Athletics Australia has been named as winner of the Member Federation&nbsp;Award, the fourth honour announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
The Member Federation Award recognises a Member Federation that has distinguished itself in its accomplishments throughout the year and, as a result, positively contributed to the growth and profile of the sport. Six federations were shortlisted for this year&rsquo;s award, each nominated by one of the six area associations, before Australia was selected as the winner.
&ldquo;I am delighted that Athletics Australia has been selected as Member Federation of the year,&rdquo; said Jan Swinhoe, who became the federation&rsquo;s President in 2021 and ended her nine-year maximum term on the Athletics Australia Board earlier this year. &ldquo;We are so proud, after having the opportunity for the first time ever of hosting the World Cross Country Championships, which we did in February in Bathurst. In addition, we performed very well in Budapest, our best result ever at a World Championships.
&ldquo;But all of this comes off the back of a lot of hard work, which is both within Australia but also in collaboration with a number of our other Member Federations and, of course, with World Athletics.&rdquo;
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Australia started 2023 by hosting the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, claiming a medal in the mixed relay. Oceania&rsquo;s first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting followed a few days later as the inaugural edition of the Maurie Plant Meeting, formerly the Melbourne Track Classic, took place.
The nation had its best ever World Championships in Budapest, claiming a total of six medals &ndash; one gold, two silver and three bronze &ndash; and finishing joint eighth on the overall placing table. The gold medal was claimed by Nina Kennedy as she cleared a national outdoor record of 4.90m in the pole vault and shared the title with USA&rsquo;s Katie Moon.&nbsp;
A number of other Australian and Oceania records were set throughout the year, including an area 1500m mark of 3:56.92 by Linden Hall and a national discus record of 68.43m by Matt Denny at the Wanda Diamond League Final.
&ldquo;A couple of months ago I was given the honour of becoming the President of Athletics Australia,&rdquo; said Jane Flemming, who succeeded Swinhoe in that role in October. &ldquo;I too want to thank World Athletics for their support, particularly with the World Cross Country Championships. Also, to acknowledge the Maurie Plant Meeting in March, where we had a sell-out crowd. It was a really successful meet.
&ldquo;We have a new junior programme about to be launched and that also has the backing of World Athletics. Thank you so much to World Athletics for your support of athletics here in Australia but also to our neighbours in the Oceania region. We very much appreciate all the support that you give us.&rdquo;
Other winners already announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 include Laurent Meuwly (Coaching Achievement Award), Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou (Woman of the Year) and Mattia Ozbot (Photograph of the Year). Further announcements will be made in the coming days, ahead of the World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars being revealed on Monday 11 December.
World Athletics

The Member Federation Award recognises a Member Federation that has distinguished itself in its accomplishments throughout the year and, as a result, positively contributed to the growth and profile of the sport

Australia wins Member Federation Award

Ukraine&rsquo;s world high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh will compete at the Millrose Games for the first time when the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting returns in New York on 11 February.
The 22-year-old will want to pick up from where she left off in 2023, following a season that featured her first world outdoor title in Budapest and a second Diamond Trophy win in Eugene.
Mahuchikh cleared 2.01m to win in Budapest and add world gold to the silver medals she won in Oregon and Doha, as well as her Olympic bronze from Tokyo.
She managed a world lead of 2.03m to win at the Wanda Diamond League Final and also led the world top list indoors with a 2.02m clearance.
She will return to indoor action as the world indoor champion, having claimed gold in Belgrade in 2022, with the opportunity to defend that title in Glasgow in March.
The women&rsquo;s high jump will be contested at the Millrose Games for the first time since 2019. Already announced for the meeting at The Armory is Britain&rsquo;s world 1500m champion Josh Kerr, who will headline the men&rsquo;s two mile field.
More than 50 meetings feature on the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Tour calendar, including seven Gold level events. Other athletes confirmed for next year&rsquo;s Tour include world champions Mondo Duplantis and Gudaf Tsegay, who will compete at the Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes on 27 January, and world gold medallists Noah Lyles, Jake Wightman and Gabby Thomas, who will race at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on 4 February.

