&ldquo;Trust me,&rdquo; says Collen Kebinatshipi. &ldquo;This was just the start of an era of Collen. My plan is just to dominate for the longest period possible.&rdquo;
Whatever about the future, the 22-year-old Motswana, who blazed to the world 400m title in Tokyo last year in 43.53, has been utterly dominant this year &ndash; going six for six at Diamond League meetings and setting a national record of 43.40 at the Diamond League Final in Brussels.
Which brought him to the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest high on confidence, where Kebinatshipi was the overwhelming favourite for the men&rsquo;s 400m. In many races this year, he had saved his energy for the latter half of the one-lap race but, this time, he changed things up.
&ldquo;I just decided I should go all out and see where it would end,&rdquo; he says.
He left the blocks in explosive fashion, ripping through the first 100m in 10.61, reaching 200m in 20.67 and 300m in a blazing 31.37, leaving a slew of global medallists trailing far behind.
How fast would he go?
43.39, another national record, which handed him the Ultimate trophy and $150,000 in prize money.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6aa57d05334a20d335b3726d.jpg" alt="Collen Kebinatshipi at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26" />
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Collen Kebinatshipi at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 (&copy; Getty Images)
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Kebinatshipi blacked out not long after the race and had to spend several minutes recuperating in a wheelchair. The 400m can do that, especially when you run it as he did.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s normal,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I know every time I push my body, it&rsquo;s like that. The plan was to give everything, leave everything on the track.&rdquo;
He did just that, crowning a season of consistent excellence. There were his two 9.89-second 100m clockings on home turf in Gaborone back in April, his three national 400m records, and Kebinatshipi also helped Botswana to victory in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, clocking an African record of 2:54.47.
&ldquo;I need to go home and recover,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to mess up because this is my last race, I didn&rsquo;t want to leave anything in the tank and now I have nothing in the tank.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a special thing to keep the [winning] streak alive until the end of the season. It was such an amazing season and it&rsquo;s a big boost heading towards next year. I just want to make sure I stay healthy until the World Championships.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69d037160447b91f4c6c764c.JPG" alt="Collen Kebinatshipi" />
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Collen Kebinatshipi (&copy; Monirul Bhuiyan)
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It&rsquo;s been a steep ascent in recent years, but Kebinatshipi&rsquo;s talent has been clear for a long time. He took up athletics in primary school. &ldquo;I was just doing it for fun,&rdquo; he says.
In 2019, he met his current coach, Chilume &lsquo;Chippa&rsquo; Ntshwarang, at a competition and they started working together. It&rsquo;s proven a hugely successful relationship. He trains alongside Lee Eppie, a 44.40 athlete who joined Kebinatshipi on the team that won the men&rsquo;s 4x400m world title in Tokyo last year.
In 2020, he and his coach decided to focus more on the 400m. &ldquo;Even though I was scared of it,&rdquo; says Kebinatshipi, &ldquo;but coach maybe saw something I didn&rsquo;t see.&rdquo;
In 2022, he lowered his PB to 45.40 at the age of 18 and reached the world U20 400m final. In 2023, he won gold at the African U20 Championships in 44.91 and reached the world semi-final in Budapest. In 2024, he became an Olympian in Paris, narrowly missing the 400m final and helping Botswana to Olympic silver in the 4x400m.
But things truly clicked in 2025.
Kebinatshipi overcame a scare in his 400m heat at the World Championships in Tokyo, where he finished only fourth in 44.48, but he blazed to victory in his semi-final in a national record of 43.61. In the final, he ran 43.53 to claim his first global gold.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/68cc07f31c12d795c3531c66.jpg" alt="Collen Kebinatshipi wins the 400m at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25" />
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Collen Kebinatshipi wins the 400m at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 (&copy; Getty Images)
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&ldquo;Last year&rsquo;s win opened a lot of doors for me but that was just the beginning, because this year was about putting my name up there and showing people who I am and what I&rsquo;m capable of,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;My coach told me to come here and try a new race plan.&rdquo;
It might have been a very different approach in Budapest, but it worked as well as ever, Kebinatshipi finishing a whopping 0.76 seconds ahead of runner-up Rai Benjamin. He said the world record was not in his mind at the Ultimate Championship, given the fatigue of the previous day&rsquo;s semi-final was still in his legs.
&ldquo;The championship itself deserves such challenges,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Because it&rsquo;s big money, and big challenges.&rdquo;
However, Wayde van Niekerk&rsquo;s mark of 43.03 is certainly a long-term goal.
&ldquo;I would be lying if I say no &ndash; the world record is obviously always running in my mind. The world record talk will be on the table maybe in LA (at the 2028 Olympics).
&ldquo;The calculations based on training, we&rsquo;re always (doing), like if I go 20.9 in the first 200m and then go 22.0 or 22.1, it&rsquo;s going to give us a 42.9. But it&rsquo;s not easy. I&rsquo;m still a bit lighter, I&rsquo;m not doing a lot of gym but as time goes, when I start engaging the body in more constant work I think I will manage (the world record), but for now, no pressure.&rdquo;
With his season complete, Kebinatshipi plans to take a long break, which he will spend at home in Botswana, where he breeds boerboel dogs on a 10-acre farm.
&ldquo;I have eight of them at the moment and I have been missing them since May,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I am going to go back home, spend all my prize money on them. Unfortunately, they are not as fast as I am &ndash; they have big muscles and cannot keep up with me.&rdquo;
Still only 22, Kebinatshipi believes he has &ldquo;10, 11 years in this track life&rdquo; left and all options are on the table about his specialist events.
&ldquo;If we achieve what we want, maybe run under 43 before the next five years, it&rsquo;d give us another window to try another event,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Once I accomplish it, in less than five years, I&rsquo;m going to move to the 200m and after achieving what I want, I can skip again, go to the 800m.&rdquo;
Whatever way he goes, the era of Collen Kebinatshipi looks built to last.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

“Trust me,” says Collen Kebinatshipi. “This was just the start of an era of Collen."

Kebinatshipi: ‘This was just the start’

