The Cross Cup de Hannut (1941), one of the mainstays of the international cross-country season for more than 80 years, has been awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque (category: Competition) ahead of its next edition this Sunday (26).
The World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting, hosted by the municipality of Hannut in the province of Liege, Belgium, has annually attracted many of the world&rsquo;s best runners beginning with Gaston Reiff, Belgium&rsquo;s 1948 Olympic 5000m champion, who won the 1943 and 1947 editions. The most successful runner of all time in Hannut is the seven-time winner Gaston Roelants, the 1964 Olympic steeplechase champion and multiple world record-breaker.
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Heritage Plaque</a> is a location-based recognition, awarded for an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field athletics and of out of stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe commented: &ldquo;I am delighted that Hannut&rsquo;s cross country running history is being recognised with this award. Over 80 years since its foundation, the annual Cross Cup Hannut has embedded itself into the culture of this small Belgian town which since 2022 has been a Gold member of the World Cross Country Tour.
&ldquo;The event&rsquo;s reputation for excellence, which consistently assembles top international elite fields, has not come by accident but thanks to the hard work and dedication of the organisers including long-term race director Jos Van Roy and his dedicated team, and the generous support the event receives from the municipality of Hannut and Golazo.
&ldquo;Together they have understood the health and fitness aspirations of their community. Alongside the elite races there is a packed programme of supporting races for youth, junior and masters, which will ensure the event&rsquo;s popularity for decades to come.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6212be290e3f3536b5fa63cc.jpeg" alt="Peruth Chemutai wins the CrossCup in Hannut" />
Peruth Chemutai wins the CrossCup in Hannut (&copy; David Pintens for CrossCup)
</div>
<h2>Small town with cross country in its heart</h2>
The Hannut cross country meeting is a remarkable international success story considering that Hannut is a small town of approximately 15,000 inhabitants.
The history of the event, which is annually staged at the Stade Lucien Gustin, the home of the local athletics club &ldquo;FCHA - Hannut Athletisme&rdquo;, is marked by two distinct periods.
The meeting was founded in 1941 and the initial period, spanning four decades and masterfully led by brothers Lucien and Roger Gustin alongside the driving force of the time, Leon Bolle, laid the foundation for what has become the most significant event in the Hesbaye region.
During this era, Belgium&rsquo;s top athletes such as Marcel Van de Wattyne, Gaston Roelants and Emile Puttemans attracted huge crowds around the football stadium. Local athletes already faced fierce competition from Europe&rsquo;s best, particularly British stars like Gordon Pirie, Ken Norris, Derek Ibbotson and Tim Johnston.
In 1977, a new period was ushered in with the introduction of a women&rsquo;s race. The event&rsquo;s growing reputation earned it a spot in the national CrossCup challenge in the early 1980s. This new milestone brought increased financial support, enabling the participation of young, talented athletes such as Kenenisa Bekele, Mathew Birir, Linet Masai, Sifan Hassan and Peruth Chemutai, many of whom went on to become world or Olympic champions. Belgium&rsquo;s best, including Veronique Collard, Vincent Rousseau and Ruddy Walem, had to fight hard to secure podium finishes.
Year after year the prestige of the CrossCup in Hannut has soared, thanks to its exceptional roster of participants. In 2022, the Hannut organisation reached new heights by becoming part of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold, a challenge that brings together the most important cross-country events worldwide.
World Athletics Heritage

The Cross Cup de Hannut has been one of the mainstays of the international cross-country season for more than 80 years