Ukraine’s world high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh will compete at the Millrose Games for the first time when the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting returns on 11 February

Mahuchikh set for Millrose Games debut

Women&rsquo;s world road mile record 4:20.98 Diribe Welteji (ETH) Riga, 1 October
Men&rsquo;s&nbsp;world road mile record 3:56.13 Hobbs Kessler (USA) Riga, 1 October
 World records set in the road mile by Diribe Welteji and Hobbs Kessler at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 have now been ratified.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Welteji headed to the Latvian capital off the back of taking world 1500m silver in Budapest. World record-holder and world champion Faith Kipyegon started as the overwhelming favourite, and looked to be on course for victory for most of the way.
But in the second half of the race, Kipyegon started to look as though she was struggling to maintain the pace. Meanwhile, Welteji and her fellow Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu were poised to strike just a few strides behind.
In the closing stages of the race, Welteji and Hailu made their move and went past Kipyegon with Welteji kicking to victory in 4:20.98. Her performance took almost seven seconds off the previous ratified world record of 4:27.97, set by USA&rsquo;s Nikki Hiltz in Des Moines on 25 April 2023.
&ldquo;It was hard, the weather was not good for me,&rdquo; said Welteji. &ldquo;When I saw Faith in front, near the line, at that moment I decided to sprint. I could sense that she was tired, and I had it in my mind: 'I can beat her.' I came here to win, to write history and to motivate the new generations of our athletes.&rdquo;
USA&rsquo;s Kessler emerged victorious from a wide open and competitive men&rsquo;s mile in Riga.
Kenya&rsquo;s Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot led during the early stages and reached the first turn before anyone else, but the teenager was soon caught by the rest of the field. South Africa&rsquo;s Ryan Mphahlele and Kenya&rsquo;s Kyumbe Munguti then edged into the lead and passed the 1km marker in 2:29, but there were still about 20 runners in close contact.
Mphahlele continued to lead as the clock ticked over to 3:00, but more than a dozen men were still packed close behind, ready to strike. The South African eventually dropped into the pack as Kessler made a move on the outside.
With about 20 seconds of running left and the finish in sight, Kessler proved to have the better sprint finish as he broke the tape in 3:56.13, breaking the previous world record of 4:01.21 set by USA&rsquo;s Sam Prakel in Des Moines on 25 April earlier this year.
"It's been a a really up and down year and I luckily got in really good shape at the end of the season," said Kessler. "The road mile is a very American event and we're quite experienced in them. I'm very proud of myself.&rdquo;
World Athletics

Hobbs Kessler's 3:56.13 and Diribe Welteji's 4:20.98 are now in the record books

Ratified: road mile world records for Kessler and Welteji

World Athletics today opened its accreditation portal for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 (1-3 March 2024), via international Member Federations.&nbsp;
For the first time, accreditation includes a "content creators" category. This unique category is aimed at providing an appropriate level of access for those looking to produce entertaining and innovative content for social media and website audiences.&nbsp;
"The media landscape is ever changing and World Athletics needs to keep up, providing suitable working areas for all involved," commented Jamie Fox, World Athletics&rsquo; Director of Communications.
"Social media content creators are generating original and exciting content that attracts millions of views across the world, bringing a new generation of fans to athletics. So, we wanted to provide these innovators and entertainers with a space where they can embrace their creativity and develop content outside the confines of traditional media mixed zones. As we go forward, we will continue to develop and evolve this concept, delivering a best-in-class media operation for all involved."
Content creators can apply for accreditation to the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 <a href="https://eu.research.net/r/contentcreatorapplicationglasgow24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directly through World Athletics</a>.
To be eligible for this category, content creators must demonstrate a consistent and high standard of sports related content.

World Athletics Indoor Championships

The new category is aimed at providing an appropriate level of access for those looking to produce entertaining and innovative content for social media and website audiences

World Athletics introduces a content creator space for WIC Glasgow 24

World champions Mondo Duplantis and Gudaf Tsegay are the first star athletes confirmed for the &lsquo;Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes&rsquo; &ndash; the first World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2024 &ndash; in the Kazakh capital on 27 January.
Swedish pole vaulter Duplantis and Ethiopian distance runner Tsegay enjoyed superb seasons in 2023. They both won their second world titles in Budapest, having struck gold in Oregon one year prior.
Just a few weeks after the World Championships, both athletes went on to triumph at the Wanda Diamond League Final, where they each broke world records, Duplantis vaulting 6.23m and Tsegay clocking 14:00.21 for 5000m.
Another similarity between both athletes is that they excel indoors. Duplantis has set five world records indoors, while Tsegay has set a world U18 best, a world U20 record and a senior world record for the indoor 1500m during the course of her career. They both also won world indoor titles in 2022.
In Astana next month, Tsegay will compete in the mile, an even in which she holds an indoor PB of 4:16.16, making her the second-fastest woman in history for the distance behind world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba (4:13.31).
More than 50 meetings feature on the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Tour calendar, including seven Gold level events. The first of those Gold meetings is in Astana &ndash; the first ever World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Asia.

