Susanna Saapunki defends her title and takes on event record-holder Andrea Mayr and Valsir Mountain Running World Cup leader Joyce Muthoni Njeru at the Smarna Gora Race on the outskirts of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana on Saturday (5).
Two strong fields have been announced for the event, with the men&rsquo;s race featuring Josphat Kiprotich and Michael Selelo Saoli, who sit third and fourth respectively on the World Cup standings.
Unlike some other races in the World Cup, Smarna Gora doesn&rsquo;t take runners into the high mountains. The highest summit, Grmada, stands at just 676m above sea level and less than 400m above the city below, but the area boasts some incredible running routes and stunning scenery. In 2020 the race was voted the&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/news/smarna-gora-named-greatest-mountain-race-wmra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">greatest mountain race of all time</a>&nbsp;in a World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) poll and it has been included as a World Cup race more than 20 times.
The race is 10km, with 710m of ascent and 350m of descent, and the course blends tough climbs, fast running and technical trails. The summit of Grmada is reached first, just after the 4km mark, before a 2km descent brings runners back down to begin the final climb, spiralling anti-clockwise around the mountain to finish outside the Gostilna Ledinek Inn at the summit.
The women&rsquo;s race has an exceptionally strong field again this year and five of the current top six athletes in this year&rsquo;s World Cup standings will be on the start line. With just three races to go, Muthoni Njeru sits at the top of the <a href="https://www.wmra.info/wp-content/uploads/World_Cup_2024/World_Cup_Classification_9from12races.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rankings</a> with 238 points, Jeruto Kisang lies just behind on 207 and Scout Adkin is in third place on 202. So, a win here for Muthoni Njeru could consolidate her lead, or a victory for Jeruto Kisang or Adkin could bring them back into contention for the title.
Muthoni Njeru has been incredibly consistent this season, and her wins at both Broken Arrow races back in June, and Trofeo Nasego at the start of September, are what put her at the top of the women&rsquo;s World Cup rankings. Jeruto Kisang may not have stood on the top step of any World Cup podiums yet this year, but she has stood on the other steps on many of them after some very close races and that includes second places at Grossglockner and Vertical Nasego. Adkin has also achieved some great victories this year at both Montemuro and La Montee du Nid d&rsquo;Aigle and she also had that incredible run at Sierre Zinal to finish second.
Saapunki took the win here last year in an authoritative fashion, and with recent third places at Vertical Nasego and Trofeo Nasego she is clearly in form. And Mayr remains a force to be reckoned with on any start line. The seven-time world champion won Vertical Nasego and was second in Trofeo Nasego earlier this year.
Other women to watch include Alice Gaggi, who had a strong run at Giir di Mont; Nusa Mali, who was third here last year; and Charlotte Cotton, another consistent performer in the World Cup.
The men&rsquo;s race also looks very competitive. As with the women&rsquo;s race, several of the runners riding high in this year&rsquo;s World Cup will be on the start line. Four of the six top points scorers will be in action and while that doesn&rsquo;t include the leaders &ndash; Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Ombogo Kiriago &ndash; the race will feature the current third placed athlete, Kiprotich, who is currently on 186 points, just 49 points behind Kipngeno. So, a win for Kiprotich could see him take the lead in the men&rsquo;s World Cup, with just two races remaining. Selelo Saoli is currently in fourth place with 148 points, so a win for him, and a failure of Kiprotich to make the top 10 here, could see him tie with or overtake him into third.
Kiprotich has been consistent this season, with his performances including second places at Grossglockner, La Montee du Nid d&rsquo;Aigle and Vertical Nasego. Selelo Saoli won Giir di Mont and also finished third at Grossglockner and La Montee du Nid d&rsquo;Aigle. Paul Machoka has also had a strong season, including a third at Trofeo Nasego and promising runs at both Grossglockner and Sierre Zinal. Richard Omaya Atuya had two impressive victories at Grossglockner and La Montee du Nid d&rsquo;Aigle and could well be the runner to watch here.
But there will be no shortage of runners challenging for the win. Slovenian Timotej Becan is always an athlete to keep an eye on here. He has won or finished on the podium consistently and was fourth here last year. He has achieved several top 10 finishes in mountain races this year, including Grossglockner, and knows this course as well as anybody. There are some strong Italian runners who could do well, including Michael Galassi, who was fifth here last year; Andrea Elia, who was third at Montemuro; Tiziano Moia, fourth at Vertical Nasego; Luca Merli and Luciano Rota. Alric Petit will also be one to watch.
The Smarna Gora Race starts at 10:10am local time on Saturday.
Kirsty Reade (WMRA) for World Athletics

Susanna Saapunki defends her title and takes on event record-holder Andrea Mayr and Valsir Mountain Running World Cup leader Joyce Muthoni Njeru at the Smarna Gora Race

