The 2021 World Athletics Indoor Tour kicks off on Sunday with the American Track League Meeting 1 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, on the famously fast track at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
The two-hour live stream begins at 9pm CET and will be available to fans from most parts of the world. Start lists and results are <a href="https://flashresults.com/2021_Meets/Indoor/01-24_ATL/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. 
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 Fans in the geo-blocked territories - American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, United States - should check local listings for broadcast times in your area.
World Athletics

The 2021 World Athletics Indoor Tour kicks off on Sunday with the American Track League Meeting 1 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, on the famously fast track at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Watch the inaugural American Track League meeting in Fayetteville

Fifteen months since her last competition &ndash; and 14 months since undergoing knee surgery &ndash; 2015 world champion Christina Schwanitz returned to the shot put ring in Chemnitz on Sunday (24) and unleashed a 19.11m winning effort.
The 35-year-old German, who hadn&rsquo;t competed since taking bronze at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, opened her series with a foul and followed it with an 18.00m heave. Katharina Maisch held a slender lead with her 18.04m lifetime best in round one, but Schwanitz surpassed that with her fourth-round throw of 18.79m.
In the final round, Sara Gambetta moved into second place with 18.18m before Schwanitz released her winning throw of 19.11m. Maisch responded with another PB, this time 18.12m, but it wasn&rsquo;t enough to move out of third place.
&ldquo;I really can&rsquo;t complain about 19.11m after such a long time without competition,&rdquo; said Schwanitz, the two-time European champion.
<h2>Martinot-Lagarde and Zango victorious in Miramas</h2>
 Pascal Martinot-Lagarde opened his 2021 season with a 7.54 60m hurdles victory to highlight the Meeting Elite de Miramas in Miramas, France, on Friday (22).
Martinot-Lagarde, the European 110m hurdles champion, worked out the rust with a 7.64 clocking in the heats before his 7.54 world leader in the final, to register his quickest season's debut since 2017. Wilhem Belocian was second in 7.57, also his quickest season's opener and the fourth-fastest time of his career.
Hugues Fabrice Zango, who electrified the early season with a stunning 18.07m world indoor triple jump record in Aubi&egrave;re one week ago, followed up with another victory, reaching 17.05m in the final round. The 27-year-old produced just two measured jumps, the other a 16.98m effort from round two.
Carolle Zahi of France and Hassan Taftian of Iran won the women's and men's 60m, clocking 7.19 and 6.68 respectively. Alice Finot won the women's 3000m in a 9:02.63 PB, ahead of Frenchwoman Sara Benfares who clocked 9:04.94, a national U23 indoor record. 
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In Prague on Saturday, world indoor bronze medallist Tomas Stanek won the shot put with 21.48m and three-time world indoor 400m champion Pavel Maslak got his season under way with a 21.02 clocking over 200m.
Germany&rsquo;s Tatjana Pinto won the 60m in Leverkusen on Saturday in 7.18, her fastest time for three years, while over on the other side of the country in Chemnitz, Rebekka Haase recorded a 7.26 and 23.09 60m/200m sprint double and Corinna Schwab recorded an indoor PB of 52.27 to win the 400m.
<h2>Boling clocks 45.51 in Columbia</h2>
 One week after recording a 60m PB of 6.64, multi-talented Matthew Boling jumped to the top of the world list for 400m with his 45.51 run at the Carolina Challenge in Columbia on Saturday (23).
The 20-year-old hit the headlines in 2019 when he ran a wind-assisted 9.98 for 100m, leapt 8.01m for the long jump and went on to win four gold medals at the Pan-American U20 Championships.
He won the 400m with ease in Columbia as Champion Allison finished second in 46.23 and Leander Forbes clocked 46.41 in third place.
Tamara Clark also produced a world-leading run in Columbia, clocking 22.90 in the 200m. The 22-year-old also won the 60m in 7.28.
Commonwealth triple jump bronze medallist Thea Lafond uncorked the jump of her life at the Liberty Elite Invitational in Lynchburg on Saturday. The 26-year-old flew out to a world-leading 14.52m to smash her own outright national record. Elsewhere in Lynchburg, Scott Houston won the pole vault with 5.75m, his best vault since taking the 2018 US indoor title.
There were even bigger clearances from Chris Nilsen and KC Lightfoot on Saturday. Nilsen scaled 5.90m in Vermillion, while Lightfoot cleared the same height to win at the Aggie Invitational in College Station. At the same meeting, Athing Mu broke the collegiate indoor record over 600m, stopping the clock at 1:25.80.
Adrian Piperi won the shot put with a 21.12m toss to highlight the Wooo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, USA, on Friday (22).
Piperi, the 2015 world U18 champion and twice a medallist at the World U20 Championships, improved his indoor best to 21.07m in the fourth round before his 21.12m effort in the fifth round, adding one centimetre to his absolute career best he set last June. Piperi is the second man to throw beyond 21 metres this season and sits second on the world list behind Olympic champion Ryan Crouser who threw 22.58m in December.
Elsewhere on the Randal Tyson Center track, which will host the inaugural American Track League meeting and World Athletics Indoor Tour opener on Sunday, Tara Davis, the 2015 world U18 champion in the long jump, won her event with a 6.56m leap in her second competition of the season. Swede Lisa Gunnarsson, who competes for Louisiana State University, won the pole vault with a 4.50m clearance.&nbsp;
On the track, Twanisha Terry, another age group standout earlier in her career, won the 60m in 7.14, equalling her personal best. Abby Steiner was second in 7.22. And Kenyan Amon Kemboi, who competes for the University of Arkansas, won the mile in 3:58.26, the 117th sub-four at the Tyson Center venue.
<h2>Walsh and Adams notch shot put wins in Hastings</h2>
 Shot put stars Tom Walsh and Valerie Adams opened their 2021 campaigns with victories at the Potts Classic in Hastings, New Zealand, on Saturday (23).
Walsh, the world bronze medallist, opened with a 20.08m effort, improved to 20.71m in the second and topped out with a 20.78m throw in the fifth.
Adams meanwhile reached 18.34m with her first throw, her farthest of the day. She produced an 18.11m effort in the fifth round, her only other toss beyond the 18-metre line. World U20 champion Maddison-Lee Wesche was second with 18.08m. It's the first time two Kiwi women have thrown beyond 18 metres in the same shot put competition.
The meeting also hosted the national 3000m championships. Samuel Tanner took the men's title in 7:54.16 and Kara MacDermid the women's, clocking 9:44.27.
Bob Ramsak and Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Martinot-Lagarde debuts with 7.54, Zango leaps 17.05m in Miramas, Walsh and Adams notch shot put wins in Hastings,

