World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that legendary US sprinter Jim Hines died on Saturday (3) at the age of 76.
Along with being the 1968 Olympic 100m champion, Hines is best known for being the first man to officially break the 10-second barrier for the 100m.
Hines was born in Dumas, Arkansas, in September 1946, but raised in Oakland, California. Baseball was one of his early sporting interests, but athletics coach Jim Coleman spotted his running ability. By the time Hines was 17, he already ranked among the top 20 in the world over 100 yards.
Coached by 1956 triple Olympic champion Bobby Morrow, Hines achieved his first US Championships podium finish in 1965, placing second in the 200m. In 1966 he won the national 200m title, and one year later he won his first national 100 yards title. Hines also set his first ratified world records in 1967, clocking 9.1 for 100m yards and 10.0 for 100m.
Hines was the fifth man to claim a share of the world 100m record with that mark. Another five men went on to tie it.
At the 1968 US Championships in Sacramento, Hines became the first man to officially break the 10-second barrier for 100m, doing so with 9.9 (and an electronically timed 10.03, though it wasn&rsquo;t until 1977 that electronic times were required for record ratification).
Having earned his spot on the US team, Hines went to the Olympic Games in Mexico City that year as the marginal favourite. He lived up to expectations and charged to victory in 9.9 (9.95 electronic), making him the first man to officially break 10 seconds with electronic timing.
Hines&rsquo; world record lasted 15 years &ndash; the longest of any men&rsquo;s 100m world record in the fully automatic era &ndash; before it was finally broken by Calvin Smith in 1983 with 9.93.
Hines went on to add another Olympic gold medal &ndash; and world record &ndash; to his collection when he anchored the USA to 4x100m victory in 38.24.
After retiring from athletics at the end of 1968, Hines went on to play in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. He later worked with inner-city youth in Houston.
World Athletics

Jim Hines, 1946-2023

Hines, first man to officially break 10 seconds for 100m, dies

As great athletes approach their 30th birthday, their minds naturally turn towards their legacy.
That has clearly been the case for Faith Kipyegon, who completed her set of the highest accomplishments in her sport by breaking the world 1500m record (3:49.11) at the Golden Gala meeting in Florence on Friday (2).
She joked that she had rolled around the track like &ldquo;a crazy woman&rdquo; in a euphoric reaction when she saw her historic time pop up on the trackside clock at the Wanda Diamond League meeting. &ldquo;I really wanted that one,&rdquo; she said.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/12QuG1UXm-U" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
With two Olympic gold medals and two senior world titles to her name, in a career that was temporarily interrupted when she gave birth to her daughter Alyn in 2018, Kipyegon was already one of the greats of her sport, but the world record has elevated her into rare air indeed.
She is now one of only five athletes who have dominated at every level in their track and field specialism &ndash; an individual world champion at U18, U20 and senior level &ndash; and set a senior world record.
This club includes only Usain Bolt, Mondo Duplantis, Yelena Isinbaeva, Kevin Mayer and now Kipyegon.
<div style="padding: 0px 20px 5px 20px; border: 2px solid #a5fa64;">
<h2>Grand slam</h2>
Athletes to have achieved an age group grand slam in individual outdoor track and field World Championships and broken a senior world record.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; border-color: #000000; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20%; text-align: center;">Athlete</td>
<td style="width: 20%; text-align: center;">U18</td>
<td style="width: 20%; text-align: center;">U20</td>
<td style="width: 20%; text-align: center;">Senior</td>
<td style="width: 20%; text-align: center;">World record</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20%;">Usain Bolt</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">100m, 200m</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">200m</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">100m, 200m</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">100m, 200m</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20%;">Mondo Duplantis</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">pole vault</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">pole vault</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">pole vault</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">pole vault</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20%;">Yelena Isinbaeva</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">pole vault</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">pole vault</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">pole vault</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">pole vault</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20%;">Faith Kipyegon</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">1500m</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">1500m</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">1500m</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">1500m</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20%;">Kevin Mayer</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">octathlon</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">decathlon</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">decathlon</td>
<td style="width: 20%;">decathlon</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
 Many already regard Kipyegon as the greatest female 1500m runner in history and she intends to continue to burnish her star by attacking her new best time at the Herculis meeting in Monaco next month, then attempting to win a third world title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August. If she can then go on to win a third Olympic gold medal in Paris next year, she will truly stand alone in the middle-distance pantheon.
The reaction of her fellow athletes in Florence demonstrated just how much she is already revered in the sport. The other 1500m women surrounded her and enveloped her in a group hug soon after the race, a rare sight in the ultra-competitive world of elite sport.
Kipyegon will compete over 5000m in Paris next Friday to put further strength in her legs for the challenges ahead, then return to Eldoret in Kenya for another training block under master coach Patrick Sang, who has also plotted the career of the world&rsquo;s greatest marathon runner, Eliud Kipchoge.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63aefbb62660ebd28ce00685.jpg" alt="Faith Kipyegon wins the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22" />
Faith Kipyegon wins the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (&copy; Getty Images)
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&ldquo;I&rsquo;m training with marathoners and I normally say that one day I will run a marathon but now I have achieved what I wanted, what was in my heart and my mind today, and I&rsquo;m still heading towards Budapest and I still want to run faster than 3:49,&rdquo; she said.
&ldquo;I wanted to go gradually, slowly, slowly, to see what was possible this year, and the world record just came as a surprise, but I&rsquo;m still looking forward to the World Championships and I really thank my coach for giving me the tactics to run today and see what is possible.&rdquo;
Kipyegon is the odd athlete out in a large training group focused on the marathoners, since joining the group in 2019, but she said she enjoyed both the challenge and the camaraderie she found in the camp.
&ldquo;Since I joined Patrick and Eliud Kipchoge, I have done really, really different training, because with the marathoners there we come along and train together and enjoy sports together. They are doing long runs and fartlek and track sessions.&rdquo;
Kipchoge was among those who were delighted by Kipyegon&rsquo;s achievement in Florence.
"It was only a matter of time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Faith has shown a great focus and determination to attack the world 1500 record since coming back from maternity.&rdquo;
The longer training has certainly not dulled her speed but it has given her new strength which she will apply again in Monaco, where she came so near to breaking the world record last year, falling just 0.3 short (3:50.37) of Genzebe Dibaba&rsquo;s 2015 standard, also set in the Stade Louis II, which has become a mecca for middle-distance runners in the past decade.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61e30743a450a4c2543ae617.jpg" alt="Faith Kipyegon at the Kaptagat training camp" />
Faith Kipyegon at the Kaptagat training camp (&copy; Dan Vernon / NN Running)
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&ldquo;(That) was really motivating me,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I went back home knowing that everything was possible. I didn&rsquo;t lose hope, I still worked hard, waking up every morning knowing that everything is possible, breaking the world record, defending my world title in Budapest, and that is what I have started, so I&rsquo;m looking forward.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m hoping for the best as well in Monaco. I&rsquo;m going to run my race and focus myself towards the finish line.&rdquo;
The legacy she is creating is not only for herself, but also for her family, particularly her daughter, now almost five, and that is also driving her forward.
&ldquo;She understands what I do now,&rdquo; Kipyegon said.
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics

As great athletes approach their 30th birthday, their minds naturally turn towards their legacy.