World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Pat Clohessy, the coach who guided Robert de Castella to the marathon title at the first World Championships in Helsinki in 1983, died in Brisbane on Monday (28 September). Clohessy, an early recruit to the professional staff at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, was 93.
Before he became an influential coach, Clohessy was a champion distance runner in his own right. He won consecutive NCAA three-mile titles for the University of Houston in 1961 and 1962, claimed the AAU three-mile title in 1963, and finished third at the World Games in Helsinki that same year.
He represented Australia over one mile and three miles at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, finishing seventh over the longer distance.
He retired as an athlete and became a teacher at Xavier College in Melbourne, where he was soon coaching the athletics team.
Some years later, a promising young runner named de Castella attended the school. &ldquo;Deek&rdquo; was 14 when he first began working with Clohessy and they went on to become one of the most famous athlete-coach partnerships in Australian athletics history. Their successes included the 1983 world marathon title, the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games titles, a world marathon record of 2:08:18 at the 1981 Fukuoka Marathon, victory at the 1986 Boston Marathon, and wins at the Rotterdam Marathon in 1983 and 1991.
Reflecting on their remarkable relationship this week, de Castella said Clohessy was &ldquo;like a second father&rdquo; to him, writing on Instagram that he was &ldquo;blessed to have had this great man mentor, guide and inspire me with his generosity, care, &amp; wisdom&rdquo;.
&ldquo;To me, he exemplified what we want from all our coaches in all sports,&rdquo; de Castella said. &ldquo;He had a wealth of personal knowledge and wisdom from his own athletics background, and his caring nature, self-sacrifice and positivity uplifted everyone around him.
&ldquo;The technical side was important, but it was the character and values and approach that made him stand out. He always said he preferred to coach someone with a little bit of talent and a lot of commitment, than someone with a lot of talent and a little commitment. As a coach, he was artistic and a craftsman. He could tell just from looking at someone how they were running.&rdquo;
Clohessy was Australia&rsquo;s distance running coach at the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and was a national team coach at the 1983 and 1987 World Athletics Championships.
He worked as a national high-performance coach at the AIS from 1982 to 1994, where his coaching group included Simon Doyle, who was ranked world No.2 in the 1500m in 1990 and 1991, 1990 Commonwealth Games 5000m champion Andrew Lloyd, and Australian representatives Krishna Wood, Shaun Creighton, Susan Hobson and Pat Carroll.
During his five-decade coaching career, &ldquo;Clo&rdquo; became a cherished figure in Australian distance running, mentoring generations of athletes and coaches, including Dick Telford, coach of Australian middle-distance star Cameron Myers, who won this year&rsquo;s Wanda Diamond League 1500m title.
As an AIS sports scientist in the 1980s, Telford came into Clohessy&rsquo;s orbit when he began providing physiology support to the distance running group.
&ldquo;Pat had a huge influence on me in his general approach to his athletes, which was &lsquo;first do no harm&rsquo;,&rdquo; Telford recalls. &ldquo;He had a very caring approach. It was how do we get the best out of an athlete with the least amount of risk and Pat epitomised the coaching art of how to do that.
&ldquo;He was the only professional distance coach in the country at the time and he became the father figure of Australian distance running. He was a steadying influence and he had incredible success with a really simple plan.
&ldquo;When I set a training programme now there are a few things that I include automatically that trace back to what Pat was doing. Franz Stampfl, Arthur Lydiard, Percy Cerutty and Pat Clohessy &ndash; they are the coaches who have influenced me.&rdquo;
Clohessy&rsquo;s sayings &ndash; &ldquo;Clo-isms&rdquo; &ndash; became legendary among the Australian distance running community. Anyone who asked about an athlete would invariably be told that they were &ldquo;looking good&rdquo; or &ldquo;on the rise&rdquo;.
He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1988 for his service to sport as a track and field coach, and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1997.
In &ldquo;retirement&rdquo;, Clohessy returned to grassroots coaching in Brisbane, notably with the University of Queensland, continuing to pursue his passion for the sport until failing health intervened.
He is being remembered with admiration, affection and gratitude by the Australian athletics community this week, and his influence lives on.
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics

Pat Clohessy, 1933-2026

Australian athletics coach Clohessy dies

The co-ingestion of sodium bicarbonate and carbohydrate could help athletes sustain high-intensity efforts later in a race while fatigued, according to a new study conducted by Bernardo R. Norte at the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University, in collaboration with the World Athletics Health and Science Department.
In sport, the smallest detail can make the difference between victory and defeat. Winning a race can depend on the ability to deliver another intense effort when the body is already exhausted. With this in mind, the research led by Norte, a PhD student in exercise metabolism &amp; nutrition, examined a novel energy gel combining sodium bicarbonate and carbohydrate during three hours of moderate-intensity exercise, followed by a series of high-intensity efforts, to assess performance in a fatigued state. It found that compared with carbohydrate ingestion alone, adding sodium bicarbonate improved performance after prolonged exercise and induced only mild gastrointestinal discomfort.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6abf8b0c114f5f44ddfdc6e3.jpg" alt="Research at the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University" />
Research at the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University
&ldquo;A central finding of this study is that this new energy gel format may offer endurance athletes a practical nutritional strategy to achieve blood alkalosis and improve performance,&rdquo; said Dr. Julien B. Louis, Reader in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and the supervisor of the project.
Indeed, high-intensity exercise can temporarily cause metabolic acidosis, characterised by increased hydrogen-ion concentration and a reduction in blood pH. Fingertip blood samples were collected and analysed at regular intervals using a blood gas analyser (EPOC, Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany). The results indicated that sodium bicarbonate ingestion during exercise helped limit acidosis thanks to its buffering capacity.
These findings suggest that the ergogenic potential of sodium bicarbonate may extend beyond isolated high-intensity exercise performed in a rested state and offer practical guidance for coaches and athletes, supporting more informed decision-making in both training and competition.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6abf8b34755ad341bea3ef26.JPG" alt="Researchers from the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University" />
Researchers from the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University
The full article is <a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=0c44621f-4301-423c-bb37-61202dfb6ddb.pdf&amp;urlslug=Can%20Sodium%20Bicarbonate%20ingestion%20improve%20exercise%20performance%3F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">available for download</a> from the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/health-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Health &amp; Science section of the World Athletics Library</a>, under &lsquo;nutrition in athletics&rsquo;.
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The co-ingestion of sodium bicarbonate and carbohydrate could help athletes sustain high-intensity efforts later in a race while fatigued, according to a new study

Nutrition study highlights performance benefit of sodium bicarbonate and carbohydrate co-ingestion