Heritage plaque honours Hannut's cross country history 

Sutume Kebede and Benson Kipruto will defend their titles when they form part of strong fields announced for the Tokyo Marathon &ndash; a World Athletics Platinum Label road race &ndash; on 2 March.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Kebede, who set a Japanese all-comers' record of 2:15:55 when winning in Tokyo last year, is set to be joined by five other women to have dipped under 2:18 in a field that features a total of 11 sub-2:20 runners.
Two of them are also formers winners, with Brigid Kosgei and Rosemary Wanjiru returning after their respective victories in 2022 and 2023.
Kenya&rsquo;s former world record-holder Kosgei is the fastest in the field with her PB of 2:14:04 set in Chicago in 2019, while her compatriot Wanjiru ran 2:16:14 when finishing runner-up to Kebede in Tokyo last year.
Among those joining them are Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Ketema, who ran 2:16:07 on her debut in Dubai just over a year ago, and multiple global gold medallist Tirunesh Dibaba.
Their compatriots Hawi Feysa, who won in Frankfurt in October in 2:17:25, 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase and 2021 London Marathon runner-up Degitu Azimeraw have also been announced, along with Japan&rsquo;s Ai Hosoda and Yuka Ando.
Kenya&rsquo;s Kipruto, who also set a Japanese all-comers' record when winning in Tokyo last year in 2:02:16, will be joined in the men&rsquo;s race by Uganda&rsquo;s Joshua Cheptegei, the world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder who returns to the roads to contest his second marathon after his 2:08:59 debut in Valencia in 2023.
The field features six sub-2:04 athletes, with Kipruto joined by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Deresa Geleta, the Olympic fifth-place finisher and Valencia Marathon runner-up who has a best of 2:02:38, plus two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese, Tadese Takele and Dawit Wolde, as well as Kenya&rsquo;s Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich, who was third last year.
The line-up also includes Ethiopia&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Leul Gebresilase, Uganda&rsquo;s Stephen Kissa, Japan&rsquo;s Yohei Ikeda and Akira Akasaki, and Kenya&rsquo;s Benard Koech, who makes his marathon debut.
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Women Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:04 Sutume Kebede (ETH) 2:15:55 Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07 Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 2:16:14 Hawi Feysa (ETH) 2:17:25 Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 2:17:56 Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:17:58 Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) 2:18:11 Winfridah Moraa Moseti (KEN) 2:18:25 Mestawut Fikir (ETH) 2:18:48 Magdalyne Masai (KEN) 2:18:58 Ai Hosoda (JPN) 2:20:31 Desi Jisa Mokonin (BRN) 2:20:47 Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:21:18 Jessica Stenson (AUS) 2:24:01 Zhang Deshun (CHN) 2:24:05 Rie Kawauchi (JPN) 2:25:35 Kaori Morita (JPN) 2:26:31 Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (MGL) 2:26:32 Shiho Kaneshige (JPN) 2:28:51
Men Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:02:16 Deresa Geleta (ETH) 2:02:38 Birhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48 Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich (KEN) 2:03:13 Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:03:24 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48 Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:02 Stephen Kissa (UGA) 2:04:48 Tsegaye Getachew (ETH) 2:04:49 Amedework Walelegn (ETH) 2:04:50 Titus Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:54 Yohei Ikeda (JPN) 2:05:12 Suguru Osako (JPN) 2:05:29 Mulugeta Asefa Uma (ETH) 2:05:33 Ichitaka Yamashita (JPN) 2:05:51 Kenya Sonota (JPN) 2:05:59 Hiroto Inoue (JPN) 2:06:47 He Jie (CHN) 2:06:57 Vincent Raimoi (KEN) 2:07:01 Hendrik Pfeiffer (GER) 2:07:14 Akira Akasaki (JPN) 2:07:32 Suldan Hassan (SWE) 2:07:36 Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) 2:08:59 Benard Koech (KEN) debut Geoffrey Toroitich (KEN) debut

Sutume Kebede and Benson Kipruto will defend their titles in the World Athletics Platinum Label road race

Kebede, Kipruto, Kosgei and Cheptegei announced for Tokyo Marathon

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Workenesh Edesa returns to the Osaka Women&rsquo;s Marathon as the course record-holder, aiming to retain her title at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday (26).
Edesa took more than two minutes off the course record last year, matching her PB of 2:18:51 set in Berlin in 2022. She won by eight seconds from Japan&rsquo;s Honami Maeda, who clocked an Asian record of 2:18:59.
This time, Edesa&rsquo;s competition includes Japan&rsquo;s Mizuki Matsuda and Natsumi Matsushita, who respectively finished third and seventh last year, plus Israel&rsquo;s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, who is the fastest in the field.
Edesa won two of the three marathons she contested in 2024, following her victory in Osaka with a win in Sydney, also in a course record. In between those two races, she finished seventh in Boston. The 32-year-old has claimed a podium place in 13 of the 18 marathons she has raced in her career so far, including a third place in Tokyo in 2023.
Her PB of 2:18:51 makes Edesa the second-fastest in the field behind Salpeter, the 2022 world bronze medallist who ran 2:17:45 to win the Tokyo Marathon in 2020.
Salpeter&rsquo;s sole marathon of 2024 was the Olympic marathon in Paris, where she placed ninth, while she finished third in Boston and fourth in the World Championships marathon in Budapest in 2023.
Among those seeking a strong performance on home soil is Matsuda, who ran 2:23:07 to finish third in Osaka last year but went on to set a PB of 2:20:42 in Berlin eight months later.
Matsuda is a three-time winner in Osaka, having secured top spot in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and this year she is aiming for a place on Japan&rsquo;s team for the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
She will be joined on the start line in Osaka by her compatriots Matsushita, Yuka Suzuki and Kana Kobayashi, who have all dipped under 2:25 in their careers so far.
Matsushita ran 2:23:05 when finishing third in Osaka in 2022, while Suzuki ran a PB of 2:24:02 to finish sixth at the Olympic Games in Paris last year. Kobayashi&rsquo;s PB is 2:24:59, set in Hofu last month.
<h3>Leading elite entries</h3>
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR) 2:17:45 Workenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:18:51 Mizuki Matsuda (JPN) 2:20:42 Natsumi Matsushita (JPN) 2:23:05 Yuka Suzuki (JPN) 2:24:02 Kana Kobayashi (JPN) 2:24:59 Yumi Yoshikawa (JPN) 2:25:20 Chiharu Suzuki (JPN) 2:25:59 Madoka Nakano (JPN) 2:26:50 Nanaka Izawa (JPN) debut