With world 1500m record, Kipyegon adds to her already impressive legacy

Hammer head-to-heads will again demand the spotlight, while Erriyon Knighton will look to make another statement in the sprints when the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series moves on to the Irena Szewinska Memorial in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Tuesday (6).
Four of the top seven women on the world all-time list clash in the women&rsquo;s hammer, as home star Anita Wlodarczyk &ndash; the world record-holder and seven-time global gold medallist &ndash; continues her comeback.
Forced to miss much of the 2022 season due to the injury she sustained during an altercation with a criminal last year, Wlodarczyk made her return at the Continental Tour Gold event in Nairobi last month, finishing third in a competition won by world bronze medallist Janee' Kassanavoid of the US. Competing two days before the Bydgoszcz meeting, Wlodarczyk and Kassanavoid met again at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Chorzow and on that ocassion they both finished behind Canada&rsquo;s world silver medallist Camryn Rogers.&nbsp;
There have been some significant revisions to the world all-time list already this season and both USA&rsquo;s Brooke Andersen and Rogers &ndash; respectively third and fifth on the list that is topped by Wlodarczyk&rsquo;s world record of 82.98m from 2016 &ndash; will be aiming to maintain their strong seasons. World champion Andersen became the third athlete in history to surpass 80 metres in the event last month, throwing 80.17m in Tucson, while world silver medallist Rogers improved her own national record to 78.62m in Los Angeles to win ahead of Anderson just over a week ago.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647cf62a952b9ced43a04ce1.jpg" alt="Brooke Andersen" />
Brooke Andersen (&copy; Marton Kovacs)
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It is the first time that the quartet of Wlodarczyk, Andersen, Rogers and Kassanavoid have all clashed in the same competition. Kassanavoid recorded the 78.00m that puts her seventh all time in May 2022 and she threw 76.60m to finish runner-up to Andersen in Tucson two weeks ago.
The field also features USA&rsquo;s Annette Echikunwoke and Romania&rsquo;s European champion Bianca Ghelber, plus Poland&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Malwina Kopron and European silver medallist Ewa Rozanska.
Rivalries are also renewed in the men&rsquo;s event, where Rudy Winkler of the US and Wojciech Nowicki of Poland &ndash; the two athletes to have surpassed 80 metres so far this season &ndash; compete again in a field also boasting Poland&rsquo;s five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek and Hungary&rsquo;s 2019 world bronze medallist Bence Halasz.
Winkler, the world sixth-place finisher, threw 80.88m to win in Tucson, while Olympic champion Nowicki recorded 80.00m to beat Winkler in Chorzow a couple of days out from their rematch in Bydgoszcz. Fajdek was fourth on that occasion, on his 34th birthday, and has the chance to build on the 76.42m season&rsquo;s best he set at the end of May.
Nowicki won ahead of Fajdek at last year&rsquo;s Irena Szewinska Memorial and another returning champion is New Zealand&rsquo;s Tom Walsh in the men&rsquo;s shot put. The 2017 world champion beat USA&rsquo;s two-time world gold medallist Joe Kovacs by just four centimetres in Bydgoszcz last year and they are both back, their head-to-head record now 31-27 in Kovacs&rsquo; favour but with Walsh getting the upper hand in their past two clashes in recent days, in Florence and Chorzow. It was Italy&rsquo;s Leonardo Fabbri who claimed a narrow win in Florence and he also competes on Tuesday, as do Poland&rsquo;s Michal Haratyk and USA&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Josh Awotunde.
Competition is high in the men&rsquo;s pole vault, too, as home favourite Piotr Lisek, the multiple world medallist, again goes up against Chris Nilsen and Sam Kendricks, two days after he beat his US rivals in Chorzow. They will also have to see off the challenge of Philippines&rsquo; Ernest John Obiena.
The men&rsquo;s high jump pits Ukraine&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Andrii Protsenko against Germany&rsquo;s Tobias Poyte, Poland&rsquo;s Norbert Kobielski and Puerto Rico&rsquo;s Luis Castro Rivera, who cleared a 2.30m national record in Garbsen in May.
Over on the track, USA&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Knighton will be seeking another strong run after winning his 200m season opener in 19.89 in Florence on Friday. That is now the fourth-fastest 200m of the season following the world lead of 19.67 set by world champion Noah Lyles in Kingston on Saturday and 19-year-old Knighton has the opportunity to make his mark again as he races against athletes including Dominican Republic&rsquo;s world fifth-place finisher Alexander Ogando, South Africa&rsquo;s Luxolo Adams and Liberia&rsquo;s Emmanuel Matadi.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647cf509952b9ced43a04cde.jpg" alt="Erriyon Knighton wins in Florence" />
Erriyon Knighton wins in Florence (&copy; Getty Images)
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At the fifth edition of the Irena Szewinska Memorial, named in tribute to the Polish sprint great, the women&rsquo;s 100m features USA&rsquo;s world and Olympic relay gold medallist Morolake Akinosun, who ran 10.95 in April and won the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix in 10.97 at the end of May. She will be looking to dip under 11 seconds again after her 11.20 for fourth place in Florence. Britain&rsquo;s Imani Lansiquot was one place ahead of Akinosun in that Diamond League meeting and they race each other again, joined by&nbsp;USA&rsquo;s Kayla White and Germany&rsquo;s Lisa Mayer.
Lansiquot is also entered for the 200m, where her rivals include her compatriot Daryll Neita as well as USA&rsquo;s Anavia Battle and Cambrea Sturgis.
After a strong indoor season during which he took his 60m hurdles PB to 7.39, USA&rsquo;s Daniel Roberts takes on his first 110m hurdles competition of the year alongside his compatriot Jamal Britt, the NACAC silver medallist who won at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix in a wind-assisted 12.99, plus Poland&rsquo;s 20-year-old European indoor 60m hurdles silver medallist Jakub Szymanski and Cuba&rsquo;s Roger Iribarne.
USA&rsquo;s Alaysha Johnson could contest four races in two days in Poland as after winning the B race and tying for victory in the A race in Chorzow, she travels to Bydgoszcz where the programme features heats before the final. The NACAC champion clocked 12.42 in Chorzow and was declared joint winner with Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn after they ran the same time, down to the thousandth. In Bydgoszcz the field also features Bahamian world indoor 60m hurdles silver medallist Devynne Charlton, USA&rsquo;s Sharika Nelvis, Ireland&rsquo;s Sarah Lavin and Poland&rsquo;s Adrianna Sulek, who recently finished third in the heptathlon at the Hypomeeting in Gotzis.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647cf4da952b9ced43a04cdb.jpg" alt="Alaysha Johnson" />
Alaysha Johnson (&copy; Kevin Morris Photographer)
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Kenya&rsquo;s Elias Ngeny and Collins Kipruto go in the men&rsquo;s 800m against Sweden&rsquo;s Andreas Kramer and Poland&rsquo;s Mateusz Borkowski, while the women&rsquo;s line-up features Germany&rsquo;s Katharina Trost, Jamaica&rsquo;s Adelle Tracey and Poland&rsquo;s Adrianna Topolnicka.
In the women&rsquo;s mile, Spain&rsquo;s Marta Perez is joined by Ethiopia&rsquo;s world U20 1500m fourth-place finisher Mebriht Mekonen and Kenya&rsquo;s Edinah Jebitok, who finished eighth in the senior women&rsquo;s race at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst in February.
In the men&rsquo;s 1500m, Ireland&rsquo;s Andrew Coscoran is back on the track two days after his win at the FBK Games in Hengelo. His competition includes South Africa&rsquo;s Tshepo Tshite, who ran a PB of 3:33.02 in April, and Australia&rsquo;s Matthew Ramsden.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Hammer head-to-heads will again demand the spotlight, while Erriyon Knighton will look to make another statement in the sprints when the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series moves on to the Irena Szewinska Memorial

