Only one athlete in history has set world records at 100m, 200m and 400m: Irena Szewinska &ndash; the brightest star of Polish athletics.
The first lady of Polish sport, as she was called by Poland&rsquo;s president Andrzej Duda, is a five-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medallist, with her achievements including three gold, two silver and two bronze medals.&nbsp; 
<h2>Her Olympic journey</h2>
Szewinska was born in Leningrad in 1947 to a Ukrainian mother and Polish father. She moved with her parents to Warsaw when she was still a child.
At the age of 14 she started athletics at her school in Warsaw, where she was coached by Jan Kopyto, a former javelin thrower who competed at the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games.
"I ran so fast in the school trials that the teacher requested a re-run because she thought she'd made a mistake in measuring the time,&rdquo; Szewinska said in an interview with the Polish Press Agency.
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The Polish sprinter made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games at only 18 years of age. Competing under her maiden name of Kirszenstein, she won silver medals in the long jump (6.60m) and the 200m (23.1).
She went on to win her first Olympic gold medal in the 4x100m &ndash; Poland&rsquo;s second Olympic medal in that event after their bronze in Rome in 1960 and their first ever relay gold medal at the Games.&nbsp;
In 1965, she snatched the 100m world record (11.1) from USA&rsquo;s Wyomia Tyus, who remained one of her strongest competitors over this distance for the next three years. That same season, Szewinska broke the 200m world record for the first time, running 22.7 in the Polish capital.
After earning a degree in economics from the University of Warsaw, Szewinska&rsquo;s second Olympic appearance was in Mexico City in 1968.
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&ldquo;Things started badly for me in Mexico City,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t qualify for the long jump final, and my second event was the 100m which wasn&rsquo;t my favorite event. Because of my height, I always start poorly, and by the time I was in full stride the race was over.&rdquo;
She finished third in the 100m (11.18) behind the US one-two of Tyus and Barbara Ferrell. Szewinska then qualified for the 200m final after finishing third in her semifinal and lined up against a strong field.
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Everything was going well for the Polish team, but the Olympics ended with disappointment as a dropped baton in the 4x100m relay saw the team finish last in their heat. 
<h2>The 400m switch</h2>
In 1967 Szewinska married Janusz Szewinski, a hurdler and coach who <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/irena-szewinska-souvenirs-silesia-chorzow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">later became a sports photographer</a>. After giving birth to the first of her two sons, and recovering from an ankle injury, Szewinska made it to her third Olympics in Munich in 1972, where she won bronze in the 200m.
Janusz and Irena agreed that she would switch to the 400m.
&ldquo;Through the many years of training, Irena could build a tremendous amount of endurance as she got older,&rdquo; said Szewinski. &ldquo;Her speed in the 200m was increasing and not decreasing, therefore it was logical that her natural speed, combined with the endurance, would make the 400m the ideal distance for her.&rdquo;
In 1974, only two years after her first attempt at the 400m, Szewinska became the first woman to break 50 seconds with a hand-timed performance of 49.9 in Warsaw. The 400m women&rsquo;s world records were recognised from 1957 but from 1975 onwards they had to be electronically timed.
The first electronically timed world record was set by Finland&rsquo;s Riitta Salin, who ran 50.14. The first woman to run a sub-50-second electronic time was Christina Brehmer from East Germany who ran 49.77 in May 1976. This record only stood a month before Szewinska ran 49.75 on home soil.
The mark was a solid performance ahead of her fourth Olympic appearance in Montreal in 1976.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60964df57e3a5be7ce647b90.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="754" /> <img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60964e177e3a5be7ce647b93.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="1069" />
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Her Olympic and world record performance in the 400m remains the Polish record. She added a third Olympic gold medal to her collection, equalling Australian Shirley Strickland's record at that time of the most Olympic athletics medals won by a woman.
The spikes that she wore at the 1976 Games&nbsp;are now on display in the&nbsp;<a style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;" title="MOWA" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/mowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Museum of World Athletics&trade;</a>&nbsp;&ndash; the world&rsquo;s first 3D virtual sports museum.
In 1977, at 31 years of age, Szewinska was up for another challenge: lining up against Marita Koch at the inaugural IAAF World Cup in Dusseldorf.
Koch dominated the race but Szewinska, a renowned strong finisher, fought to the end to overtake Koch in the last 30 metres, winning in 49.52, her second best ever time.
Szewinska&rsquo;s long athletics career ended after her fifth Olympic participation in Moscow in 1980. She pulled a muscle during the semifinals of the 400m which forced her to put an end to her Olympic journey. She retired from the sport soon after and gave birth to her second son in 1981.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60964c757e3a5be7ce647b84.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="350" /> 
<h2>Career transition</h2>
After a 16-year career in athletics, Poland&rsquo;s most decorated Olympian transitioned to become a respected administrator in sports, giving back to the sport that she loved since her school days.