Workenesh Edesa returns to the Osaka Women’s Marathon as the course record-holder, aiming to retain her title at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race

Course record-holder Edesa faces Salpeter and Matsuda in Osaka

&bull; Honda one of several new sponsorship agreements signed in 2024&nbsp;
&bull; Emphasis on collaborative partnerships has seen World Athletics' income grow 25% in the last four years&nbsp;
 As part of its <a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/honda-sponsorship-world-championships-tokyo-25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsorship agreement with Honda Motor Co Ltd. (Honda)</a>, World Athletics was today (23) presented with a new electric SUV, the Honda e:Ny1.&nbsp;
This lease is part of the World Athletics and Honda sponsorship agreement signed last November ahead of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, which will take place from 13-21 September 2025.&nbsp;
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe received the keys to an Advance model at World Athletics&rsquo; headquarters in Monaco. Kotaro Ishii, Assistant to the President of Honda Motor Europe, and Paul Collignon, Marketing Director of Honda France, were in attendance for the handover.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I would like to thank Honda Motor and Honda France for this 2025 season loan,&rdquo; said Coe. &ldquo;The name Honda is synonymous worldwide with quality and reliability, and they are always ahead in terms of environmental and safety advancements which aligns with our sustainability goals.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our relationship with Honda is a great example of a collaborative partnership, rather than just a transactional one, with shared values and common goals that benefit both of us, our athletes, and our planet.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Honda France is proud to provide our latest BEV e:Ny1 to World Athletics,&rdquo; said Ishii. &ldquo;This e:Ny1 aligns perfectly with the sustainability objectives of World Athletics, providing zero emission mobility with a silent and comfortable ride.&rdquo;&nbsp;
As part of the existing agreement between Honda and World Athletics, Honda will provide vehicles from its electrified fleet to serve as the official mode of transport for the championships &ndash; contributing to World Athletics&rsquo; sustainability goals. The official vehicles will serve various purposes, including leading road events and transporting athletes and officials involved in the championships.&nbsp;
This valued partnership will ensure the smooth running of the World Championships in Tokyo. Honda&rsquo;s investment in World Athletics &ndash; one of several new partnerships in recent years &ndash; also underlines the vibrancy and appeal of athletics to commercial partners which has seen World Athletics' income grow strongly by more than 25% in the last four years.&nbsp;
This World Athletics sponsorship agreement supports two important areas for World Athletics, income growth and sustainability &ndash; a key area of focus for World Athletics as part of its &ldquo;Athletics for a Better World&rdquo; initiative, an ISO 2012-standard programme which was recognised last year as part of the BBC Green Awards.&nbsp;
World Athletics

Honda one of several new sponsorship agreements signed in 2024

World Athletics presented with electric SUV as part of Honda sponsorship agreement