Strong sprints in store and hammer stars resume battle in Bydgoszcz

With a jump as precise as it was perfect, as powerful as it was peerless, Mondo Duplantis did what he does best at the FBK Games in Hengelo on Sunday evening (4), soaring into the sky and over a meeting record of 6.11m. Despite all the Dutch stars on show, it was the moment that drew the biggest roar from the packed stands at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting.
Duplantis was well known, and loved, by the Hengelo crowd before this, having competed at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadium for the past two years, going beyond six metres on both occasions, the meeting record before today his 6.10m from 2021.
With Kurtis Marschall of Australia and Menno Vloon of the Netherlands maxing out with bests of 5.81m, Duplantis put the competition to bed with his first-time clearance at 5.91m. After that, he put the bar up to 6.11m, clearing it with room to spare. As the wind swirled, he then put the bar up to a world record of 6.23m, though none of his three attempts ever looked like succeeding.
Still, it was a great day&rsquo;s work for Duplantis, who has long been a student of the sport, and rest assured he took note of KC Lightfoot&rsquo;s recent North American record of 6.07m.
&ldquo;It didn't hurt the motivation, of course,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When you see a great jump like his, it's super awesome for the sport. For me, it's just a little bit of extra motivation to try to push it up just a little bit higher because it is competition, and we're out here competing with each other, whether or not we're on the same track.&rdquo;
Duplantis&rsquo;s goal on the road to the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23?
&ldquo;I'm just trying to focus on that gold medal and right now, I&rsquo;m just going to go meet by meet, try to get a little bit better every time to make sure I'm nice and sharp for the big dance.&rdquo;
On the track, Femke Bol was her typical world-class self in the women&rsquo;s 400m, though the stiff headwind down the back straight meant any outlandish times were off the table today. Nonetheless Bol asserted her superiority, utilising a storming last 100m to hit the line in 50.11 and smash the meeting record. Next in was USA&rsquo;s Wadeline Jonathas in 51.74, with Germany&rsquo;s Laura Muller third in 52.08.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647ce07c0075e7a3132a2627.jpg" alt="Femke Bol on her way to winning the 400m in Hengelo" />
Femke Bol on her way to winning the 400m in Hengelo (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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&ldquo;I did not really have a time in mind, I was focused on winning,&rdquo; said Bol. &ldquo;For the coming outdoor season, I am focused on the hurdles, and these are going great. That is the most important.&rdquo;
<h2>Hassan does back-to-back 10,000m and 1500m double</h2>
The women&rsquo;s 1500m saw fellow Dutch star Sifan Hassan return to the track just 20 hours after winning the 10,000m in a world lead of 29:37.80, and six weeks after winning the London Marathon in dramatic fashion. But the double Olympic champion showed all that marathon training did little to blunt her speed.
After 800m was reached in 2:09.06, and 1200m in 3:13.51, the 2019 world 1500m champion seized command, though she had company in Kenya&rsquo;s Nelly Chepchirchir as she kicked for home, who gave strong &ndash; but ultimately futile &ndash; chase as Hassan went for broke up the home straight, hitting the line in 3:58.12 to Chepchirchir&rsquo;s 3:58.96. Uganda&rsquo;s Janat Chemusto took third with 4:01.98.
&ldquo;I was so scared before the race as I hadn&rsquo;t run it in like two years so I was like, &lsquo;Oh my God, what is going to happen?&rsquo;&rdquo; said Hassan. &ldquo;But I felt very easy in the competition. I followed and the last 200 metres, I finished strong. I didn&rsquo;t push myself and I still finished very well in the sprint.&rdquo;
Hassan said she now &ldquo;has to make a racing plan&rdquo; for the summer, adding that her outings in Hengelo helped her gauge where her fitness is at as she transitions back to the track.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647b93014542d4d912c84780.jpg" alt="Sifan Hassan races the 10,000m at the FBK Games in Hengelo" />
Sifan Hassan races the 10,000m at the FBK Games in Hengelo (&copy; FBK Games)
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On a mild, windy Saturday evening at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadium, it was clear from early in the race that Hassan was not keen to chase the world 10,000m record, settling in behind the pacemakers as they towed the field along at 2:57 per kilometre. Shortly after 3000m &ndash; reached in 8:51.00 &ndash; Hassan was left in front, ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tsigie Gebreselama and Kenya&rsquo;s Grace Loibach Nawowuna.
Gebreselama moved to the front in the fifth kilometre, but it wasn&rsquo;t long before Hassan resumed control, passing 5000m in 14:46.01. Then the pace slowed, from 70 seconds a lap to 71, and then to 72, and soon it was down to two, with Hassan leading Nawowuna through 7000m in 20:41.67 and 8000m in 23:43.23.
Nawowuna, the world cross country fourth-place finisher, led through 9000m in 26:47.08, with Hassan biding her time until the last lap &ndash; her domain &ndash; and she duly swept to the front and blasted a 60.86 final 400m to delight the Dutch crowd and win in 29:37.80.
Nawowuna, at just 19 years of age, took second on her 10,000m debut with 29:47.42 &ndash; a time that puts her eighth on the world all-time list &ndash; while Gebreselama finished third in a PB of 30:04.42. Next in was Kenya&rsquo;s Selah Busienei in 30:26.40, with her compatriot Betty Chelangat just behind in 30:27.94.
Grant Holloway was one of the poster boys of the meeting and he showed why in the 110m hurdles, the two-time world champion displaying another crisp exhibition to clock a meeting record of 13.03, with fellow US athletes Devon Allen (13.12) and Eric Edwards (13.29) just behind.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pleased with what I need to do, and I continue just to work at it,&rdquo; said Holloway. &ldquo;We can expect the world record to be broken this year, and if not this year, next year.&rdquo;
USA&rsquo;s Nia Ali claimed victory in the 100m hurdles, the 2019 world champion clocking 12.61 (0.2m/s) to beat local favourite Nadine Visser (12.71), with Switzerland&rsquo;s Ditaji Kambundji third in 12.78.
&ldquo;I wanted to focus on not wiping out on the first hurdle, since I&rsquo;ve been hitting it really bad. I was able to keep my composure,&rdquo; said Ali. &ldquo;I have a lot to improve on, which I am excited about.&rdquo;
CJ Allen continued his winning ways in the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, the US athlete a class apart when winning in 48.24, with Dutch athlete Nick Smidt second in 49.17 and Germany&rsquo;s Joshua Abuaku third with 49.23. &ldquo;Right now I am not really consistent, and I am running fast, so no complaints for me,&rdquo; said Allen.
Britain&rsquo;s Reece Prescod finished strongly to claim the men&rsquo;s 100m, dipping under 10 seconds for the first time this season with 9.99 (0.4m/s). Jamaica&rsquo;s Yohan Blake took second with 10.05 while Dutch athlete Raphael Bouju clocked a PB of 10.09 in third. &ldquo;Qualifying for the World Championships is done now, so I&rsquo;ve just got to keep working, but so far, so good,&rdquo; said Prescod.
Britain&rsquo;s Daryll Neita was a commanding winner of the women&rsquo;s 100m, clocking 11.05 (-0.1m/s) ahead of Egypt&rsquo;s Bassant Hemida (11.16) and Brazil&rsquo;s Vitoria Cristina Rosa (11.18). &ldquo;I came here to win, I would have loved to get the meet record (10.92), maybe next time,&rdquo; said Neita.
The women&rsquo;s 200m went to Hemida, who clocked an Egyptian record of 22.41 (1.4m/s) to edge the fast-finishing Lieke Klaver, who set a PB of 22.51. Early leader Kayla White of USA had to settle for third in 22.56.
Botswana&rsquo;s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi edged a close race in the men&rsquo;s 400m, his 45.01 just in front of Vernon Norwood (45.05), with South Africa&rsquo;s Zakhiti Nene third in 45.17.
Ireland&rsquo;s Andrew Coscoran won a cagey men&rsquo;s 1500m, in which 800m was reached in a pedestrian 1:58.46. The wheels began to turn then, and Coscoran struck for home on the final turn, only for Britain&rsquo;s Elliot Giles to kick by in the home straight. But Coscoran held his form admirably to edge past again near the line, winning in 3:37.97 to Giles&rsquo; 3:38.00, with Australia&rsquo;s Jye Edwards third in 3:38.24.
<h2>Mahuchikh and Furlani leap to victory</h2>
Ukraine&rsquo;s Yaroslava Mahuchikh claimed victory in the women&rsquo;s high jump with a perfect series up to 2.00m, which she cleared at the first attempt. She recorded three failures at 2.05m, but by then it was immaterial, given her closest pursuer was compatriot Iryna Gerashchenko, who bowed out with a best of 1.93m. Germany&rsquo;s Johanna Goring was third with 1.90m, edging Yuliia Levchenko on countback.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647ce0450075e7a3132a2624.jpg" alt="Yaroslava Mahuchikh, winner of the high jump in Hengelo" />
Yaroslava Mahuchikh, winner of the high jump in Hengelo (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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Mahuchikh said she was happy to clear 2.00m at the first attempt, and revealed that when she was competing recently in Rabat, there was &ldquo;a rocket attack 10 meters from the house&rdquo; of her parents back in Ukraine, with Mahuchikh adding: &ldquo;Please remember that in my country the war is not finished.&rdquo;
Italy&rsquo;s Mattia Furlani underlined his star quality with a PB of 8.24m to win the long jump. The 18-year-old had jumped a wind-assisted 8.44m in Savona, Italy, last month and in Hengelo, he was a cut above his rivals, with runner-up Cheswill Johnson jumping 8.08m and JuVaughn Harrison third with 8.07m.
Germany&rsquo;s Julian Weber was an impressive winner in the men&rsquo;s javelin, his final-round effort of 87.14m giving him a wide-margin win over Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Keshorn Walcott (83.56m) and Finland&rsquo;s Oliver Helander (80.50m). Germany&rsquo;s Andreas Hofmann got injured during his final warm-up throws and was stretchered from the track.
USA&rsquo;s Maggie Ewen continued her fine form with a win in the women&rsquo;s shot put, her 19.61m the best of her two recorded efforts, with Jamaica&rsquo;s Danniel Thomas-Dodd next best with 19.21m. Portugal&rsquo;s Auriol Dongmo took third with 18.89m.
&ldquo;You take what you can get sometimes when the other girls are not quite on their game,&rdquo; said Ewen. &ldquo;I am really happy with how I threw. I threw a huge PB last week so I was really trying to come into this meet to throw something that I could be proud of.&rdquo;
World champion Chase Ealey had an experimental competition that ultimately backfired, with two fouls and a throw of 17.09m seeing her eliminated, but she had a good reason. &ldquo;I was doing a new technical thing,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I got a little too excited because the warm-up was good and then I added a bit too much, I went a bit too crazy. I think I will be fine in my next competitions. I am working on something new and I know I am going to throw far.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