Strong fields set for Smarna Gora Race

<h3>Senior world records:</h3>
Women&rsquo;s 2000m 5:19.70 Jessica Hull (AUS) Monaco, 12 July 2024
Men&rsquo;s 3000m 7:17.55 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Chorzow, 25 August 2024
Men&rsquo;s pole vault 6.26m Mondo Duplantis (SWE) Chorzow, 25 August 2024 
<h3>U20 world records:</h3>
Men&rsquo;s indoor 1500m 3:34.83 Biniam Mehary (ETH) Torun, 6 February 2024
Women&rsquo;s indoor 200m 22.34 JaMeesia Ford (USA) Boston, 9 March 2024
Women&rsquo;s javelin 64.28m Yan Ziyi (CHN) Hangzhou, 14 April 2024
Men&rsquo;s long jump 8.38m Mattia Furlani (ITA) Rome, 8 June 2024
Men&rsquo;s 1000m 2:14.37 Niels Laros (NED) Hengelo, 7 July 2024
&nbsp;
World records set in recent months by Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Mondo Duplantis and Jessica Hull have now been ratified by World Athletics.
Five world U20 records &ndash; set by Biniam Mehary, Mattia Furlani, JaMeesia Ford, Yan Ziyi and Niels Laros &ndash; have also been ratified.
Olympic champions Ingebrigtsen and Duplantis broke world records within moments of each other at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Silesia. Ingebrigtsen shattered the mark for 3000m with 7:17.55, taking more than three seconds off the previous world record of 7:20.67 that Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Komen set in Rieti on 1 September 1996.
About an hour later, Duplantis took to the pole vault runway and cleared 6.26m, adding a centimetre to the world record he set when winning the Olympic title in Paris on 5 August.
Prior to the Olympic Games, Hull entered the record books with her run over 2000m at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco. The Australian distance runner won by more than six seconds in 5:19.70, breaking the world record of 5:21.56 set by Burundi&rsquo;s Francine Niyonsaba on 14 September 2021.
Back in February, Ethiopian distance runner Biniam Mehary made a name for himself by breaking the world U20 indoor 1500m record in Torun. His 3:34.83 clocking was an improvement on the previous mark of 3:36.02 set by Ingebrigtsen in Dusseldorf on 20 February 2019.
Another world U20 indoor record fell a few weeks later when US sprinter JaMeesia Ford sped to a 22.34 clocking over 200m in Boston, shaving 0.06 off the mark set by USA&rsquo;s Bianca Knight in Fayetteville on 14 March 2008. Ford had twice clocked 22.36 earlier in the season, but neither performance could be ratified as a world U20 indoor record.
The world U20 records continued to fall outdoors, starting in April when China&rsquo;s Yan Ziyi sent her javelin flying out to 64.28m in Hangzhou. Not only did the 16-year-old break the previous world U20 record of 63.86m set by Cuba&rsquo;s Yulenmis Aguilar in Edmonton on 2 August 2015, she also set a world U18 best. At the end of the season, Yan went on to improve her best to 64.41m, which is pending ratification.
For the home crowd at the European Championships in Rome, one of the standout moments came from Italian teenager Mattia Furlani, who sailed out to a world U20 long jump record of 8.38m to earn silver. His jump was a three-centimetre improvement on the mark set by Russia&rsquo;s Sergey Morgunov in Cheboksary on 20 June 2012.
Niels Laros is another teenager who set a world U20 on home soil. The Dutch middle-distance runner clocked 2:14.37 to win the 1000m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Hengelo in July, breaking the mark of 2:15.00 set by Kenya&rsquo;s Benjamin Kipkurui in Nice on 17 July 1999.
World Athletics

World records set in recent months by Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Mondo Duplantis and Jessica Hull have now been ratified by World Athletics.

Ratified: world records for Ingebrigtsen, Duplantis and Hull

The calendar and the allocation of disciplines for the 2025 Wanda Diamond League season have now been published.
&bull; <a href="https://www.diamondleague.com/calendar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2025 Wanda Diamond League calendar</a>
&bull; <a href="https://www.diamondleague.com/wanda-diamond-league/qualification-and-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2025 Wanda Diamond League allocation of disciplines</a>
As in previous years, the 2025 Wanda Diamond League will see the world&rsquo;s biggest stars compete across four different continents at 14 of the sport&rsquo;s most prestigious one-day meetings, with the most successful qualifying for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich.
The road to the final will begin in Xiamen on 26 April and will remain in China for the second meeting of the season in Shanghai/Suzhou on 3 May.
The series will then head to Doha and Rabat before the first European meeting of the year in Rome on 6 June.
Following stops in Oslo, Stockholm and Paris, the series will then hit Eugene, Monaco and London in July before entering the home straight in August.
After meetings in Silesia, Lausanne and Brussels, the Wanda Diamond League Final will return to Zurich for the first time since 2022 on 27-28 August.
Each discipline will be staged between four and seven times on the road to the final, giving athletes from across the world and the full diversity of track and field the chance to qualify.
All 32 Wanda Diamond League champions will then be crowned at the series final at Weltklasse Zurich, with both the iconic Diamond Trophy and record levels of prize money at stake.
With the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 taking place in September, the Wanda Diamond League will also provide the perfect preparation ground for the year&rsquo;s major global championships.

The calendar and the allocation of disciplines for the 2025 Wanda Diamond League season have now been published.