Ahead of World Mental Health Day, ASICS is drawing attention to a decline in everyday movement, with new research finding that people surveyed spend an average of 86% of their waking day not moving.
To highlight the issue, ASICS has released <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTuMUWlVFZI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Human Nature</a>, a short nature documentary narrated by Sigourney Weaver. The film explores how modern conveniences are changing the way people move, and encourages viewers to build more movement into daily life.
The research, involving 34,000 people across 31 countries, found that 53% of adults surveyed do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines. ASICS worked with experts to develop a Movement Conservation Status, inspired by nature conservation and based on recognised physical activity guidelines. It classifies weekly movement levels as Active, At Risk or Endangered.
Almost one in four respondents (23%) were classified as Endangered, reporting less than 30 minutes of exercise each week. ASICS projects that the proportion of adults classified as At Risk or Endangered across the countries studied could rise from 53% to 56% by 2035, equivalent to an estimated 2.3 billion adults.
<h3>Movement levels and reported state of mind</h3>
The survey found an association between reported movement levels and state of mind. Respondents classified as Endangered had an average State of Mind score of 60 out of 100, compared with 71 for those classified as Active. They also reported feeling less energised, less composed and less focused, and more stressed.
Young adults were among those most likely to report low activity levels. More than half of respondents aged 18&ndash;24 said they did not meet recommended activity levels; 92% of that group reported experiencing negative consequences, including low mood, increased stress or poor sleep.
The research also points to the role of modern routines. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) said convenience makes it easy to spend a whole day barely moving. More than four in 10 said they could comfortably go three or more days without leaving home.
Those who said they very often went a full day without leaving home had lower average State of Mind scores than those who said they never did so. They were also twice as likely to be classified as Endangered.
<h3>Small amounts of movement can help</h3>
ASICS says its research found that 15 minutes of movement can produce a measurable uplift in mental state.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve built a world that makes movement optional,&rdquo; said David Raichlen, professor of biology and anthropology at the University of Southern California. He said regular movement remains important for physical and mental health, and that small, achievable bouts of activity can help people bring more movement into their everyday lives.
<h3>A new nature documentary</h3>
Human Nature takes a playful look at people in increasingly comfortable and convenient surroundings. With Weaver&rsquo;s narration echoing a traditional nature documentary, the film shows how sofas, screens and other conveniences can replace everyday movement, and reminds viewers that movement is part of human nature.
‣ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTuMUWlVFZI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch Human Nature</a>
&ldquo;For more than 75 years, ASICS has been guided by the belief that movement transforms not just the body, but also the mind,&rdquo; said Gary Raucher, ASICS global head of marketing. He said the company hopes to encourage people to move for 15 minutes, highlighting the potential benefits of even small amounts of activity.
For World Mental Health Day, ASICS is inviting people to take part in its &ldquo;15 Minutes to Thrive&rdquo; initiative and join its Movement Conservationist community.
&bull; Find out more: <a href="https://asics.com/movementconservation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asics.com/movementconservation</a>

Ahead of World Mental Health Day, ASICS is drawing attention to a decline in everyday movement

ASICS calls for more movement as research highlights links to mental wellbeing

When Naoko Takahashi crossed the finish line at the 2001 Berlin Marathon, her expression turned from agony to ecstasy.
The digits on the giant clock above her clicked from 2:19:45 to 2:19:46 but, after straining for so long to chase time and history, the Japanese runner glanced first at her wristwatch and then at the face of her coach before fully realising what she had done.
With an official finishing time of 2:19:46, Takahashi had become the first woman to run the marathon in less than 2:20, breaking a barrier that Ingrid Kristiansen and Joan Benoit had pushed towards in the 1980s.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not anyone special,&rdquo; the 29-year-old insisted that day, 30 September 2001, 25 years ago now. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just a normal person. I just prepared well for today. It was a great challenge.&rdquo;
It was a challenge for which Takahashi prepared with characteristic thoroughness under the guidance of her long-time coach Yoshio Koide, a former marathon runner who described his &ldquo;earnest&rdquo; charge as &ldquo;a glutton for training, who never cuts corners&rdquo;.
The pair followed the same formula that had brought Takahashi Olympic success in Sydney in 2000, when she prevailed ahead of Romania&rsquo;s Lidia Simon in a Games record of 2:23:14.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60f86f7ca11486ae3f363dc0.jpg" alt="Naoko Takahashi's Sydney 2000 competition number" />
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Naoko Takahashi's Sydney 2000 competition number (&copy; World Athletics Heritage)
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They spent a punishing four months at altitude in Boulder, Colorado, where Takahashi built her endurance with occasional runs of 70-80km.
Her regime also reportedly included a drink derived from the secretions of Japanese giant hornets, which was claimed by its developers to help endurance runners metabolise fat and reduce the build-up of lactic acid.
Takahashi arrived in Berlin with her own chef and masseur. Her entourage of a dozen also included the journalist who penned her weekly manga story Kazekko, The Daughter of the Wind &ndash; a comic strip with a readership of some 700,000.
A second cousin of Hideki Shirakawa, the Japanese chemist who was awarded a Nobel Prize for discovering conductive polymers, Takahashi had enjoyed a solid rather than spectacular track career, placing 13th in the 5000m final at the 1997 World Athletics Championships in Athens.
She made her marathon breakthrough in 1998, winning the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon in 2:25:48, a Japanese record, before making light of the oppressive heat and humidity of Bangkok to win the Asian Games title in 2:21:47, then the fastest time ever in a women-only race.
That remained Takahashi&rsquo;s PB when she lined up for her first mixed-gender marathon in Berlin in 2001 &ndash; in a field that included Tegla Loroupe, the Kenyan who had set the existing world best of 2:20:43 in the German capital in 1999.
Accompanied by a group of male pacemakers to halfway, Takahashi reached that marker in 1:09:50. &ldquo;I looked at my watch at that point and knew I would just have to run the same time again,&rdquo; she later recalled.
Only in the final two kilometres did her pace slow. &ldquo;I was getting tired,&rdquo; she confessed, &ldquo;but knew I could still manage sub-2:20.&rdquo;
The Daughter of the Wind finished with 14 seconds to spare, 57 seconds inside Loroupe&rsquo;s world best, with the Kenyan a distant runner-up in 2:28:03.
&ldquo;I have always had two goals,&rdquo; Takahashi said. &ldquo;One was to become an Olympic champion. The other was to break the world record.
&ldquo;Both achievements are roughly on the same level for me.&rdquo;
Takahashi was rewarded with a bonus of $100,000. When Jim Peters became the first man to break 2:20, clocking 2:18:40.4 in the 1953 Polytechnic Marathon from Windsor to Chiswick in west London, he finished in debt.
&ldquo;It cost me 10 shillings [50 pence] to enter,&rdquo; he recalled. &ldquo;I got nothing for winning.&rdquo;
The 2:17:39.4 mark that Peters clocked in the 1954 edition of the 'Poly' race stood as a global mark for four years. Takahashi&rsquo;s landmark sub-2:20 time in Berlin lasted all of seven days.
Running in the 2001 Chicago Marathon, Catherine Ndereba reclaimed the world best for Kenya, breaking Takahashi&rsquo;s time by 59 seconds with 2:18:47.
Koide later confessed the target for Takahashi in Berlin had been 2:18:32.
&ldquo;Because of the headwind in the first 5km, she lost 20 seconds,&rdquo; he lamented. &ldquo;If she trains for the final 2km, she can run a further one minute faster.&rdquo;
Sadly for Takahashi and her coach, it was not to be.
She won again in Berlin in 2002, clocking 2:21:49, but was troubled by injury thereafter. She announced her retirement after failing to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage
<div><a href="https://tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6885f79e982e117f1338cb26.jpg" alt="MOWA banner" /></a></div>

When Naoko Takahashi crossed the finish line at the 2001 Berlin Marathon, her expression turned from agony to ecstasy.