World champions Mondo Duplantis and Gudaf Tsegay will compete at the Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes

Duplantis and Tsegay confirmed for Astana

Mattia Ozbot&rsquo;s image of German decathlete Leo Neugebauer competing at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 has been selected as the World Athletics Photograph of the Year.
The third award announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023, the World Athletics Photograph of the Year shines a spotlight on some of the outstanding images captured by professional photographers.
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Photograph of the Year finalist - Leo Neugebauer in the decathlon pole vault in Budapest (&copy; Mattia Ozbot, World Athletics Photography Workshop)
</div>
From the 134 images that were submitted, a panel of judges &ndash; comprising Valerie Adams, Raquel Cavaco Nunes, Joel Marklund, Pascal Rondeau and Blanka Vlasic &ndash; narrowed the entries to <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/world-athletics-photograph-year-2023-digital-exhibition">12 shortlisted images</a> and <a href="https://worldathletics.org/awards/news/finalists-2023-photograph-year">three finalists</a> before deciding on the winner.
Ozbot was surprised with the honour during an assignment to photograph trophies for the World Athletics Awards, which ended up including his own.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m extremely surprised,&rdquo; said Ozbot. &ldquo;I knew the photograph was very special. It happened at a unique moment in time, but there were so many other amazing photographs by so many of my great colleagues. I&rsquo;m very surprised and incredibly happy.&rdquo;
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Ozbot&rsquo;s photograph captures Neugebauer in free fall after clearing a bar during the decathlon pole vault at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest.
&ldquo;It was a peculiar moment, because on that day there was also the marathon (taking place) and I decided not to cover the marathon in order to get the chance of an infield bib during the morning session,&rdquo; explained Ozbot. &ldquo;It was the second to last day, and it was my chance to have a little more time on the track, and particularly the infield.
&ldquo;The event was taking place around midday; the sun was high and when I saw the athlete celebrating through my lens, I thought there may be a good photo there. I was also quite lucky because I was there for 15 minutes and it happened right when I was there. So, I&rsquo;m very happy with the photo and with the award.&rdquo;
Ozbot is a freelance photographer based in Milan who specialises in sports photography and has a passion for capturing all the emotions that sport can bring. He attended the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 as part of the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/world-athletics-championships-budapest-2023-7138987/news/news/world-athletics-photography-workshop-budapest">inaugural World Athletics Photography Workshop</a>.
Other winners already announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 include Laurent Meuwly (Coaching Achievement Award) and Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou (Woman of the Year). Further announcements will be made in the coming days, ahead of the World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars being revealed on Monday 11 December.
World Athletics

Mattia Ozbot’s image of Leo Neugebauer competing at the World Championships in Budapest has been selected as the World Athletics Photograph of the Year

Ozbot captures World Athletics Photograph of the Year

Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou has been named Woman of the Year as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
Tchanile-Salifou receives the honour in recognition of her dedication to advancing women's rights and fostering gender equality in sport. As President of the Togolese athletics federation, Tchanile-Salifou has demonstrated outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment, with a series of transformative initiatives throughout 2023 that have left a lasting impact on Togo's sports landscape.
Campaigns have included &lsquo;Girls Together for Sport and for Life&rsquo;, which promoted women's participation in sport and raised awareness among girls in the most remote areas of Togo. The &lsquo;Programme for the Promotion of Women's Sport in Togo&rsquo; also featured a women's race, which brought together 1500 participants from across Togo.
Another project celebrated the role models who have overcome obstacles, with parents encouraged to register the births of girls and enrol them in school. For the start of the 2023 school year, this resulted in 90% of girls returning to school, compared to 40% in 2022.
Tchanile-Salifou&rsquo;s commitment to challenging stereotypes and promoting women in leadership roles culminated in the &lsquo;Feminisation of Governing Bodies&rsquo; project. This increased the number of club presidents from five to nine and established four women-led commissions within the Togolese athletics federation, fostering greater gender diversity in decision-making bodies.
Recognising the media's role in promoting gender equality, Tchanile-Salifou also organised five awareness-raising sessions, led by Togolese female athletics champions.
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&ldquo;It is a privilege and an honour for me to have been named World Athletics Woman of the Year for 2023,&rdquo; said Tchanile-Salifou.
&ldquo;It is an honour that I would like to share with all my team; together we have worked with young girls and young women to help them reach more autonomy, more leadership opportunities, more equity and more participation opportunities. This has enabled some of them to free themselves from their precarious situations and given them the opportunity to practice sports.
&ldquo;I would like to thank World Athletics and in particular President Sebastian Coe who, by introducing this award, has helped shine a light on the tireless work by women around the world. I would also like to thank my athletics family and my biological family.
&ldquo;I cannot finish without thanking my country, Togo, and its leader, the President of the State, who by his politics of peace and security has supported the development of our projects across the whole country.&rdquo;
The Woman of the Year Award gives recognition to those that have made an outstanding contribution to promoting the advancement of gender equality in athletics.
It is the second honour announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023. On Monday (4), Laurent Meuwly was named winner of the Coaching Achievement Award and further announcements will be made in the coming days, ahead of the World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars being revealed on Monday 11 December.
World Athletics

Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou receives the honour in recognition of her dedication to advancing women's rights and fostering gender equality in sport

Tchanile-Salifou wins Woman of the Year Award

Laurent Meuwly has received the Coaching Achievement Award and becomes the first winner to be announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023.
The Swiss coach has dedicated almost three decades to guiding athletes, having started coaching at the age of just 18. He is now head of sprinting, hurdles and relays in the Netherlands, working with athletes including world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol.
In 2023, not only did Meuwly help to guide Bol to her world title, but their work saw the Dutch star improve her European record to 51.45 &ndash; the third-fastest performance of all time behind the 50.68 and 51.41 performances achieved by world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 2022.
Bol also became a world record-holder herself in 2023, clocking 49.26 at the Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn in February to improve the 41-year-old world indoor 400m record. She ran a world indoor 500m best of 1:05.63 in Boston and ended her indoor campaign by gaining double gold at the European Indoor Championships, winning the 400m and forming part of the victorious national record-breaking 4x400m team alongside Lieke Klaver, Eveline Saalberg and Cathelijn Peeters.
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Under Meuwly&rsquo;s tutelage, Klaver also claimed European indoor 400m silver, while the Dutch men&rsquo;s 4x400m team secured bronze in Istanbul.
As well as Bol&rsquo;s world title win, Meuwly guided that same women&rsquo;s 4x400m quartet to gold and another national record at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.
Prior to his role with the Dutch athletics federation, Meuwly was head coach for sprinting, hurdles and relays in Switzerland. He continues to work with Swiss sprinter Ajla Del Ponte, the 2021 European indoor 60m champion, while he was also coach to Swiss 400m and 400m hurdles record-holder Lea Sprunger.
Other coaches and athletes to have been mentored by Meuwly include Bram Peters, Jaroslaw Skrzyszowski, Liemarvin Bonevacia, Nick Smidt, Anna Kielbasinska, Pia Skrzyszowska, Viktoriya Tkachuk, Ayomide Folorunso, Viivi Lehikoinen and Tony van Diepen.
The Coaching Achievement Award recognises coaches who have made outstanding achievements and contributions to develop, encourage and strengthen coaching at all levels in athletics.
As well as his impact guiding some of the world&rsquo;s best athletes, Meuwly has also published multiple articles and has been a keynote speaker in many coaching events, nationally and internationally.
&ldquo;I feel really honoured to receive this special prize and I dedicate it to all the people who along these 30 years have been working with me, assisting me and supporting me, and also, of course, to all the athletes I have had the chance to work with,&rdquo; said Meuwly, who was presented with his award by Bol during a training camp in South Africa. &ldquo;I hope it is still a good sign to receive it just a year before the Olympics in Paris.&rdquo;
The Coaching Achievement Award is the first of the honours celebrated as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023. Further announcements will be made in the coming days, ahead of the World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars being revealed on Monday 11 December.
World Athletics

Laurent Meuwly has received the Coaching Achievement Award and becomes the first winner to be announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023