Schwanitz returns with 19.11m in Chemnitz, Boling clocks 45.51 in Columbia

Martinot-Lagarde debuts with 7.54 in Miramas, Walsh and Adams notch shot put wins in Hastings

The 2021 Carifta Games have been moved to July from their traditional Easter weekend date due to the global COVID-19 Pandemic, the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) has announced.
The regional junior track and field championship, which will celebrate its 49th edition, were to take place from 3-5 April, but will now be staged from 2-4 July in Bermuda, NACAC President Mike Sands said.
&ldquo;Time is running out, and the situation is not improving globally,&rdquo; Sands said. &ldquo;The NACAC family, the Carifta family is affected. We took a decision at Council level (on Thursday 21) to do a survey with membership to determine the best course of action. There were several options for a date change, and we ultimately decided on July 2-4.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m optimistic,&rdquo; Sands continued, &ldquo;but it&rsquo;s cautious optimism. Obviously, what eventually happens will be dictated by the turn of events. But I&rsquo;m confident the Games will go on. I&rsquo;m happy we&rsquo;ve arrived at a point where we have definitive dates. This is the pre-eminent junior championship meet in the region, and arguably the world. I&rsquo;m looking forward to continuing the legacy.&rdquo;
After the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 Carifta Games in Bermuda, the Bermuda National Athletics Association (BNAA) remained committed to hosting the event.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Covid is going to dictate what happens,&rdquo; said BNAA Presiden Donna Raynor, &ldquo;but from a preparation standpoint, we will be prepared. As long as Covid allows us, we will be ready to host the Games.&rdquo;
NACAC Council approved the retention of the existing Carifta Games programme of events as well as team quotas. Arrivals will begin on 30 June with departures set for 5 July.
NACAC general secretary Keith Joseph said: "NACAC stands ready to work with the BNAA to ensure that Bermuda and all of the Carifta Family enjoy the benefit of another very successful edition of one of the world of athletics&rsquo; most exciting spectacles, the annual Carifta Games."
NACAC for World Athletics

The 2021 Carifta Games have been moved to July from their traditional Easter weekend date due to the global COVID-19 Pandemic, the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) has announced.

Carifta Games moved to July

The massive regional junior championship event will take place from 2-4 July in Bermuda.

The six-metre pole vault remains one of the most elusive barriers in elite athletics yet it is also one of the most universal.