Takahashi and the marathon’s sub-2:20 breakthrough

Switzerland&rsquo;s Simon Ehammer and Annik K&auml;lin have been confirmed as the winners of the 2026 World Athletics Combined Events Tour, completing a historic Swiss double.
Both athletes had finished runner-up in the 2022 tour, but no Swiss athlete had previously topped either the men&rsquo;s or women&rsquo;s standings in the tour or its forerunner, the Combined Events Challenge, which dates back to 1998. This year, Ehammer and K&auml;lin each won with the second-highest winning score ever recorded in their respective standings.
The Combined Events Tour counts each athlete&rsquo;s best three performances across the series and at major championships, converting them into result scores using World Athletics&rsquo; scoring tables. Indoor and outdoor performances can count. Ehammer and K&auml;lin each receive a US$30,000 prize as tour winners.
The top eight at the end of the season are:
Decathlon 1 Simon Ehammer (SUI) 3703 2 Leo Neugebauer (GER) 3676 3 Hakim McMorris (USA) 3597 4 Heath Baldwin (USA) 3572 5 Makenson Gletty (FRA) 3550 6 Harrison Williams (USA) 3542 7 Jeff Tesselaar (NED) 3529 8 Karel Tilga (EST) 3517 <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2026/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full standings</a>
Heptathlon 1 Annik K&auml;lin (SUI) 3653 2 Adrianna Sułek-Schubert (POL) 3458 3 Noor Vidts (BEL) 3407 4 Sveva Gerevini (ITA) 3392 5 Beatričė Ju&scaron;kevičiūtė (LTU) 3392 6 Anna-Elisabeth Ehlers (GER) 3378 7 Vanessa Grimm (GER) 3373 8 Szabina Szűcs (HUN) 3362 <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2026/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full standings</a>
Ehammer opened his year by winning the world indoor heptathlon title in Toruń with a world record of 6670. He then won the decathlon at the Hypo Meeting in G&ouml;tzis with 8778, setting another Swiss record and producing the best first-day score in decathlon history.
Neugebauer finished second in G&ouml;tzis with 8730, then won in Ratingen with 8573. He capped his season by claiming his first European title in Birmingham, scoring 8611 to hold off fellow German Niklas Kaul.
McMorris set a personal best of 8420 to win at the Mt SAC Relays. He increased that PB to 8599 in Talence, elevating him to third in the overall standings.
K&auml;lin won the heptathlon in G&ouml;tzis with a Swiss record of 6726, then improved that mark to 6819 when winning in Ratingen. Her end-of-season total of 3653 is the second-highest winning score in the women&rsquo;s standings, behind Anna Hall-Slayton&rsquo;s 3781 in 2025.
Sułek-Schubert won her fourth heptathlon title at the Wiesław Czapiewski Memorial, setting a meeting record of 6449. The Polish record-holder showed some of her best form since returning to competition after giving birth in 2024.
Two-time world indoor champion Vidts placed third in the standings after a consistent season that included scores of 6310 in G&ouml;tzis and 6329 in Talence.

Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer and Annik Kälin have been confirmed as the winners of the 2026 World Athletics Combined Events Tour

Ehammer and Kälin complete historic Swiss double in World Athletics Combined Events Tour

Zhang Jiale produced the standout performance on the final day of athletics action at the Asian Games in Nagoya, winning the women&rsquo;s hammer with a Games record of 78.27m.
The Chinese thrower entered the competition having twice bettered the official Asian record in recent weeks, with marks of 78.64m and 79.62m awaiting ratification, while compatriot Zhao Jie held the ratified continental record of 78.22m set earlier this year.
Their rivalry once again took centre stage on a rain-affected evening at Paloma Mizuho Stadium.
Zhao held a commanding advantage in their overall head-to-head record, but Zhang had enjoyed the upper hand more recently, beating her compatriot seven times this season. She did so again when it mattered most.
Zhang took command of the competition before improving to 78.27m in the fourth round, breaking the Games record and securing gold. Zhao managed 74.83m for silver, while Japan&rsquo;s Joy McArthur delighted the home crowd with 68.42m for bronze.
Winfred Yavi, meanwhile, ended the Games as one of its most successful athletes after completing a remarkable distance treble.
Having already won the 10,000m and 3000m steeplechase, the Bahraini added the women&rsquo;s 5000m title in 15:10.18.
She had to work hard for her third gold, with Japan&rsquo;s Nozomi Tanaka challenging all the way to the line before finishing second in 15:11.65.
Sri Lanka&rsquo;s Rumesh Pathirage also ended his season on a high by adding the Asian Games javelin title to an impressive list of victories in 2026.
Apart from a second-place finish in Rabat, Pathirage won every competition he contested this year, including the Commonwealth Games, Diamond League Final and the Ultimate Championship.
His preparations for Nagoya had been disrupted when his specialist javelins were damaged during air travel following the competition in Budapest. Using a new javelin, he took time to find his rhythm in the final before throwing 88.33m in the fourth round and then improving to 88.55m with his final attempt.
With Neeraj Chopra absent through injury, India&rsquo;s Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav took silver and bronze with 85.72m and 84.35m respectively. Pakistan&rsquo;s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem finished fourth with 80.29m.
Another of the standout performances came from Mariam Kareem in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles. The 18-year-old from the United Arab Emirates, who won the Asian U18 title last year and the Asian U20 crown earlier this season, completed her campaign with a Games record of 54.31.
Her performance also improved the Asian U20 record and moved her to second on the world U20 all-time list behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Kazakhstan&rsquo;s Adelina Zems took silver in 54.58, while India&rsquo;s Vithya Ramraj earned bronze in 54.75, breaking a 42-year-old national record.
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles also produced a high-quality contest. Qatar&rsquo;s Bassem Al Hemeida upgraded his Hangzhou silver to gold with 47.82, while Japan&rsquo;s 17-year-old Taiju Goto clocked a personal best of 47.93 for silver. Goto&rsquo;s performance improved his own Asian U20 record and is also a world U18 best.
Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines successfully defended his pole vault title, improving his own Games record by one centimetre to 5.91m. China&rsquo;s Yao Jie and Li Chenyang both cleared 5.70m to take the other two places on the podium.
Bahrain&rsquo;s Birhanu Balew also successfully defended his 5000m title, winning in 13:30.79 ahead of Japan&rsquo;s Tomonori Yamaguchi, who clocked 13:31.43, and India&rsquo;s Gulveer Singh in 13:32.75.
Balew had already retained his 10,000m title earlier in the Games. Singh, meanwhile, ended his campaign with three individual medals, having also taken silver in the 1500m and 10,000m.
Japan enjoyed further success in the men&rsquo;s middle-distance and steeplechase events. World Championships finalist Ryuji Miura won the 3000m steeplechase in a Games record of 8:17.36, narrowly beating compatriot Ryoma Aoki in 8:17.60.
Kazuto Iizawa had earlier won the 1500m in another Games record, clocking 3:36.35 to edge Singh, who ran 3:36.72. Ko Ochiai then added the 800m title on the final day, front-running to victory in 1:44.48, also a Games record.
China&rsquo;s Shi Yuhao won the men&rsquo;s long jump with 8.17m. India&rsquo;s Murali Sreeshankar was forced to stop competing because of an ankle injury but his second-round leap of 8.07m was enough for a second successive Asian Games silver. Uzbekistan&rsquo;s Anvar Anvarov took bronze with 8.06m.
China also secured victories through Feng Bin in the women&rsquo;s discus with 63.83m and Wu Hongjiao in the women&rsquo;s 800m in 2:04.49.
India claimed its only gold medal of the athletics programme in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m relay (3:29.69), giving India a seventh Asian Games title in the event. Japan took the men&rsquo;s title in 3:00.75. The result brought the athletics programme at the 20th Asian Games to a close.
Ram. Murali Krishnan for World Athletics