In 2012, she was inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame. Four years later, she received the Order of the White Eagle, Poland&rsquo;s highest award.
"Sport was a great adventure of my life, when I was an athlete and my fate was that I am still connected with sport. I am passionate about it, this is my hobby," she said.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60964cd27e3a5be7ce647b87.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="240" />
On Friday 29 June 2018, Szewinska lost her long battle with cancer aged 72. 
In the words of her husband, Janusz Szewinski:
"I first met Irena when she was 16 years old. She was very calm, nice, always kind to others. We became closer and sympathised with each other during a training camp in Kluczbork in 1962. We were married for 57 years. Despite becoming a sporting star, Irena remained herself. Her calmness was astonishing, even after coming victorious from a race, she remained calm and kept her happiness inside.
"She really enjoyed training even if it was raining or snowing. She improved very quickly and started to break records, which gave her even more motivation to work hard. Even long after the end of her career, she liked to go for walks in the woods with her dogs.
"Acting was her passion. She attended acting classes at the Palace of Culture and Science. At the same time, Daniel Olbrychski (a famous Polish actor), who dreamed of becoming a great athlete, attended sports classes there. Over the years their roles have changed - Irena became an outstanding sportswoman, and he became a great actor.
"Before the start, she remained calm, did not have any special rituals, and was not superstitious. In those days, there was no special diet - she ate milk soup for breakfast, and pork chops for lunch. She felt good both in an ordinary hostel and a five-star hotel. She also reconciled being a great athlete with being a mother of two sons. She devoted as much time and attention to the children as she could.
"After her career ended, she was granted the honorable function of an IOC member. She treated it as a great honor, she liked and knew how to make contacts, she was also liked and popular, especially in Japan. She was looking forward to the Olympic Games in Tokyo with joy and excitement. She started her adventure with the Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo, so this place was very close to her and very important to her.
"She was an ambassador of clean sport. Her result (49.29) from the Olympic Games in Montreal (1976) is still a great inspiration for female athletes running 400 metres. She did something incredible, winning medals at four Olympic Games in a row. But always, despite her sports successes and honours, the most important things for her were children and family.
"<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/irena-szewinska-souvenirs-silesia-chorzow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For years I was also her photographer</a>, I have photos that I keep coming back to. Recently, I took photos of all seven of her Olympic medals and juxtaposed them with specific photos from the Games.
"I miss my Irena."
Janusz
 Christel Saneh for World Athletics

Only one athlete in history has set world records at 100m, 200m and 400m: Irena Szewinska – the brightest star of Polish athletics.

Irena Szewinska: The first lady of Polish sport

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Plaque name: IRENA SZEWINSKA
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Location: Stadion Zawiszy Zdzisława Krzyszkowiaka Gdańska 163, Bydgoszcz Poland , 85-915
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Plaque awarded: 02/11/2018
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Reason: Plaque Category - Legend
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Legend: Irena Szewinska (POL)
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<li>3-time Olympic gold medallist;</li>
<li>400m world record (49.75sec) set in Bydgoszcz on 22 June 1976</li>
<li>1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games - 3 gold medals, 2 silver and 2 bronze 10 ratified world records</li>
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Szewinska is one of the most successful and multi-talented athletes of all time. She broke 10 world records and is the only athlete, either male or female, to have held a world record in the 100m, 200m and the 400m events. Winning her first Olympic gold in 1964 as an 18-year-old, in 1973 she discovered the event with which she is most usually associated, the 400m. She became the first woman to break 50 seconds over one lap of the track and won the 400m at the 1976 Olympic Games in another world record of 49.28.
Born: Saint Petersburg, Russia, 24 May 1946 Died: Warsaw, Poland, 29 June 2018
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IRENA SZEWINSKA | Heritage Plaque

IRENA SZEWINSKA

The IAAF is deeply saddened by the news that legendary Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska, widely considered one of the most successful and multi-talented athletes of all time, died on Friday (29) in Warsaw after a long battle with cancer. Szewinska, a five-time Olympian who set ten world records and served as an IAAF Council Member, was 72.
"Irena inspired a generation of women in Poland and around the world into athletics," said IAAF President Sebastian Coe. "She was a national hero and my friend. Her loss will be felt the world over."
Born in Leningrad in 1947 to a Ukrainian mother and Polish father, the family moved to Warsaw the following year when her parents completed their studies and took to athletics early on. She made her international debut at the 1964 Olympics Games in Tokyo where, as an 18-year-old competing under her maiden name of Irena Kirszenstein, she was part of Poland's victorious 4x100m relay team and took silver medals in the 200m and long jump.
Four years later, at the Olympics in Mexico City, she won the 200m in world record time and took bronze in the 100m. In 1972 she added to her medal collection with another bronze, this time over 200m.
