As the countdown to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 continues, we shine a spotlight on some of the podium sweeps that have lit up past editions of the global showpiece.
This five-part series continues with a look back at Kenya&rsquo;s dominance in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase in Athens in 1997.
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When it comes to single-nation dominance of an athletics discipline, few countries have managed to achieve the kind of stranglehold on an event like Kenya has with the steeplechase.
Between 1968 and 2016 (and not counting the years when they boycotted the Games), Kenya won every Olympic title in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, achieving full podium sweeps in 1992 and 2004.
The east African nation has been similarly dominant at the World Championships. Kenyan athletes won the men&rsquo;s steeplechase at every edition between 1991 and 2019 &ndash; apart from 2003 and 2005 when gold went to Qatar&rsquo;s Saif Saaeed Shaheen, who was born and raised in Kenya.
Kenya has achieved three steeplechase podium sweeps at the World Championships, the first of which came in Athens in 1997.
That was a big year for both Kenya and Greece. Athens was a candidate city to host the 2004 Olympic Games, so local organisers naturally wanted to make a good impression with the World Championships in Athens. With crowd sizes growing from 45,000 to 70,000 throughout the championships, the event proved that Greece could generate a strong international athletics fan base.
The men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase was poised to be an interesting battle among three Kenyans who all held the world record in that event at some point that same year. Moses Kiptanui came in with the most accolades, having won the world titles in 1991, 1993 and 1995. He had also held the world record since 1992, and in 1995 he became the first man to break the eight-minute barrier. As the defending champion and world record-holder going into the championships, and having won all of his races that season, most eyes were on him.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/687649314f2570bbed3b8de8.jpg" alt="Wilson Boit Kipketer wins the 1997 world steeplechase title" />
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Wilson Boit Kipketer wins the 1997 world steeplechase title (&copy; Getty Images)
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The race got off to an aggressive start, with all competitors aiming to secure a good position at the front of the pack leading into the first water jump. Kiptanui, along with teammates Wilson Boit Kipketer and Bernard Barmasai, dictated the steady pace, while Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Saad Shaddad Al-Asmari and Morocco&rsquo;s Hicham Bouaouiche remained within striking distance.
Shortly before the final lap, Al-Asmari took the lead on the inside from Kiptanui. Coming to the bell, Kiptanui regained the lead by a slight margin, and the two Kenyans and the Saud Arabian followed closely for 200 metres. The Kenyan trio then dropped Al-Asmari with half a lap to go, and Kipketer, stuck behind both Barmasai and Kiptanui, attacked the water jump with fervour and used the momentum to storm past Kiptanui and take the victory. He closed his last lap in 57.5 and finished first in 8:05.84. Kiptanui and Barmasai ended in the same time of 8:06.04, and were given second and third places respectively.
Exactly one week after the World Championships final, Kipketer broke the world record in Zurich with 7:59.08, once again beating Barmasai and Kiptanui. In the aftermath of that race, former world record-holder Kiptanui said: &ldquo;When so many Kenyans start together in a race in this stadium, the only possibility is to expect a world record.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/687647dc4f2570bbed3b8de5.jpg" alt="Wilson Boit Kipketer, Bernard Barmasai and Moses Kiptanui at the 1997 World Championships" />
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Wilson Boit Kipketer, Bernard Barmasai and Moses Kiptanui at the 1997 World Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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He wasn&rsquo;t wrong. Just 11 days later, Barmasai enjoyed his moment in the spotlight and a place in the history books, smashing the world record in Cologne with 7:55.72. Kiptanui finished second in 7:56.16, also well inside Kipketer&rsquo;s world record.
Athens would end up winning out, too. In September of that year, following a successful World Championships, the Greek capital won the bid to host the Olympics in 2004. And at those Games, Kenya would sweep the podium in the event again, this time led by Ezekiel Kemboi, who would later be coached by Kiptanui.
Hannah Borenstein for World Athletics

World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025

The 1997 World Athletics Championships marked the first of three Kenyan steeplechase sweeps

Sensational sweeps: Kenya in the men's steeplechase at the 1997 World Championships