Wanda Diamond League publishes 2025 calendar and disciplines

Echo Summit (1968) in California, USA, has been awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque in two categories &ndash; Competition and Landmark &ndash; celebrating a unique competition and one of the most extraordinary temporary venues in track and field history.
In 1968, Echo Summit, located in the Eldorado National Forest above Lake Tahoe, served as the high-altitude training centre and site of the US Olympic Men&rsquo;s Track &amp; Field Trials. The team that was selected there to represent USA went on to win 12 gold medals and set six world records at the Mexico City Olympic Games, one of the most dominant performances in Olympic history.
This announcement of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque comes ahead of a dedication ceremony which will be held on Wednesday (2) at the Adventure Mountain Lodge, South Lake Tahoe. The event will be attended by a number of 1968 Olympians including John Carlos, Bill Toomey, Norm Tate and Ron Whitney. The plaque will be permanently displayed at Echo Summit.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66fc19f34a1d1ce78b963a2c.jpg" alt="John Carlos wins the 200m at Echo Summit" />
John Carlos wins the 200m at Echo Summit (&copy; Rich Clarkson)
</div>
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Heritage Plaque</a> is a location-based recognition, awarded for "an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track &amp; field athletics and of out of stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking."
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;There has never been an athletics meeting before or since like the 1968 US Trials at Echo Summit. As historic events go, the story of Echo Summit is extraordinary and compelling. A unique competition in a landmark setting like nowhere else.
&ldquo;Hines, Smith, Carlos, Evans, Davenport, Fosbury, Seagren, Beamon, Matson, Oerter and Toomey are but a few of the legendary US team which emerged from the depths of the Eldorado National Forest in the September of 1968 to shine in the Mexico City Olympics.
&ldquo;World Athletics wishes to thank Bob Burns for his drive and commitment in illuminating a remarkable moment in time in our sport&rsquo;s history, which we are delighted to recognise with the award of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66fc19d14a1d1ce78b963a29.jpg" alt="Tommie Smith on the Echo Summit track" />
Tommie Smith on the Echo Summit track (&copy; Rich Clarkson)
</div>
Burns, the author of The Track in the Forest*, the 248-page history of Echo Summit published in 2018, and the inspirational organiser of the dedication ceremony, commented: &ldquo;To receive this prestigious heritage award from World Athletics, the governing body for the sport of track and field athletics, is an important moment in the global recognition of a unique sporting event in a unique setting. &ldquo;To acclimate US athletes for the 7300-foot elevation of Mexico City, the US Olympic Committee held a two-month training camp and final Olympic selection meet for the ages at Echo Summit. On a track in which hundreds of trees were left standing on the infield to minimise the environmental impact, four world records fell.
&ldquo;I wish to thank the United States Forest Service for their support and cooperation in making the siting of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque at Echo Summit possible.&rdquo; Four world records were broken at the Echo Summit Trials, in the men&rsquo;s 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and pole vault, and of those, the following three performances were ratified as official world records - Larry James (400m, 44.1), Geoff Vanderstock (400m hurdles, 48.8) and Bob Seagren (pole vault, 5.41m).** Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage
*<a href="https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/the-track-in-the-forest-products-9780897339377.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Track in the Forest</a>
**John Carlos&rsquo; 19.7 in the 200m and Lee Evans&rsquo; 44.0 in the 400m, which beat Larry James&rsquo; 44.1 into second place, were not ratified as world records as the two athletes were wearing illegal &lsquo;brush spikes&rsquo;

Echo Summit in California has been awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque, celebrating a unique competition and one of the most extraordinary temporary venues in track and field history

Heritage Plaque awarded to Echo Summit, a unique moment in athletics history

The World Athletics Continental Tour featured record numbers in 2024, with more than 20,000 athletes from almost 200 countries competing across the series of some 270 meetings.
The Continental Tour is divided into four levels &ndash; Gold, Silver, Bronze and Challenger &ndash; and in 2024 it included meetings in all six continental areas.
One world record, 12 area records and 205 national records were set in Continental Tour meetings held between January and September, with two more Challenger meetings &ndash; in Japan and Paraguay &ndash; still to take place in October and November.
Many of the world&rsquo;s best athletes used the Continental Tour as an important platform in a year that included the Olympic Games in Paris. The tour&rsquo;s top Gold tier, which featured 11 meetings, kicked off in Melbourne in February and ended in Zagreb in September.
&bull; <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/highlights-2024-continental-tour-gold" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/highlights-2024-continental-tour-gold">Read and watch: highlights from the 2024 Continental Tour Gold season</a>
Across all tiers, the 2024 series was capped by the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/mykolas-alekna-discus-world-record-7435m-oklahoma" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/mykolas-alekna-discus-world-record-7435m-oklahoma">world discus record of 74.35m set by Lithuania&rsquo;s Mykolas Alekna</a> at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, a Continental Tour Bronze meeting, in Ramona on 14 April.
Dutch hurdles star <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/bol-european-400m-hurdles-record-la-chaux-de-fonds" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/bol-european-400m-hurdles-record-la-chaux-de-fonds">Femke Bol improved her own European 400m hurdles record to 50.95</a> at the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds, a Continental Tour Challenger event, in Switzerland on 14 July to become just the second woman in history to break 51 seconds for the discipline.
Canada&rsquo;s Ethan Katzberg, now Olympic hammer champion, started his season in style by throwing a <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/kip-keino-classic-nairobi-2024-katzberg-moraa" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/kip-keino-classic-nairobi-2024-katzberg-moraa">North American record at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi</a>, while his compatriot Marco Arop helped the Gold season to end on a high by setting an <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/zagreb-boris-hanzekovic-memorial-2024-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/zagreb-boris-hanzekovic-memorial-2024-report">area 1000m record of 2:13.13 in Zagreb</a>. 
<div style="padding: 0px 20px 5px 20px; border: 2px solid #fe8a4c;">
<h2>The 2024 Continental Tour in numbers</h2>
 Athletes
20,443 athletes from 193 countries in 271 meetings Gold: 1480 athletes from 105 countries in 11 meetings Silver: 3125 athletes from 141 countries in 41 meetings Bronze: 8786 athletes from 174 countries in 83 meetings Challenger: 14,010 athletes from 165 countries in 133 meetings
 Records
1 world record 12 area records 205 national records 7146 personal bests&nbsp;
 Countries with the most Continental Tour meetings
<table style="width: 430px;" border="1" width="430" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Country</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Total</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Gold</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Silver</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Bronze</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Challenger</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Germany</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">29</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">7</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">USA</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">18</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;2</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">9</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">6</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">France</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">18</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">3</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">7</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Poland</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">14</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;1</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">6</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Spain</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">12</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">5</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Italy</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">11</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Greece</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">10</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">4&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Switzerland</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">9</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">3</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 136px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Great Britain &amp; NI</td>
<td style="width: 46px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">9</td>
<td style="width: 45px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 52px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="width: 61px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 90px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Another 54 countries organised Continental Tour meetings in 2024. <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar-results">Full calendar</a> Continental Tour growth
<table style="width: 400px;" border="1" width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Athletes</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Countries</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Meetings</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2021</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">6,682</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">147</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">69</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2022</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">11,793</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;159</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">152</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2023</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">15,552</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">173</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">230</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2024</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">20,443</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;193</td>
<td style="width: 100px; height: 22px; text-align: center;">271</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
 The Continental Tour, which launched for its first full season in 2021, is designed to provide athletes with more high calibre competitive opportunities to earn prize money and world ranking points while reaching fans in nearly every corner of the world.
World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m delighted that the Continental Tour continues to deliver against its four key goals: to provide a clearly understood global competition system which provides more prize money to athletes and encourages them to compete more regularly; to encourage meeting organisers to increase the quality and prize money of their meetings; to motivate new meetings to be established; and to grow the sport in new markets around the world.
&ldquo;Alongside this, the Continental Tour Gold meetings are broadcast live in more than 140 territories around the world as well as on the Inside Track platform on World Athletics.&rdquo;
The full 2025 Continental Tour calendar will be announced in the coming weeks.
World Athletics