Meuwly receives Coaching Achievement Award

Sisay Lemma set a course record of 2:01:48 to move to fourth on the men&rsquo;s world all-time list, while Worknesh Degefa ran a PB of 2:15:51 to win the women&rsquo;s race and complete an Ethiopian double at the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso &ndash; a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label event &ndash; on Sunday (3).
As scheduled, the men's race kicked off at a brisk rhythm as the pacemakers went through the opening five kilometres in 14:28. They maintained that pace through to 10km (28:56), with Lemma always nearest to the pacemakers and other favourites &ndash; including Uganda's debutant Joshua Cheptegei and Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele &ndash; in close attendance.
Shortly after reaching the 13th kilometre, the pace of the lead pack picked up and only Lemma, Tanzania's Gabriel Geay and the Kenyan duo of Kibiwott Kandie and Alexander Mutiso managed to maintain it as that quartet clocked 14:08 for that 5km split. But Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dawit Wolde and Chalu Deso plus Cheptegei re-joined them at the helm and seven men blazed through the half marathon checkpoint together in 1:00:35. By then, the experienced Bekele had decided to set his own cadence and travelled alone behind them, clocking 1:00:58 for half way.
With the clock reading 1:08, a quartet of Lemma, Geay, Deso and Wolde broke away from Kandie, Mutiso and Cheptegei. A short while later only Lemma travelled at the shoulder of the remaining pacemaker, with Kandie and Wolde a couple of seconds in arrears and the rest of the contenders some way back as that 10km section was covered in 28:38, the quickest of the race to that point. The leaders passed the 30km mark in 1:26:04, 27 seconds faster than the previous best 30km split.
The last pacemaker dropped out at 30.5km and Kandie, who had caught Lemma, ruled the race for a while with Lemma and Wolde chasing him in crocodile file. The pace dropped slightly without the pacemaker's help and the trio covered the following kilometres in the 2:55/2:57 range, running 14:36 for the 30-35km section. The key moment came some 1:42 into the race, when Lemma made his move to gradually open a sizeable margin on Wolde and Kandie, with the rest of the field far away.
Over the closing stages only Lemma was able to tick off each kilometre well under 3:00 pace to reach 40km in 1:55:12, almost a full minute ahead of Wolde, while Mutiso ran in third another half a minute adrift but ahead of a faltering Kandie.
Lemma reached the finish line unopposed in 2:01:48, just seven seconds shy of Bekele's national record. Mutiso overtook Wolde in the closing stages to take second place in a career best of 2:03:11, with Wolde completing the podium in 2:03:48, also a PB.
Bekele passed Geay and Kandie over the closing kilometres to finish a fine fourth in 2:04:19, improving his own masters record (M40). In a race of great depth, a record 13 athletes ran under 2:06 and a series of national records were set, while world 10,000m record-holder Cheptegei had to settle for 37th place in 2:08:59 on his debut over the classic distance.
&ldquo;It's incredible to win here with such a fast time, I'm over the moon,&rdquo; said Lemma.
<h2>Degefa signs successful return to lead Ethiopian 1-2-3</h2>
The women's event started at an even early pace of 3:12/km as the leaders clocked 16:00 for the opening 5km and 32:02 for 10km. Shortly afterwards, only four women &ndash; Ethiopia&rsquo;s Almaz Ayana, Degefa and Hiwot Gebrekiden, plus Germany's Melat Kejeta&nbsp;&ndash; remained at the helm.
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Worknesh Degefa celebrates her Valencia Marathon victory (&copy; Organisers)
</div>
The steady pace continued over the following kilometres and that quartet reached the halfway point in 1:07:29, running with a large group of male athletes and right on schedule to give last year's women's course record of 2:14:58 a scare. By that point, Kenya's Celestine Chepchirchir was a lonesome fifth in 1:08:20.
Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba was one of the pre-race favourites but the 32-year-old former middle-distance star only stayed in the leading group for six kilometres; she reached the halfway point some two minutes behind the leaders (1:09:20) and eventually dropped out of the race at the 27th kilometre.
It was always Ayana who ran closest to the pacemakers, the tempo dropping slightly between 20-30km as the leaders passed 30km in 1:36:22, running 32:24 for the previous 10km. Degefa, returning to the marathon after almost four years following a double maternity leave, moved to the front for the first time around the 33th kilometre and broke away from the 2016 Olympic 10,000m champion Ayana.
Ayana initially managed to reel in her compatriot but then she struggled to stay with Degefa as the latter went through 35km in 1:52:34 to open a four-second advantage. Gebrekidan was another 51 seconds in arrears.
Degefa extended her lead over the next few kilometres and became a virtual winner by 40km as her margin had grown to 21 seconds.
She crossed the finish line well inside the 2:16 barrier thanks to a 2:15:51 performance that improved her previous career best of 2:17:41 from 2019 and moved her to seventh on the women's world all-time list.
Ayana, claiming the runner-up spot, also improved her previous PB by almost a minute with her 2:16:22 effort, while Gebrekidan completed an Ethiopian podium sweep in 2:17:59, 1:11 faster than her previous best.
Chepchirchir finished fourth in 2:20:46.
Local fans had plenty to cheer as Tariku Novales (2:05:48) and Majida Maayouf (2:21:27) both set Spanish records, while Turkey's Sultan Haydar (2:21:27) and Italy's Sofiia Yaremchuk (2:23:16) also broke national records.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 2:15:51 2&nbsp; Almaz Ayana (ETH) 2:16:22 3 Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) 2:17:59 4 Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:20:46 5 Majida Maayouf (ESP) 2:21:27 6 Sultan Haydar (TUR) 2:21:27 7 Desi Mokonin (BRN) 2:22:29 8 Genevieve Gregson (AUS) 2:23:08 9 Sofiia Yaremchuk (ITA) 2:23:16 10 Isobel Batt-Doyle (AUS) 2:23:27&nbsp;
Men 1 Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:01:48 2 Alexander Mutiso (KEN) 2:03:11 3 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48 4 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:04:19 5 Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:04:33 6 Kibiwott Kandie (KEN) 2:04:48 7 Chalu Deso (ETH) 2:05:14 8 Mohamed Esa (ETH) 2:05:40 9 Mehdi Frere (FRA) 2:05:43 10 Gashau Ayale (ISR) 2:05:46