The six-metre vault: a universal yet elusive achievement

A somersault, a handstand, a cartwheel and five pushups. That's how Lunani the giraffe, captain of the World Athletics Relays Silesia21 mascot relay, presented herself at a press conference today to mark the event&rsquo;s 100 days to go landmark. Lunani of course, owes her dexterity to one great athlete, Piotr Lisek, who was wearing the mascot&rsquo;s costume. For obvious reasons, the star pole vaulter will not be competing at the Relays, but he has been named an ambassador of the event.
&ldquo;It's about the power of the team, and there's just one single Polish team,&rdquo; said Lisek, the national record holder with 6.02m and the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist. &ldquo;It will be the sprinters competing in Chorz&oacute;w on the first weekend of May, but all of us field eventers will keep our fingers crossed for our colleagues from the Polish national team. It is, after all, their chance of earning Olympic qualification.&rdquo;
More support will come from the other mascots: Maji the cheetah, Sprinter the ostrich and Julian the lemur. All four are residents of the Silesian Zoo which stands next to Silesian Stadium, the venue for the meeting, and can be visited daily where their residences are labelled with information on the mascot and the competition. The World Athletics Relays Silesia21 has been supporting all four animals. Maji, Sprinter and Julian, like Lunani, will also be the models for the mascot costumes, aimed at entertaining the participants in the competition.
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With so much at stake, however, the competition will be more than mere entertainment. The World Athletics Relays Silesia21 provides one of the final opportunities for Olympic qualification, as well as the first to earn tickets to the World Athletics Championships Oregon 22. The meeting is thus of great importance to national relay teams from around the world, including those from the host nation. The Polish women's and mixed 4x400m squads have already earned their Olympic entries, but both Polish 4x100m teams and the men's 4x400m are still in the fight for qualification.
<h2>Silesian Stadium, the heart of Polish athletics </h2>
The site of the competition is the Silesian Stadium, aka the National Athletics Stadium, which celebrates its 65th anniversary this year. Most fans may associate it with spectacular games of the Polish football team or Jerzy Szczakiel's speedway world championship title, but the arena known as the Witches' Cauldron has also hosted multiple athletics events. Back in the 1960s, Poland's all-time great Irena Szewińska competed there on what was still a cinder track. Most notably, it was here, at the Poland &ndash; Soviet Union dual match in 1967 that she equalled the 200m world record clocking 22.7.&nbsp;
Today, the Silesian Stadium is Poland's most modern athletics arena and the host of major international events. This year will be a special one &ndash; apart from the World Athletics Relays Silesia21, the stadium will play host to the European Team Championships on the last weekend of May (with Poland defending the title won in Bydgoszcz in 2019), as well as two World Athletics Continental Tour meetings: the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial silver meeting on 30 May and the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial gold series meeting on 5 September.
&ldquo;The Silesian Stadium aspires to being one of the world's prime athletics arenas,&rdquo; said Jan Widera, the stadium&rsquo;s chairman. &ldquo;Hosting the World Athletics Relays is the first step towards that goal. I have been a coach for many years and I can assure you the relay races, which will reign in the stadium on the 1st and 2nd of May, are some of the most exciting events at every athletics meeting.&rdquo;
Bartlomiej Kowalski, the European Team Championships director, added: &ldquo;The athletes will have an opportunity of qualifying for the major global championship events in our stadium. We aim to create the best possible environment for them to achieve their goals and realise their dreams in the National Athletics Stadium. We are thinking ahead. We realise that the success of this event can lead to more global events being hosted in the region.&rdquo;
Joing Lisek as ambassadors of both the World Athletics Relays Silesia21 and the European Team Championships are European 400m champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic, European indoor 60m champion Ewa Swoboda and four-time world champion hammer thrower Pawel Fajdek.
&ldquo;I opted for Silesia last year,&rdquo; Fajdek said. &ldquo;I am proud to be an ambassador of Silesian sport and to represent the AZS AWF Katowice club. We travel all over the world to compete, but there is no place like this one. No other stadium is hosting so many important events in one year. We prove anything is possible, even in these difficult times of the pandemic. I am proud of that. At the World Athletics Relays I will give all my support to our team. As Piotr said, we are one team and the power of the team is hugely important.&rdquo;
Organisers for World Athletics

Organisers of the World Athletics Relays Silesia21 marked 100 days to go with an appearance by Lunani, one of the tallest mascots in sport.

World Athletics Relays Silesia21 marks 100 days to go

There&rsquo;s a perception in athletics that relay disciplines are dominated by a small handful of superpowers. But if the World Athletics Relays has highlighted anything across its first four editions, it&rsquo;s that relays are a far more diverse area of the sport than many people realise.
Of the 66 teams that have competed at the World Athletics Relays since the inaugural edition in 2014, 24 of them &ndash; representing all six continental areas &ndash; have achieved a top-three placing. And of those, 11 different teams have been victorious.
Unsurprisingly, the USA has been the most successful nation in the short history of the global event. But other countries, including The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, Brazil and 2021 hosts Poland, have all made their way on to the top of the World Relays podium.
In fact, it&rsquo;s the surprise victories that have provided many of the more memorable moments across the first four editions. In Yokohama two years ago, for example, the Brazilian men&rsquo;s 4x100m team celebrated wildly after their triumph, while the French women&rsquo;s 4x200m team did likewise after their shock victory as a full-strength Jamaican team finished third.
Two years prior, when The Bahamas hosted the event for the third time, one of the enduring images of the event came from the host nation&rsquo;s mixed 4x400m team. Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner teamed up with Anthonique Strachan and Michael Mathieu to win by almost three seconds, much to the delight of the home crowd. 
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 During that same weekend, Canada upset the USA in the men&rsquo;s 4x200m and Barbados managed a surprise second-place finish in the men&rsquo;s 4x100m. Germany, meanwhile, achieved their first World Athletics Relays victory by winning the women&rsquo;s 4x100m.
And back in 2014 at the inaugural World Athletics Relays, Kenya triumphed in three races &ndash; thanks to the inclusion of middle-distance relays &ndash; and the tiny island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis finished second in the men&rsquo;s 4x200m, out-performing many of the world&rsquo;s top sprint teams and beaten only by a world record-breaking Jamaican quartet.
While the likes of USA, Jamaica and Great Britain will be among the favourites at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 2021, which will get underway in <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/news/world-athletics-relays-silesia21-100-days-to-go">100 days&rsquo; time</a>, prepare to expect the unexpected when the world&rsquo;s best sprinters line up in Chorzow&rsquo;s Silesian Stadium on 1-2 May.

If the World Athletics Relays has highlighted anything across its first four editions, it’s that relays are a far more diverse area of the sport than many people realise.