With a jump as precise as it was perfect, as powerful as it was peerless, Mondo Duplantis did what he does best at the FBK Games

Duplantis vaults world-leading meeting record of 6.11m in Hengelo

The Racers Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, made a successful return on Saturday (3) after a three-year hiatus with world champions Noah Lyles and Shericka Jackson speeding to season&rsquo;s bests in Kingston.
Two-time world 200m champion Lyles saved the best for last as he brought the curtains down with a world-leading 19.67 (0.3 m/s) to win the men&rsquo;s 200m, breaking the meeting record in the process. Running out of his favourite lane seven, Lyles shrugged off a brief challenge from Great Britain&rsquo;s Zharnel Hughes (20.14) around the bend before opening up a sizeable lead to win comfortably in front of the fair size appreciative crowd.
&ldquo;The crowd was electrifying and I didn&rsquo;t know what kind of reception I would receive based on the social media comments,&rdquo; said Lyles. &ldquo;Tonight, the first 20 metres of my race was great, however, there&rsquo;s room for improvement in other areas but things are coming together and I feel great to get the meeting record. Bolt (Usain) came over and congratulated me and gave me words of encouragement to become the new face of the sport and take it forward.&rdquo;
Jackson, the world champion over 200m, stepped down to the 100m and registered a commanding win in a season&rsquo;s best of 10.78 (1.6 m/s), also breaking the meeting record. Bahamian sprinter Anthonique Strachan&rsquo;s upward trajectory continued as she finished second in a season&rsquo;s best of 10.99.
&ldquo;I think it was a solid run tonight,&rdquo; said Jackson. &ldquo;My start has improved tremendously and I know my coach is smiling and definitely I&rsquo;m taking it one step at a time and looking forward to greater things this season.&rdquo;
World record-holder and two-time world champion Wayde Van Niekerk demonstrated he&rsquo;s getting back to his best form when winning the men&rsquo;s 400m &lsquo;A&rsquo; final in a meeting record of 44.21. The South African dragged Jamaica&rsquo;s Zandrion Barnes, the runner-up, to a huge lifetime best of 44.90.
&ldquo;I was excited to perform in front of this crowd and used their energy to my advantage, &ldquo;said Van Niekerk. &ldquo;Running fast times in two different conditions, one at altitude and the other in wet weather, shows some consistency and I&rsquo;m using it as a positive moving forward as I make gradual progress.&rdquo;
A heavy downpour at the start of the evening didn&rsquo;t dampen the spirits of 2017 world U18 champion Antonio Watson, who sped to a lifetime best of 44.75 to win the men&rsquo;s 400m &lsquo;B&rsquo; final.
World champion and world record-holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria won the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in a season&rsquo;s best of 12.57 (-0.4 m/s) with USA&rsquo;s Tia Jones finishing second in 12.72.
&ldquo;The love and hospitality from the people here are just massive,&rdquo; said Amusan. &ldquo;Tonight&rsquo;s not my best-executed race but I&rsquo;m happy I came out of it injury free.&rdquo;
In a windy men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles (2.3 m/s), a fierce battle played out among four former world U20 medallists. Tyler Mason (13.14), the 2014 world U20 silver medallist, prevailed ahead of the fast-finishing 2018 silver medallist Orlando Bennett (13.18) with 2018 gold medallist Damion Thomas (13.29) and 2016 winner Dejour Russell (13.53) occupying third and fourth spots respectively.
USA&rsquo;s 2019 world 100m champion Christian Coleman won his first race on Jamaican soil, winning the men&rsquo;s 100m in 10.03 (-0.3 m/s).
Elsewhere, Fedrick Dacres (62.85m) suffered a rare defeat on home soil after placing fourth in the men&rsquo;s discus won by Samoa&rsquo;s Alex Rose, who sent his disc out to 65.86m. Traves Smikle claimed the runner-up spot with 65.15m. Shanieka Ricketts won the women&rsquo;s triple jump, bounding out to 14.32m (-1.5 m/s).
Noel Francis for World Athletics