More than 20,000 athletes from almost 200 countries competed across the series of some 270 meetings.

2024 the biggest year yet for World Athletics Continental Tour

World Athletics is among the nominees for 'Elite Organisation of the Year' at this year's BBC Green Sport Awards.
Launched in 2022, the annual awards celebrate individuals and organisations from across the globe who are actively contributing to a more sustainable future through their sporting profile and practises. Through its Green Sport Awards, BBC Sport aims to celebrate the good news - the athletes, former athletes and organisations working hard to enact and inspire change.
The 'Elite Organisation of the Year' award recognises a professional or high-performance sports organisation or sporting body that is involved in the organisation or planning of competitive sport and has proactively demonstrated support for environmental and climate change issues in the past 12 months.
Initiatives that landed World Athletics on the shortlist include the implementation of its Athletics for a Better World Standard, a system that evaluates an event's environmental, social and local economic impacts and benefits that has been incorporated into the event bidding and licencing process, and its Champions for a Better World programme, which invites athletes to speak out on environmental issues. World Athletics' consistent spotlighting of climate issues and their impact on sport was also cited for the nomination.
The other nominees include the motorsport series Extreme E, organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and World Rugby.
Australian race walker Rhydian Cowley, a bronze medallist in the marathon race walk mixed relay at the Olympic Games this year, is a finalist in the 'World Athlete of the Year' category. Cowley, who is a member of the World Athletics Champions for a Better World programme, was nominated for his climate advocacy and promotion of environmental sustainability at both local and global levels.
A full list of BBC Green Sport Awards nominees is <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/cy0glpg38xko" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Winners will be announced live on stage at the BBC Radio Theatre in London on Monday 7 October, on the eve of the annual Sport Positive Summit, which kicks off on 8 October at the Kia Oval.
Separately, World Athletics was also shortlisted for the 'Transformation Award' at the inaugural Sport Positive Awards, which will be announced on 8 October at the Kia Oval in London.
World Athletics Vice President and Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei was also nominated in the 'Regional Leader - Africa' category. A list of all Sport Positive Awards nominees is <a href="https://awards.sportpositivesummit.com/spashortlists-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

The annual awards celebrate individuals and organisations from across the globe who are actively contributing to a more sustainable future through their sporting profile and practises

World Athletics nominated for BBC Green Sport Awards Organisation of the Year

Milkesa Mengesha and Tigist Ketema achieved an Ethiopian double at the BMW Berlin Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (29).
Racing at the 50th edition of the event, held on a sunny morning in Germany&rsquo;s capital, Mengesha kicked away from Cybrian Kotut in the closing stages to win the men&rsquo;s title in a PB of 2:03:17, while Ketema solo ran her way to a 2:16:42 triumph in the women&rsquo;s race.
Kenya&rsquo;s Kotut finished five seconds behind Mengesha, securing second place in 2:03:22, with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haymanot Alew third in 2:03:31. Ketema led an Ethiopian top four in the women&rsquo;s race, winning by more than two minutes ahead of her compatriots Mestawut Fikir (2:18:48), Bosena Mulatie (2:19:00) and Aberu Ayana (2:20:20).
After a fast start Mengesha, who finished sixth in the World Championships marathon last year, was part of a lead group of 11 that followed the pacemakers through the halfway mark still on sub-2:02 pace, in 1:00:57.
Kenya&rsquo;s former world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie was to the fore as the pacemakers stepped aside just after 25km. The group had reduced to eight and was bunched together by the time 30km was reached in 1:27:21, and seven were still in contention &ndash; including Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tadese Takele, the fastest man in the field &ndash; as they passed the 35km mark in 1:42:14.
Kandie, Takele and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dejene Megersa couldn&rsquo;t hold on and the race was down to Mengesha, Kotut, Kenya&rsquo;s Stephen Kiprop and Alew with around 5km to go. They reached the 40km mark in 1:56:59 before Mengesha and Kotut strode ahead.
Mengesha dropped his rival with the Brandenburg Gate finish line in sight, crossing it to win in 2:03:17, the third fastest time in the world so far this year and a PB that improves the previous best he set in Valencia in 2022 by more than two minutes.
He dropped to his knees and was followed over the finish line by Kotut in 2:03:22, also a PB by more than a minute.
Alew, Kiprop and Ethiopia's Hailemariyam Kiros followed them, and Yohei Ikeda finished sixth in a PB of 2:05:12, moving him to second on the Japanese all-time list.
Ketema was a dominant winner of the women&rsquo;s race. The 26-year-old, who ran 2:16:07 when making her marathon debut in Dubai in January, is a training partner of Tigist Assefa, who set a world record of 2:11:53 when winning in Berlin last year.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f930461f7c75551b4cf752.jpg" alt="Berlin Marathon winner Tigist Ketema" />
Berlin Marathon winner Tigist Ketema (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
This time Ketema was in control and she was joined by her compatriot Azmera Gebru and a group of&nbsp;men&rsquo;s race runners as 5km was reached in 16:06 and 10km in 32:14.
Ketema was 12 seconds ahead at halfway, which she hit in 1:07:53, and she only increased her advantage from there. She reached 30km in 1:36:59, by which point Gebru had been overtaken, with Ketema&rsquo;s closest challengers being Mulatie, Fikir and Ayana who were running together 1 minute and 53 seconds back.
Ketema continued to forge ahead and she reached 40km in 2:09:24, with a gap of 2 minutes and 20 seconds. While Fikir closed slightly, Ketema was well clear and she won in 2:16:42, the third fastest time in the women&rsquo;s race at the Berlin Marathon.
Fikir was second in 2:18:48, a PB by almost two minutes, while Mulatie was third in 2:19:00, taking almost eight minutes off her previous best set on her debut in Houston in January.
Ayana was fourth, while Japan's&nbsp;Ai Hosoda and Mizuki Matsuda finished fifth and sixth respectively, also in PB times.
The race featured a total of 54,280 finishers.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1&nbsp;Tigist Ketema (ETH)&nbsp;2:16:42 2&nbsp;Mestawut Fikir (ETH) 2:18:48 3 Bosena Mulatie (ETH) 2:19:00 4 Aberu Ayana (ETH) 2:20:20 5 Ai Hosoda (JPN) 2:20:31 6 Mizuki Matsuda (JPN) 2:20:42 7 Calli Hauger-Thackery (GBR) 2:21:24 8 Yebregual Melese (ETH) 2:21:39
Men 1&nbsp;Milkesa Mengesha (ETH)&nbsp;2:03:17 2&nbsp;Cybrian Kotut (KEN) 2:03:22 3&nbsp;Haymanot Alew (ETH) 2:03:31 4&nbsp;Stephen Kiprop (KEN) 2:03:37 5 Hailemariyam&nbsp;Kiros (ETH) 2:04:35 6 Yohei&nbsp;Ikeda (JPN) 2:05:12 7 Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:05:13 8&nbsp;Oqbe Kibrom Ruesom (ERI) 2:05:37
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-label-road-races/calendar-results/7207732/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Milkesa Mengesha and Tigist Ketema achieved an Ethiopian double at the BMW Berlin Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday

Mengesha and Ketema claim Berlin Marathon crowns

Kenyan running legend Janeth Jepkosgei made a historic contribution to the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA), donating the singlet she wore on 28 August 2007 when winning the 800m title at the World Championships in Osaka.
It was the first ever world title won by a Kenyan woman in a middle-distance event, paving the way for eight more titles claimed by her successors in subsequent editions up to 2023.
Jepkosgei, who is now head coach of the U20 Athlete Refugee Team, made the donation to the MOWA during the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24, presenting her singlet to World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon.
<h2>&lsquo;Inspiring the sport of running&rsquo;</h2>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy to present my 2007 World Championships singlet to the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA),&rdquo; said Jepkosgei. &ldquo;When it is displayed in the online museum and exhibited around the world, I hope it helps to inspire and promote the wonderful sport of running, which, in my role as head coach for the U20 Refugee Team, I know is a powerful force for good.&rdquo;
Ridgeon added: &ldquo;Thank you to Janeth for her work with the Athlete Refugee Team and for the enormous generosity she has shown by donating her 800m world title-winning uniform to our museum&rsquo;s collection. The support and encouragement of champions like Janeth is crucial to the success of our heritage programme, which helps preserve and promote our sport&rsquo;s inspiring history to athletes and fans alike.&rdquo;
<h2>From world champion to global role model</h2>
Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei, born in 1983 in Kabirirsang village (Rift Valley Province), was one of the most consistent 800m runners of her decade. Her journey began as a hurdler, but after transitioning to middle-distance running, she won the world U20 800m title in 2002.
Known for orchestrating races with fast starts, Jepkosgei stood on a major championship podium every year from 2003 to 2011, earning the 2007 world 800m title, 2008 Olympic silver, and two more world silvers in 2009 and 2011.
Off the track, Jepkosgei was deeply involved in her community, serving as the Kenyan team captain at numerous championships, sponsoring students, and supporting local projects. After the birth of her daughter Becky Olympia Jepchirchir and her retirement in 2016, Jepkosgei became even more involved in the sport&rsquo;s development by hosting training camps and becoming one of the few female coaches in the athletics world.
She notably discovered young Emmanuel Wanyonyi, whom she coached to his world U20 800m title in 2021, and then mentored alongside her former Italian coach, Claudio Berardelli, to his Olympic title in 2024.
Since 2022, Jepkosgei has also been the head coach of the U20 Athlete Refugee Team (ART), a women-driven programme based near the South Sudan border in East Africa. She has embraced a mentorship role, passing on her vast experience to the next generation, a journey marked by her iconic victory in Osaka in 2007.
<h2>A soaring victory in Osaka</h2>
In Osaka, Jepkosgei astonished everyone as early as the semifinals, with a world-leading time and Kenyan record of 1:56.17, also the fastest prelim in 800m history.
In the final, she set a blistering pace right from the start, exiting the first turn with a three-metre lead and hitting the 100m mark in 13.0, an unprecedented achievement in a championship.
Neither the efforts of Belarusian Svetlana Usovich, Russian Olga Kotlyarova, Mozambican Maria Mutola, nor Moroccan Hasna Benhassi could keep up with the Kenyan&rsquo;s solo race, as she easily won in 1:56.04, further improving the best time of the year.
Jepkosgei&rsquo;s winning singlet will sit alongside the shoes and clothing of other world 800m champions in the Heritage Collection of MOWA, including Ana-Fidelia Quirot, Maria Mutola, Willi W&uuml;lbeck, Wilson Kipketer and David Rudisha.
Pierre-Jean Vazel for World Athletics Heritage