Kishane Thompson, Nia Ali and Chase Jackson are among the global gold medallists who will star in the opening World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2025 in Astana on Saturday (25).
Thompson was so close to Olympic 100m gold in Paris that even the grateful recipient Noah Lyles initially thought his Jamaican rival had clinched it. Just 0.005 seconds separated the male breakout sprint star of 2024 from Olympic glory.
His response was simply to pack up for the season and learn from any mistakes he might have made.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/where-to-watch" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/67937af0357e47ef3f691da7.jpg" alt="Astana WIT live stream banner" /></a></div>
The bespectacled sprinter, who likes to call himself Clark Kent on Instagram because of his transformation into the Caribbean&rsquo;s fastest man, looks the athlete most likely to topple Lyles five months on from Paris.
Thompson has clearly not allowed the adverse result in the French capital to slow him down, as he clocked a season-opening 6.48 over 60m outdoors in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on Saturday a few days before boarding a plane for Astana.
The Kazakh capital hosts the first of nine Gold level World Indoor Tour events in 2025, with the series also taking in the likes of Boston, New York, Madrid and Belgrade.
And Thompson is the undeniable star attraction after last year&rsquo;s histrionics but also having clocked the fifth fastest time over the shorter sprint by a Jamaican on the all-time list just a few days ago, despite a headwind of -2.1m/s
Now the Stephen Francis-coached athlete takes his pace indoors. Already he is the frontrunner for gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, on 21-23 March, the climax to the indoor calendar.
Speaking in the wake of his Olympic silver, Thompson said: &ldquo;I have a mentality where I know it will hurt because I didn&rsquo;t get the win. Naturally everyone wants to win when they line up. But I just got to take the loss as a win.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s my first Olympics and first major moment like this. I wouldn&rsquo;t change anything. I just got to learn from it. I&rsquo;m not looking back. I&rsquo;m looking forward. It&rsquo;s done.&rdquo;
His takeouts from the result of the blanket finish, which marked the fastest Olympic 100m final in history with a slowest time of 9.91 by its eight participants, included acquiring greater patience, being more aware in the latter stages of any given race and learning to dip better at the line. His final point of improvement was to aim &ldquo;to separate myself from the field so that can&rsquo;t happen&rdquo;.
In Astana, he is one of four Jamaicans in contention, joined by Rohan Watson, winner of his country&rsquo;s Olympic trials and a bronze medallist in the 4x100m along with Thompson, plus Nishion Ebanks, second to Thompson at the weekend, and Micheal Campbell.
The other male star attraction over 60m in Astana is Andre De Grasse. Having won the 200m title at the Tokyo Olympics, the Canadian came up short in Paris in the individual events by failing to make either final of the 100m or 200m. But he extended his haul of Olympic medals to seven when he spearheaded the Canadian quartet to a surprise gold in the men&rsquo;s 4x100m.
Jamaican athletes also lead the field for the women&rsquo;s 60m. Like Thompson, Tia and Tina Clayton started their year by racing over 60m in Spanish Town, respectively clocking 7.14 and 7.32, and now they return to indoor action.
In the women&rsquo;s 400m, there's the chance for a rematch between two-time world bronze medallist Sada Williams and multiple global 4x400m medallist Janieve Russell.
While De Grasse contests the men&rsquo;s 60m, his partner Ali &ndash; the 2019 world 100m hurdles champion &ndash; will race the 60m hurdles in Astana.
Ali was edged out of a place at the Olympics last year when she could only finish fourth at the US trials a year after having won her national championships for a third time. She is the stand-out athlete in that particular field.
Ali&rsquo;s compatriot Jackson is another world gold medallist in action, the shot putter having won the first of her titles in Eugene in 2022 before a successful defence a year later in Budapest. Unlike Ali, she made it to Paris for the Olympics only to uncharacteristically miss out on a spot in the final after a best throw of 17.60m following two foul throws, nearly three metres shorter than her personal best.
Competition for the win in Astana is likely to come from Fanny Roos of Sweden and USA&rsquo;s Jessica Ramsey, both of whom were ranked in the world&rsquo;s top 20 last season.
Meanwhile, there is an impressive Ethiopian line-up in the women&rsquo;s 3000m including 16-year-old Marta Alemayo, who won the world U20 cross country title last year. She is joined by Axumawit Embaye and Shito Gumi.
Local favourite Nadezhda Dubovitskaya will be seeking a strong start to her season on home soil. The Asian high jump record-holder, who cleared 2.00m in 2021 and claimed world indoor bronze in 2022, finished second in Astana last year.
Matt Majendie for World Athletics

Kishane Thompson, Nia Ali and Chase Jackson are among the global gold medallists who will star in the opening World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2025 in Astana on Saturday