Lyles speeds to world-leading meeting record of 19.67

Lyles, Jackson and Van Niekerk impress in Kingston

Peru's Kimberly Garcia and Brazil's Caio Bonfim captured 20km race walk victories at the 36th Gran Premio Cantones de La Coruna, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold event, held on Saturday (3) in Spain's northwest coastal city.
Taking advantage of a quick circuit and ideal weather conditions, both winners set respective career bests of 1:26:40 and 1:18:29 to also break their own national records. In a contest featuring great depth, a total of seven men ducked under the 1:20 barrier.
<h2>Garcia is ready for double world title defence</h2>
Right from the start, the reigning double (20km and 35km) world champion Garcia injected a brisk rhythm into the women's race, which could only be followed by Mexico&rsquo;s Alegna Gonzalez, the pair opening a five-second gap over the first 1000m covered in 4:23. A large chasing group, headed by Spain&rsquo;s Maria Perez, Ecuador's Glenda Morejon and China&rsquo;s Yang Jiayu, followed in 4:28. 
The Spaniard led the pack to join the leaders midway through the second circuit and by the fifth kilometre the front group featured nine athletes, always with Garcia at the helm walking at a steady 4:23 pace as they reached that point in 21:58. The lead pack included all the favourites, with the exception of the former world record-holder Liu Hong.
Just after passing the eighth kilometre some 36 minutes into the race, local star Perez unleashed a devastating kick to break away from the rest of the group with incredible ease to cover the ninth kilometre in a blistering 4:09 and build an 11-second gap over 800m. She left behind a six-strong group, featuring Qieyang Shijie, Yang, Wu Quanming, Garcia, Gonzalez and the surprise Peruvian Evelyn Inga. Morejon had lost ground and travelled 15 seconds in arrears by halfway, which was reached by Perez in 43:25 to elevate her advantage to 18 seconds over the quality chasing group.
With the newly-minted world 35km record-holder Perez flying on the streets of La Coruna in front of her home crowd, few could have predicted the outcome of the event. While Perez slowed &ndash; to 4:18 for the 11th kilometre and 4:21 for the 12th &ndash; Gonzalez accelerated and managed to catch Perez exactly four kilometres after the Spaniard&rsquo;s break.
The 15km checkpoint was reached in 1:05:15 by the quartet of Garcia, Gonzalez, Qieyang and Wu. The first withdrawal was the defending champion Qieyang, who began to falter in the 16th kilometre. Just before the 18th kilometre, Gonzalez also lost contact with Garcia and Wu. Garcia&rsquo;s relentless pace finally paid off inside the closing kilometre when she finally managed to get rid of Wu to romp home in 1:26:40 with an 18-second improvement on her previous PB, while Wu (1:26:48) and Gonzalez (1:26:59) also achieved respective lifetime bests.
"I&rsquo;ve been working very hard in my base of Ecuador and I was confident of doing a fine race today," said the 29-year-old winner. "This win is extremely important for me as the standard was as high as at a World Championships, so I&rsquo;ll be aiming to defend my world titles in Budapest. 
"I&rsquo;ll now go to Peru to see my relatives but will soon return to Ecuador to continue my build-up for the World Championships. I won&rsquo;t compete any more before Budapest," added Garcia, who is coached by Ecuador&rsquo;s Andres Chocho, the 2015 world 50km race walk eighth-place finisher. Interestingly, the now 39-year-old finished the men&rsquo;s race in La Coruna on Saturday in 1:26:44 - a similar time to his athlete.&nbsp;
Inga also impressed, improving her previous best of 1:33:21 to 1:27:32. Perez had to stop due to sickness with six laps remaining, but she didn&rsquo;t give up and crossed the finish line in fifth place in 1:27:19.&nbsp;
<h2>Ninth time lucky for Bonfim</h2>
Brazil&rsquo;s 2017 world bronze medallist Bonfim started like a bullet and went through the opening 1000m in 3:51. Despite the star-studded line-up, only five athletes managed to stay close to the Brazilian: Ecuador's Brian Pintado and David Hurtado, Spain&rsquo;s Alvaro Martin, China's Zhang Jun and Japan&rsquo;s Yuta Koga.
Bonfim maintained 3:55 pace over the following kilometres and the 5km mark was reached in 19:38. Both Koga and Hurtado began to receive warnings from the judges and they were forced to slow, the lead pack whittled down to four by halfway, which was reached in 39:15 after another 19:37 five-lap split.
World leader Zhang then took command of the race but was always followed in crocodile file by Bonfim, Pintado and Martin as the Chinese athlete clocked 3:52 for the 11th kilometre. The following kilometres were fascinating as Bonfim regained the lead and Pintado also moved to the front to keep the rhythm alive, while the double European champion Martin preferred to remain tucked behind throughout.&nbsp;
With the clock reading one hour, it seemed clear that Bonfim, Zhang and Martin would take the three podium spots as Pintado began to falter. The speed remained in the 3:55/3:57 range and shortly after covering the 16th kilometre, Zhang lost ground and the race became a two-horse battle between Bonfim and Martin. 
The key move came some 1:04:30 into the race with 3600m remaining, when the 28-year-old Spaniard just couldn&rsquo;t follow in Bonfim&rsquo;s footsteps. Over the closing laps the leader maintained his steady and powerful pace to gradually extend his advantage.
At the tape Bonfim &ndash; who was making his ninth appearance in La Coruna after two third places (2014 and 2022) already to his credit &ndash; was rewarded with an 18-second lifetime best of 1:18:29, while Martin dipped under the 1:19 barrier for the first time with a 1:18:49 performance. Surprisingly, the final place on the podium went to Diego Garcia. The 27-year-old Spaniard never featured at the helm, being a distant seventh at halfway, but powerful closing laps led him to third place in a season&rsquo;s best of 1:19:25 ahead of the also fast-finishing German Christopher Linke in 1:19:43.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647bb9d1382efb4019c8f129.jpg" alt="Diego Garc&iacute;a, Caio Bonfim and Alvaro Martin in La Coruna" />
Diego Garc&iacute;a, Caio Bonfim and Alvaro Martin in La Coruna (&copy; Almudena Miguez (FGA))
</div>
"I&rsquo;m super happy. I&rsquo;ve won for the first time here and have also improved my PB, I can&rsquo;t ask for more," declared a delighted Bonfim. "I went off very determined but the level of the field was awesome, winning has not been an easy task. I now return home and I&rsquo;ll do the Brazil championships over 20km before doubling in Budapest as there&rsquo;s a six-day gap between the 20km and the 35km and I think it will be enough."&nbsp;
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Kimberly Garcia (PER) 1:26:40 2 Quanming Wu (CHN) 1:26:48 3 Alegna Gonzalez (MEX) 1:26:59 4&nbsp;Shijie Qieyang (CHN) 1:27:15 5 Maria Perez (ESP) 1:27:19 6 Evelyn Inga (PER) 1:27:32 7 Erica Sena (BRA) 1:28:53 8 Glenda Morejon (ECU) 1:29:04 9 Li Ma (CHN) 1:30:02 10 Raquel Gonzalez (ESP) 1:30:15
Men 1 Caio Bonfim (BRA) 1:18:29 2 Alvaro Martin (ESP) 1:18:49 3 Diego Garcia (ESP) 1:19:25 4 Christopher Linke (GER) 1:19:27 5 Jun Zhang (CHN) 1:19:36 6 Jose Luis Doctor (MEX) 1:19:41 7 Jose Alejandro Barrondo (GUA) 1:19:42 8 Gabriel Bordier (FRA) 1:20:09 9 Andres Olivas (MEX) 1:20:14 10 Noel Chama (MEX) 1:20:40

Peru's Kimberly Garcia and Brazil's Caio Bonfim captured 20km race walk victories at the 36th Gran Premio Cantones de La Coruna

Garcia and Bonfim triumph in La Coruna

USA&rsquo;s KC Lightfoot cleared 6.07m to break the North American pole vault record at the Music City Track Carnival, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, in Nashville, USA, on Friday (2).
Lightfoot, the 2021 NCAA champion who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympic Games, had soared over six metres once before, clearing 6.00m in Lubbock in 2021.
But in Nashville he achieved it twice and added seven centimetres to his previous best to improve the area record of 6.06m that had been set by two-time world champion Sam Kendricks in 2019.
Outdoors, only Sweden&rsquo;s world record-holder Mondo Duplantis and Ukrainian pole vault great Sergey Bubka have ever cleared higher bars than Lightfoot's 6.07m.
Lightfoot opened his competition with a first-time clearance at 5.50m before passing at 5.60m and then clearing 5.70m and 5.80m, also on his first attempts. He needed two tries at 5.92m but soared over six metres at the first time of asking, before having the bar raised to 6.07m.
The&nbsp;23-year-old&nbsp;had the competition won at 5.80m, with Cole Walsh finishing second with his 5.70m vault.
So all eyes were on Lightfoot and he managed the area record height on his second attempt, setting a world lead in the process as the first athlete to clear six metres this season.
Also in Nashville on Friday, Bridget Williams won the women&rsquo;s pole vault with a 4.70m clearance.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar-results/7200143/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

USA’s KC Lightfoot cleared 6.07m to break the North American pole vault record at the Music City Track Carnival

Lightfoot clears 6.07m area record in Nashville

The World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series continues on Sunday (4) with the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/hengelo-fbk-games-hassan-bol-duplantis-holloway">FBK Games in Hengelo</a>.
Dutch distance ace Sifan Hassan is among the stars in action, as she races the 10,000m on Saturday and then the 1500m on Sunday. She will be joined in Hengelo by the likes of world and Olympic 400m hurdles medallist Femke Bol, world pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis and two-time world 110m hurdles champion Grant Holloway.
Here&rsquo;s how you can follow the action. 
<h2>Follow and watch</h2>
<a href="https://www.fbkgames.nl/en/live-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Schedule and live results</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/647bbc2eaa4901541477dce8.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media information sheets and athlete biographies</a>
A two-hour live stream of the meeting, on Sunday 4 June, will be available in a number of territories via the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics YouTube channel</a>. The live stream will start at 17:45 local time (15:45 GMT, 16:45 BST). 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s1ydEfroTL0" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 The YouTube stream will be geoblocked in the following territories: Albania, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua &amp; Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cura&ccedil;ao, Czechia, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Macao, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, St Barth&eacute;lemy, St Kitts &amp; Nevis, St Lucia, St Martin, St Vincent &amp; the Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, S&atilde;o Tom&eacute; &amp; Pr&iacute;ncipe, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad &amp; Tobago, Turks &amp; Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe
 Coverage of the meeting will be available in the territories listed below. Be sure to check local listings - some broadcasts may be live while others will consist of highlights.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #333333; border-style: solid; height: 971px; width: 80%;" border="1" width="80%" cellpadding="2">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">OverSport (OverSport 3)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Albania, Kosovo</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Super Sport (GSL2 / VR4 / VR4A)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo DR, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 89px;">
<td style="height: 89px;" valign="top">Flow Sports</td>
<td style="height: 89px;" valign="top">Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Barthelemy, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">DirecTV (VC 614/1614)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">T Sports</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Bangladesh</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS9)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">ESPN (STAR+)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">SPOTV (SPOTV2)</td>
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">CBC (digital channels)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Canada</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS10)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Croatia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Czech TV (live on www.ceskatelevize.cz/sport and delayed on CT Sport on 5 June at 01:15 CEST)</td>
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Czech Republic</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Denmark</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">MTV (CMore Sport 1)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Finland</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Cosmote (COSMOTE Sport 8 HD)</td>
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Greece</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">AMC (delayed on Sport2 at 23:00 CEST)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Hungary</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Iceland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Viacom 18 (Sports18 - 1 and JioCinema)&nbsp;</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top;">India</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Sport 5 (5 LIVE)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Israel</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Sky (Sky Sport Arena)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Italy</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">NOS</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Netherlands</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay (V sport +)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Norway</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Polsat (Polsat Sport News)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Poland</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">SPORT.TV (SPORT.TV3)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Portugal</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Match TV (ARENA)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Russia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">JOJ TV (TV JOJ Sport)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Slovakia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS4)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Slovenia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">TVE (Teledeporte and RTVE Play)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Spain</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay (V Sport Extra)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Sweden</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Swiss Sport TV</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Switzerland</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">ELTA (ELTA SPORTS 3)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Taiwan</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Poverkhnost (Sport 1)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Ukraine</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay (Viaplay Sports 2)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">United Kingdom</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top"><a href="https://flosports.link/425Y10a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FloSports</a></td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">USA</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<h2>Social media</h2>
- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;| <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> - FBK Games: <a href="https://www.fbkgames.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/FBKGamesHengelo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FannyBlankersKoenGames" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fbkgames/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>
&nbsp;