Zhang Jiale produced the standout performance on the final day of athletics action at the Asian Games in Nagoya

Zhang's monster hammer throw and Yavi's distance treble cap Asian Games in Nagoya

Despite missing the full 2026 season through injury, world and Olympic 4x100m champion Twanisha &lsquo;TeeTee&rsquo; Terry found another way to be part of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship.&nbsp;
The US sprinter is also a children&rsquo;s book author and she supported the event in Budapest by holding a book-signing session, gifting copies of her books to children participating in the Kids&rsquo; Athletics Ultimate Challenge. Led by Ultimate Stars Letsile Tebogo and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the activation formed part of The Day Before, a new-look pre-event media programme.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The Day Before was a lot of fun. I enjoyed watching Melissa and Letsile take part in the activation and engage with the children,&rdquo; said Terry. &ldquo;As athletes of their calibre, they have the power to make a difference and inspire young people to believe that they could one day follow in their footsteps.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Terry spent the rest of the weekend enjoying the new competition as a spectator and cheering on her teammates, including her close friend Jefferson-Wooden.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The atmosphere at the Ultimate Championship was amazing and the competition was phenomenal,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It was great to see my Star Athletics teammates put on a show, with Melissa and Kenny (Bednarek) both competing in the 100m and 200m and producing world-leading performances.&rdquo;&nbsp;
<h2>TeeTee&rsquo;s Real Adventures&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
The 27-year-old has been competing since the age of nine. Throughout her career, she has noticed that much of her fan base &ndash; whom she calls &lsquo;Tee-Babies&rsquo; &ndash; are young children.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Looking for a way to connect with them, Terry turned to storytelling.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I wanted to foster a love for reading among children and families. Then the opportunity to write my first book fell into my lap,&rdquo; Terry said. &ldquo;Once I had written the first book, I thought, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m not just going to stop at one. Why not do two?&rsquo; Then two became three, and I thought, &lsquo;Okay, let&rsquo;s make it a series.&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The three-part TeeTee&rsquo;s World Adventures series comprises TeeTee&rsquo;s World Adventure, TeeTee&rsquo;s World Adventure: Little Steps, Big Wins, and the recently published TeeTee&rsquo;s World Adventure: Travelling the Magical Tracks.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Through the books, I can show them: &lsquo;You can be here as well,&rsquo;&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The books give children representation and allow them to see themselves in the stories.&rdquo;&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6abba40c6f499c019a3883af.jpeg" alt="Kids at TeeTee Terry's book signing" />
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Kids at TeeTee Terry's book signing (&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" /> Sona Maleterova)
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<h2>Starting blocks for big dreams&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
Giving back has always been important to Terry, but she wanted her impact to grow beyond returning to her former high school or helping people on an individual basis. This inspired her to launch her nonprofit Starting Blocks for Dreams Inc.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;The nonprofit provides mentorship, education and resources to talented young people facing socio-economic challenges,&rdquo; she explained.&nbsp;
The nonprofit&rsquo;s first mentorship programme attracted dozens of applications within days, and the response eventually became so strong that she closed applications two weeks ahead of schedule.&nbsp;
Terry partnered with about 20 mentors from different occupations, including sport, the military and finance.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The one-to-one programme prepares young people for opportunities both within and beyond sport. Mentors are carefully matched with mentees and meet at least once a month, although many connect more frequently.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;One mother told a mentor that she had been praying for an opportunity for her daughter to learn how to succeed independently, and then this mentorship opportunity came along,&rdquo; Terry said. &ldquo;She was grateful and thankful.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I also started seeing the kids gain confidence. Some of them even went on to create small businesses, such as tutoring programmes.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I want to give young people the building blocks for life &ndash; from financial literacy to interview and communication skills.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/645f969bae4f6d841261feca.JPG" alt="Twanisha Terry wins the 100m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi" />
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Twanisha Terry wins the 100m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi (&copy; Sila Kiplagat)
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<h2>Terry&rsquo;s personal mentors&nbsp;</h2>
Terry sees her own mentors not as formal guides, but more as part of the community that has supported her throughout her journey.&nbsp;
Her father believed in her when she struggled to believe in herself, particularly after difficult training sessions made her question her future in the sport.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;My dad has this saying: &ldquo;If you start, you&rsquo;re going to finish it.&rdquo; With track, if I started that particular year, I had to finish the year,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;If I decided the following year that I didn&rsquo;t want to do it anymore, then okay. But if I started something, I had to finish it.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Her coaches have also played important roles at different stages of her career: high school coach Carmen Jackson, college coach Caryl Smith Gilbert and current Star Athletics coach Dennis Mitchell.&nbsp;
Terry also looks up to sprint legend Carmelita Jeter, who surprised her with a visit during her first year at the University of Southern California.&nbsp;
&ldquo;She wrote a message on a photograph encouraging me to be my own cheerleader and never give up. I still have it in perfect condition today,&rdquo; Terry said.&nbsp;
<h2>Empowering young people and looking to the future&nbsp;</h2>
Terry believes that one meaningful interaction can make a difference in a young person&rsquo;s life. &ldquo;Being able to empower children and show them, &lsquo;I was once in your shoes, and I&rsquo;m here now,&rsquo; is something that amazes me,&rdquo; Terry said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one of my biggest things, especially with the books. Whether I&rsquo;m on the track or off the track, I find different ways to pour into the youth.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6abba42d6f499c019a3883b2.jpeg" alt="TeeTee Terry at her book signing in Budapest" />
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TeeTee Terry at her book signing in Budapest (&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" /> Sona Maleterova)
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When the mother of a young fan named Kirsten asked Terry to record a birthday video for her, Terry realised the family lived only about 40 minutes from an event she&nbsp; attended in Florida. She offered to do something better: meet Kirsten in person.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Inspired by the support she&rsquo;s received throughout her career, Terry hopes to recreate that same sense of community for others.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I want Starting Blocks for Dreams to grow beyond Florida,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;One day, I want our mentees to come together in person, build real relationships and feel part of a wider community.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Terry has big plans for the future. She hopes to place her books in schools across the US, publish more titles, become a keynote speaker and, most importantly, stay connected with young people beyond her athletics career.&nbsp;&nbsp;
She also plans to open a daycare near her home, with the potential to develop it into a franchise.&nbsp;

Despite missing the full 2026 season through injury, world and Olympic 4x100m champion Twanisha ‘TeeTee’ Terry found another way to be part of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship

From starting blocks to big dreams: Terry’s mission beyond the track 

&ldquo;Growing up, I was looking at the sprint athletes,&rdquo; says Audrey Werro, the Swiss 22-year-old who enjoyed a swift ascent to the summit of the women's 800m this year.
&ldquo;They are sometimes a little bit extravagant, and I am not like that,&rdquo; she admits. &ldquo;But it's a good example that I can be little more extravagant, as I'm really shy and need to take a little bit of their confidence.&rdquo;
Throughout the year, Werro celebrated her wins with a claws-out pose, which came from her childhood when her father, Claude, urged her &ldquo;not to be shy, but to be a lion&rdquo; when she stepped on the track.
Her races had a familiar feel throughout the season, with Werro adopting a front-running, catch-me-if-you-can tactic, and while success hasn't altered her humble personality, it has instilled more self-belief.
&ldquo;On the track, I'm now not the same person I am (away from) the track,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;This is two personalities, and I'm so happy I found the personality that is able to run fast and be confident.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6aba74914771eed48b754e24.jpg" alt="Audrey Werro celebrates her win at the Ultimate Championship" />
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Audrey Werro celebrates her win at the Ultimate Championship (&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" /> Mattia Ozbot)
It's been a brilliant, breakthrough year, with Werro winning world indoor silver behind Britain's Keely Hodgkinson in March before an unbeaten outdoor campaign, barring her fall in the European semifinals. After being advanced to the 800m final, she went on to win gold before also winning the Diamond League Final and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
In Stockholm in June, she became the third woman in history to break 1:54, clocking 1:53.98. At the Paris Diamond League a few weeks later, she improved her Swiss record to 1:53.80, edging ever closer to Jarmila Kratochvilova's world record of 1:53.28.
Heading into 2026, Werro had three chief goals: a medal at the Europeans, a win at the Diamond League Final and to improve her Swiss record of 1:55.91. &ldquo;Even if it was (by) one second, I'd have been happy,&rdquo; she says.
Was the world record on her mind?
&ldquo;This is motivation, but this was not my goal for this season,&rdquo; she explains. &ldquo;I know the world record will (go) down one day, and this is a great thing.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6aba752acf749d81c6ceb892.jpg" alt="Audrey Werro wins the Diamond League 800m title" />
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Audrey Werro wins the Diamond League 800m title (&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)
A native of Fribourg in the west of Switzerland, Werro took up athletics at the age of nine. There was no major running background in her family, but she gravitated towards it after a schoolteacher told her she had talent.&nbsp;
She did a variety of sports in her childhood but once she found athletics, it had her full attention.
At Club Athl&eacute;tique Belfaux, she came under the guidance of Christiane Berset Nuoffer, who still coaches her today.&nbsp;
&ldquo;A really good coach,&rdquo; says Werro. &ldquo;She makes me feel confident (before) the race.&rdquo;
Her talent was clear from an early age. In 2019, aged 15, Werro ran 1:31.59 for 600m and the following year she clocked 2:08.72 for 800m. The summer of 2021 saw her set Swiss U18 records at 400m (53.74), 600m (1:26.61) and 800m (2:02.32), before powering to the European U20 title.
In 2022, she won silver in the world U20 800m final behind Roisin Willis, while in 2023 she retained her European U20 title, then in 2024 she competed at her first Olympics in Paris.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6aba77a99a7c5c07100fd8fc.jpg" alt="Audrey Werro at the 2022 World U20 Championships" />
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Audrey Werro at the 2022 World U20 Championships (&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" /> Marta Gorczynska)
In 2025, the signs were clear that Werro was a rising force, finishing fourth in the world indoor 800m final and sixth in the world outdoor final. But 2026 was when she arrived at the very top.
She has had the same training setup for several years at CA Belfaux, and while Werro doesn't count her training volume, she reckons it's about 60 kilometres a week.
&ldquo;I know these people for a long time, it was my first athletics club,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I do most of my training with the club, I do some alone. For me, the most important thing is to be with people. I train every day, twice a day.&rdquo;
If there's been a key difference in 2026, it's that Werro is now a full-time athlete.
&ldquo;I can just focus on athletics,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I have more time to recover. It was hard before that, I was in high school, the school before university. So, I finished this and now I'm enjoying athletics for a couple of years.&rdquo;
Her years of work came to fruition during the outdoor season, with Werro leading all the way to beat Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol in the European 800m final in Birmingham in 1:54.81.
She adopted similar tactics to win the Diamond League Final in Brussels, edging Broeders-Bol to victory by 0.06, and she did the same again at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest, where she dominated the 800m to win in 1:55.88.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O59zfi3u3Os?si=xf64IoKnZdHlhF0G" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
When it comes to tactics, Werro feels most comfortable leading races, controlling the tempo, and her strength and speed over the final 200 metres during the outdoor season ensured no one could get past.
&ldquo;I feel more free,&rdquo; she says of that front-running tactic.
Success has instilled confidence, but Werro knows how vicious the standard is in her event, and so it's not something she takes for granted.
&ldquo;The most important thing this year in order to stay the best was to keep in my mind that one day, I will get beaten,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I need to accept that. No one is invincible, and if I keep that in my mind, I'm just more free to run like I want to.&rdquo;
Werro is currently enjoying a four-week break from training and she hopes to return better than ever in 2027. What area can still be improved?
&ldquo;My start,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I'm not the best at the start and I can maybe improve that for next season.&rdquo;
Whatever about those opening metres, the rest of Werro's race already looks like the finished product. In an event that's been impossible to look away from all year, she has set a very high bar for her rivals to clear as the focus shifts to 2027.&nbsp;
And it's a bar rising all the time. Catch her if you can.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics
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It's been a brilliant, breakthrough year for Swiss 800m star Audrey Werro