How unpredictability and diversity have become a key feature of the World Athletics Relays

In the latest in our mini-series tracking the journey of athletes from the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 through to the Tokyo Olympics, we focus on world javelin champion Kelsey-Lee Barber from Australia.
&nbsp;
Looking back to 2019, what does your World Championships success in Doha mean to you?
Kelsey-Lee Barber: Reflecting on that win means so much more to me following the break in competition in 2020. There was so much that went well in Doha that I can draw from. It really gives me fuel in the belly and I can&rsquo;t wait to be back out there competing for a gold medal in Tokyo later this year.
&nbsp;
Your last competition took place in Doha more than 15 months ago. What is the feeling like having not competed for so long?
KLB: It has certainly been unknown territory for me and no one could have predicted the emotional waves I have experienced. I&rsquo;ve definitely had my ups and downs, but I have to take the positives out of the situation. Covid has given me the chance to train uninterrupted and we&rsquo;ve been really lucky to be able to have done so in Australia, especially here in Canberra. The AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) has done such a great job at keeping facilities open to athletes to continue daily training as normal. I am very thankful for that.
Having said that, there have been moments in the past 15 months which have been exceptionally challenging. European athletes were able to compete at a few meets here and there and this acted as a reminder that this is what I want to do and where I want to be.
&nbsp;
How has your life changed since becoming world champion?
KLB: In many regards not too much has changed, but what has most changed is the belief in my ability to perform at the highest level. I take that attitude into training every day. Before my win (in Doha) I always had a self-belief that I could always one day do it, but now that I have won gold I feel like there is a level (in training) that I don&rsquo;t let myself go below.
&nbsp;
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H8xsL7MAi4I" width="100%" height="450" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKXHkxbjMPg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: full coverage of the women's javelin final at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019</a>
&nbsp;
Life in Australia changed very rapidly with lockdown last March. How did your life change in this period?
KLB: I was just a week away from the Brisbane Track Classic &ndash; which would have been my first comp of the year &ndash; then everything went very quickly into lockdown. Meets were cancelled, then states went into lockdown and then we went into lockdown off site at the AIS. We set up a home gym but the AIS were great in still giving athletes access to the track. I could go twice a week with my coach but with a maximum of only one athlete and one coach at any one time at the track.
The next big question was: what was going to happen with the Tokyo Olympics? It was hard to put in a lot of preparation and planning but when the decision made to postpone the Olympics this gave us a better sense of how we were going to approach the year. The original plan was to travel to Europe to do some comps but because of the pandemic, we made the decision from a health and safety perspective to stay at home.
&nbsp;
So what were your emotions with the Tokyo decision?
KLB: Initially, I very much supported that decision. Australia did not want to take a team to the Games by that point, so it was a relief when the decision was made. I then took two weeks off to allow myself to process the information. It was disappointing and frustrating coming off my World Championship success, I wanted to ride that wave and I had big goals. But this two-week period was important because it gave me the time to process that information.
&nbsp;
What specific areas did you work on developing in 2020?
KLB: I had quite a significant shoulder niggle going into the World Championships and one of the biggest pluses of 2020 is I did not have to rush the rehab process. I could take the time to get the shoulder right from a strength point of view and to get it ready for the stresses of throwing.
Also, we&rsquo;d normally be lucky to get in a six-week strength block at the end of the year but in 2020 I was able to get in a 12-week strength block &ndash; I&rsquo;ve never been able to do that before.
&nbsp;
Your husband, Mike, is also your coach. What challenges have you faced, particularly in 2020 with a period in lockdown?
KLB: I&rsquo;m really proud of the way we work together. People are so curious as to how we do it! I so respect Mike as my coach and what he brings to the table. In training mode we very much have an athlete-coach relationship. Then when we come home it is important to keep that for home life and not get too caught up in javelin. When these lines become blurred that&rsquo;s when it can become difficult. Yet some of our best discussions about javelin are when we go for a walk together in the evening of early morning. That is why we appreciate about our relationship. Athletics and javelin is a shared passion and we have some great conversations on the subject.
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2020 was a tough year for many athletes. Who have you leaned upon to help get you through this period?
KLB: I normally rely on a small inner circle of people but this year I&rsquo;ve expanded it to include some top athletes like Dani Stevens and Brooke Stratton and Matt Denny. We would meet for weekly Zoom chats with the Athletics Australia head coach Craig Hilliard. It was super helpful to hear how other athletes were going. If one of us was struggling with motivation, we were then able to draw motivation from each other.
&nbsp;
What are you competitive plans for 2021?
KLB: This is really exciting! I plan to compete in Canberra on 25 February and 11 March and then Brisbane on 27 March ahead of Aussie nationals in April. At the moment we&rsquo;ve only planned for the Australian season but later this year I would love to be able to compete in Europe ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
&nbsp;
What are you aiming for at the domestic meets?
KLB: To get a feel for competition again and to experience the competition routine. I hope to showcase what we have been doing in training and put my stamp on 2021.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Carousel2/650799ae-f7e0-4712-b629-6881dc216114.jpg?cachebuster=9e72be32-1a8a-46ee-8ff0-ae1e064826b5" alt="" width="950" height="570" /> Kelsey-Lee Barber in action at the Diamond League meeting in London (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
What are your main aims for 2021?
KLB: A gold medal in Tokyo &ndash; that is what I&rsquo;ve been working towards for my entire career. I&rsquo;ve also yet to win a Diamond League and I would really like to end that.
&nbsp;
Looking back on 2020, what did it teach you as a person?
KLB: It reminded me it is okay to slow down a little! I love my lifestyle as an elite athlete but because I was forced into a year at home, I found enjoyment slowing down and reconnecting with a few hobbies such as cooking. I really enjoyed the chance to spend more time with family and friends. Last year taught me that it is important to have a better balance in life and we don&rsquo;t have to live out life at such a fast pace all the time.
&nbsp;
Steve Landells for World Athletics

In the latest in our mini-series tracking the journey of athletes from the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 through to the Tokyo Olympics, we focus on world javelin champion Kelsey-Lee Barber from Australia.