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Irena Szewinska en route to 1976 Olympic 400m gold in Montreal</div>
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However, in 1973 she discovered the event with which she is most usually associated. Switching to the 400m, she quickly proved adept at the new distance. The following year she became the first woman to break 50 seconds over one lap of the track.
She won the 400m at the 1976 Olympic Games in another world record of 49.28, a performance that remains the Polish national record to this day. Between 1974 and the 1978 European Championships, she won 34 consecutive 400m finals. Among her most famous victories during this period came at the inaugural edition of the IAAF World Cup in Dusseldorf in 1977 when she defeated Marita Koch in a dramatic homestretch battle.
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Irena Szewinska in action at the 1977 IAAF World Cup</div>
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In addition to her Olympic successes, on the continental stage she won five gold medals at the European Championships, including a triple triumph in the 200m, long jump and 4x100m in 1966.
The curtain came down on her stunning career at the 1980 Olympics when she was eliminated in semi-finals after pulling a muscle.
Szewinska broke 10 world records and is the only athlete, male or female, to have held a world record in the 100m, 200m and 400m events.
Upon her retirement, Szewinska remained active in the sport at the highest levels.
In 1981 she joined the Polish Athletic Association (PZLA) and in 1984 was elected to the IAAF's Women's Committee, the initial steps in her career as an administrator that eventually included council membership in European Athletics in 1995, ascending to the presidency of the PZLA in 1997, and membership to the International Olympic Committee in 1998. In 2005, Szewinska was elected as the third woman on the IAAF Council. She also served as Vice President of the Polish Olympic Committee.
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Irena Szewinska - IAAF Centenary Historic Exhibition</div>
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Athletes and colleagues inspired by Szewinska both on and off the track have been paying tribute and sharing their fondest memories, IAAF President Coe among them.
"One of my abiding memories of Irena in recent years was taking the IOC coordination commission on a visit to the London 2012 Olympic Park early in its construction," Coe said.
"Behind the safety fence work continued as the team explained where the venues would emerge. We suddenly noticed that work had stopped and a large group of construction workers headed towards us. We all smiled ready to shake hands, but they ignored the rest of us and made a beeline for Irena. Our large polish workforce instantly recognised a national hero in our small corner of London and she stayed and talked to each and everyone of them."
A memorial service will be held on Thursday 5 July with a mass at the Polish Army Field Cathedral in Warsaw at 13:00 (CET) with the funeral at 14:45 (CET) at the Powązki Military Cemetery. Among the dignitaries present will be Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

The IAAF is deeply saddened by the news that legendary Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska, widely considered one of the most successful and multi-talented athletes of all time, died on Friday (29) in Warsaw after a long battle with cancer. Szewinska, a five-time Olympian who set ten world records and served as an IAAF Council Member, was 72.

Szewinska, athletics legend and administrator, dies

- Read on for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisThe IAAF Continental Cup can be said to have its origins almost exactly 40 years ago, give or take a few weeks.In 1974, an IAAF working group was set up under the chairmanship of future IAAF President Adriaan Paulen with the specific brief of looking at the practicality of a World Championships under the direct influence of the IAAF. Until that time, the Olympic Games had been the de facto world championships and were to remain so for another two editions until the first IAAF World Championships in 1983.However, there was a growing realisation among the IAAF member federations that the sport would benefit from – indeed, needed – its own focal point and an event which would draw the world’s best athletes together under its own aegis, and that would also provide revenue for what was then a rather impecunious federation.Various political and practical considerations meant that a world championships could not be staged as quickly as many had hoped or expected, but Paulen and his colleagues on the working group had also seen the success of the European Cup at a continental level and had the pragmatic idea of staging a World Cup, the first stadium-based IAAF event which set the scene for what was to become the IAAF World Athletics Series in the 1980s.The concept of staging a cup competition quickly went from being an idea on paper to concrete reality. On 2-4 September 1977 the first IAAF World Cup – the forerunner of the current IAAF Continental Cup – took place in the German city of Düsseldorf.It was a huge success, coming in the wake of the boycott-marred Olympic Games in Montreal the previous summer.Eight teams, representing the top two nations in Europe as decided by the European Cup, the USA, and five continental teams, did battle in Düsseldorf’s spacious Rheinstadion. No fewer than 309 athletes from 54 different countries took part and the aggregate attendance over the three days was an estimated 135,000. Including television revenues, the local organisers reported