Ultimate champion Werro, a lion on the track

Incessant rain may have disrupted the middle days of the Asian Games athletics programme at Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, but it did little to dampen the performances on Super Sunday.
Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson once again provided the biggest highlight, completing the sprint double with an Asian record-equalling 19.88 in the men&rsquo;s 200m.
Having already won the 100m in a Games record of 9.90, Boonson signalled his intent in the 200m by clocking 20.10 in the preliminary round, also a Games record.
His start in the final was relatively moderate, but he accelerated strongly around the bend before powering clear down the home straight. He stopped the clock at 19.88, matching the Asian record set by China&rsquo;s Xie Zhenye in 2019.
Boonson finished well clear of China&rsquo;s Huang Youwen, who took silver in 20.45, while Japan&rsquo;s Soshi Mizukubo earned bronze in 20.56.
China&rsquo;s Yan Ziyi produced another of the standout performances of the programme, dominating the women&rsquo;s javelin with a Games record of 70.46m.
The world U20 record-holder was nearly eight metres clear of Japan&rsquo;s Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi, who took silver with 62.70m.
World and Olympic champion Winfred Yavi also completed a golden double, adding the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase title to the 10,000m crown she had won earlier in the Games.
The Bahraini prevailed in a high-quality tactical contest, clocking a Games record of 9:04.36 to finish ahead of Kazakhstan&rsquo;s 2022 world champion Norah Jeruto, who ran 9:06.82, and India&rsquo;s Parul Chaudhary, the 2023 Asian Games silver medallist, who clocked 9:08.67.
Bahrain&rsquo;s success continued with Nelly Korir in the women&rsquo;s 1500m and Salwa Eid Naser in the 400m. Both won in Games record times, Korir clocking 4:04.50 and Naser 49.20.
There was also a landmark victory for Thailand in the men&rsquo;s 400m as Joshua Atkinson claimed the country&rsquo;s first Asian Games title in the event, clocking 44.90. Abdulrahman Suleiman of the United Arab Emirates pushed him close but had to settle for silver in 44.99.
In the women&rsquo;s 200m, Singapore&rsquo;s Shanti Pereira successfully defended the title she won in Hangzhou. China&rsquo;s 100m champion Chen Yujie was quickest away, while Pereira and India&rsquo;s Harita Bhadra made slower starts. Pereira, however, surged to the front in the second half of the race and held off Chen to win in 22.78. Chen took silver in 22.93, while Bhadra earned bronze in 23.20.
Several other Games records fell in the field events. Iran&rsquo;s Mohammadreza Tayebisefat won the men&rsquo;s shot put with a Games record of 20.81m, denying India&rsquo;s Tajinderpal Singh Toor (20.64m) a third successive title. China&rsquo;s Su Wen set a Games record of 17.42m to win the men&rsquo;s triple jump.
Japan&rsquo;s Mako Fukube won the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in 12.74, while China&rsquo;s Chen Yuanjiang took the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles title in 13.15. Japan&rsquo;s Rachid Muratake finished second in 13.29.
The men&rsquo;s high jump produced an upset following the late withdrawal of Asian record-holder Mutaz Essa Barshim. Korea&rsquo;s two-time Asian Games silver medallist Woo Sanghyeok had been expected to challenge strongly for gold but finished third with 2.22m. Chinese Taipei&rsquo;s Fu Chao-Hsuan took the title, while India&rsquo;s Sarvesh Anil Kushare earned silver after clearing 2.25m.
Japanese decathlete Yuma Maruyama upgraded the bronze medal he won in Hangzhou to gold in Nagoya, scoring 8123. China&rsquo;s Chen Xinghua took silver (8012), while India&rsquo;s overnight leader and 2023 Asian Games silver medallist Tejaswin Shankar finished third (7934).
Japan&rsquo;s Hayato Katsuki, boosted by his victory at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia earlier this year, won the men&rsquo;s marathon race walk in 3:03:36. China&rsquo;s Zhou Yingcheng took silver, with Japan&rsquo;s top-seeded Suwa Mutofumi third.
Kazakhstan&rsquo;s Yasmina Toxanbayeva won the women&rsquo;s race, although the official results remained subject to a protest concerning shoe specifications.
There was also drama in the men&rsquo;s marathon, where Japan&rsquo;s Ichitaka Yamashita and India&rsquo;s Sawan Barwal were locked together until the closing stages. Barwal, competing in only his second marathon after breaking a 48-year-old national record earlier this year, remained with Yamashita until 40km before the Japanese runner edged clear.
Yamashita won in 2:10:49, while Barwal improved to 2:11:37 for silver, earning India its first Asian Games medal in the event for 44 years.
Ram. Murali Krishnan for World Athletics

Incessant rain may have disrupted the middle days of the Asian Games athletics programme at Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, but it did little to dampen the performances on Super Sunday

Boonson completes Asian Games sprint double as Yan dominates javelin in Nagoya

Tigst Assefa came within sight of the world marathon record before late drama halted her challenge at the BMW Berlin Marathon, but the Ethiopian held on to win the World Athletics Platinum Label road race in 2:11:04, the third-fastest time in history, on Sunday (27).
Her training partner Guye Adola completed an Ethiopian double, winning the men&rsquo;s contest in a PB of 2:02:50. It was his second victory in Berlin, five years after his first, and finally improved on the PB he had set on his marathon debut in the German capital nine years ago.
Assefa, meanwhile, produced one of the most remarkable record attempts in marathon history. At 40km she was still on course to challenge the world record of 2:09:56 before appearing to suffer a physical problem during the closing stages.
Until then, her pace had been relentless. The world and Olympic silver medallist reached 5km in 15:30 and was already well clear of the field by 10km, which she passed in 30:48. Defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru was second in 31:53, herself 26 seconds ahead of a 10-woman chase pack.
Assefa covered the next 10km in an even quicker 30:46, reaching 20km in 1:01:34, and hit halfway in 1:04:57, the third-fastest halfway split ever recorded in a women&rsquo;s marathon.
By then her advantage had grown considerably. Wanjiru reached halfway almost three minutes behind in 1:07:42 and was just three seconds ahead of a chasing quartet comprising Bedatu Hirpa, Dera Dida, Pascaline Jelagat and Alemitu Tariku.
There was little sign of Assefa relenting. She passed 25km in 1:17:00, keeping her inside 2:10 pace, then produced her fastest 10km section of the race to reach 30km in 1:32:15. Her projected finishing time was back inside world record pace at 2:09:45.
Remarkably, she accelerated again between 30km and 35km, covering that section in 15:17 to reach the latter checkpoint in 1:47:32. That 5km split alone would have been enough for 13th place in the standalone women&rsquo;s 5km at the recent World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen.
With Assefa more than five minutes clear and Ethiopian compatriots Hirpa, Dida and Tariku all projected to finish inside 2:16, the main intrigue centred on the clock.
A 3:02 37th kilometre put Assefa on schedule for about 2:09:36. She reached 40km in 2:03:00, still projecting a 2:09:44 finish and having produced extraordinarily consistent 10km sections of 30:48, 30:46, 30:41 and 30:45.
But almost immediately the picture changed. Assefa began running with a pronounced limp and was visibly grimacing as her pace dropped dramatically. It later transpired that she had suffered a partial tear of her achilles tendon.
With such an enormous advantage, she had time in hand, though, and made it to the Brandenburg Gate before crossing the line in 2:11:04. Despite the difficult finish, she took 49 seconds off the PB and course record of 2:11:53 she had set when winning in Berlin in 2023.
It was also Assefa&rsquo;s third Berlin victory, following her wins in 2022 and 2023, and her third marathon triumph from her past four starts.
Behind her, Hirpa prevailed in a close battle for second, clocking 2:16:53 to finish two seconds ahead of Dida. Bekelech Gudeta was fourth in 2:18:58 and Tariku fifth in 2:19:01.
The men&rsquo;s race remained tightly packed for considerably longer. A large lead group passed 10km in 28:58 and nine men remained together at halfway, reached in 1:01:01. Adola was joined there by Selemon Barega, Gemechu Dida, Andamlak Belihu, Shura Kitata, Asefa Boki, Getaneh Molla and Tanzania&rsquo;s Gabriel Geay among the main contenders.
The group began to stretch out approaching 25km, and by 30km Adola had moved to the front. He reached that checkpoint in 1:26:57, putting him just outside 2:02 pace, with Barega, Dida and Geay still close behind.
Geay began to lose contact a couple of kilometres later and Adola then made the decisive move.
By 35km, he had opened a nine-second advantage over Dida, with Barega another four seconds adrift. The gap continued to grow during the closing stages and Adola was never seriously threatened again.
He crossed the line in 2:02:50, taking almost a minute off the PB he had set on his marathon debut in Berlin in 2017, when he finished second to Eliud Kipchoge.
It completed a perfect marathon season for Adola, who also won in Rotterdam in April in 2:03:54, and earned him a second Berlin title following his 2021 victory.
Dida finished strongly to take second in 2:03:19, while Geay secured third in 2:03:59. Molla was fourth in 2:04:55, three seconds ahead of Barega.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:11:04 2 Bedatu Hirpa (ETH) 2:16:53 3 Dera Dida (ETH) 2:16:55 4 Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:18:58 5 Alemitu Tariku (ETH) 2:19:01 6 Pascaline Jelagat (KEN) 2:20:23 7 Misgane Alemayehu (ETH) 2:20:27 8 Ludwina Chepngetich (KEN) 2:21:25 9 Evaline Chirchir (KEN) 2:21:32 10 Aminet Ahmed (ETH) 2:21:45
Men 1 Guye Adola (ETH) 2:02:50 2 Gemechu Dida (ETH) 2:03:19 3 Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:03:59 4 Getaneh Molla (ETH) 2:04:55 5 Selemon Barega (ETH) 2:04:58 6 Asefa Boki (ETH) 2:05:32 7 Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 2:05:55 8 Shura Kitata (ETH) 2:06:04 9 Yuhei Urano (JPN) 2:06:09 10 Tadu Abate (ETH) 2:07:16

