eacute;mio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha &ndash; a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting &ndash; in Rio Maior, Portugal, on Saturday (16).
On top of that, Perseus Karlstr&ouml;m is set to race the half marathon twice in eight days following the global medallist&rsquo;s 12th place at the Poděbrady Gold Tour race last week.
Also heading south from the Czechia spa town is Glenda Morej&oacute;n. Ecuador&rsquo;s Olympic marathon mixed relay silver medallist recorded a modest 1:37:54 for 11th place in Poděbrady, but it was her first race of the year. She will surely expect to build on that.
Just as intriguing is the entry from her teammate Pintado.
The man who reigned supreme at the Paris Olympics in the 20km lined up in Poděbrady for the park course but barely completed a 1km lap before stepping to one side.
His social media post says he is in week 11 of 127 towards the next Olympics in Los Angeles following hip surgery last year, so maybe this is another tentative toe in competitive waters as he bids to regain form.
By contrast, Katsuki is in excellent shape.
The Japanese athlete, who claimed world 35km bronze in Tokyo and won the marathon at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Bras&iacute;lia last month, sits eighth on the world all-time list following his 1:22:06 at his country&rsquo;s half marathon championships in February.
Even then, it was good only for sixth in a race that brought an inaugural world record for Toshikazu Yamanishi &ndash; 1:20:34.
But Katsuki&rsquo;s mark is nearly two minutes better than anyone else&rsquo;s at Rio Maior.
Next best is Karlstr&ouml;m, who race walked 1:24:58 at the Dudinska 50 in March, a time that was good enough to win. The popular Swede is a keen racer, but he was a tired finisher in Poděbrady.
He has hands full to beat Katsuki, and maybe C&eacute;sar Rodr&iacute;guez, who has raced sparingly since he set a Peruvian 20km record of 1:18:23 in La Coru&ntilde;a two years ago but clearly has the pedigree needed to go with the leaders.
Like Pintado, Mexico&rsquo;s Noel Chama was a non-finisher in Poděbrady but he went into the race having clocked 1:27:28 to win at the USATF Championships in January.
Uzbekistan&rsquo;s Rasulbek Dilmurodov is also one to watch. He recorded 1:25:31 to get bronze at the Asian Championships in March and a place on the podium in Portugal likewise beckons.
The women&rsquo;s race sees a half marathon debut for Alegna Gonz&aacute;lez.
The Mexican world 20km silver medallist set an area record of 1:26:06 in Tokyo and on paper is head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the field.
Viviane Lyra race walked 1:41:24 at the Gold Tour event in Taicang at the beginning of March and was fifth, in 3:34:53, on home soil for the full marathon at the World Race Walking Team Championships.
Antigoni Ntrismpioti also lines up for her first race of the year. The Greek athlete won double gold at the European Championships in 2022, as well as bronze at the 2023 World Championships, and celebrated her 42nd birthday in March. She knows all about racing the best in Tour events.
A fifth Poděbrady racer is also keen to give it a second shot in the same week: Valeria Ortu&ntilde;o. The Mexican&rsquo;s 1:41:58 suggests the battle for third place behind Gonz&aacute;lez and Morej&oacute;n should be competitive.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics

Brian Pintado, Hayato Katsuki and Alegna González headline the Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha

Pintado, Katsuki and González lead fields for Rio Maior

World U20 silver medallists Gout Gout and Izobelle Louison-Roe have been named on Australia&rsquo;s team for the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on 5-9 August.
With 75 athletes selected, it is set to be&nbsp;Australia&rsquo;s biggest team in the history of the global U20 event.
Gout secured 200m silver in Lima in 2024 and has gone on to become a world U20 record-breaker in the discipline, clocking 19.67 in Sydney in April.
The 18-year-old is entered for the 200m and the 4x400m in Oregon.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited to get out there at World Athletics U20s in Eugene, Oregon,&rdquo; Gout told Australian Athletics.
&ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s a great stadium and place to run fast, and I feel confident I&rsquo;ll be ready to step up and make Australia proud. I&rsquo;ll be competing in the 200m but I&rsquo;m also excited to join in the 4x400m on the last day.&rdquo;
Louison-Roe&nbsp;also claimed silver in Lima, in the high jump. The 18-year-old, who cleared a PB of 1.95m in January and matched that mark in March, is entered for both the high jump and the triple jump and will decide which event she will contest closer to the competition.
Mason McGroder claimed long jump bronze in Lima and the 17-year-old also returns to the global stage.
Isaac Beacroft is another major medallist on the team. The 18-year-old won the U20 10km race walk at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya in 2024 and finished second in this year&rsquo;s event in Bras&iacute;lia. He also has experience of competing at the World U20 Championships as he finished fourth in the 10,000m race walk in Lima two years ago. In Oregon he will contest the 5000m race walk.
<h3>Australian team for Oregon:</h3>
WOMEN 100m:&nbsp;Zara Hagan, Maya Taber 200m: Zara Hagan, Amaya Mearns 400m: Alice Hill, Shari Hurdman 800m: Ivy Boothroyd,&nbsp;Emma Fryga 1500m: Mia Gray, Milla Roberts 3000m: Imogen Baker, Eliza Lawton 5000m: Imogen Baker, Libby Mantay 3000m steeplechase: Helena Butler, Tessa Ebert 100m hurdles: Jamison Harding, Tammin Lampret 400m hurdles: Shakira Harding, Maiya Hewitt 5000m race walk: Sophie Polkinghorne, Zoe Woods High jump: Izobelle Louison-Roe Pole vault: Jamison Harding, Rangi Khushnoor Long jump: Geena Davy Triple jump: Izobelle Louison-Roe Shot put: Manaia Coulter, Lauren Kelly Discus: Riley-Jay Henry-Purcell, Chelsy Wayne Heptathlon: Bailey Van Den Broek, Isabella Wing 4x100m: Grace Crowe,&nbsp;Mackenzie Estlick, Zara Hagan, Amaya Mearns, Leah O&rsquo;Brien, Thewbelle Philp,&nbsp;Emilia Reed,&nbsp;Maya Taber 4x400m: Samara Bond,&nbsp; Alice Hill, Shari Hurdman, Naomi Krajancic, Xanthee Watts, Charlotte McAuliffe
MEN 100m:&nbsp;Uwezo Lubenda, Zavier Peacock 200m: Gout Gout, Zavier Peacock&nbsp; 400m: Chase Grant, Seth Kennedy 800m:&nbsp;Harry Halleen, Daniel Williams 1500m: Alexander Cameron-Smith, Kieran Shepherd 3000m: Charles Barrett, Matthew McLachlan 5000m: Charles Barrett, Lucas Chis 3000m steeplechase: Jonathan Neethling 110m hurdles: Oliver Facer, Harrison Purcell 400m hurdles: Will Tait, Ethan Williams 5000m race walk: Isaac Beacroft, Owen Toyne Long jump: Mason McGroder, Luke Vrataric Triple jump: Lian Anagnostopoulos, Daniel Okerenyang Discus: Elijah Wilson Hammer: Connor Hopgood, Xavier Leauma Decathlon: Xavier Davie, Wyatt Hill 4x100m: Paul Ehioghae, Kelechi Ekwomadu, Dylan Hall, Josiah John, Hugh Kabengele, Uwezo Lubenda, Zavier Peacock 4x400m: Gout Gout, Chase Grant, Fred Hamblin, Seth Kennedy, Dashiell Muir, Dylan Ruming, Terrell Thorne

World Athletics U20 Championships

Gout Gout and Izobelle Louison-Roe have been named on Australia’s team for the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on 5-9 August.