Doha to Tokyo: Kelsey-Lee Barber

If you were down on Doha&rsquo;s Corniche towards midnight on 5 October, 2019, you probably noted at least two things.
Most notably, the heat and humidity of the previous nine days was coming off its peak. Conditions were much more conducive to being outdoors, which was undoubtedly good for the second thing you might have noticed: the men&rsquo;s marathon for the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 was in progress.
Two of the spectators looked a little out of place. Young, fit and athletic they may have been, but looking way more like throwers than distance runners. One was Tom Walsh who, a couple of hours earlier in the main stadium, had taken the bronze medal for New Zealand in the men&rsquo;s shot put. The other was his coach, Dale Stevenson&nbsp;of Australia.
They looked as happy as larks. Just two mates hanging together on the Corniche watching the marathon go by. Minus the marathon, this was pretty much how the Dale Stevenson-Tom Walsh relationship started, first as competitors, then as friends and, finally, in 2014, as coach and athlete.
We know where that relationships has gone. A bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, a world championships gold medal in London a year later, a Commonwealth gold medal and a world championships bronze are the signature highlights, the latter coming in one of the greatest competitions in the history of track and field athletics.
Now Stevenson has been joined at the Christchurch high performance centre by Valerie Adams. Olympic medals are scarcely more common &lsquo;Down Under&rsquo; than hens&rsquo; teeth and here&rsquo;s a 33-year-old Aussie in line to coach two athletes to medals&rsquo; ceremonies in Tokyo later this year.
&ldquo;(The magnitude of) the task is not lost on me,&rdquo; says Stevenson. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m relishing the challenge.&rdquo;
Challenges, Stevenson adds, &ldquo;have been coming thick and fast since moving here in 2014.&rdquo;
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Age-wise, Stevenson sits mid-way between Walsh (29 in March) and Adams (36). As a competitor, he had a personal best of 20.63m, was a bronze medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and competed at the London 2012 Olympics. He was on a trajectory to coaching before he had finished as a competitor. Professionally, he was a school teacher, who happily uses the word pedagogy &ndash; the method and practice of teaching &ndash; in relation to his passion for coaching.
&ldquo;I was already coaching at an amateur level. I&rsquo;d done some of my courses,&rdquo; Stevenson says of his experience on taking on the Walsh job. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t feel overwhelmed, but I had to &lsquo;unlearn&rsquo; a few things.&rdquo;
Stevenson&rsquo;s other great influence was his own coach, Gus Puopolo. Puopolo has long been a significant part of the furniture of Australian throws coaching. Based at Ringwood, in Melbourne&rsquo;s eastern suburbs, he has mentored a string of Australian performers including Werner Reiterer, Scott Martin and, for part of his career, Benn Harradine.
Along his path into coaching Puopolo benefited from a colleague&rsquo;s advice to seize an opportunity to travel to Cologne in Germany and base himself at the famous Leverkusen club. The experience fired Puopolo&rsquo;s interest in coaching; Puopolo, in turn, urged Stevenson to seize the chance to move to New Zealand on his own coaching journey.
&ldquo;I moved to Gus (as a coach) as soon as I left secondary school,&rdquo; Stevenson explains. &ldquo;The thing that is most to his credit is the establishment of an environment that has produced a centre and a culture where people can achieve world-class results.
&ldquo;(Gus) was, and continues to be, a formative influence.&rdquo;
Puopolo also forged links with the New Zealand throwing scene, going back to the days when Beatrice Faumuina and her coach, Kirsten Hellier, would come to Australia for training camps. At various stages Adams and Walsh have both spent time training and competing in Melbourne.
Queenslander Justin Anlezark was the first Australian shot putter to break through, reaching the finals of both the 2003 World Championships (finishing fourth) and 2004 Olympics (sixth). Since then, there has been a steady string of competitive putters on both sides of the Tasman, Walsh, Jacko Gill and Adams showing the way in New Zealand, Martin, Stevenson and Martin-coached Rio Olympic finalist Damien Birkinhead on the Australian side.
<h2>Doha&rsquo;s after-shock </h2>
In looking ahead to Tokyo, Walsh and Adams are coming from starkly contrasting situations. Walsh hit a peak in Doha, but had to come to terms with the gold medal&rsquo;s being snatched from his grasp in the last few minutes of the competition. Adams, on the other hand, is trying to re-climb the mountain.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/600580fcc362fe7eb33fca6f.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
The men&rsquo;s shot in Doha was a classic, instantly acclaimed as one of the best competitions in athletics&rsquo; history. Officially, just one centimetre separated the three medallists. According to the electronic distance measuring device it was even closer: four millimetres.
The drama played out in the last seven throws of the competition. Joe Kovacs, second in the throwing order of the eight remaining competitors, leapt from fourth to first with a monstrous 22.91m throw. Five throws later, Ryan Crouser produced a 22.90m effort to move into second place on countback.
That left just one throw for Walsh, who had led throughout the competition with his opening effort of 22.90m, to try to grab the gold medal back. His last throw was a big one: sadly, it was also a foul. He had gone from gold to bronze in just a few minutes.
The demeanour of the three medallists was exemplary, especially in light of the margin between them.&nbsp;
According to the EDM system used to measure the throws electronically, just four millimetres separated the three medallists. The equipment reads the distance to the millimetre, but the process still relies on an official determining the landing point of the shot, which may not be as precise as the nearest millimetre.
To see Walsh outwardly chirpy and happy down on the Corniche just hours later would suggest he was quickly over any disappointment. That impression was accurate only up to a point. The outcome took a little while to process, Stevenson says.
&ldquo;At the time, it was tough to swallow. We were happy with the campaign, but we weren&rsquo;t quite sure what to feel about (the bronze medal result).&rdquo;
The nature and high-quality of the event was unique. Stevenson says it was a &ldquo;once-in-a-lifetime experience to land in that space.&rdquo; The 22.53m Darlan Romani threw for fourth would have won every other World Championship and Olympic competition in history.
&ldquo;To be part of one of the greatest field events of all-time,&rdquo; Stevenson concludes, &ldquo;we can&rsquo;t feel too aggrieved.&rdquo;
Nor can they afford to stand still. Kovacs and Walsh had a relatively quiet 2020, but Crouser kept going from where he left off. He pushed his personal best out to 22.91m in one of seven competitions in which he surpassed 22 metres.
<h2>The task awaiting Adams </h2>
If Kovacs, Crouser and Walsh are trying to stay on top of the men&rsquo;s event, Adams is facing the task of regaining her dominance of the women&rsquo;s. From 2005 to 2016 she won two Olympic gold medals (plus the silver in Rio), four world championships (and four more world indoors) and countless Diamond League victories. Since Rio, she has had two children, drastically curtailing her career.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60057fa4707bb065bc814697.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
As witnessed by her renewed commitment to training, Adams wants to get back to the top. The evidence as to whether she can will start to be seen when she competes at the Potts Classic In Hastings, NZ, on 23 January.
Stevenson is optimistic. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see any reason, based on the evidence of the last three or four months, why she can&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
It is not as if the women&rsquo;s shot has moved away from Adams during her absence. Nor does she need to gain experience in the big competitions.
&ldquo;Valerie doesn&rsquo;t need to spend time getting battle-tested,&rdquo; says Stevenson. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s not 20 or 21, in need of building up kudos on the world stage.&rdquo;
For Adams, it&rsquo;s a case of adding to her reputation, not establishing it.
If it all comes together, New Zealand could be looking at two Olympic shot put medals in Tokyo.
Len Johnson for World Athletics