Quincy Wilson improved his own world U18 400m best to 44.10, while T'Mars McCallum stormed to a 200m world lead of 19.73 at the Ed Murphey Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, in Memphis on Saturday (12).
Wilson, who turned 17 in January, took a tenth of a second off the world U18 best of 44.20 he set in Gainesville a year ago to win the race ahead of his US compatriot and fellow Olympic 4x400m gold medallist Bryce Deadmon (44.39). Jamaica&rsquo;s Delano Kennedy was third in 45.00.
Wilson&rsquo;s 44.10 is the joint fourth-fastest 400m in the world so far this season.
USA&rsquo;s McCallum ran 19.83 in Jacksonville in May and, like Wilson, the 21-year-old improved his previous best by a tenth of a second, clocking 19.73 (1.8m/s) for the fastest 200m in the world so far this year.
The performance saw him regain the world lead from Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, who clocked 19.76 in Eugene earlier this month.
McCallum also won the pre-programme 100m in Memphis 90 minutes earlier in a wind-assisted 9.87 (2.1m/s).
McKenzie Long won the women&rsquo;s 200m in 21.93 (1.2m/s) &ndash; the third-fastest performance of her career and again a tenth of a second off her PB set last year &ndash; to move to second on this season&rsquo;s top list. Favour Ofili was runner-up in 22.00.
Britton Wilson took the 400m in 50.54 and Alaysha Johnson the 100m hurdles in a wind-aided 12.27 (2.1m/s).
Shafiqua Maloney won the 800m in 1:58.13 ahead of Ajee&rsquo; Wilson (1:59.53). Carey McLeod soared 8.24m to top the long jump and world champion Laulauga Tausaga threw 62.38m to win the discus.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar-results/7224867/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
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Quincy Wilson improved his own world U18 400m best to 44.10, while T'Mars McCallum stormed to a 200m world lead of 19.73 at the Ed Murphey Classic

Wilson sets world U18 400m best, McCallum runs 200m world lead in Memphis

It was believed to be an unattainable height &ndash; a barrier that seemed physically impossible to reach.
Forty years ago today, Sergey Bubka defied the odds, and gravity, becoming the first pole vaulter ever to clear six metres. The 22-year-old pole vault prodigy soared to the world record at the Paris International Track and Field Meet, shattering his previous mark of 5.94m, set in Rome in August 1984.
Bubka slightly grazed the crossbar with his chest, but it remained in place. Thus the Ukrainian athlete, at the time competing for the former Soviet Union, notched his fifth career outdoor world record and second in the French capital. He received a standing ovation from the 5000 spectators in attendance at Jean Bouin Stadium.
&ldquo;Six metres was mission impossible, no one believed this could happen &ndash; it was like 21st Century,&rdquo; Bubka said, recalling the accomplishment during an interview to mark the 35th anniversary of the feat in 2020. &ldquo;The older generation 100% didn&rsquo;t believe someone could jump six metres in that period.
&ldquo;I missed my first two attempts and last attempt I cleared six metres and remember putting my finger up to show that I was the first,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This was a surprise for everyone including me. I didn&rsquo;t think I could do it that day in Paris.
&ldquo;It was a historical moment and very exciting competition. It was the evening before Bastille Day and it was big news in France &ndash; they said it was like Gagarin being the first man to go into space.&rdquo;
Ironically, Bubka wasn&rsquo;t even intending to compete at the Paris meet and only decided to take part the morning of. He had flown into the French capital from Moscow that morning and only planned to transit to another meet in Nice a few days later.
&ldquo;Suddenly, the head of the delegation said we have an opportunity for you to compete &ndash; it was just a small group of five to seven athletes,&rdquo; Bubka explained. &ldquo;I phoned to my coach (Vitaly Petrov) and asked his permission and advice and he said, &lsquo;no problem you can compete&rsquo;.
&ldquo;We arrived to Paris and went to the hotel around 11 in the morning &ndash; we didn&rsquo;t have time for anything and after a half hour to change clothes, we went to the competition at Jean Bois Stade.
&ldquo;I warmed up and thought that I have a competition in Nice in two days so I don&rsquo;t want to take too many jumps,&rdquo; he recounted. &ldquo;I cleared 5.70m and Philippe Collet also cleared 5.70, but I took the lead and won the competition with 5.70m. I thought why do I need to jump 5.90m like I usually do, let&rsquo;s try six metres.&rdquo; 
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The handwritten scoresheet of the&nbsp;Paris International Track and Field Meet, showing&nbsp;Sergey Bubka's six-metre vault, forms part of the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) timeline tunnel gallery (1984-1999).
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/mowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit MOWA</a> </h3>
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 The six-metre vault was textbook &ndash; the fearless competitor nailed his plant and accelerated with perfect posture through the take-off phase, achieving the ideal reverse C position. Driving hard, his left leg acting as a pendulum, Bubka inverted at the right moment and rocketed skyward. He timed his turn to near perfection, gave a mighty push off the AMF Pacer pole and jack knifed over the crossbar. Despite a small brush of the bar, he flew over with room to spare.
&ldquo;It was a very good vault &ndash; very good running, very good rhythmics and good technique,&rdquo; Bubka recalled. &ldquo;I was in good shape when I came to France.&rdquo;
<h2>Lucky 13 &amp; the six-metre club</h2>
Interestingly, the astonishing leap in Paris was the second time Bubka had broken the world record on the 13th, having previously done so in London in July 1984. Bubka went on to break two more world records &ndash; one indoors, one outdoors &ndash; both on the 13th.
&ldquo;In my case, 13 was quite a lucky number &ndash; in Donetsk I lived on the 13th floor for many years and I did six metres on the 13th of July,&rdquo; Bubka said.
The 13 July 1985 six-metre jump was undoubtedly a breakthrough in Bubka&rsquo;s legendary two-decade pole vaulting career. He proceeded to win five additional world titles and Olympic gold in Seoul 1988. His biggest achievement prior to the historic six metre leap was winning the 1983 world title in Helsinki with a leap of 5.70m.&nbsp;
In total, Bubka broke 35 world records, his last coming indoors in his hometown of Donetsk, Ukraine, in February 1993, almost eight years after breaking the six-metre barrier.
To this day, just 28 other pole vaulters have joined Bubka in the exclusive six-metre club.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little bit of a surprise to me that there are not many, but I believe we will see more as this young generation is very beautiful, great pole vaulters,&rdquo; he said in 2020, when the figure was 23.
<h2>Bubka on Duplantis</h2>
Bubka is certainly impressed by the prowess and untapped potential of Armand &ldquo;Mondo&rdquo; Duplantis, who has taken the pole vault world by storm, much like the Ukrainian legend did 40 years ago. Duplantis, 25, has so far improved the world record 12 times, most recently clearing 6.28m on home soil in Stockholm in June.
&ldquo;It is great for athletics that we have such a great guy, such a talent from such a devoted sporting family,&rdquo; Bubka said.
&ldquo;We need personalities who will lead and drive athletics to another level. I like Mondo and I wish him all the best because he has a really unique talent.&rdquo;
For Bubka, who has gone on to hold several leadership positions including World Athletics Senior Vice President, 13 July 1985 remains one of the most memorable days of his illustrious career, a game-changer for the event and beyond.
&ldquo;This was a new era for pole vault which opened new horizons, which gave belief for higher results over six metres,&rdquo; Bubka said. &ldquo;&ldquo;It was a historical day for athletics and human achievement, capability and possibilities for human beings.
&ldquo;This was something special and I&rsquo;m very proud and thankful for that.&rdquo;
Brian Pinelli for World Athletics&nbsp;
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This feature was updated on 13 July 2025 to mark the 40th anniversary of Bubka&rsquo;s feat.