World U20 medallists Gout and Louison-Roe lead Australian team for Oregon

When war broke out in South Sudan in 2011, seven-year-old Kun Waar Liem fled to the Dadaab Refugee Camp in northeastern Kenya while his parents escaped to Ethiopia. He has not seen them since.
"We were in different places then, and survival came first. So we split. My parents and siblings went to Ethiopia. My elder sister and I came to Kenya."
He didn't know it yet, but years later, the refugee camp that once offered safety also became the starting block to his athletics career.
Kun, a 200m runner, is among the five athletes who will represent the Athlete Refugee Team (ART), an initiative of World Athletics, at the African Championships in Accra, Ghana, from 12-17 May.
His teammate, Solomon Okeny, crossed over to Kenya in 2010 with his mother and five siblings to Kakuma Refugee Camp. He initially started with football, playing for Kakuma United, but he got into running by chance.
"I saw a race where winners got water and glucose,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In Kakuma&rsquo;s heat, that was enough. I joined and that&rsquo;s how I discovered I could run."
The duo trains in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, under Duncan Ayiemba, who also coaches Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala.
"He (Omanyala) mentors us a lot on how to progress in sprinting," says Kun. "When we are in training, we just try to catch up with him, and that's how we gain."
Okeny, who is a staunch fan of 400m world record-holder Wayde Van Niekerk, supports his sisters in Kakuma, by paying their school fees through his allowances and by teaching yoga, a skill he has learned over time.
"I left school to take care of my sisters,&rdquo; says Okeny. &ldquo;When free education ended in Kakuma and fees were introduced, I worried they might be pushed into early marriage. So I chose to lift them up through education. I'll go back to school this year."
While the sprinters train in Nairobi, the middle and long-distance teams are based in Kaptagat, approximately 300 kilometres northwest of Kenya's capital. The team is trained by 2007 world 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei.
Like Kun and Okeny, Abdifatah Aden Hassan is preparing for his first major race outside Kenya, but the 1500m specialist is still unsure of the whereabouts of his parents. Hassan fled his home country, Ethiopia, in 2009, and he thinks his parents are still there.
"When the war started, people scattered. I went with the nearest relatives I could find, and we ended up in Dadaab Refugee Camp. I&rsquo;ve been searching for my parents ever since, but I haven&rsquo;t been successful yet."
He found his sister in Dadaab and grew up in the refugee camp. Hassan&rsquo;s talent was spotted through the IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship programme and the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation.
"We are refugees by name, not by choice,&rdquo; says Hassan. &ldquo;Let's live like others and work towards our goals; my dream for Accra is to be the best version of myself."
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64f5c2e03e15ad537cf367a3.jpg" alt="Perina Lokure Nakang at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
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Perina Lokure Nakang at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
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For Lokoro Dario (men's 5000m) and Perina Nakang (women's 800m), the African Championships won't be their first major international outing. South Sudan's Dario competed at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 and is hoping for a better outing in Ghana.
"I ran the 3000m in Peru, but I will be competing in the 5000m in Ghana,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I ran 16:13 in the Athletics Kenya trials, and my target now is to lower it."
Nakang, also a native of South Sudan, remembers how her aunt grabbed her in the middle of one night in 2010 after the war broke out. They fled to Kakuma and were only reunited with her mother six years later.
She is the most experienced in the group, having competed in two World Athletics Championships and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and is now ready to make her continental debut.
"The training has been going well,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I am just fine-tuning a few things. It helps to have a world champion as a coach, and I am hoping to lower my personal best in Accra."
Susan Nakiro is also part of the team in Kaptagat, but an injury ruled her out of the African Championships, which has only deepened her resolve to fight through another challenge in life.
In 2017, her parents left Nakiro, who is the eldest, and her five siblings at their home in Lauru, South Sudan, to work at a nearby mining site when war broke out.
"When the gunshots went off, it was scary, and I didn't know what was going on. I gathered my siblings, and I followed the fleeing villagers. The first few nights, we slept in the forest until we reached what I came to know as Kakuma Refugee Camp."
She found her aunt in Kakuma, but the harsh living conditions there meant that she had to fend for her siblings, which practically made her the head of the family at 14 years old.
In 2025, she was picked to join the group after she emerged second in the 200m, before she was later advised to switch to 1500m.
Her siblings are still in Kakuma, but she can now pay for their rent and food with the allowances she gets while in camp.
As they prepare to line up in Accra, the members of the Athlete Refugee Team do so with different stories, different targets and different distances to cover. But each arrives with the same purpose: to make the most of an opportunity earned through talent, resilience and the belief that their circumstances do not define the limits of their ambitions.
Martin Moses for World Athletics