After guiding Tom Walsh to a slew of medals, Australian coach Dale Stevenson has now taken Valerie Adams under his wing.

Propelled by a passion for teaching, Stevenson now calls the shots for two of the world's best throwers

After guiding Tom Walsh to a slew of medals, the Australian coach has now taken Valerie Adams under his wing.

The local organising committee of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 2021 has partnered with ASICS to launch a global running initiative designed to allow runners around the world to participate and interact with each other in the year leading to the main event.
Due to the global pandemic, the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, have been postponed until 19 February 2022, but the local organisers have launched a Global Challenge event that is open to all runners and will coincide with the original dates in 2021.
The World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 2021 Global Challenge is <a href="https://raceroster.com/events/2021/36984/world-athletics-cross-country-championships-bathurst-21-global-challenge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open for entries for individuals and teams now</a>. The global virtual event starts on 1 February and runs until 21 March 2021, which will celebrate one year to go to the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, in Bathurst on 19 Feb 2022.
<a href="https://theglobalathleticschallenge.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Global Challenge</a> is a public event open to all age groups regardless of ability. It is about celebrating taking part, with categories from seven to 70+ and rankings that will give participants the chance to see how they compare in their country and internationally. A World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 2021 Global Challenge medal will also be available to competitors.&nbsp;
Following completion of the Global Challenge, the top 10 participants in each category across the world will receive an invitation to compete in the exclusive Global Challenge Final event in April 2021.
This major cross-country event focuses on delivering age-appropriate distances, category champions and provides opportunities for athletes of all fitness levels to compete against each other, on a global scale, using developments in technology to enhance the user experience.&nbsp;
Participants will ultimately compete to win a VIP trip of a lifetime to Australia, to experience the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, live in 2022 and to receive worldwide recognition of their achievements.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe believes this initiative will grow the sport and inspire people across the world. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GnIlrwtswPw" width="100%" height="450" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 "With a little more than one year to go to the main event in Bathurst, the local organising committee has created an interactive virtual experience for the global running community to celebrate the first World Athletics Cross Country Championships to be held in Australia," said Coe.
&ldquo;I invite everyone to join our running community and experience the power of our sport to unite people around the world.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This event encourages runners to complete their individual challenge anywhere at any time with distances for individuals aged seven to 70+.&nbsp;
Runners are encouraged to upload their race performance to the results hub, with participants from around the world able to see how they measure up to their peers and other countries.
LOC for World Athletics

The local organising committee of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 2021 has partnered with ASICS to launch a global running initiative designed to allow runners around the world to participate and interact with each other in the year leading to the main event.

Local organisers launch World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 21 Global Challenge

Initiative designed to allow runners around the world to participate and interact with each other in the year leading to the main event.