Tigst Assefa came within sight of the world marathon record before late drama halted her challenge at the BMW Berlin Marathon

Assefa holds on for 2:11:04 as Adola regains Berlin crown

Egide Ntakarutimana and Francine Niyomukunzi ran race records to win the 15km events, while Evelina Henriksson and&nbsp;Ebba Tulu Chala&nbsp;dominated the 30km contests as the TCS Liding&ouml;loppet opened the World Athletics Cross Country Tour season in Liding&ouml;, Sweden, on Saturday (26).
Ntakarutimana and Niyomukunzi secured a 15km double for Burundi, respectively clocking 44:36 and 51:25. Ntakarutimana won ahead of his compatriots Tharcisse Nizigiyimana and Elie Sindayikengdera, while Niyomukunzi clinched the crown ahead of Sweden&rsquo;s Johanna B&auml;cklund and Smilla Szalkai.
Racing in wet conditions, Ntakarutimana and Nizigiyimana started fast and broke away early on. Ntakarutimana was in control and he gradually moved away from his compatriot, building a 12-second lead by the 5.5km checkpoint at Hustegaholm. By Gr&ouml;nsta at 11.4km he had extended his advantage to 33 seconds and he continued unchallenged to win by 51 seconds &ndash; Nizigiyimana following him over the finish line in 45:27. Sindayikengdera was third in 46:48.
&ldquo;The race was good,&rdquo; said Ntakarutimana, whose victory followed two top-10 finishes at two global championships in recent weeks &ndash; eighth in the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 5000m and ninth in the 5km at the World Athletics Road Running Championships. He also finished second in the 5000m at the Wanda Diamond League Final, setting a national record of 12:46.73.
&ldquo;The course was hard, it&rsquo;s up and down, but I tried to push the flat and I was keeping energy for the finish. I am happy for the course record.&rdquo;
Niyomukunzi, who also contested the 5km at the World Road Running Championships a week ago, was even more dominant. After leading by more than three minutes at Gr&ouml;nsta, she maintained the momentum and eventually won by four minutes.
B&auml;cklund was in fourth place at Hustegaholm, 90 seconds behind Niyomukunzi, but she moved up and was clear in second place by Gr&ouml;nsta. She clocked 55:27 at the finish line, more than a minute ahead of Szalkai in 56:40.
Having previously been a&nbsp;World Cross Country Tour Silver level fixture, the Liding&ouml;loppet &ndash; which lays claim to being the world&rsquo;s largest cross-country event &ndash; was upgraded to Gold for the 2026-2027 season. Alongside the 15km races, athletes contested the event&rsquo;s famously demanding 30km course &ndash; the longest race on this season&rsquo;s tour.
Chala and Henriksson secured a Swedish 30km double, respectively running 1:38:50 and 1:53:28.
Like Ntakarutimana and Niyomukunzi in the 15km contests, Chala took control early on. Initially joined by Kenya&rsquo;s defending champion William Nyarondia Morwabe, Chala had built a 46-second lead by the 15km mark at F&aring;gel&ouml;udde and continued to move away.
Sweden&rsquo;s David Nilsson finished strongly to secure second place in 1:40:55, one year on from winning the 15km. Nyarondia Morwabe, who won ahead of Chala last year, narrowly held on to third place in 1:41:06.
&ldquo;It was a bit windy, cold and slippery, and I had to run alone, but my body felt good,&rdquo; said Chala, who regained a title he won in 2024. &ldquo;I'm in good shape and felt like I had it the whole way.&rdquo;
Swedish 10,000m champion Henriksson won by an even bigger margin. Securing top spot for the first time after two consecutive third-place finishes, she claimed the crown by almost three minutes. Kenya&rsquo;s four-time winner Sylvia Mboga Medugu was second in 1:56:26, repeating her placing from last year, while Sweden&rsquo;s Hanna Lindholm was third in 1:56:53.
&ldquo;The race went better than I had imagined,&rdquo;&nbsp;Henriksson&nbsp;told organisers. &ldquo;Previously it felt very heavy in the first mile, so I expected that, but it felt very easy the whole way. Everything flowed.&rdquo;
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women&rsquo;s 15km 1 Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 51:25 2 Johanna B&auml;cklund (SWE) 55:27 3 Smilla Szalkai (SWE) 56:40 4 Louise Wiker (SWE) 57:32 5 Fanny Schulstad (SWE) 57:56
Men&rsquo;s 15km 1 Egide Ntakarutimana (BDI) 44:36 2 Tharcisse Nizigiyimana (BDI) 45:27 3 Elie Sindayikengdera (BDI) 46:48 4 Jonathan Grahn (SWE) 47:01 5 Karl Ottfalk (SWE) 47:13
Women&rsquo;s 30km 1 Evelina Henriksson (SWE) 1:53:28 2 Sylvia Mboga Medugu (KEN) 1:56:26 3 Hanna Lindholm (SWE) 1:56:53 4 Frida Michold (SWE) 1:58:32 5 Emy Thor&eacute;n (SWE) 1:59:11
Men&rsquo;s 30km 1 Ebba Tulu Chala (SWE) 1:38:50 2 David Nilsson (SWE) 1:40:55 3 William Nyarondia Morwabe (KEN) 1:41:06 4 Leonid Latsepov (EST) 1:41:06 5 Mohammadreza Abootorabi (SWE) 1:42:10

Egide Ntakarutimana and Francine Niyomukunzi ran race records to win the 15km events, while Evelina Henriksson and Ebba Tulu Chala dominated the 30km contests at the TCS Lidingöloppet

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