When war broke out in South Sudan in 2011, seven-year-old Kun Waar Liem fled to the Dadaab Refugee Camp in northeastern Kenya

Five members of Athlete Refugee Team to compete at African Championships

Philemon Kiriago and Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga claimed victories in the long-distance races at Transvulcania on Saturday (9), leading a sweep for Kenyan athletes across the four races held during the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup weekend on La Palma where all four winners also broke course records.
Kiriago won the men&rsquo;s long-distance race in 2:07:43 after a dramatic battle over the closing stages with France&rsquo;s Anthony Felber, who finished just four seconds behind in 2:07:47. Richard Omaya Atuya and Sweden&rsquo;s Linus Hulteg&aring;rd shared third place in 2:08:15 after crossing the line together.
Gitonga was more dominant in the women&rsquo;s race, taking control on the long climb before extending her advantage on the descent to win in a course record of 2:22:50. Fellow Kenyan Joyce Muthoni Njeru finished second in 2:25:39, with Great Britain&rsquo;s Kirsty Skye Dickson taking third in 2:33:21.
The long-distance race, the first in that discipline on this year&rsquo;s WMRA World Cup circuit, covered 25 kilometres with more than 2100 metres of ascent on the volcanic terrain of La Palma in the Canary Islands. Starting from the Faro de Fuencaliente lighthouse, runners tackled the demanding Ruta de los Volcanes route before finishing at Refugio de El Pilar.
In the men&rsquo;s race, the Kenyan Run2gether On Trail trio of Atuya, Kiriago and Ephantus Mwangi Njeri quickly moved to the front and remained together through the early stages. Atuya gradually opened a gap on the long climb and reached the high point at Las Deseadas more than two minutes ahead of Kiriago and Njeri.
But the race changed dramatically on the descent. Kiriago, the 2025 world mountain running champion, steadily reeled in his teammate before moving into the lead on the final downhill section. Felber also closed rapidly in the closing kilometres, pushing Kiriago all the way to the finish before the Kenyan prevailed by four seconds.
Atuya held on for third after matching Hulteg&aring;rd stride for stride on the run-in, while Njeri was forced to withdraw following a fall on the descent.
Gitonga&rsquo;s victory was built on the climb. After establishing an early lead, she steadily increased her advantage over Njeru and Dickson through the ascent to Las Deseadas, reaching the summit around three minutes clear.
The Kenyan maintained her momentum over the descent to seal an emphatic victory and underline her growing status on the World Cup circuit. Njeru held on for second, while Dickson secured another podium finish after placing runner-up in the uphill race earlier in the weekend.
Two days prior, Kiriago and Gitonga had both secured podium finishes in the uphill races as compatriots Atuya and Njeru claimed victories in record-breaking performances.
A high-calibre elite field took to the start line in the Port of Tazacorte on Thursday (7) for a 7.3km course demanding 1200m of vertical ascent.
The opening kilometres offered a steep start as athletes wound their way along zigzags overlooking the sea, through verdant terrain along the GR131 long-distance hiking trail in the warm evening sunshine. There was some brief respite in the form of a gentle road section, but the course's character shifted markedly as the field progressed beyond the El Time Viewpoint at 513 metres and the Hungarian House at 624 metres. Beyond those landmarks, the route became considerably more hostile &ndash; rocky underfoot and unrelentingly steep &ndash; while descending cloud cover brought cooler temperatures and added a further dimension of difficulty.
The leading contenders set off at a furious pace to take advantage of the brief stretch of flat road before the climb began. The elite field started at one-minute intervals in a time trial format, adding to the drama at the finish line, where conditions continued to deteriorate as the race went on.
Dickson (55:37) and USA&rsquo;s Tyler McCandless (50:09) set the early marks to beat in the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s races respectively, but they had a nail-biting wait to see if they could hang on to their positions.
Kiriago and Atuya have had many close battles in World Cup uphill races, and this one was no different. Kiriago set off last, and the chase was on. Ephantus Mwangi Njeri took a chunk off McCandless&rsquo;s lead, finishing in 47:39, but Atuya then reached the summit in a record time of 45:01.
Only Kiriago and Sweden&rsquo;s Martin Nilsson had the chance to beat him, but Kiriago fell short for once, settling for second place in 47:33. Anthony Felber of France was fourth in 48:20 and Nilsson was fifth in 48:46.
In the women&rsquo;s race, it looked as though Dickson might hang on as Gitonga reached the finish line in 58:00. But Muthoni Njeru and her compatriot Philaries Jeruto Kisang remained out on the course and Muthoni Njeru &ndash; who won in Changping &ndash; showed strong form again and took the win in a record 55:02.
Dickson held on to second place ahead of Gitonga, while Italy&rsquo;s Benedetta was fourth in 58:30 and Spain&rsquo;s Moana Lilly Kehres fifth in 58:35. Kisang did not finish.
Kirsty Reade (WMRA) for World Athletics