Catch all the action from the FBK Games

How to follow and watch the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Hengelo

Coming into the Golden Gala meeting in Florence, Faith Kipyegon said the world 1500m record was in her heart and on her mind. By the end of tonight&rsquo;s race, it was also in her legs and on the clock &ndash; which she stopped in an astonishing 3:49.11*.
The world and Olympic champion delivered a thrilling finale to the third leg of the Wanda Diamond League with a bravura performance in a city that last saw a world record when World Athletics President Sebastian Coe broke the 800m mark here in 1981.
The pacemakers had been asked to take the field through in 3:54 pace, which seemed ambitious on a damp track after early rain. But that pace merely left Kipyegon full of running when she took the lead in the penultimate lap, as she blazed through the final 600m at unprecedented speed.
Her feet barely seemed to touch the track as she flew home in incomparable style to take down the eight-year-old standard of 3:50.07, set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Genzebe Dibaba in Monaco in 2015.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/12QuG1UXm-U" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Kipyegon came agonisingly close to breaking this record at the Herculis meet in Monaco last year when she set her previous best of 3:50.37, and that seemed only to spur her on to make certain of the mark this season.
Having won both Olympic and world titles, the 29-year-old Kenyan was determined to claim the last great 1500m prize available with the world record.
"I said yesterday that I wanted to run a beautiful race, run my race, and see what is possible, and this was possible," she said.
"There&rsquo;s still more to come. I&rsquo;m still working on running faster than that, faster than 3:49. I&rsquo;m really thankful today that I managed to run 3:49 and I&rsquo;m still heading towards beautiful races in the rest of the season."
Kipyegon will now turn her attention to the 5000m in Paris next week before returning to Kenya to top up her training for another tilt at the record at the Herculis meeting in Monaco in July.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647a725dcc7eebc6dfedcb28.jpg" alt="Faith Kipyegon celebrates her world record with the 1500m field in Florence" />
Faith Kipyegon celebrates her world record with the 1500m field in Florence (&copy; Chiara Montesano / Diamond League)
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Such was her dominance tonight that world silver medallist Laura Muir finished almost eight seconds behind (3:57.09), while third-placed Jessica Hull (3:57.29) set an Australian and Oceania record.
The elite field of female middle-distance runners was overjoyed for Kipyegon, enveloping her in a group hug soon after the race to celebrate her achievement.
"We have really come along as 1500 women," Kipyegon said. &ldquo;They are really special. We come along together, cheer one another. This is sport, we have to love each other and celebrate one another at our lowest moments and highest moments, and I really thank the ladies for coming along and running together and celebrating this world record together. We were part of this together."
It takes a lot to upstage the fastest man in the world, but Kipyegon managed it tonight.
However, world champion Fred Kerley was well satisfied with his work after he separated himself from the rest of the world&rsquo;s best sprinters to win the 100m commandingly on a damp night in Florence.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647a54a1c97a0be4e4fd2cee.jpg" alt="Fred Kerley wins the 100m at the Golden Gala in Florence" />
Fred Kerley wins the 100m at the Golden Gala in Florence (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Despite the cool conditions, Kerley triumphed over a world final quality field by a metre. He was the only man to dip under 10 seconds, clocking 9.94 to win from African record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala (10.05) and world bronze medallist Trayvon Bromell (10.09).
Earlier, Marie-Josee Ta Lou claimed the women&rsquo;s 100m title in 10.97, in the absence of Briton Dina Asher-Smith, who withdrew from the race after cramping in her calf during warm up.&nbsp;
It may not have been a night for fast times over 100m, but it was perfect for the distance runners as world leads in both the men&rsquo;s 5000m and women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase proved.
Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir upstaged a star-studded 5000m field, defeating Yomif Kejelcha in a sprint to the death, to win by 0.03 in 12:52.09.
Third-placed Luis Grijalva of Guatemala set a national record of 12:52.97, just ahead of Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei (12:53.81). The Ugandan champion was satisfied with his return to the track after almost 12 months, during which he had to overcome a career-threatening knee injury.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647a46f2546e57c16ca68f24.jpg" alt="Mohamed Katir holds off Yomif Kejelcha in a 5000m battle in Florence" />
Mohamed Katir holds off Yomif Kejelcha in a 5000m battle in Florence (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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In the women&rsquo;s steeplechase, it was Ethiopia&rsquo;s Sembo Almayew who set a new standard for the season, running away from a high-class field to win in 9:00.71 from world U20 champion Jackline Chepkoech of Kenya (9:02.43) and fellow Ethiopian Zerfe Wondemagegn (9:04.61).
The fourth world lead of the night came in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, where Dutchwoman Femke Bol used her ambitious new stride pattern to great effect, setting a meeting record of 52.43 to win by almost a second from USA's Shamier Little (53.38).
"This was my first Diamond League race for this year and it is a great result, it met all my expectations," Bol said, adding that she is aiming for the gold medal at the World Championships in Budapest. &ldquo;I am really, really happy. I executed the race like I wanted. I am looking forward to running in Hengelo in two days because there will be a lot of people from home. And, running the (flat) 400m gives me a different stimulus."
US heptathlete Anna Hall, underlining her credentials as one of the world&rsquo;s most versatile athletes, set a personal best of 54.42 in third, less than a week after winning the heptathlon at the Hypo Meeting in Gotzis with the fifth biggest score in history.&nbsp;
World champion sprint hurdler Grant Holloway was back on top of his game in the 110m hurdles, defying the conditions to win in a sharp 13.05 from Switzerland&rsquo;s Jason Joseph in a personal best of 13.10. Hurdler turned NFL star Devon Allen improved to finish third in a promising 13.19 after returning to track training after this year&rsquo;s Super Bowl.
The brilliant teenaged Erriyon Knighton blasted through his first 200m of the year in an impressive opener of 19.89, the third-fastest time in the world this year. The US sprinter won handsomely, some three metres clear of the experienced Jereem Richards (20.28) and Aaron Brown (20.31) to make an early season statement.
"Now, I am very satisfied with this time - under 20 in the first race of the season," Knighton said.
The jumps were more affected by the slippery conditions underfoot but world silver medallist Woo Sanghyeok and rising US star JuVaughn Harrison staged a thrilling duel in the men&rsquo;s high jump. Harrison took the win with a third-attempt clearance of 2.32m.
World champion Katie Moon&rsquo;s second attempt clearance of 4.71m was good enough to deny Slovenia&rsquo;s Tina Sutej victory, after she cleared the same height at the third attempt.&nbsp;
Italian athletes also stood tall in their home Diamond League meeting, claiming the women&rsquo;s long jump, men&rsquo;s triple jump and men&rsquo;s shot put.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647a7210cc7eebc6dfedcb25.jpg" alt="Larissa Iapichino competes in Florence" />
Larissa Iapichino competes in Florence (&copy; Christel Saneh / Diamond League)
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European indoor medallist Larissa Iapichino claimed her biggest victory over a world-class field in the long jump, leaping 6.79m to deny US jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall (6.74m) and Ukraine&rsquo;s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (6.59m).
Cuban-born Andy Diaz Hernandez, who hopes to represent his adopted home of Italy at the World Athletics Championships this year, needed just one attempt to claim victory in the triple jump, setting a personal best of 17.75m, which bettered the Italian record.
Perennial contender Hugues Fabrice Zango was just seven centimetres behind (17.68m) in second.
Shot putter Leonardo Fabbri added to the Italian celebrations by winning a closely-fought competition with a season&rsquo;s best throw of 21.73m, to pip 2017 world champion Tom Walsh of New Zealand (21.69m) and Czech thrower Tomas Stanek (21.64m).
Olympic champion Valarie Allman won a dramatic women&rsquo;s discus showdown with her fifth throw (65.96m) after world champion Feng Bin had led for much of the competition with 65.50m and then improved to&nbsp;65.91m to consolidate her runner-up finish in the fifth round.
"Today was all about competing," Allman said. "The rain messed with my timing and my technique, I was not able to throw properly, but in the end I managed."
Appropriately for Italy&rsquo;s premier one-day meeting, she planned to celebrate with "spaghetti and gelato".
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Coming into the Golden Gala meeting in Florence, Faith Kipyegon said the world 1500m record was in her heart and on her mind. By the end of tonight’s race, it was also in her legs and on the clock – which she stopped in an astonishing 3:49.11