Sisay Lemma set a course record of 2:01:48 to move to fourth on the men’s world all-time list, while Worknesh Degefa ran a PB of 2:15:51 to win the women’s race and complete an Ethiopian double

Lemma breaks course record, Degefa dominates in Valencia

Peru&rsquo;s Kimberly Garcia and Brazil&rsquo;s Caio Bonfim have been confirmed as the overall winners in the 2022-2023 World Athletics Race Walking Tour.
The scoring system combines each athlete&rsquo;s three best world ranking performances from the series. The man and woman with the highest score win US$25,000.
Garcia, the two-time world champion in 2022, started her year with a bang, winning the 35km in Dudince in a world record of 2:37:44. One month later, she was victorious over 20km in Warsaw, then she finished just outside of the podium in Rio Maior a couple of weeks later.
She rebounded in June by winning a high-quality 20km contest in La Coruna in a national record of 1:26:40.
At the World Championships in Budapest, Garcia placed fourth over 20km then claimed silver in the 35km, the latter contributing to her World Race Walking Tour score.
Mexico&rsquo;s Alegna Gonzalez and Australia&rsquo;s Jemima Montag placed second and third overall in the end-of-year standings.
Bonfim&rsquo;s first appearance on this year&rsquo;s tour also came in Dudince, where he placed second over 35km. He followed it with a 20km victory in Warsaw, a runner-up finish in Rio Maior, and a win in La Coruna, clocking a national record of 1:18:29.
He claimed 20km bronze at the World Championships in Budapest, once again improving on his own national record with 1:17:47. Five days later, he placed 10th in the 35km &ndash; the only race this year in which he hasn&rsquo;t finished in the top three.
Sweden&rsquo;s Perseus Karlstrom and Ecuador&rsquo;s Brian Pintado were second and third respectively in the overall standings.
The 2023-2024 World Race Walking Tour kicks off on 17 December in Dublin, where the likes of Karlstrom will be competing. It will also feature the first ever marathon race walking mixed relay held in Europe.
<h3>2022-2023 World Race Walking Tour final standings</h3>
Women 1 Kimberly Garcia (PER) 4092 2 Alegna Gonzalez (MEX) 3881 3 Jemima Montag (AUS) 3864 4 Antigoni Ntrismpioti (GRE) 3847 5 Glenda Morejon (ECU) 3746
Men 1 Caio Bonfim (BRA) 4075 2 Perseus Karlstrom (SWE) 4032 3 Brian Pintado (ECU) 4008 4 Declan Tingay (AUS) 3890 5 Christopher Linke (GER) 3886

Peru’s Kimberly Garcia and Brazil’s Caio Bonfim have been confirmed as the overall winners in the 2022-2023 World Athletics Race Walking Tour.