Thompson makes indoor debut as World Indoor Tour Gold kicks off in Astana

The Local Organising Committee of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 (WCH Tokyo 25) today unveiled the official motto and visual identity for this year&rsquo;s highly anticipated event. The visual identity is represented by an official poster that strikes a powerful visual representation of the dynamism of athletics as a sport and was designed to captivate and inspire audiences across the world. The poster features the official motto for the 20th edition of the Championships; Every second, SUGOI. These bold graphics also lay the groundwork for the overarching stadium look and feel, promising an unforgettable experience for athletes and fans alike.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/678f44268b4c065724c0807a.jpg" alt="WCH Tokyo 25 Official Motto and Visual Identity" width="800" height="668" />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">　 Official motto</h3>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/678f1a11d1334575f9488ff7.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="131" /></h1>
&nbsp;
Extended version:
In a sport where every second counts,
Are you ready to be a part of a thrilling nine days?
Where everyone will unite with one loud cheer,
To celebrate greatness in a land bursting with passion.
Every second. Every cheer. At the highest level!&nbsp;
Every second, SUGOI
&nbsp;
Behind the motto
The official motto of WCH Tokyo 25, &lsquo;Every second, SUGOI&rsquo;, carries a powerful message&mdash;one that aspires to make the Japanese word &lsquo;SUGOI&rsquo; (amazing, extraordinary) a global expression of awe and inspiration. Through the Championships, WCH Tokyo 25 to have the world focus on Tokyo, with people from every corner of the globe embracing and echoing &lsquo;SUGOI&rsquo; throughout the Championships.
&lsquo;Every second, SUGOI&rsquo; signifies that every moment of this year&rsquo;s Championships, from start to finish, will be extraordinary, creating an event where the spirit of &lsquo;SUGOI&rsquo; resonates with everyone.
This motto also marks a historic first for the World Athletics Championships by combining both the language of the host country, Japanese, and the English language. It reflects the LOC&rsquo;s ambition to transcend language barriers, encouraging people worldwide to connect through shared emotions and a love for sport. With this, WCH Tokyo 25 is envisioned as a platform for people across the world to unite with Tokyo and Japan through the universal language of athletics.
&nbsp;
<h3 style="text-align: left;">　&nbsp;Visual identity</h3>
Behind the visual identity 
The official visual identity for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 captures the energy and dynamism of athletics, while embracing the spirit of the Championship&rsquo;s motto, &lsquo;SUGOI&rsquo;, as well as elements of the extended motto; &ldquo;A land bursting with passion&rdquo;. It highlights Japan's passion for sport, the timeless elegance of the culture, and the prestige of the World Athletics Championships.
The visual identity constitutes the defining design elements that symbolise this year&rsquo;s iconic event. Used across various materials, including official posters, venue look and feel, event programmes, and tickets, these striking visuals are key to shaping the Tokyo Championships&rsquo; unique character in the minds of athletes and spectators alike. Designed to make a lasting impact, they will not only leave a lasting impression on people around the world but will also be forever intertwined with the legacy of the Championships, marking their place in history. This visual identity is set to elevate the spectator experience, leaving an unforgettable imprint on Tokyo, Japan and the global stage.
&nbsp;
The development process
The visual identity of the Championships was developed through a collaborative effort with World Athletics media partner and WCH Tokyo 25 principal supporter, TBS Television. This partnership focused on creating a cohesive design that seamlessly integrates both the stadium&rsquo;s look and feel and elements to be used on television broadcasts, ensuring a unified and engaging visual experience for spectators worldwide.
In consultation with World Athletics, the visual identity was crafted to convey the dynamic energy of athletics, incorporating calligraphic elements that symbolise not only traditional Japanese calligraphy, but also movement and strength. The fluid brush strokes reflect the intensity of athletic performance, capturing the power of athletes as they push their bodies to the limit. To infuse the design with both vitality and modernity, renowned calligrapher Bisen Aoyagi, who has contributed artwork to the Japan National Stadium, was enlisted to provide creative direction and bring these elements to life.
The visual identity, prominently featured in the official poster, places the athlete at the forefront, with sweeping calligraphy in the centre. The design utilises a sophisticated colour palette of four shades: the main WCH Tokyo 25 colour of Edo purple, along with black, gold, and red, which are also used in the WCH Tokyo 25 logo. This combination creates a dynamic yet refined aesthetic, capturing the excitement of the Championships while maintaining a prestigious and elevated tone.
&nbsp;
TBS Television comment
"TBS Television is proud to announce the official visual identity for this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships, set to take place in Tokyo. Over the past eight months, we have worked closely with the Local Organising Committee and World Athletics to refine a design that we believe truly embodies the spirit of this prestigious event. This marks the first time TBS Television has created the official visual identity for the World Athletics Championships, and we are honoured to have led this exciting project through our dedicated creative team. The design incorporates brushstroke imagery to capture the dynamic energy of the athletes, the vibrant excitement of the crowd, and the rich legacy of the Championships. This technique was brought to life with the collaboration of renowned calligrapher Bisen Aoyagi. We are thrilled to present our vision for the 2025 Championships, with these elements being featured not only in the Japan National Stadium's look and feel, but also across our broadcasts, helping to bring the global spectacle to audiences around the world."
&nbsp;
Calligrapher Bisen Aoyagi profile
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/678f1a97d1334575f9488ff8.jpg" alt="Calligrapher Bisen Aoyagi " width="300" height="260" />
<ul>
<li>Name: Bisen Aoyagi</li>
<li>Occupation: Calligrapher, artist</li>
<li>Born: 1990, Osaka</li>
<li>Professional accomplishments: Bisen has showcased her calligraphy in over 10 countries worldwide, including Japan, France, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. She has a proven track record of calligraphy and providing artworks at the Japan National Stadium.</li>
</ul>
<h5><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/678f1b40d1334575f9488ff9.jpg" alt="VIP room folding screen at Japan National Stadium" width="200" height="141" /> VIP room folding screen at Japan National Stadium</h5>
&nbsp;
Visual identity example:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/678f1d29be4dda34b7a1248f.jpg" alt="Visual Identity" width="900" height="398" />
&nbsp;
<h3 style="text-align: left;">　&nbsp;Tickets</h3>
In keeping with the official poster design and visual identity, the tickets will feature the same elegant calligraphy brushstrokes that highlight three key aspects of athletics: running, throwing and jumping. Each ticket design will be &nbsp;unique to a specific seating category, giving spectators the exciting opportunity to discover which design will appear on their tickets.
Ticket holders who purchased tickets during the pre-sale period will receive their e-tickets via email between 28 and 30 January 2025. Additionally, e-tickets will be issued as of Friday 31 January at 18:00 JST through their My Page on the WCH Tokyo 25 ticketing site. Ticket holders who purchased their tickets through the Ticket Pia or TBS Ticket websites will have their tickets issued starting from Friday January 31 at 18:00 JST. Please refer to each website for further details. Please note that these designs are exclusive to tickets purchased through the official WCH Tokyo 25 ticketing site.
&nbsp;

World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025

The WCH Tokyo 25 unveiled the official motto and visual identity for this year’s highly anticipated event.  