a profit of 1.2 million Deutsche marks – which was the sizable sum of approximately US$520,000 at 1977 exchange rates.It is fair to say that everyone was happy, not least the spectators who witnessed a 4x100m world record by the USA team of Bill Collins, Steve Riddick, Cliff Wiley and Steve Williams, and some superb other contests, with the competitions won by East Germany’s men and Europe’s women.Ed Moses won the 400m hurdles in 47.58, Irena Szewinska won the 400m in 49.52 and Rosie Ackerman flew over 1.98m to win the high jump. All three were then the second-best performances ever, and would still be respectable marks if they were to be the winning performances in Marrakech.Into the bargain, athletics fans saw some of the top African talents they were deprived of seeing in Montreal the year before.Ethiopia’s&nbsp;Miruts Yifter won a memorable 5000m and 10,000m double and Kenya’s Mike Boit had a thrilling duel, albeit in a losing cause, with Cuba’s Alberto Juantorena over 800m.Paulen, who had become IAAF President in 1976, later admitted on several occasions that the IAAF World Cup had initially been an artificial stopgap ahead of a fully-fledged world championships, but, almost four decades later, its successor is still with us and continues to be a popular event with fans and athletes alike.As the renowned British athletics expert and broadcaster Peter Matthews, the voice of many IAAF TV and radio programmes, wrote in 1982: “the athletics in Düsseldorf certainly succeeded in meeting the aims of the IAAF, which were four-fold: to provide a great athletics meeting, to offer additional world-class competition for the sport’s elite, to stimulate the continental areas not only in the World Cup competition itself but also by the staging of trails meetings, and to provide additional revenue for the development of athletics throughout the world.”It could be argued that those aims still remain the same even though we are now well into the 21st century.From these beginnings, the World Cup then went on to be staged in 1979 in Montreal (CAN), 1981 Rome (ITA), 1985 Canberra (AUS), 1989 Barcelona (ESP), 1992 Havana (CUB), 1994 London (GBR), 1998 Johannesburg (RSA), 2002 Madrid (ESP) and 2006 Athens (GRE).All nine of the editions that followed the inaugural offering in Düsseldorf have had their high points, but the 1985 World Cup in Canberra is worth a special mention.Despite some scepticism about its late date in the calendar, being staged over the first weekend in October, there were some magnificent individual performances. Marita Koch’s 400m win in 47.60 still stands as the world record almost 29 years later, and the former East German women’s 4x100m quartet sped to what was then a world record of 41.37.However, changes are inevitable in all aspects of life and the sport of athletics is not immune from that phenomenon.On 21 November 2008, in response to growing feedback from the public and the sport’s stakeholders, especially the TV rights holders, the IAAF Council agreed to change the format of the event and the IAAF World Cup was transformed into the IAAF Continental Cup.Changes were made to the composition of the participating teams in order to make the event more understandable and interesting for the public, and to achieve a better balance of strengths among the teams. Gone were the national teams and in their place now are squads from Europe, Americas, Asia/Pacific and Africa.Perhaps most importantly, there are no longer separate men’s and women’s winners; instead, team standings are determined by combined teams.The first edition of the Continental Cup was in 2010 with the Croatian city of Split acting as the host and saw Americas come out on top with 422.5 points, just 5.5 points in front of Europe.In perfect conditions, with the temperatures hovering around the mid-20s, the women jumpers took pride of place.Local high jump star Blanka Vlasic thrilled the crowd when she went over 2.05m while Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova bounded out to an Asian record of 15.25m in the triple jump.On the track, among the outstanding performances was the 400m hurdles win by Great Britain’s Dai Greene in 47.88 and Kenya’s David Rudisha taking the 800m in 1:43.37.Looking back to 2010, Split was a superb start to a new era in athletics with the IAAF Continental Cup. Now the athletes and organisers of the second edition of this innovative new member of the IAAF World Athletics Series have to rise to the challenge posed by their predecessors from four years ago.Phil Minshull for the IAAF<hr /><h3>La Coupe continentale de l'IAAF à un mois de l’ouverture&nbsp;: un rôle crucial à jouer dans la croissance de l'athlétisme
</h3>Les origines de la Coupe continentale de l'IAAF remontent, à quelques semaines près, à quarante ans exactement.
En
 1974, un groupe de travail de l'IAAF était constitué avec pour mission 
spécifique d'examiner les possibilités d'organiser des championnats du 
monde d'athlétisme sous l'influence
 directe de l'IAAF. Ce groupe de travail était placé sous la direction 
d'Adriaan Paulen, qui allait par la suite accéder à la présidence de 
l'IAAF.
Jusqu'alors,
 ce sont les Jeux Olympiques qui servaient de championnats du monde de 
fait, une situation qui allait perdurer le temps de deux éditions 
supplémentaires - celles de
 1976 et 1980 - jusqu'à l'organisation des premiers Championnats du 
monde de l'IAAF en 1983.
Il
 apparaissait toutefois de plus en plus clairement, au sein des 
Fédérations membres de l'IAAF, qu'un point de référence unique pour le 
sport, avec une épreuve regroupant l'élite
 mondiale de l'athlétisme sous les auspices de l'IAAF, était devenu, 
au-delà même d'être bénéfique pour le sport, une véritable nécessité. 