Garcia and Bonfim confirmed winners of World Athletics Race Walking Tour

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso &ndash; a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label event &ndash; features arguably the year's finest field. Valencia has witnessed a number of world records in recent years, and organisers aim for the Spanish coastal city to be the epicentre of the running world again on Sunday (3).
Olympic 5000m champion Joshua Cheptegei will attract much of the attention on Sunday as the Ugandan will be making his first appearance over the classic distance. The 27-year-old, who is the world record-holder for the 5000m and 10,000m, has fond memories of Valencia as it is where he set a world 10km record of 26:38 in 2019 and the still standing world 10,000m record of 26:11.00 the following year.
&ldquo;The marathon is a new challenge for me,&rdquo; said three-time world 10,000m champion Cheptegei, who has a half marathon PB of 59:21. &ldquo;After 10 years competing at an international level, I'm thrilled to tackle the longest Olympic distance. The marathon is something new for me and I'm fully aware there is a lot to learn.&rdquo;
In one of his final sessions before heading to Valencia, Cheptegei reportedly ran a 28km long run timed at 1:25 &ndash; an average pace of 3:02/km.
If recent form and experience is anything to go by, Kenyan duo Kibiwott Kandie and Alexander Mutiso will start among the favourites.
Kandie displayed impressive form six weeks ago when achieving his third victory at the Valencia Half Marathon, beating a highly competitive field in 57:40, just nine seconds short of his own world record, set three years prior in Valencia.
He has had two prior outings at the marathon distance, but is yet to make his mark; he hopes that Sunday&rsquo;s race will be third time lucky.
Japan-based Mutiso made a remarkable marathon debut in Valencia last year, placing third in 2:03:29. Valencia is where he also set his half marathon PB of 57:59 in 2020. The 27-year-old won the Prague Marathon earlier this year in 2:05:09.
Titus Kipruto, who has a PB of 2:04:54 and finished eighth at the World Championships in Budapest, will join his Kenyan compatriots on the start line.
A strong Ethiopian contingent is led by the legendary Kenenisa Bekele. The 41-year-old still ranks third on the world all-time list with his 2:01:41 clocking from the 2019 Berlin Marathon. The multiple world and Olympic champion failed to finish the London Marathon earlier this year, so will try to bounce back on Sunday in what will be his first ever clash against Cheptegei, the man who broke Bekele&rsquo;s world records on the track.
The former 5000m and 10,000m world record-holder will be joined by his compatriots Leul Gebreselassie, Sisay Lemma, Dawit Wolde and Chalu Deso; the former, winner here in 2018, is the current world bronze medallist and took fourth in London (2:05:45) while Lemma finished runner-up in Prague (2:06:26) but clocked 2:03:36 back in 2019. Wolde is a 2:04:27 athlete with a season's best of 2:05:46 in Rotterdam, while Deso has also broken the 2:05 barrier.
Watch out too for Tanzania&rsquo;s Gabriel Geay and Brazil&rsquo;s Daniel Do Nascimento. Geay was runner-up in Valencia last year with a PB of 2:03:00, then placed second in Boston earlier this year in 2:06:04. The 27-year-old also finished seventh at the 2022 World Championships, just ahead of Do Nascimento, a 2:04:51 performer.
French duo Morhad Amdouni (2:05:22) and Nico Navarro (2:06:45), Germany's European champion Richard Ringer (2:08:08) plus Spain's Tariku Novales (2:07:18) will be aiming to improve on their respective PBs.
A trio of pacemakers comprising Charles Matata, Hillary Kipkoech and Bernard Ngeno will dictate a steady 2:54 pace to go through the half-way point in 1:01 in a bid to challenge the course record of 2:01:53 set last year by world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum.
<h2>Ayana the woman to beat</h2>
Ethiopia's 2016 Olympic 10,000m champion Almaz Ayana made her marathon debut in Amsterdam last year with 2:17:20, what was then the fastest debut in history.
This year, the 32-year-old placed seventh in London in 2:20:44, but had won the Lisbon Half Marathon one month earlier in a PB of 1:05:30. On Sunday she&rsquo;ll line up alongside compatriots Genzebe Dibaba, Worknesh Degefa, Hiwot Gebrekidan and Bosena Mulatie.
Dibaba, the former 1500m star, also made a promising marathon debut in Amsterdam last year, clocking 2:18:05, but she failed to finish in London this year before placing sixth (2:21:47) in Chicago at the start of October.
Degefa, a 2:17:41 performer, didn't compete in 2021 and 2022 as she became a mother twice but she made a strong return in October with a 1:07:48 win at the Trento Half Marathon. Gebrekidan set her PB of 2:19:10 at the Tokyo Marathon last year, and placed eighth in Boston earlier this year, while 22-year-old Mulatie will be tackling the distance for the first time, having set a half marathon PB of 1:05:46.
Celestine Chepchirchir, who ran 2:20:10 in Seoul last year, and Seville Marathon winner Jackline Chelal, who has a PB of 2:20:29, are the leading Kenyan entrants for this year&rsquo;s race.
Poland's European champion Aleksandra Lisowska, Spain's Majida Maayouf (2:21:01) Croatia's Bojana Bjeljac (2:23:39), Italy's Sofiia Yaremchuk (2:24:02) and Ireland's Fiounnala Mc Cormack are among the other leading international entrants.
Ethiopia's Abebe Garedew, Kenya's Titus Kemboi and Spain's Alejandro Jim&eacute;nez have been enlisted as pacemakers and will try to reach the halfway point in 1:07:30, putting the leading women on schedule to threaten Amane Beriso's course record of 2:14:58, set last year.
A total of 33,000 runners are set to take part in the event, 57% of them travelling from abroad and represent a record 134 countries. The weather forecast predicts a windless day, with the thermometer reaching 10-12C by the time of the event.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<h3>Leading entries</h3>
Women Almaz Ayana (ETH) 2:17:20 Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 2:17:41 Joan Chelimo Melly (ROM) 2:18:04 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2:18:05 Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) 2:19:10 Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:20:10 Jackline Chelal (KEN) 2:20:29 Dolshi Tesfu (ERI) 2:20:40 Desi Mokonin (BRN) 2:20:47 Majida Maayouf (ESP) 2:21:01 Lisa Weightman (AUS) 2:23:15 Bojana Bjeljac (CRO) 2:23:39 Melat Kejeta (GER) 2:23:57 Fionnuala McCormack (IRL) 2:23:58 Sofiia Yaremchuk (ITA) 2:24:02 Sultan Haydar (TUR) 2:24:44 Eloise Wellings (AUS) 2:25:10 Gerda Steyn (RSA) 2:25:28 Aleksandra Lisowska (POL) 2:26:08 Irvette van Zyl (RSA) 2:26:11 Marta Galimany (ESP) 2:26:14 Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) 2:26:14 Carolina Wikstrom (SWE) 2:26:14 Mekdes Woldu (FRA) 2:26:34 Fatima Azaharaa Ouhaddou (ESP) 2:26:44 Risper Gesabwa (MEX) 2:26:55 Bosena Mulatie (ETH) debut
Men Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:01:41 Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:03:00 Alexander Mutiso (KEN) 2:03:29 Getaneh Molla (ETH) 2:03:34 Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:03:36 Leul Gebreselassie (ETH) 2:04:02 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:04:27 Daniel do Nascimento (BRA) 2:04:51 Chalu Deso (ETH) 2:04:53 Titus Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:54 Mohamed Esa Huseydin (KEN) 2:05:05 Morhad Amdouni (FRA) 2:05:22 Goitom Kifle (ERI) 2:05:28 Gashau Ayale (ISR) 2:05:33 Abdisa Tola (ETH) 2:05:42 Oqbe Kibrom (ERI) 2:05:51 Nico Navarro (FRA) 2:06:45 Isaac Mpofu (ZIM) 2:06:48 Tariku Novales (ESP) 2:07:18 Girmaw Amare (ISR) 2:07:28 Haimro Alame (ISR) 2:07:45 Godadaw Belachew (ISR) 2:07:54 Richard Ringer (GER) 2:08:08 Daniel Mateo (ESP) 2:08:22 Derseh Kindie (ETH) 2:08:23 Khalid Choukoud (NED) 2:08:36 Mehdi Frere (FRA) 2:08:55 Yago Rojo (ESP) 2:08:56 Kibiwott Kandie (KEN) 2:13:43 Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) debut Stephen Kiprop (KEN) debut Stanley Kurgat (KEN) debut