Richard Omaya Atuya and Joyce Muthoni Njeru secured a Kenyan double at the Transvulcania uphill, the fourth stage of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup

Kiriago and Gitonga lead Kenyan sweep at Transvulcania

Peru&rsquo;s Kimberly Garc&iacute;a and Italy&rsquo;s Francesco Fortunato produced masterclasses to win the half marathons at the Poděbrady Walking &ndash;&nbsp;a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting &ndash; in Poděbrady, Czechia, on Friday (8).&nbsp;
In fact, double 2022 world champion Garc&iacute;a was just five seconds away from posting the best-ever time for the new distance. Had she encountered any opposition from 9km on, the mark set in March by China&rsquo;s Jiang Yunyan &ndash; 1:31:39 &ndash; would likely be history.
Even so, 1:31:44 represents a return to top form for Garc&iacute;a, as well as a South American record.
The Peruvian kept up a relentless pace to leave her main rivals Antonella Palmisano and Paula Torres in her wake. In fairness to Olympic champion Palmisano, it was her first major race of the year and she did well to record 1:32:21, an Italian record.
But for Ecuador&rsquo;s world 35km bronze medallist Torres, the day ended in disappointment. After coasting to marathon victory at the World Race Walking Team Championships in April, she was off the pace by halfway.
In fact, Torres kept going backwards before picking up a time penalty with a lap to go. She ruefully unlaced her shoes to call it a day in the penalty zone.
Just after 9km, Garc&iacute;a put the hammer down to open up a gap first on Palmisano, and then Torres. Garc&iacute;a reached the 10-kilometre mark in 43:20 with Torres seven seconds in arrears and Palmisano five seconds behind that &ndash; a gap that just kept on growing.
By 17km, the race for first place was over. Garc&iacute;a had 44 seconds over Palmisano, and 2:32 on Spain's Lucia Redondo.
Redondo&rsquo;s excellent 1:34:22 PB secured the 22-year-old third place. But perhaps the biggest surprise was Lauren Harris in fourth place &ndash; she set a US record of 1:36:04, a giant 3:24 off her PB.
France&rsquo;s Ana Delahaie was fifth and there was hometown success for Ema Klimentova who was sixth in a PB of 1:36:59. There were PBs as well as national records all the way to 18th place.
The men's race was nearly a repeat of the World Race Walking Team Championships in Bras&iacute;lia as Fortunato clocked an inaugural European record of 1:23:00 to beat Brazil&rsquo;s world 20km champion Caio Bonfim (1:23:40). Only Ethiopia&rsquo;s Misgana Wakuma &ndash; runner-up in Bras&iacute;lia &ndash; was missing.
This time, former Poděbrady winner Christopher Linke completed the top three in 1:23:45.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69fe45e6737afeeace2ca29e.JPG" alt="Francesco Fortunato in Poděbrady" />
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Francesco Fortunato in Poděbrady (&copy; Czech Athletic Federation <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Ondřej Plech&aacute;ček)
Fortunato also enjoyed a last lap of splendid isolation. That was because David Hurtado got ushered into the penalty zone barely a kilometre from home.
Hurtado &ndash; marathon runner-up in Bras&iacute;lia &ndash; was the Italian&rsquo;s last challenger for victory, one Fortunato previously achieved in 2023.
In the battle for fourth place, Italy&rsquo;s Andrea Cosi edged 2017 world champion Eider Arevalo on the line, both athletes clocking 1:23:59.
The major early eye-opener was Brian Pintado stepping off the course little more than a lap in. The Olympic champion is working his way back to full fitness following hip surgery but clearly has a way to go. Bonfim also appeared to be struggling, but appearances were deceiving.
Cosi was leading at 10km, passed in 40:37, with the chasers starting to splinter.&nbsp;But Bonfim&rsquo;s internal metronome was working overtime as he ticked off laps to make his way back to the leaders, with then only six in touch.&nbsp;
At 17km, it was Fortunato&rsquo;s turn to make a bid for home. Only Hurtado could live with the pace as Bonfim dug in yet again to leave Cosi straining in his wake.
That extra effort cost Hurtado. With a lap to go, he was ushered into the penalty zone, his race effectively over.
That was that as far as the places were concerned.&nbsp;
Aur&eacute;lien Quinion was just behind Cosi and Arevalo, clocking 1:24:00 for sixth place. Leo Kopp was seventh in 1:24:27, Declan Tingay eighth in 1:24:49 and Ivan Lopez ninth in 1:25:05. A third previous Poděbrady winner, Perseus Karlstr&ouml;m, was a tired 10th in 1:25:31.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-race-walking-tour/calendar-results/7228658/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
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Peru’s Kimberly García and Italy’s Francesco Fortunato produced masterclasses to win the half marathons at the Poděbrady Walking 