Une telle manifestation pourrait en effet générer des revenus 
supplémentaires pour une fédération qui se trouvait alors
 dans une situation financière plutôt précaire. Divers
 facteurs, tant politiques que pratiques, ont signifié qu'un championnat
 du monde n'a pu être mis sur pied aussi rapidement que certains avaient
 bien voulu, d'emblée, le
 prévoir ou l'espérer. Pour autant, Paulen et ses collègues membres du 
groupe de travail avaient pris bonne note du succès remporté par la 
Coupe d'Europe au niveau continental, et ils ont eu l'idée pragmatique 
de s'en inspirer pour organiser une Coupe du monde;
 celle-ci est devenue la première épreuve de l'IAAF basée dans un stade 
et annonciatrice de ce qui allait devenir la Série mondiale de 
l'athlétisme de l'IAAF, lancée dans les années 1980.
Le
 concept initial, une compétition basée sur un format de coupe, est 
rapidement passé de la phase de projet à celle de réalité, et c'est 
ainsi que, du 2 au 4 septembre 1977, la
 première Coupe du monde d'athlétisme de l'IAAF - précurseur de 
l'actuelle Coupe continentale de l'IAAF - s'est déroulée dans la cité 
allemande de Düsseldorf.Celle-ci
 a remporté un immense succès, succès renforcé encore par le fait que la
 compétition venait dans le sillage des Jeux Olympiques de Montréal, 
l'année précédente, qui avaient
 été entachés par des boycotts. Huit
 équipes, représentant trois pays - les deux nations européennes les 
plus fortes (sur la base des résultats de la Coupe d'Europe) et les USA,
 ainsi que cinq équipes continentales,
 se sont affrontées dans le spacieux Rheinstadion de Düsseldorf. Pas
 moins de 309 athlètes provenant de 54 pays différents ont pris part à 
la compétition, et le total cumulé de spectateurs présents dans le stade
 au cours des trois journées de
 compétition a été estimé à quelque 135 000. Avec les revenus dérivés 
des droits de retransmission inclus, les organisateurs locaux ont 
annoncé un bénéfice de 1,2 millions de deutsche marks, soit la somme 
considérable d'environ 520 000 dollars selon le taux
 de change de l'époque.Certainement,
 tout le monde s'est déclaré ravi du déroulement de la compétition, à 
commencer par les spectateurs qui ont assisté à un nouveau record du 
monde du 4x100m masculin
 réussi par le quatuor des États-Unis, composé de Bill Collins, Steve 
Riddick, Cliff Wiley et Steve Williams, et à nombre d'autres épreuves 
fabuleuses. Au niveau des classements généraux, les victoires sont 
revenues à l'Europe chez les femmes et à l'Allemagne
 de l'Est côté masculin. Ed
 Moses a remporté le 400m haies hommes en 47"58, Irena Szewinska le 400m
 femmes en 49"52, tandis que Rosie Ackerman a effacé une barre à 1,98m 
pour s'imposer dans le saut en
 hauteur femmes. Ces
 trois dernières performances étaient alors les secondes meilleures de 
tous les temps, et seraient encore des résultats respectables s'ils 
devaient être réalisés à Marrakech
 cette année.En
 outre, les fans d'athlétisme ont pu admirer quelques-uns des meilleurs 
talents africains, absents à Montréal l'année précédente pour cause de 
boycott. L'Éthiopien Miruts Yifter
 a notamment réussi un doublé mémorable 5000m/10 000m, tandis que, sur 
800m, le Kenyan Mike Boit devait se contenter de la seconde place, au 
terme d'un duel passionnant l'opposant au Cubain Alberto Juantorena.Et
 même si Paulen, devenu président de l'IAAF en 1976, a déclaré plusieurs
 fois par la suite que la Coupe du monde de l'IAAF avait initialement 
été conçue comme un palliatif artificiel,
 dans l'attente de championnats du monde à part entière, le fait est 
qu'aujourd'hui, pratiquement quatre décennies plus tard, son successeur 
perdure, et continue à bénéficier d'une excellente cote de popularité, 
tant auprès du public que des athlètes.