Kenenisa Bekele and Joshua Cheptegei will clash for the first time

Debutant Cheptegei takes on Bekele and Kandie, Ayana faces Dibaba in Valencia

Britain&rsquo;s world 1500m champion Josh Kerr will headline the men&rsquo;s two mile field when he returns to the Millrose Games, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event, for the fifth time on 11 February.
Kerr, the Olympic bronze medallist, ran 3:48.87 for the mile in Boston in 2022 and sits fourth on the world indoor all-time list for the discipline. He will look to make a similar statement in the two-mile event when he races at The Armory in New York in February.
He won the 3000m at this year&rsquo;s Millrose Games, his season opener, in 7:33.47 and went on to take the world 1500m title in Budapest. Kerr was second in the Millrose Games mile in 2022, while he was also second and fourth in that discipline in New York in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The world indoor two-mile best is 8:03.40, set by Britain&rsquo;s Mo Farah in Birmingham in 2015.
&ldquo;There's going to be a fantastic field and it will be paced at the two-mile world record,&rdquo; Kerr told CitiusMag. &ldquo;Currently, I'm in fantastic shape. I'm having an amazing fall and dealing with everything new and everything that's exciting, amazing and also terrible about being a world champion. I'm very excited for it.&rdquo;
More than 50 meetings feature on the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Tour calendar, including seven Gold level events, in a season that culminates with the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24.
Other athletes already confirmed for next year&rsquo;s Tour include world gold medallists Noah Lyles, Jake Wightman and Gabby Thomas, who will all compete at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on 4 February.

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