Kenyan running legend Janeth Jepkosgei made a historic contribution to the Museum of World Athletics

Jepkosgei donates world title singlet to Museum of World Athletics

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Ketema and Tadese Takele start as the fastest in the fields and will be hoping to lead the way when they line up for the BMW Berlin Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (29).
Ketema, previously better known as an 800m and 1500m specialist, made her mark in the marathon in Dubai in January as she ran 2:16:07, a time that places her ninth on the women&rsquo;s world marathon all-time list. She then ran 2:23:21 to place seventh in London in April and Berlin will be her first race since then.
&ldquo;I have prepared for a personal best and plan to run the first half on Sunday in around 68 minutes,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I hope it won't be too cold because I prefer to run in slightly warmer weather.&rdquo;
Ketema is one of three women with sub-2:20 PBs on the entry list, as her competition includes her compatriots Genzebe Dibaba and Yebrugal Melese, who have respective PBs of 2:18:05 and 2:19:36.
Dibaba ran that PB on her debut in Amsterdam in 2022 and she clocked 2:21:47 in Chicago a year later. &ldquo;I saw Haile Gebrselassie run two world records in Berlin on TV and since then I've always wanted to run in Berlin,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Now the time has come. It would be a success for me if I ran a personal best.&rdquo;
Another eight women on the entry list have dipped under 2:22 for the marathon in their careers so far, including Mestawot Fikir (2:20:45), Azmera Gebru (2:20:48), Sisay Gola (2:20:50), Fikrte Wereta (2:21:32) and Aberu Ayana (2:21:54), as well as Japan&rsquo;s Mizuki Matsuda (2:20:52) and Ai Hosoda (2:21:42).&nbsp;
Germany&rsquo;s Melat Kejeta is also part of that group, having clocked 2:21:47 in Dubai in January. She placed sixth at the Tokyo Olympics but was unable to finish the Olympic marathon in Paris due to stomach problems.&nbsp;
A total of 13 world records have so far been set in the Berlin Marathon, the most recent being the 2:11:53 by Tigist Assefa &ndash; a training partner of Ketema &ndash; in last year&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s race.
The men&rsquo;s title on that occasion was won by Eliud Kipchoge, as he claimed a record fifth victory.
Kipchoge does not return this year but Takele does, following his third-place finish in last year&rsquo;s race in a PB of 2:03:24. That was his most recent race due to injury, but he says he is now fit and ready to run. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve trained very well,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and expect to run a strong race.&rdquo;
Another four men to have dipped under 2:05 feature on the entry list, including Kenya&rsquo;s Cybrian Kotut, who ran his PB of 2:04:34 when finishing second in Amsterdam last year, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Hailemaryam Kiros and Bazezew Asmare, who respectively clocked 2:04:41 in Paris in 2021 and 2:04:57 in Amsterdam in 2022.
Kenya&rsquo;s former world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie races the marathon for the third time and will be looking to build on the PB of 2:04:48 he set in Valencia last year as he hunts for a first win over the distance.
They will be joined by athletes including Kenya&rsquo;s Samwel Mailu, the world half marathon bronze medallist who set a course record of 2:05:08 to win the Vienna City Marathon last year and continues his comeback after injury, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Milkesa Mengesha, who finished sixth at the World Championships last year and has a best of 2:05:29.
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Women Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2:18:05 Yebrugal Melese (ETH) 2:19:36 Mestawot Fikir (ETH) 2:20:45 Azmera Gebru (ETH) 2:20:48 Sisay Gola (ETH) 2:20:50 Mizuki Matsuda (JPN) 2:20:52 Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:21:32 Ai Hosoda (JPN) 2:21:42 Melat Kejeta (GER) 2:21:47 Aberu Ayana (ETH) 2:21:54 Calli Hauger-Thackery (GBR) 2:22:17 Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:22:54 Lisa Weightman (AUS) 2:23:15 Betelihem Afenigus (ETH) 2:23:20 Veronica Maina (KEN) 2:24:46 Bosena Mulatie (ETH) 2:26:59 Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:27:26 Sonia Samuels (GBR) 2:28:04 Nora Szabo (HUN) 2:28:25 Philippa Bowden (USA) 2:29:14 Pauline Esikon (KEN) debut
Men Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:03:24 Cybrian Kotut (KEN) 2:04:34 Hailemaryam Kiros (ETH) 2:04:41 Kibiwott Kandie (KEN) 2:04:48 Bazezew Asmare (ETH) 2:04:57 Samwel Mailu (KEN) 2:05:08 Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 2:05:29 Haymanot Alew (ETH) 2:05:30 Philimon Kipchumba (KEN) 2:05:35 Josphat Boit (KEN) 2:05:42&nbsp; Dejene Megersa (ETH) 2:05:42 Enock Onchari (KEN) 2:05:47&nbsp; Oqbe Ruesom (ERI) 2:05:51 Justus Kangogo (KEN) 2:05:57 Haimro Alame (ISR) 2:06:04 Ashenafi Moges (ETH) 2:06:12 Asbel Rutto (KEN) 2:07:04 Samuel Tsegay (SWE) 2:06:53 Yohei Ikeda (JPN) 2:06:53 Stephen Kiprop (KEN) 2:07:04 Hendrik Pfeiffer (GER) 2:07:14 Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:07:26 Melaku Belachew (ETH) 2:07:28 Godadaw Belachew (ISR) 2:07:45 Yuhei Urano (JPN) 2:07:52 Guojian Dong (CHN) 2:08:12 Filimon Abraham (GER) 2:08:22 Haftom Welday (GER) 2:08:24 Sebastian Hendel (GER) 2:08:51 Olonbayar Jamsran (MGL) 2:08:58 Haftamu Gebresilase (ETH) debut