Official motto and visual identity announced for WCH Tokyo 25

World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Fred Newhouse, who earned Olympic 400m silver and 4x400m gold in 1976, died on Monday (20) at the age of 76.
The US sprinter was one of the world&rsquo;s leading 400m runners throughout the 1970s.
Born in Texas in November 1948, Newhouse honed his sprinting talent at Prairie View A&amp;M, where he studied electrical engineering. During his time there, he won the 400m at the 1969 NAIA Championships, contributing to Prairie View A&amp;M&rsquo;s overall victory.
Newhouse started the following year in tremendous form. He clocked 45.7 and 45.3, the fastest times ever recorded for 400m indoors at that point, albeit on an oversized track. Aged just 21, he achieved his first national podium finish that year, placing third in the 220 yards at the US Championships. He produced another third-place finish at the 1971 edition, this time over 440 yards.
Later that year, Newhouse represented the USA at the Pan-American Games in Cali, where he earned silver over 400m before going on to win gold in the 4x400m.
He looked to be on course to make the US team for the 1972 Olympic Games after clocking 44.2 in the semifinals of the US Olympic Trials. He faded badly in the final, though, and finished seventh, missing out on making the team for the Munich Games.
After winning the US 400m title in 1975, and having learned from his mistakes in 1972, Newhouse secured his place on the US team for the 1976 Olympics. He won his heat, quarterfinal and semifinal, then took silver in the final in a PB of 44.40 behind Cuba&rsquo;s Alberto Juantorena. Newhouse&rsquo;s time was the fourth-fastest electronic-timed performance in history at that point.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62d9fd245b394862224317de.JPG" alt="Fred Newhouse and Alberto Juantorena in Eugene" />
Fred Newhouse and Alberto Juantorena in Eugene (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Two days later, Newhouse ran a 43.83 split on the victorious US 4x400m quartet, earning Olympic gold in 2:58.65, the second-fastest time in history.
He retired in the late 1970s but remained active in the sport as an official. In 2000 he was team leader for the US men&rsquo;s athletics team at the Sydney Olympic Games. More recently, Newhouse was the video review assistant to the referee at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

Fred Newhouse, 1948-2025

1976 Olympic 400m silver medallist Newhouse dies

Olympic shot put champion Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany will take on two-time world champion Chase Jackson and world indoor champion Sarah Mitton at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe &ndash; a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold fixture &ndash; on 7 February.
The last time the three women met indoors was at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Mitton emerged victorious on that occasion while Yemisi threw a PB of 20.19m to take a surprise silver ahead of Jackson.
Ogunleye went on to spring another surprise at the Olympic Games in Paris, taking gold with an outdoor PB of 20.00m. Jackson missed out on making the final while Mitton placed 12th, but both women rebounded after, Jackson throwing a season&rsquo;s best of 20.64m in Lausanne and Mitton winning the Diamond League Final.
Two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo is also set to compete in Karlsruhe. The 2021 Olympic champion will take on compatriot Mikaelle Assani, who placed fourth at the World Indoor Championships last year.
In the pole vault, European champion Angelica Moser will take on two-time European indoor silver medallist Tina Sutej and Olympic finalist Elisa Molinarolo of Italy.
Meanwhile, in the men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles 2022 European champion Asier Martinez will clash with France&rsquo;s 2021 European indoor champion Wilhem Belocian and two-time German champion Manuel Mordi.

Olympic shot put champion Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany will take on two-time world champion Chase Jackson and world indoor champion Sarah Mitton at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe

Clash of the global shot put champions in Karlsruhe

It was entirely fitting, if not exactly helpful, that Allan Wells was an outsider when he powered his way to Olympic glory in Moscow.
Despite having clocked the fastest times in the second round and semifinal of the men&rsquo;s 100m at those 1980 Games, the marine engineer from Edinburgh found himself drawn in the outside lane for the final.
&ldquo;It was a big shock,&rdquo; confessed Wells, who clocked a British record of 10.11 in round two. &ldquo;The Russians used a computer. It must have been a Mickey Mouse one. It did set me back a bit.&rdquo;
Still, after getting to his mark out wide in lane eight, Wells proceeded to complete his fairytale journey from obscurity to the very top of the global sprinting game.
The blue spikes that he wore that day now stand in <a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a> as a reminder of the improbable triumph of the blacksmith&rsquo;s son from the south side of Scotland&rsquo;s capital city who only took up sprinting four years previously to improve his speed for the long jump.
Allan Wipper Wells, to use his distinctive full name, was 24 when he started training with a group of sprinters who competed as &lsquo;professionals&rsquo; in handicapped races on the annual Scottish Games circuit.
That summer he finished fifth in the 100m final at the British trials for the 1976 Olympic Games. His time was 10.82. Steve Green won in 10.71. The British selectors decided to travel to Montreal without a representative in the men&rsquo;s 100m.
Four years later, Wells hauled British sprinting from the depths of despair to the peak of Mount Olympus with a run that reflected his potent combination of speed, power and indomitable determination.
At the age of 28, he had only been using starting blocks for 12 weeks, following an IAAF rule stipulating their use in sprint events at major championships
<h2>&lsquo;Getting the dip just right&rsquo;</h2>
The rustiness was clear to see as Wells climbed out of his blocks almost a step behind the Cuban drawn directly inside him, Osvaldo Lara. Wells&rsquo; reaction time was a leaden 0.193.
It took him 30 metres to catch Lara, and at that stage the Cuban&rsquo;s teammate Silvio Leonard was leading the field in lane one.
As the race unfolded, it came down to a straight fight between two men separated by the width of the track: the featherweight figure of Leonard on the inside and the Herculean Wells on the outside.
They appeared to flash across the line together. From where Margot Wells was positioned in the main stand, she didn&rsquo;t think her charging husband had quite made it.
When the replay was shown on the big screen, however, the textbook timing of Allan&rsquo;s lean for the line looked decisively golden.
Both men were attributed with a 10.25 clocking but the gold medal went to the Flying Scotsman.
&ldquo;I thought I had got it but I wasn&rsquo;t sure until I saw the replay,&rdquo; said Wells. &ldquo;Lane eight was the worst possible draw for me. I only saw Leonard in the last 20 metres.
&ldquo;I knew then that I had to do something special to get it. I knew I had to finish strong and get the dip just right. If I&rsquo;d been running next to Leonard, I think I would have won by more. I knew I wanted to win it more than he did.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/678fb1b6006230c84c28bf47.jpg" alt="Allan Wells in action at the 1980 Olympic Games" />
Allan Wells in action at the 1980 Olympic Games (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Lynn Davies, the British team manager in Moscow and long jump gold medallist at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, was one of the first to congratulate the new Olympic 100m champion.
After winning the Scottish U15 long jump title, Wells dreamed of following in the footsteps of &lsquo;Lynn the Leap&rsquo; and plucked up the courage to chat to him when he spotted the Welshman training at Edinburgh&rsquo;s Meadowbank Stadium &ndash; not while raking the pit for him at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, a commonly recited but apocryphal tale.
Wells made a couple of international appearances for Scotland as a long jumper and had a PB of 7.32m when he joined Wilson Young&rsquo;s professional sprint group.
Quickly thriving on the gruelling gym work &ndash; notably the use of a speedball, a spring-loaded boxer&rsquo;s punchball &ndash; and on prolonged sessions of plyometric work in his local park, Wells turned his attention to sprinting instead.
His big breakthrough came just two years later. At the 1978 Gateshead Games, Wells equalled Peter Radford&rsquo;s 20-year-old British 100m record of 10.29 and claimed a trio of world-class scalps: Jamaica&rsquo;s Olympic 200m champion Don Quarrie, Guyana&rsquo;s Pan American 200m champion James Gilkes and top US sprinter James Sanford.
Six days later he won the UK title on his home track in Edinburgh in 10.15, another British record, and at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton the following month he won the 200m and finished a narrow second to Quarrie in the 100m, clocking wind-assisted times of 20.12 and 10.07.
Margot was a fellow sprinter in the Scottish team at those Games, reaching the semifinals of the 100m and 200m, but concentrated on helping her husband thereafter &ndash; as a training partner, coach and motivator-in-chief.
The rewards for their joint toil came in Moscow with gold from the 100m and silver from a tight 200m battle with the Italian Pietro Mennea.
The US boycott doubtless weakened the fields in both events but Wells proved a point in one of his first races as Olympic champion, beating the leading lights from across the Atlantic, Stanley Floyd (10.21) and Mel Lattanay (10.25) in 10.19 in Cologne.
For good measure, Allan Wipper Wells whipped his starred and striped rivals again in a trailblazing follow-up season, winning the IAAF Golden Sprints in Berlin and the 100m at the World Cup in Rome in 1981.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out Wells&rsquo; spikes and singlet in glorious 3D in the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a></li>
</ul>

It was entirely fitting that Allan Wells was an outsider when he powered his way to Olympic glory in Moscow

‘I wanted to win it more than he did’ – Wells’ Olympic kit displayed in Museum of World Athletics