Comme
 l'a écrit en 1982 le journaliste et expert en athlétisme reconnu, Peter
 Matthews, collaborateur régulier aux programmes télévisés et 
radiodiffusés produits par l'IAAF: "Le
 spectacle sportif auquel nous avons assisté à Düsseldorf a sans aucun 
doute rempli les quatre objectifs que s'était fixée l'IAAF: organiser 
une compétition d'athlétisme de tout premier plan; offrir à l'élite du 
sport une opportunité supplémentaire de s'affronter
 au plus haut niveau; stimuler les Régions continentales, non seulement à
 l'occasion de la Coupe du monde elle-même, mais également en les 
incitant à organiser des compétitions de sélection en amont; générer des
 revenus supplémentaires pouvant contribuer au
 développement de l'athlétisme dans le monde entier." De fait, on pourrait avancer que ces objectifs demeurent les mêmes aujourd'hui, dans la seconde décennie du XXIe
 siècle. À
 la suite de cette première édition de 1977, la Coupe du monde de l'IAAF
 a été organisée en 1979 à Montréal (CAN), en 1981 à Rome (ITA), en 1985
 à Canberra (AUS), en 1989 à Barcelone
 (ESP), en 1992 à La Havane (CUB), en 1994 à Londres (GBR), en 1998 à 
Johannesbourg (RSA), en 2002 à Madrid (ESP) et en 2006 à Athènes (GRE).Si
 chacune des neuf éditions qui ont suivi Düsseldorf a connu des moments 
forts, c'est la Coupe du monde 1985, à Canberra, qui mérite une mention 
spéciale.En
 dépit de sa date tardive dans la saison - le premier week-end 
d'octobre, ce qui avait donné lieu à un certain niveau de scepticisme 
auprès de nombreux observateurs - on y assista
 à des performances individuelles magnifiques. Parmi
 celles-ci, citons la victoire de Marita Koch dans le 400m femmes en un 
temps de 47"60, toujours le record du monde aujourd'hui, près de 29 ans 
plus tard, ou encore la victoire
 de l'équipe féminine est-allemande sur 4x100m en 41"37, record du monde
 de l'époque.Mais, on le sait, rien n'est jamais immuable, un phénomène auquel n'échappe pas l'athlétisme.
Le
 21 novembre 2008, ayant entendu les demandes, de plus en plus 
pressantes, formulées tant par le public que par les parties prenantes 
de l'athlétisme, en particulier par les
 détenteurs des droits télévisés, le Conseil de l'IAAF a pris la 
décision de modifier le format de l'épreuve, et la Coupe du monde de 
l'IAAF est devenue la Coupe continentale de l'IAAF.
Des
 modifications ont été apportées à la constitution des sélections 
participantes,
 afin de rendre l'épreuve plus lisible et plus intéressante pour le 
public, et aussi d'arriver à un meilleur équilibre des niveaux des 
différentes équipes en présence.
Les
 sélections nationales ont disparu de l'affiche, laissant désormais la 
place à quatre sélections, représentant l'Europe, les Amériques, 
l'Asie/Pacifique et l'Afrique.
L'élément
 peut-être le plus important est qu'il n'existe plus à présent de 
classements masculin et féminin séparés, mais un classement général 
unique, déterminé par des équipes
 mixtes. La
 première édition de la Coupe continentale a eu lieu en 2010, 
lorsqu'elle a été accueillie par la ville croate de Split. La 
compétition a été remportée par les Amériques avec
 un total de 422,5 points, tout juste 5,5 points devant l'Europe.Dans
 des conditions idéales, avec des températures oscillant autour des 25 
degrés, ce sont les spécialistes féminines des sauts qui ont occupé le 
devant de la scène.
La
 star locale, Blanka Vlasic, a ravi les spectateurs lorsqu'elle a 
franchi 2,05m à la hauteur, tandis que la Kazakhe Olga Rypakova a réussi
 un record d'Asie du triple saut avec
 une distance de 15,25m.Parmi
 les performances les plus remarquables sur la piste on retiendra la 
victoire sur 400m haies du Britannique Dai Greene en 47"88 et celle du 
Kenyan David Rudisha sur 800m en
 1'43"37.Split
 2010 a indéniablement marqué une superbe entrée en matière pour cette 
nouvelle ère de l'athlétisme avec la Coupe continentale de l'IAAF; il 
appartient maintenant aux athlètes
 et organisateurs de la seconde édition de ce nouveau rendez-vous 
innovant de la Série mondiale de l'athlétisme de l'IAAF de relever le 
défi et d'égaler les niveaux d'excellence atteints par leurs 
prédécesseurs voilà quatre ans.
Phil Minshull pour l'IAAF

The IAAF Continental Cup can be said to have its origins almost exactly 40 years ago, give or take a few weeks.