Athing Mu kicked off her collegiate career with the second fastest indoor U20 800m performance of all-time at the Ted Nelson Invitational in College Station, Texas, on Saturday (16).
In a largely solo effort, Mu, 18, clocked a 2:01.07 personal best in her 2021 debut, coming up just 0.04 shy of the world U20 indoor record Ethiopian Meskerem Legesse set in 2004. Her performance was also an early-season world lead.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pronounced Uh-thing Mo She did her thing 😏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GigEm?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GigEm</a> 💻 <a href="https://t.co/axwuQVYE39">https://t.co/axwuQVYE39</a> ⏱️ <a href="https://t.co/RFPrVcNTa1">https://t.co/RFPrVcNTa1</a> <a href="https://t.co/QgFgf7X5IW">pic.twitter.com/QgFgf7X5IW</a>
&mdash; Texas A&amp;M Track &amp; Field/Cross Country (@aggietfxc) <a href="https://twitter.com/aggietfxc/status/1350590749138628608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Elsewhere, Bryce Deadmon sped to a 45.68 victory in the 400m, another world lead.
Tyra Gittens, who also competes for Texas A&amp;M, won the long with a 6.62m leap to break the national indoor record for Trinidad &amp; Tobago. The 22-year-old, who also hold the national record in the heptathlon, won the high jump with 1.83m.
<h2>Lightfoot tops 5.94m in Lubbock </h2>
KC Lightfoot topped an early-season world lead of 5.94m at the Corky Classic in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday (17) to break the US collegiate indoor record in the pole vault.
Making his 2021 debut, the 21-year-old sailed over the height on his first attempt before closing out the competition with three attempts at 6.00m. Lightfoot, a member of the US squad at the 2019 World Championships, entered the year with personal bests of 5.83m indoors and 5.82m outdoors.
"It was a good day overall," said Lightfoot, who added one centimetre to the NCAA indoor mark set by Chris Nilsen one year ago. "Some things fell into place and the collegiate record stayed up there. There are plenty of things to work on, and I believe a 6-metre bar will be coming sooner rather than later."
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
‼️ KC Lightfoot. Collegiate record holder. ‼️ 19-5.75 (5.94m) On to the next bar...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SicEm?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SicEm</a> 🐻🥇 <a href="https://t.co/XgHzMu0kx9">pic.twitter.com/XgHzMu0kx9</a>
&mdash; Baylor Track &amp; Field (@BaylorTrack) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorTrack/status/1350577533746601984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The meet also witnessed a world lead in the men's 800m, courtesy of Takieddine Hedeilli who clocked 1:45.98. The 24-year-old Algerian clipped 2.52 from his previous best and also broke the national indoor record of 1:46.87 set by Reda Abdenouz in 1992.
Elsewhere, Courtney Lindsey turned in a double sprint victory, taking the 60m in 6.59 and 200m in 20.45, both lifetime bests for the 22-year-old.&nbsp;
Nigerian Ruth Usoro, also a student at Texas Tech, won the long jump/triple jump double (6.51m/ 14.28m) while Justin Hall won the men's long jump with a leap of 8.01m.
<h2>Browning scorches wind-assisted 9.96 </h2>
Rohan Browning sped to a wind-assisted 9.96 clocking over 100m at the Illawarra Track Challenge in Wollongong on Saturday (16), making him the second-fastest Australian over the distance in any conditions.
Browning, who turned 23 just two weeks ago, opened his afternoon by winning his 60m heat in a wind-assisted 6.62 (2.8m/s). Two hours later, he was back on track for the 100m and was unopposed as he flew to victory in 9.96, aided by a 3.3m/s following wind. Joshua Azzopardi was a distant second in 10.29.
National record-holder Patrick Johnson is the only Australian to have recorded a faster time over 100m. Back in 2003, Johnson recorded three sub-10-clockings, including a wind-assisted 9.88 (3.6m/s) and a wind-legal 9.93 (1.8m/s). 
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 Little more than 90 minutes after his 100m triumph, Browning returned for the 60m final and sped to a 6.55 victory, this time wind-legal (0.1m/s), making him the fastest Oceanian athlete ever for the rarely-run outdoor 60m.
Elsewhere in Wollongong, 19-year-old Monique Quirk won the women&rsquo;s 60m in 7.28 (0.0m/s) and World Championships semifinalist Bendere Oboya was a comfortable winner of the 400m in 53.35.
<h2>Wanjiru and Muneria take top honours at Kenyan Prisons Cross Country </h2>
Rosemary Wanjiru and Charles Muneria produced dominant displays at the Kenya Prisons Inter-regional Cross Country Championships in Ruiru on Saturday (16).
Wanjiru, the fourth-place finisher over 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, covered the 10km course in 33:44 to win by 34 seconds from 2017 world cross-country bronze medallist Lilian Kasait Rengeruk.
Three-time Berlin Marathon winner Gladys Cherono was third (35:08), while Alice Aprot, the 2016 African champion over 10,000m and cross country, made a promising return after a 17-month break from competition to place fourth in 35:56. 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Prisons Senior men's race underway... Charles Muneria leading with 2.5km in. Also competing Silas Kiplagat, Wilfred Kimitei etc.. (📸/ Courtesy) <a href="https://t.co/2bdy4C38yG">pic.twitter.com/2bdy4C38yG</a>
&mdash; Katami Michelle (@MichKatami) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichKatami/status/1350353689249259520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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 Muneria, who represented Kenya in the 5000m at the Rio 2016 Olympics, was also a convincing winner. He broke away from the rest of the men&rsquo;s field to win in 30:01, finishing 42 seconds ahead of runner-up Boaz Kiprugut.
Wilfred Kimitei, the 2016 African 10,000m silver medallist, and Patrick Kipngeno were third and fourth in 30:45 and 30:55 respectively.
<h2>Steiner and Gardiner impress indoors</h2>
University of Kentucky student Abby Steiner hadn&rsquo;t raced since clocking an outright 200m PB of 22.57 in February 2020, making her the world indoor leader for that season.
The 21-year-old picked up where she left off, though, and sped to victory at the Rod McCravy Invitational in Lexington on Friday (15), running 22.83 for 200m. As the facility houses an oversized unbanked track, it won&rsquo;t count for record purposes but is nonetheless a promising start to the year. 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
💨 <a href="https://twitter.com/abbysteiner1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@abbysteiner1</a> off and running in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣. 22.83 season-opening 200m 😼 <a href="https://t.co/ziq5KE8jA6">pic.twitter.com/ziq5KE8jA6</a>
&mdash; UK Track &amp; Field (@KentuckyTrack) <a href="https://twitter.com/KentuckyTrack/status/1350269038916640768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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 Over in Birmingham, Alabama, world 400m champion Steven Gardiner opened his 2021 campaign with a comfortable 300m victory in 32.70 &ndash; just 0.44 shy of his own Bahamian indoor record.
Three-time world 4x400m champion Jessica Beard won the women&rsquo;s 300m in 37.54. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6003749f9366f670ad55f67f.JPG" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Renaud Lavillenie in action in Bordeaux (&copy; Jean-Pierre Durand)
&nbsp;
Former world pole vault record-holder Renaud Lavillenie also enjoyed a strong start to 2021. The 2012 Olympic champion won the Perche Elite Tour meeting in Bordeaux with a clearance of 5.92m.
He needed two attempts at 5.72m and at 5.82m, by which point he had the competition won as younger brother Valentin bowed out with a best of 5.72m. Lavillenie, now 34, then got over 5.92m on his second try before wrapping up his series with three misses at 6.00m.
The women's contest was decided on countback as Netherlands' Femke Plum, Belgium's Fanny Smets and Switzerland's Angelica Moser all cleared 4.51m. Plum, who cleared her first three heights on her first attempts, came out on top.