García and Fortunato set area records to win in Poděbrady

At first, all you can make out is a blur of six figures getting into sprinting motion far down the light brown cinder track. A spectator in a blue baseball cap temporarily obscures the view. Then you get a nine-second glimpse of the sprinter in lane four pulling clear majestically &ndash; before another cap obscures any sight of Tommie Smith crossing the finish line into track and field history.
The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHkvb2v8sn0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grainy 60-year-old cine-film clip available on YouTube</a> shows more of the San Jose State star jogging gracefully back up his home college track than it does of him becoming the first man to break 20 seconds for both the 200m and 220 yards.
At least we can still get a glimpse of this long-forgotten, long-buried piece of athletics antiquity &ndash; and of the breathtaking grace of the man whose super-smooth sprinting style was once described as &ldquo;like pouring oil on to glass&rdquo;.
Tommie Smith is much more than the legend renowned for the iconic black-gloved, head-bowed protest for human rights that he and his US and San Jose State teammate John Carlos so courageously struck on the medal podium after winning gold and bronze respectively in the men&rsquo;s 200m at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69fc84047c6efb03ccadeddd.jpg" alt="Tommie Smith wins the 1968 Olympic 200m title" />
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Tommie Smith wins the 1968 Olympic 200m title (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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At one time, the childhood sharecropper from East Texas held 11 world records simultaneously. That evening at San Jose State, on 7 May 1966, Smith was clocked on a straight track at 19.5 by timekeepers stationed at both 200m and 220 yards &ndash; just 1.17m beyond.
In doing so, the 22-year-old sociology student took a half-second chunk off the 20.0 world record set by Dave Sime in 1956 (in a race which included Smith&rsquo;s older brother, George), and equalled by Frank Budd, another compatriot, in 1962 &ndash; and by Smith himself at San Jose in 1966 (after which he set off on a 12-hour civil rights march to San Francisco).
The barrier-breaking feat &ndash; two years before Smith&rsquo;s 19.8 200m curve world record in the Olympic final &ndash; was hailed by Track and Field News as &ldquo;the greatest performance in the history of track and field &ndash; greater than Randy Matson&rsquo;s 21.52m shot put and Ron Clarke&rsquo;s 27:39.4 10,000m, according to the Portuguese Scoring Tables.&rdquo;
The timekeepers clocked Smith at 200m in 19.4, 19.5 and 19.6 and at 220 yards in 19.5, 19.5 and 19.6. The rules in place stipulated that if two or more times were identical then that would be the official one, but if all three were different then the middle one would be recorded.
&ldquo;I thought there was a good chance for a record, but it was my third race of the day and I hadn&rsquo;t concentrated on it or thought about it a lot,&rdquo; said Smith, who finished half a second clear of runner-up Wayne Herman in near-perfect conditions, assisted by a following wind of 1.84 metres per second.
Earlier in the all-comers meet, Smith had run a scorching 9.2 4x110 yards relay leg and a wind-assisted 9.3 for 100 yards.