With one month to go, a look at the IAAF Continental Cup, a crucial part of athletics’ growth

- READ ON for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisAthletics has a strong presence on the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad ­- Tokyo 2020 and the Coordination Commission for the 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games - Buenos Aires 2018, whose compositions were announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Wednesday (16).IAAF Television Commission Chairman Alex Gilady is the Vice-Chair of the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad ­- Tokyo 2020.The Commission also includes IAAF Vice-President Sebastian Coe, IAAF Council Member Irena Szewinska and France’s 1976 Olympic Games 110m Hurdles champion Guy Drut.Former 200m World champion and IAAF Council member Frank Fredericks was named as the Chairman of the Co-ordination Commission for the 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games - Buenos Aires 2018.The Commissions are responsible for assisting the Local Organising Committees as they prepare for their edition of the Games. The members of the Coordination Commissions represent the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement, including the athletes, the National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations, and the International Paralympic Committee, and act as a link between them, the Organising Committees and other Olympic Movement stakeholders, thereby ensuring the coordination necessary to help deliver successful editions of the Games. The full list of members of the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad - Tokyo 2020 is as follows:Chairman - John Coates Vice-Chair - Alex Gilady Members (in alphabetical order): Sebastian Coe (ANOC) Mikaela Cojuangco-Jaworski Kirsty Coventry (Athletes’ Commission) Anita Defrantz Guy Drut Habu Gumel Nicole Hoevertsz Robin Mitchell Lydia Nsekera Andrew Parsons (IPC) Irena Szewinska Marius Vizer (ASOIF) Zaiqing Yu Director in charge - Olympic Games Executive DirectorThe full list of members of the Coordination Commission for the 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games – Buenos Aires 2018 is as follows: Chairman - Frank Fredericks Members (in alphabetical order): Danka Bartekova (Athletes’ Commission) Lingwei Li Barry Maister Henry Núñez (ANOC) Adham Sharara (ASOIF)Director in charge - Olympic Games Executive DirectorIOC for the IAAFL'Athlétisme représenté au sein des Commissions de coordination de Tokyo 2020 et Buenos Aires 2018L'athlétisme est bien représenté au sein tant de la Commission de coordination des Jeux de la XXXIIe Olympiade de Tokyo 2020 que de la Commission de coordination des 3es Jeux Olympiques de la Jeunesse d'été de Buenos Aires 2018. La composition des deux commissions a été annoncée ce mercredi (16) par Thomas Bach, le président du Comité international olympique (CIO). &nbsp;Le président de la Commission de télévision de l'IAAF, Alex Gilady, est le vice-président de la Commission de coordination des Jeux de la XXXIIe Olympiade de Tokyo 2020.Cette Commission&nbsp; compte également parmi ses membres Sebastian Coe, vice-président de l'IAAF, Irena Szewinska, membre du Conseil de l'IAAF, et le Français Guy Drut, champion olympique du 110m haies en 1976.Frank Fredericks, ancien champion du monde du 200m et membre du Conseil de l'IAAF, a de son côté été nommé à la tête de la Commission de coordination pour les 3es Jeux Olympiques de la Jeunesse d'été, Buenos Aires 2018. Ces commissions sont chargées de porter assistance et dispenser des conseils aux comités locaux d'organisation de ces deux manifestations.Les membres des commissions de coordination représentent les différentes parties prenantes du Mouvement olympique, dont les athlètes, les comités nationaux olympiques, les fédérations sportives internationales et le Comité international paralympique (IPC). Leur mission est d'assurer la liaison et une bonne communication entre ceux-ci, les comités d'organisation locaux et toute autre entité concernée, assurant ainsi la coordination requise pour assurer des éditions de ces Jeux couronnées le succès. La liste complète des membres de la Commission de coordination pour les Jeux de la XXXIIe Olympiade, Tokyo 2020, est la suivante:&nbsp; Président - John Coates Vice-président - Alex GiladyMembres (par ordre alphabétique): Sebastian Coe (ANOC) Mikaela Cojuangco-Jaworski Kirsty Coventry (Commission des athlètes) Anita DeFrantz Guy Drut Habu Gumel Nicole Hoevertsz Robin Mitchell Lydia Nsekera Andrew Parsons (IPC) Irena Szewinska Marius Vizer (ASOIF) Zaiqing Yu Directeur en charge – le directeur exécutif pour le CIO des Jeux Olympiques La liste complète des membres de la Commission de coordination pour les 3es Jeux Olympiques d'été de la Jeunesse, Buenos Aires 2018: Président - Frank Fredericks Membres (par ordre alphabétique): Danka Bartekova (Commission des athlètes) Lingwei Li Barry Maister Henry Núñez (ANOC) Adham Sharara (ASOIF) Directeur en charge – le directeur exécutif pour le CIO des Jeux Olympiques Le CIO, pour l'IAAF

Athletics represented on Tokyo 2020 and Buenos Aires 2018 Coordination Commissions