Athing Mu missed world indoor U20 800m record by 0.04, KC Lightfoot topped an early-season world lead of 5.94m in Lubbock while Rohan Browning sped to a wind-assisted 9.96 clocking over 100m at the Illawarra Track Challenge in Wollongong, Australia.

Mu threatens world U20 indoor 800m record, Lightfoot tops 5.94m, Browning scorches wind-assisted 9.96 - weekend round-up

World bronze medallist Hugues Fabrice Zango produced the first standout athletics moment of 2021 by sailing to a world indoor triple jump record of 18.07m* in Aubiere on Saturday (16).
The 27-year-old from Burkina Faso added 15 centimetres to the previous record, set by his coach Teddy Tamgho back in 2011, and becomes the first man to leap beyond 18 metres indoors.
He opened his series with a foul but then landed a valid 17.33m effort in round two. After another foul in round three, he improved to 17.61m and then 17.70m &ndash; just seven centimetres shy of his lifetime best. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Nouveau Record du Monde ! Hugues Fabrice Zango - 18m07 ! Aubi&egrave;re - 16/01/2021 🎥 : S&eacute;bastien Homo <a href="https://t.co/KWwPEArZcB">pic.twitter.com/KWwPEArZcB</a>
&mdash; Vincent Guyot (@Vinc_Guyot) <a href="https://twitter.com/Vinc_Guyot/status/1350437743709532162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
 He saved his best for last, though, and bounded out to 18.07m with his sixth and final effort.
Melvin Raffin of France was second with 16.98m while Jean-Marc Pontvianne was third with 16.49m.
Zango becomes the first athlete from Burkina Faso to set a world record and the first African athlete to set a world record in a men's jumping event.
Hugues' previous outright best of 17.77m was also set indoors and it came in his first competition of 2020. His outdoor PB of 17.66m was set at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

World bronze medallist Hugues Fabrice Zango produced the first standout athletics moment of 2021 by sailing to a world indoor triple jump record of 18.07m* in Aubiere on Saturday (16).

Zango smashes world indoor triple jump record with 18.07m

World Athletics is looking for an Event Operations Coordinator to join its competition and events department.
Reporting to the Head of Event Operations, the post-holder will be responsible for the coordination of specific operational aspects of World Athletics Series events and the Olympic Games.
Job description and details of how to apply: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=4bbcb105-337b-415f-afee-7e3c95498379.pdf&amp;urlSlug=event-operations-coordinator-job-descriptio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a> | <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=96a5cef4-f854-4cef-ba8f-0dd9319c24d2.pdf&amp;urlSlug=coordonnateur-operations-evenementielles-av" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French</a> Deadline for applications: 15 February
World Athletics

World Athletics is looking for an Event Operations Coordinator to join its competition and events department.

Watch the inaugural American Track League meeting in Fayetteville

Carifta Games moved to July

World Athletics Relays Silesia21 marks 100 days to go

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Local organisers launch World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 21 Global Challenge

Job vacancy: Event Operations Coordinator

Mountain running in 2020: athletes look back on an unusual year

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