Kipyegon breaks world 1500m record with 3:49.11 in Florence

At an event named after a Dutch great, it&rsquo;s appropriate that Sifan Hassan will take centre stage at this year&rsquo;s FBK Games in Hengelo, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on Saturday (3) and Sunday (4).
Fanny Blankers-Koen famously won four gold medals &ndash; three individual, one relay &ndash; at the 1948 London Olympics, and while Hassan came up just shy of that at the Tokyo Games &ndash; winning two golds and one bronze &ndash; the 30-year-old distance star has etched her name alongside her predecessor as one of the all-time greats of Dutch sport.&nbsp;
Less than six weeks after taking victory at the London Marathon in her debut at the distance &ndash; an outing rife with the drama Hassan often brings to her races &ndash; she will be back on the line at 8:30pm local time on Saturday for the women&rsquo;s 10,000m, the sole race that evening, before contesting the 1500m just 20 hours later.&nbsp;
&ldquo;After the London Marathon it was of course a question of how my body would recover and respond to the track training,&rdquo; said Hassan. &ldquo;I would like to run a 10,000m to see how I am doing.&rdquo;
Hassan ran a 10,000m world record of 29:06.82 at this event in 2021, which was broken by Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia with 29:01.03 just two days later. The 25-lap race in Hengelo sees Hassan, the reigning Olympic champion, take on a strong cast of East African athletes, including Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tsigie Gebreselama, a silver medallist at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, earlier this year, who ran her PB of 30:06.01 behind Hassan in Hengelo two years ago. Next quickest on paper is Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui, a former Kenyan now running for Kazakhstan, who ran her PB of 30:17.64 to finish seventh in last year&rsquo;s World Championships.&nbsp;
Hassan&rsquo;s speed will be put to the test on Sunday as she takes on a 1500m field that includes two sub-four-minute athletes: Uganda&rsquo;s Winnie Nanyondo and Australia&rsquo;s Linden Hall.&nbsp;
Another Dutch star, Femke Bol, will draw huge support from the home crowd as she contests her first flat 400m of the outdoor season, having broken the indoor world record with 49.26 at the Dutch national championships in February. Belgium&rsquo;s Cynthia Bolingo and USA&rsquo;s Wadeline Jonathas are among her rivals.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629e3a1b530039b99ceed76b.jpg" alt="Femke Bol wins the 400m hurdles in Hengelo" />
Femke Bol wins the 400m hurdles in Hengelo (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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The women&rsquo;s 100m should prove a tight contest, featuring Britain&rsquo;s Daryll Neita, US trio Morolake Akinosun, Teahna Daniels and Cambrea Sturgis, along with Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Michelle-Lee Ahye and Switzerland&rsquo;s Ajla Del Ponte.
There will be a strong Dutch presence in the women&rsquo;s 200m through Jamile Samuel and Lieke Klaver, though they&rsquo;ll have it all to do to beat USA&rsquo;s Kayla White, who ran 22.38 into a slight headwind in Botswana last month.&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles sees USA&rsquo;s 2019 world champion Nia Ali take on Bahamian Devynne Charlton, with Ali the quicker this year with the 12.53 she ran in April. Home hopes will be carried by Nadine Visser, who will run her first hurdles race of the outdoor season. Switzerland&rsquo;s Ditaji Kambundji and Denmark&rsquo;s Mette Graversgaard are also in the field.&nbsp;
Ukraine&rsquo;s Yaroslava Mahuchikh is the star attraction in the women&rsquo;s high jump. She remains the only athlete to go over two metres in the event this outdoor season, jumping 2.01m to take victory in Rabat last weekend. Her compatriots Yuliia Levchenko and Iryna Gerashchenko could prove her toughest opponents.&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s shot put will see Maggie Ewen square off against fellow US thrower and reigning world champion Chase Ealey. Ewen tops the world lists with the 20.45m she threw in Westwood, USA, last weekend, while Ealey is close behind with the 20.06m she threw in Halle, Germany, last month. Among their rivals, Jamaica&rsquo;s Danniel Thomas-Dodd is next best this season with the national record of 19.77m she threw behind the US duo last week. Portugal&rsquo;s Auriol Dongmo and Dutch athlete Jessica Schilder are also in the field.&nbsp;
On the men&rsquo;s side, the undoubted star attraction is Mondo Duplantis, who&rsquo;s looking for&nbsp;his third win at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadium, having bettered the meeting record with a 6.10m clearance in 2021. Duplantis soared to a world record of 6.22m indoors and he opened his outdoor season with victory last week at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, clearing 5.91m with room to spare.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629e3a4b530039b99ceed76e.jpg" alt="Pole vault winner Mondo Duplantis in Hengelo" />
Pole vault winner Mondo Duplantis in Hengelo (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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He will take on an eight-strong field, all of whom have cleared 5.80m, with Australia&rsquo;s Kurtis Marschall, a 5.85m vaulter this season, perhaps the leading candidate for the runner-up spot &ndash; which is all that&rsquo;s usually left if the Swede brings his usual brilliance.&nbsp;
The long jump will see USA&rsquo;s JuVaughn Harrison take on compatriot William Williams, with Harrison fresh off a 2.32m high jump victory at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha, though he was well off his long jump best of 8.47m in his sole outing in that event this year (7.62m).&nbsp;
Many will be keeping a close eye on rising star Mattia Furlani of Italy to see if the 18-year-old can reproduce the heroics he delivered in Savona, Italy, last week, where he jumped 8.44m with a 2.2m/s tailwind. Namibia&rsquo;s Chenault Lionel Coetzee is also sure to feature, having jumped 8.27m in April.
The men&rsquo;s javelin sees German trio Johannes Vetter, Julian Weber and Andreas Hofmann go up against Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Keshorn Walcott. Weber is the best of them this season via the 88.37m he threw in Rehlingen, Germany, last weekend. Belgium&rsquo;s Timothy Herman should also feature based off the 87.35m PB he threw in Nairobi last month. Finnish duo Oliver Helander and Lassi Etelatalo are also in the field.&nbsp;
On the track, all eyes will be on Grant Holloway in the 110m hurdles to see if the two-time world champion can dip under 13 seconds for the first time this year. He tops the world lists with the 13.01 he ran in Atlanta last month. Fellow US hurdler Devon Allen will be looking to take a chunk off his season&rsquo;s best of 13.25, which he ran to finish fourth last weekend in Rabat, while USA&rsquo;s Freddie Crittenden should also go close given his season&rsquo;s best of 13.19.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/634d35e4cf0108b77b3bc06e.jpg" alt="Grant Holloway and Hungary's Szűcs Vald&oacute; at the Gyulai Istv&aacute;n Memorial - Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix 2022" />
Grant Holloway at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial (&copy; Zsigmond L&aacute;szl&oacute;)
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In the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, USA&rsquo;s CJ Allen should prove tough to stop given his recent victory at the Los Angeles Grand Prix in a PB of 47.91, while the next quickest this season is Pablo Andres Ibanez Guevara of El Salvador (48.56) and Dutch athlete Nick Smidt (48.70).
The men&rsquo;s 100m sees USA&rsquo;s Marvin Bracy-Williams arrive in fine form, having clocked 9.93 (0.8m/s) earlier this week in Montreuil, France. Fellow US sprinter Ronnie Baker, Britain&rsquo;s Reece Prescod and Jamaica&rsquo;s Yohan Blake are also in the field.&nbsp;
The men&rsquo;s 400m sees USA&rsquo;s Vernon Norwood head the entries based on season&rsquo;s best with the 44.68 he ran in Nairobi in April. Also in the line-up are Dutch sprinter Liemarvin Bonevacia along with Botswana&rsquo;s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi and Isaac Makwala.
The men&rsquo;s 1500m will see Germany&rsquo;s Robert Farken, a 3:32.10 performer this season, line up against Britain&rsquo;s Elliot Giles, Ireland&rsquo;s Andrew Coscoran and France&rsquo;s Azeddine Habz in a field with no outstanding favourite, but considerable strength in depth.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