READ ON for English and French language version - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisA select group of young athletes took part in an IAAF/Nestlé Kids’ Athletics competition at Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf, where they were greeted – and inspired – by a host of athletics stars as part of the IAAF Centenary weekend.48 children aged between 10 and 11 were divided into eight groups of six, and they took part in seven different events covering all the main areas of the sport – running, jumping and throwing – and hundreds of spectators turned out in the city centre to watch the action unfold.Each of the eight teams were also assigned a legendary captain – Fermin Cacho (ESP) the 1992 Olympic 1500m champion, Pauline Davis-Thompson (BAH) the 2000 Olympic 200m champion, Meseret Defar (ETH) the two-time Olympic 5000m champion, Frank Fredericks (NAM) the 1993 World 200m champion, Dan O’Brien (USA) the three-time World Decathlon champion, Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) the two-time Olympic Pole Vault champion, Paula Radcliffe (GBR) the 2005 World Marathon champion and Irena Szewinska (POL) the multiple Olympic sprint champion.Between them, they boast a collection of 44 global championship medals – 23 from the Olympic Games (15 of them gold), and 21 from the IAAF World Championships (nine of them gold).But today was not about major titles. Instead it was a celebration of 100 years of athletics excellence, looking forward to the beginning of a second century of existence for the world governing body for the sport of athletics.Davis-Thompson was keen to stress the importance of starting athletics at a young age.“It’s very important because there are certain things that they can learn from being involved in athletics at an early age,” she said. “They can learn how to be disciplined, which is very critical in life. Even when they are no longer athletes, you’ll use that for the rest of their life.“They can learn how to be dedicated, which is also another critical point in life that you need to help you to survive; it’s a survival skill you need to have to develop.“Athletics also teaches you to have the desire; the desire to go after what it is that you want,” she added. “That’s also another critical life skill that you’ll use for the rest of your life.”IAAF/Nestlé Kids’ Athletics aims to ensure a steady and sustainable policy of development of the sport of athletics; the aim of which is to introduce children to athletics at a basic level. It is one of the biggest grassroots development programmes in the world of sports. Created in 2005, the programme by the end of 2011 had reached a cumulative audience of 1.5 million kids across 100 territories.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF***Des légendes de
l’athlétisme inspirent la génération de demain à l’occasion d’une compétition
Kids’ Athletics IAAF/Nestlé24 novembre 2012 – Barcelone, Espagne – Un groupe de jeunes
athlètes sélectionnés tout spécialement pour l’occasion a pris part aujourd’hui
à une compétition Kid's Athletics IAAF/Nestlé organisée au pied de l'Arc de
Triomphe de Barcelone. Ils y ont été encadrés, et inspirés, par plusieurs stars
de l'athlétisme, présents dans le cadre du week-end de célébrations du
Centenaire de l'IAAF.48 enfants âgés de 10 et 11 ans, répartis en huit groupes de
six, ont participé à sept épreuves différentes recouvrant les aspects
fondamentaux de l'athlétisme – courir, sauter, lancer, encouragés par des
centaines de spectateurs présents pour assister à l'action qui se déroulait au
cœur de&nbsp; la capitale catalane.Chacune des huit équipes était emmenée par une des légendes
de l'athlétisme qui animaient la compétition – il s’agissait en l’espèce de
Fermin Cacho (ESP), champion olympique du 1500m en 1992, de Pauline
Davis-Thompson (BAH) championne olympique du 200m en 2000, de Meseret Defar
(ETH) double championne olympique du 5000m, de Frank Fredericks (NAM) champion
du monde du 200m en 1993, de Dan O’Brien (USA), triple champion du monde du
décathlon, de Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS), double championne olympique du saut à la
perche, de Paula Radcliffe (GBR), championne du monde du marathon en 2005 et
d’Irena Szewinska (POL), multiple championne olympique du sprint.À eux tous, ces champions totalisent 44 distinctions
majeures, à savoir 23 médailles olympiques (15 en or), et 21 médailles des
Championnats du monde de l'IAAF (9 en or).Pour autant, il n'était pas question ici de titres
olympiques ou mondiaux, mais plutôt de la célébration de 100 ans d'excellence
en athlétisme ainsi que de la perspective du second siècle de l'instance dirigeante
de l'athlétisme mondial.Davis-Thompson a tenu à souligner l’importance de commencer
l’athlétisme dès le plus jeune âge:"C'est en effet crucial parce qu'il est un certain
nombre de choses que l'on peut retirer de sa participation à l'athlétisme
lorsqu'on est encore très jeune, a-t-elle souligné. On peut ainsi apprendre
l’autodiscipline, quelque chose qui, même lorsqu'on n'est plus athlète, reste
utile tout au long de la vie."L'athlétisme vous apprend également à vous consacrer
tout entier à une cause, ce qui est un autre élément clé dans la vie et est une
technique de survie que vous devez posséder pour vous développer en tant que
personne."L'athlétisme vous enseigne aussi à vraiment vouloir
quelque chose, à avoir la volonté de vous mettre en quête de ce que vous
désirez vraiment – là aussi, c'est une leçon de vie qui vous servira tout au
long de votre existence."Les objectifs de Kids' Athletics IAAF/Nestlé sont d'assurer
l'existence et la mise en place d'une politique de développement régulière et
durable du sport de l'athlétisme; le but est d'introduire l'athlétisme aux
enfants à un niveau basique. Il s'agit d'un des programmes de développement de
la base les plus importants dans le monde du sport. Créé en 2005, le programme
avait atteint, à la fin 2011, une audience cumulée d’1,5 million d'enfants
répartis au travers de quelque 100 pays et territoires.Jon Mulkeen pour l'IAAF

Athletics legends inspire future generation at IAAF/Nestlé Kids’ Athletics competition