Thirteen meetings on five different continents will feature on the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2025 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold calendar</a>, which has been published today.
In the sixth season of the Continental Tour, the top tier comprises events in some of the biggest cities in the world.
Gold level action kicks off on 29 March in the Australian city of Melbourne, where World Athlete of the Year Letsile Tebogo is due to compete, then the series heads to Gaborone, Botswana, two weeks later (12 April). On 18 May, Tokyo will host the Golden Grand Prix, which will act as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the World Championships later in the year.
Continental Tour Gold action continues throughout that month with Zagreb (22-24 May), Bydgoszcz (30 May) and Nairobi (31 May) all hosting top-level meetings.
June is also a busy month with five meetings taking place in the series: Los Angeles (8), Hengelo (9), Turku (17), New York (21) and Ostrava (24).
Following a stop in Szekesfehervar on 12 August, Beijing will host the final Continental Tour Gold meeting of the season on 7 September, just six days before the first day of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
More than 200 meetings will feature in this year&rsquo;s tour, which is divided into four levels &ndash; Gold, Silver, Bronze and Challenger. The status of each meeting is determined by the quality of competition and prize money on offer.
Last year, more than 20,000 athletes from almost 200 countries competed in the Continental Tour, setting one world record, 12 area records, 205 national records and 7146 personal bests.
<h3>Gold level meetings in the 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour</h3>
29 March: Maurie Plant Meet &ndash; Melbourne (AUS) 12 April: Botswana Continental Tour &ndash; Gaborone (BOT) 18 May: Golden Grand Prix &ndash; Tokyo (JPN) 22-24 May: Boris Hanzekovic Memorial &ndash; Zagreb (CRO) 30 May: Irena Szewinska Memorial &ndash; Bydgoszcz (POL) 31 May: Kip Keino Classic &ndash; Nairobi (KEN) 8 June: USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix &ndash; Los Angeles (USA) 9 June: FBK Games &ndash; Hengelo (NED) 17 June: Paavo Nurmi Games &ndash; Turku (FIN) 21 June: New York City Grand Prix &ndash; New York (USA) 24 June: Ostrava Golden Spike &ndash; Ostrava (CZE) 12 August: Istvan Gyulai Memorial &ndash; Szekesfehervar (HUN) 7 September: World Athletics Continental Tour &ndash; Beijing (CHN)

Thirteen meetings on five different continents will feature on the 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold calendar

World Athletics Continental Tour returns for 2025

World champions Grant Holloway, Gudaf Tsegay and Katie Moon will return to the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Troph&eacute;e EDF in Lievin for the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting on 13 February.
All three are no stranger to the Arena Stade Couvert. Holloway has won the men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles in Lievin for the past four years. The Olympic champion clocked a meeting record, and then PB, of 7.32 when winning there in 2021. After further victories in 2022 and 2023, he equalled the meeting record last year, then went on to improve his world indoor record with 7.27 in his very next race.
On the same day Holloway made his Lievin debut back in 2021, Tsegay broke the world indoor 1500m record. The Ethiopian powered to a 3:53.09 victory, which remains the world indoor record. Like Holloway, Tsegay has notched up three further victories in Lievin since then, winning the mile in 2022, the 1500m in 2023 and the 3000m in 2024.
This time, the two-time world champion will contest the 3000m and will once again take aim at the world indoor record of 8:16.60, having come close to it on two occasions, running 8:16.69 in Birmingham in 2023 and 8;17.11 in Lievin last year.
US pole vaulter Moon will be making her fourth appearance in Lievin. The two-time world champion last competed there in 2023, winning with a vault of 4.83m.
European 400m champion Natalia Bukowiecka is another past winner set to return to Lievin. She set a Polish indoor record of 50.90 when winning in Lievin in 2023, then went on to reduce it to 50.83. Since then, she has added the outdoor Polish record to her collection, clocking 48.90 last year before going on to earn Olympic bronze in Paris.

World champions Grant Holloway, Gudaf Tsegay and Katie Moon will return to the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF in Lievin

Holloway, Tsegay and Moon return to Lievin

Picture a world where the World Athletics Championships never existed &ndash; no records, no champions, no memories. Only you, a true athletics fan, hold the knowledge to solve the mystery and restore sporting history.
In <a href="https://www.aeonagon-worldathletics.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aeon Agon</a>, players are thrust into an alternate reality where all traces of the World Athletics Championships have vanished mysteriously. They were erased mistakenly by PSU Theorem, a corporation that attempted to redesign the present through time travel.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuAV898ybuA" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Only the players, alongside the story&rsquo;s protagonist, Agon, know the truth and have the power to restore the natural flow of events. Their efforts are guided by The Intern, a mysterious figure who sends Agon old tapes and images filled with fragmented information, revealing impossible encounters and distorted timelines. The Intern also frequently travels through time in an effort to fix the timeline.
The players and Agon are called to contribute valuable information to piece together the history of the World Athletics Championships, ensuring the sport&rsquo;s legacy is preserved and reality is restored.
To play, sign up at <a href="https://www.aeonagon-worldathletics.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aeonagon-worldathletics.org</a>. The first clue will be sent to you via email. Then, starting on Monday 20 January and running until Sunday 26 January, content will be posted each day at 12pm CET on the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Instagram account</a>. Solve the riddles each day and enter the code on the website for the game.
The first 10 players to submit all of the correct codes following the final clue will win an exclusive World Athletics Championships poster book, showcasing historic posters from Helsinki 1983 to Budapest 2023.
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<a href="https://www.aeonagon-worldathletics.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up now and help solve the mystery of Agon</a>

Picture a world where the World Athletics Championships never existed

Kibet and Jebet claim cross country crowns in Hannut

Edesa retains marathon title in Osaka

Myers smashes world U20 indoor mile record in New York

Thompson, Alemayo and Jackson victorious in Astana

Kimeli faces Kibet and Ndikumana, Shimket races Cherop in Hannut