Ethiopia’s Tigist Ketema and Tadese Takele start as the fastest in the fields and will be hoping to lead the way when they line up for the BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday

Ketema and Takele head entries for 50th Berlin Marathon

Global gold medallists Faith Kipyegon and Tsige Duguma were among the winners at the Athlos NYC, this year&rsquo;s final World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, in New York on Thursday (26).
The new all-women meeting, held at the Icahn Stadium, featured six elite events &ndash; the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 100m hurdles &ndash; with prize money of $60,000 up for grabs for each winner.
Kenya&rsquo;s Kipyegon, who won her third Olympic 1500m title in Paris and improved the world record to 3:49.04 this season, maintained her win streak, claiming victory in New York in 4:04.79 after a tactical race.
Running a final lap of 58.45, she kicked away from Ethiopia&rsquo;s world road mile champion Diribe Welteji, who was second in 4:05.58.
<h3>Watch again on Inside Track:<a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f2da68163d5f908184cebc.jpg" alt="Athlos on demand video" /></a></h3>
 Duguma, who became the world indoor 800m champion in Glasgow in March, also ended her year on a high as she won the 800m by more than half a second.&nbsp;
The 23-year-old, who claimed Olympic silver in Paris, ran 1:57.43 for the third-fastest time of her career to beat world champion Mary Moraa of Kenya, who clocked 1:58.05.
The final race of the meeting was the 200m, won by Olympic bronze medallist Brittany Brown. She pipped her compatriot Gabby Thomas, the Olympic champion, 22.18 to 22.21 (0.7m/s).
Brown had earlier finished second in the 100m, running 11.05 in a race won by Cote d'Ivoire&rsquo;s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith in 10.98 (0.1m/s).
Puerto Rico&rsquo;s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the 100m hurdles in 12.36 (0.6m/s) ahead of USA&rsquo;s Alaysha Johnson and Olympic champion Masai Russell.
In the 400m, Dominican Republic&rsquo;s Olympic and world champion Marileidy Paulino triumphed again, clocking 49.59 ahead of Alexis Holmes (49.99).
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar-results/7216725/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Watch on-demand video of the Athlos NYC, this year’s final World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting

Kipyegon and Duguma close season with wins in New York

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is looking for a head of investigations &amp; intelligence.
The AIU is responsible for the implementation of World Athletics' anti-doping and integrity programmes globally.
The head of AIU investigations &amp; intelligence will lead investigations, intelligence gathering and strategic integrity assessments across the integrity space in international athletics.
Job description:&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=a6f3f2ce-932d-4202-b472-51ff40807a5d.pdf&amp;urlSlug=head-of-aiu-investigations-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=04b32979-9f6a-446f-9dfc-385b61995509.pdf&amp;urlSlug=directeur-des-enquetes-et-du-renseignement-de" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French</a>
To apply, candidates should send the following in English to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:emploi@worldathletics.org">emploi@worldathletics.org</a> before 27 October 2024:
&bull; Letter of application, highlighting your motivation for the post and your relevant experience &bull; Up-to-date curriculum vitae &bull; Details of current remuneration &bull; Names and contact details for three referees (referees will not be contacted until final interview stage)

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is looking for a head of investigations & intelligence.