Nordy Jensen, in his meticulous account for Track and Field News, wrote of Smith &ldquo;slipping into his fluid &lsquo;Tommie-jet&rsquo; gear.&rdquo; &ldquo;Many coaches and observers feel that he has a special gear that no other athletes have,&rdquo; he added.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t consciously feel a change of gear,&rdquo; Smith mused: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just that I have extra speed at the end. My stride at the end of the race is longer than at the start, and this makes a difference.&rdquo;
At 1.90m (6ft 3in) and 78kg (173lb), Smith was on the large side for a sprinter. He perfected a smooth, high-stepping, long-striding technique under the expert guidance of San Jose&rsquo;s celebrated track coach Lloyd C &lsquo;Bud&rsquo; Winter, whose &lsquo;Speed City&rsquo; stable also included John Carlos and two other prot&eacute;g&eacute;s who won Olympic gold medals in world record times: Lee Evans (400m) and Ronnie Ray Smith (4x100m).
&ldquo;Tommie has that uncanny ability to sustain speed longer,&rdquo; Winter enthused. &ldquo;We measured his stride from 120 yards out in lane four and at that stage it was 8ft 5in (2.57m) up to about 20 yards from the tape. Then it was 8ft 7in (2.62m) and his last three strides were 8ft 9in (2.67m).
&ldquo;This tells us something. It indicates that he is accelerating at the end of a 220 when most are decelerating.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69fc83d87c6efb03ccadedda.jpg" alt="Tommie Smith's stride" />
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Tommie Smith's stride (&copy; World Athletics <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Gundlach)
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The range of Smith&rsquo;s talent was similarly huge. He could run 100m in 10.1 (missing the world record by 0.1 in 1966), clocked a 400m world record of 44.5 and ran a 4x400m leg in 43.8. He also boasted a long jump PB of 7.90m, which was measured at 8.18m from the point of take-off.
The extent of Smith&rsquo;s mental strength is more difficult to quantify, but it is evident throughout the 260 pages of Silent Gesture, the inspirational autobiography he penned with journalist David Steele.
It has shades of The Grapes of Wrath. One of 12 children in a sharecropping family, the young Smith gained physical strength from 12-hour shifts picking and chopping cotton. He was six when his family journeyed two days by truck from East Texas to a new life, living in communal shacks and working in the fields of California.
His Olympic triumph in Mexico, when he turned on the &lsquo;Tommie-jets&rsquo; to fly past Carlos with 60m remaining, was achieved despite being carried away on a stretcher after suffering an adductor pull in his 200m semi-final &ndash; and in the face of death threats.
Banned and banished from Mexico by the International Olympic Committee after his podium protest, Smith was ostracised and threatened on his return home. He spent three years as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals American football team before working as a sociology lecturer and track coach, all the while continuing to champion the cause of human rights.
On the podium in Mexico, while Smith and Carlos performed their silent gesture, the Australian silver medallist Peter Norman wore a pin badge in support of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, the movement set up to campaign against the treatment of Black people in the United States and beyond.
When Norman died in 2006, Smith and Carlos travelled to Melbourne for his funeral, delivering eulogies and acting as pallbearers.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage 
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Remembering Tommie Smith's 19.5 clocking for 200m on a straight track