At an event named after a Dutch great, it’s appropriate that Sifan Hassan will take centre stage at this year’s FBK Games in Hengelo

Hassan, Bol and Duplantis on show as strong fields get set for Hengelo

As athletes have been preparing for action on the track, 16 young journalists from 11 European countries have joined them in the build-up to the Wanda Diamond League&rsquo;s Golden Gala meeting in Florence this week, attending a three-day programme as part of the Media Development Project (MDP).
The MDP is a media education programme organised by World Athletics to coincide with one-day events to encourage athletics journalism in particular areas around the world, and bring more young writers into the sport. Last year&rsquo;s edition was organised in Nairobi as an opportunity for young African journalists.
This year&rsquo;s course has been organised in Europe in cooperation with European Athletics, the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and the Golden Gala organising committee.
The attendees, aged up to 30, have come from 11 countries that are organising events in Europe in the next few years, including Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Poland, Finland, Portugal, France and Turkiye.
The participants attended a number of sessions on writing, editing and media coverage, along with sessions on the ethics of athletics, communications activities of World Athletics and European Athletics, the use of statistics and flash quotes production.
The AIPS was represented by Riccardo Romani, AIPS Young Reporters mentor and an experienced journalist, who spoke about the challenges of the profession, while representatives of World Athletics and European Athletics also briefed the young journalists about the structure of the sport and the resources available to them to assist in their reporting on athletics.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6479d3a3d9188c0b1d4fe40f.JPG" alt="Media Development Project participants with Wilma Murto" />
Media Development Project participants with Wilma Murto
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Presentations about the Wanda Diamond League 2023 Golden Gala event along with the upcoming Rome 2024 European Athletics Championships were also part of the programme. In addition, participants were offered an exclusive opportunity to interview European pole vault champion Wilma Murto, and to cover all aspects of the Diamond League meeting, including the pre-event press conference and athlete interviews in the mixed zone.
The media plays an incredibly important role in our sport, bringing the emotion and excitement of athletics, as well as results, images, interviews and analysis, to the eyes and ears of millions who cannot attend competitions in person. This is why these organisations have committed resources to support the next generation of athletics journalists through the Media Development Project.
World Athletics

As athletes have been preparing for action on the track, 16 young journalists from 11 European countries have joined them in the build-up to the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence as part of the Media Development Project.

Young journalists join the stars in Florence

The doyen of athletics statisticians Roberto Luigi Quercetani (1922-2019), along with the Association of Track Field Statisticians (ATFS) of which he was a founder member, have been jointly awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.
The renowned athletics historian Quercetani was ATFS&rsquo;s first president from 1950 until 1968 and the general editor of the ATFS Annual each year to 1969.
The plaque, which has been awarded jointly in the categories of &lsquo;Legend&rsquo; (Quercetani) and &lsquo;Culture&rsquo; (ATFS), was unveiled on Friday (2) by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe at the library at ASSI Giglio Rosso sports club, Florence, Italy, which houses Quercetani&rsquo;s collection.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 500px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6479bac0e174a57ceaddc39b.jpg" alt="Roberto Quercetani and ATFS Heritage Plaque" />
&nbsp;
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&ldquo;Quercetani was the most prolific of athletics historians. His first major publication in English, A World History of Track and Field Athletics (1864 -1964), was republished many times, taking athletics&rsquo; story right up to the start of the present century. This book is the &lsquo;go-to&rsquo; resource for all budding athletics fans, let alone historians.
&ldquo;The ATFS, which Quercetani helped found in 1950, continues to be responsible for the accurate recording of the performances of our sport to the present day. Today&rsquo;s award honours Quercetani and the ATFS and recognises the huge debt of gratitude our sport owes to them.&rdquo;
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Heritage Plaque</a> is a location-based recognition, awarded for an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field athletics and of out-of-stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking.
<h2>Foundation of ATFS</h2>
For a sport so dependent on accurate timing and measurement, statistics had always been important and many an individual had laboured away keeping records of performances. But it was not until a group of enthusiasts gathered together on 26 August 1950 in the Caf&eacute; de la Madeleine in the Rue de la Montagne, Brussels, to form the ATFS that their hobby was transformed into a well-coordinated service to the athletics community.
As Quercetani put it: &ldquo;From the very beginning, the ATFS has as its foremost aim that of popularising accurate and competent recording of track and field results on a world-wide basis.&rdquo;
The seeds were sown by Quercetani and the USA's Donald Potts, who in 1947 had combined to compile 100-deep world all-time lists in all the standard men&rsquo;s events with full date and venue details for each performance. The result of their collaboration was a self-financed 70-page booklet entitled A Handbook on Olympic Games Track and Field Athletics, which appeared in 1948.
That modest but hugely valuable publication proved to be a catalyst. The 1924 Olympic 100m champion Harold Abrahams, a prolific writer on the sport and himself a keen statistician, used the book to help with the seeding for the London Olympics of 1948.
Another highly impressed recipient of the booklet was Fulvio Regli from Switzerland, like Quercetani a brilliant linguist. Early in 1950 he wrote to Quercetani suggesting they helped form an international association of statisticians. Potts and others were brought into the discussions about pooling resources and knowledge and the outcome was that historic meeting in Brussels, organised by Belgian sports journalist Andre Greuze during the 1950 European Championships.
The founding members of the ATFS were &ndash; in addition to Quercetani (president), Potts, Regli (secretary general) and Greuze (treasurer) &ndash; Norris McWhirter of future Guinness Book of Records fame from Britain, Bruno Bonomelli of Italy, Erich Kamper of Austria, Ekkehard zur Megede and Wolfgang Wunsche of Germany, Andre Senay of France and Bjorn-Johan Weckman of Finland. Potts and Wunsche were not actually at the meeting but were considered founding members all the same, while among the ATFS's first decisions was to choose Abrahams as honorary president.
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<h2>Beccali&rsquo;s boy</h2>
Born in Florence in May 1922, Quercetani was only 10 when athletics entered his life. He was out walking with his father in August 1932 when he caught sight of a large cinema screen on top of a building announcing that Luigi Beccali had won the Olympic 1500m title in Los Angeles the previous day. That fired his imagination and he started collecting newspaper clippings relating to athletics. It was the start of a lifetime's obsession with the sport's facts and figures. Among his earliest treasured memories was seeing Beccali set an Italian 800m record during halftime at a football match in his native city in 1933.
From schooldays Quercetani became a student and master of foreign languages, skills that helped him to establish contacts and friendships worldwide and that enabled him to become an interpreter with the Allied armies in Italy by 1944. During his teens he avidly read Italian, French, German, Swedish and American sports newspapers and magazines as he subscribed to and contributed to publications in several countries from the late 1930s.
Soon after the war, he started corresponding with US mathematician Potts in California. They formed a famous partnership that produced the first detailed world all-time lists and led to the extensive documentation of athletics to which we are accustomed, but which was exceptionally poor when Roberto and his associates started their work. He also started the prestigious and authoritative annual World Merit Rankings for Track &amp; Field News in 1947.
Quercetani led the compilation and publication of four volumes of Track &amp; Field Performances Through the Years that covered world lists from 1921 to 1950, the years before the annual ATFS lists.
A freelance journalist, Quercetani covered most of the world&rsquo;s major athletics events for many years, especially from 1951 for La Gazzetto dello Sport and contributed to a wide range of publications. A lover of trivia, his final offering &ndash; written in his nineties &ndash; was entitled Intriguing Facts &amp; Figures from Athletics History 1860-2014 and dedicated to his beloved wife Maria Luisa &ldquo;for her untiring support and understanding&rdquo;.
World Athletics Heritage With thanks to the late Mel Watman

The doyen of athletics statisticians Roberto Luigi Quercetani and the Association of Track Field Statisticians have been jointly awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.