Job vacancy: head of AIU investigations & intelligence

&ldquo;In life, nothing is easy, but you have to keep trying to overcome it,&rdquo; said James Lomoi Lochauluka after competing in the 400m at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24.
A few years ago, Lochauluka could never have imagined competing against the best athletes of his generation, much less accessing a quality education programme or seeing the Pacific Ocean with two of his close friends from Kakuma, a refugee camp in northern Kenya housing 240,000 people.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f588c33b2574f2f8369876.jpg" alt="James Lomoi Lochauluka in 400m action in Lima" />
James Lomoi Lochauluka in 400m action in Lima (&copy; Oscar Munoz Badilla)
</div>
Originally from South Sudan, Lochauluka (19), Lokoro Dario (18) and Zinad Joseph (17) were part of the Athlete Refugee Team, an initiative of World Athletics. But beyond being teammates, they were friends who supported one another throughout their adventure in Peru&rsquo;s capital.
The experience in Lima wasn&rsquo;t just about improving their personal bests, which all three did, but also about sharing a human experience with other athletes, exploring the city, and witnessing the ocean for the first time in their lives.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s so big! Is that a ship over there?&rdquo; Lochauluka asked in awe, gazing from the cliffs at surfers who looked like tiny dots. &ldquo;What are they doing? Is that surfing? Oh yes, I&rsquo;ve seen that in movies,&rdquo; he added.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f58233990579f58018255c.jpg" alt="Zinad Joseph and Lokoro Dario see the ocean for the first time" />
Zinad Joseph and Lokoro Dario see the ocean for the first time
</div>
Throughout their journey in Lima, they often held hands when they were impressed by something or when they feared one of them might get lost in the big city. Their bond had grown through hours of training together before and after their classes in Kakuma.
The team had two coaches: Arcade Arakaza from Burundi, who also resides in the Kakuma camp, and Kenyan 2007 world champion and 2008 Olympic silver medallist Janeth Jepkosgei, who joined this mission to pass on her invaluable experience.
Arakaza, 40, eagerly captured the visit on his mobile phone, where he also kept all the stats for his athletes. &ldquo;Look at this! Thirty seconds faster than in Kakuma. This is incredible progress!&rdquo; he exclaimed with a bright smile. Reflecting on his own journey since fleeing Burundi, he added: &ldquo;After so many years on the move, I&rsquo;ve learned to appreciate the present and not worry too much about what&rsquo;s next.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f583d2cd5cd268be55d19e.JPG" alt="Coaches Arcade Arakaza and Janeth Jepkosgei with athletes Zinad Joseph, Lokoro Dario and James Lomoi Lochauluka" />
Coaches Arcade Arakaza and Janeth Jepkosgei with athletes Zinad Joseph, Lokoro Dario and James Lomoi Lochauluka (&copy; Bernard Rotich)
</div>
Accompanying them on their tour of Lima were Alice Annibali, World Athletics&rsquo; Community Relations &amp; Public Affairs Senior Manager; representatives from the UNHCR; Barbara Moser Mercer, coordinator of the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network; and two journalists from the World Athletics Media Development Programme.
Their first stop was the Gran Hotel Bolivar, a national monument located on Plaza San Martin, once frequented by famous guests like Ernest Hemingway and Charles de Gaulle. Lochauluka was excited to recognise the Amazon River on an old map of Peru, a topic he had studied in class. A 1930s Ford T also caught their attention.
While exploring Lima&rsquo;s historic centre, and after trying churros for the first time, they marvelled at the intricate 1600s balconies and visited the San Francisco Convent and Catacombs Museum, where they learned about the intersections of religion, art, commerce, and the afterlife during colonial times.
After a lunch tasting some of Peru&rsquo;s diverse dishes, their next destination was the Parque del Amor, situated on the cliffs of Costa Verde, offering an unforgettable view of the ocean.
Throughout the journey, the young athletes showed an eagerness to learn a few words in Spanish, pronouncing &lsquo;gracias&rsquo; almost perfectly. They also practised their English, particularly when conversing with fellow athletes.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really hot where we come from, and it&rsquo;s challenging for us to train three times a day. We only get mornings and evenings to train. We spoke about this with runners from Jamaica and Australia. It was very interesting,&rdquo; said Lochauluka, a big Manchester United football fan.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f58151cd5cd268be55d197.jpg" alt="Members of the Athlete Refugee Team with local children and Laura Almirall of UNHCR in Lima" />
Members of the Athlete Refugee Team with local children and Laura Almirall of UNHCR in Lima (&copy; Andrea Swayne &amp; Emily Alvarez)
</div>
The next day, they met with local children and other refugees at the sports complex Complejo Deportivo N&deg;1 in Chorrillos, where they were greeted with &ldquo;karibu&rdquo;, Swahili for &ldquo;welcome&rdquo;. In coordination with the Peruvian Athletics Federation, many local children &ndash; including some Venezuelan refugees hosted in the country &ndash; participated in fun activities that emphasised the value of resilience.
<h2>Combining sport and education to save lives</h2>
The collaboration between World Athletics, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network (AHEEN) enabled Joseph, Lochauluka and Dario, along with their coach Arakaza, to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima after a three-year journey.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f5819ecd5cd268be55d19a.jpg" alt="ART members James Lomoi Lochauluka, Zinad Joseph and Lokoro Dario in Lima" />
ART members James Lomoi Lochauluka, Zinad Joseph and Lokoro Dario in Lima (&copy; Andrea Swayne &amp; Emily Alvarez)
</div>
Annibali, Senior Manager of Athletics for a Better World, elaborated on the connection between UNHCR&rsquo;s Refugee Programme and World Athletics: &ldquo;Sport serves as a pathway for refugees to find meaning, belonging and hope, offering them opportunities like scholarships. We all know that sport has the power to heal. Through our programme, we also provide education, so even if the athletes don&rsquo;t win medals, they can become PE teachers, coaches, or pursue other opportunities that offer hope.
&ldquo;This event in Lima is the first we&rsquo;ve held for the U20 team under our programme. The coaches have been trained by World Athletics, and I believe it has helped the athletes realise the vast opportunities available to them. This experience also contributes to healing scars, restoring dignity, and helping them feel like human beings,&rdquo; she added.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f58294990579f58018255f.jpg" alt="The Athlete Refugee Team leads a warm-up session at the Complejo Deportivo N&deg;1 in Chorrillos" />
The Athlete Refugee Team leads a warm-up session at the Complejo Deportivo N&deg;1 in Chorrillos (&copy; Andrea Swayne &amp; Emily Alvarez)
</div>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66f582cc990579f580182562.jpg" alt="The Athlete Refugee Team leads a warm-up session at the Complejo Deportivo N&deg;1 in Chorrillos" />
&nbsp;
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Annibali hopes other sports will join World Athletics in providing opportunities for refugees: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough for refugees to compete. Sometimes, even if they win, they aren&rsquo;t allowed on the podium. But now, members of the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team (ART) know they are part of a &ldquo;country&rdquo;, just like any other team. We&rsquo;ve given them a country to represent, and we&rsquo;ll always support them whenever possible.&rdquo;
Laura Almirall, UNHCR representative in Peru, echoed these sentiments. &ldquo;For years, UNHCR has supported sport initiatives because we&rsquo;ve seen its positive effects on physical and mental health,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Sport also fosters friendships and breaks down stigmas. Globally, we&rsquo;ve seen that while it&rsquo;s difficult to address issues like racism and xenophobia directly, sport brings together people from different nationalities, fostering teamwork and companionship.&rdquo;
Mercer-Moser, coordinator of the AHEEN Refugee and Displaced Persons Pathway, explained: &ldquo;Education is critical for athletes. To become a great athlete, you need to further your education. In this programme, these athletes attend refugee schools in the morning and train on a nearby track. They also receive nutrition support, and after school they have household responsibilities. On Saturdays, they attend a learning centre for online classes covering English, science and geography, with gym sessions beforehand to build strength and flexibility.&rdquo;
Athletics is not just about running, jumping or throwing &ndash; it&rsquo;s about so much more. The experience in Lima proves the transformative spirit of sport.
Vanessa Galvan (Venezuela) and Rodrigo D&rsquo;Angelo (Argentina) of the Media Development Programme for World Athletics

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