Smith’s historic straight-track 19.5

<h3>Road to two million: campaign aims to inspire 700,000-plus kids to get moving in 2026&nbsp;</h3>
 Children around the world are celebrating five years of Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day by getting involved in the month-long campaign to inspire at least 700,000 more young people to get moving in 2026.&nbsp;
Kids&rsquo; Athletics is an initiative that uses the power of athletics to inspire children around the world to be more active. Since its launch in 2022, Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day &ndash; celebrated annually on 7 May &ndash; has grown into a truly global celebration, reaching 1.3 million children across schools, clubs and communities. Now, to mark the five-year milestone, the goal is to take that total to two million.&nbsp;
Each Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day has offered a new theme and new ways to engage children in fun, inclusive and age-appropriate athletics activities. The 2026 theme celebrates the power of FIVE, highlighting five years of impact and focusing on celebration and connection. This year&rsquo;s campaign encourages local creativity while contributing to one shared global goal: getting more children moving, more often, through athletics. &nbsp;
The 2026 campaign kicked off in style as Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo joined 50 local children in his home country of Botswana for a special activation on the eve of the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26. In his role as a Kids&rsquo; Athletics ambassador, Tebogo encouraged the children as they took part in movement-based activities and relay-inspired challenges.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69f4b0ed52499bbed3d5ed76.jpg" alt="Letsile Tebogo and Sebastian Coe at the Kids' Athletics activation in Gaborone" />
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Letsile Tebogo and Sebastian Coe at the Kids' Athletics activation in Gaborone (&copy; World Athletics <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Christel Saneh)
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Alongside this, the Botswana Athletics Association hosted more than 400 children for a Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day festival just outside the National Stadium. The children then had the chance to watch the World Relays in person, receiving tickets from World Athletics and the local organising committee to ensure they were part of history.&nbsp;
As well as watching from the stands, several children had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join their heroes on the track in their roles as baton kids. For select 4x400m races including all the finals, the baton kids handed over race batons to each team as they were introduced at the start line. The children were embraced by the athletes as they joined in on team introductions, gave high fives and rubbed shoulders with the sport&rsquo;s stars.&nbsp;
<h2>Uganda leads global leaderboard&nbsp;</h2>
As the five-year participation total moves ever closer to the two million target, member federations around the world are logging their activities on the global leaderboard.&nbsp;
After just six full days of activities during a campaign period that runs from 1-31 May, Uganda is already well ahead with more than 37,000 kids having participated in 22 activations across the country.&nbsp;
A four-way battle is emerging for the other podium places as Benin, Brazil, Kenya and Venezuela have each already inspired some 5000 children to take part in multiple events.&nbsp;
Brazil has so far hosted 54 activations across the country, following a campaign led by the national federation. There are more than 80 athletics training centres across Brazil and the training centre with the highest level of engagement will receive recognition from the Confedera&ccedil;&atilde;o Brasileira de Atletismo.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69fc53c85723d53b3fee17f0.jpeg" alt="Kids' Athletics Day activity in China" />
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Kids' Athletics Day activity in China
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Elsewhere, China kicked off its Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day celebrations in Linfen on 4 May, when 700 children took part in a day-long festival as part of a larger sports week hosted by the Shanxi Provence. A range of activities were on offer, including a 1km obstacle run around the local park. More activations are planned throughout China, where the target is to reach 10,000 people.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In Portugal, 3500 children have participated in 19 events held by schools and clubs across the country. Activations have also included teacher and coach education workshops to build local capability, and equipment-making workshops where equipment has been made from recyclables to teach children about the value of sustainability and recycling. Their mascot has also been visiting tourist locations in major cities to promote nationwide presence across all districts.
Per capita, three island nations have made their mark so far &ndash; Antigua leads the way, followed by Mauritius and Saint Lucia.
The campaign follows the recent launch of the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/kids-athletics/news/kids-athletics-app-launches" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kids&rsquo; Athletics app</a>, a free digital resource designed to make Kids&rsquo; Athletics activities more accessible to children, schools, clubs, coaches, teachers and families around the world.&nbsp;
This year&rsquo;s Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day campaign runs until 31 May so there is still a long way to go. Check out <a href="https://www.kidsathleticsday.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kidsathleticsday.org</a> for real time results and everything you need to activate in your own community.&nbsp;

Campaign aims to inspire 700,000-plus kids to get moving in 2026 

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