It was believed to be an unattainable height – a barrier that seemed physically impossible to reach.

Bubka reminisces on 'mission impossible' six-metre vault

The Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) is pleased to announce the latest addition to its permanent collection: a unique bronze sculpture generously donated by the Memorial Van Damme, Belgium&rsquo;s premier athletics meeting and a cornerstone of the Wanda Diamond League.
The bronze statue was officially given to the MOWA at a dinner in Monaco hosted by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe on Friday (11).
Wilfried Meert, the founder and longtime director of the Memorial Van Damme who led the event from its launch in 1977 until 2017 and remains its commemorative advisor, presented the sculpture to Coe who accepted it on behalf of the museum.&nbsp;
<h2>Bronze celebrating art and athletics donated to MOWA</h2>
Commissioned especially for the 2005 edition of the prestigious Brussels-based athletics meeting, the 35 x 40cm sculpture captures the suspended motion of a female hurdler mid-jump. With elongated limbs and a stylised arch, the bronze figure embodies speed, elegance and strength. The delicate form of the feet, reminiscent of hooves, subtly alludes to the grace of a gazelle.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/687266a3381f244951f493cc.jpg" alt="The unique bronze sculpture donated by the Memorial Van Damme to the MOWA" />
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The unique bronze sculpture donated by the Memorial Van Damme to the MOWA
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Patrick Vermeiren, 38 at the time, was a self-taught artist working from his studio in Beveren-Waas. Known for merging realism with lyrical abstraction, his work explores motion, emotion and the human form. Represented by the Artifex gallery in Bruges, Vermeiren&rsquo;s art has been exhibited across Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the UK.
<h2>Meert&rsquo;s vision: when athletics meets contemporary art</h2>
The donation is also a celebration of a unique tradition established by Meert.
&ldquo;In 1986, I came up with the idea to commission an artist each year to create the official poster or the winner&rsquo;s trophy,&rdquo; recalls Meert. &ldquo;It started quite spontaneously at an art fair in Ghent, where an artist recognised me. I asked if he would make our poster and to my surprise, he agreed.&rdquo;
From that moment, the meeting has regularly collaborated with a wide range of visual artists. One of the most memorable works was the 2001 poster designed by Jean-Michel Folon, the internationally acclaimed Belgian artist known for his poetic and instantly recognisable visual style.
&ldquo;I met him during a visit to the Herculis Meeting in Monaco,&rdquo; adds Meert. &ldquo;I&nbsp;I didn&rsquo;t expect him to say yes, but he did. His poster became iconic.&rdquo;
Folon had contributed to the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games with a poster, as part of a portfolio that also featured works by rock-star artists Andy Warhol and David Hockney. The intersection of contemporary art and sport gained renewed global visibility at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where figures such as Hockney, Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein were commissioned to create official posters, a tradition that continued at the 1988 Seoul Games with a contribution from renowned French painter Pierre Soulages.
Meert also remembers a unique moment ahead of the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing.
&ldquo;I was in Knokke, a coastal town in Belgium, when I walked into a gallery exhibiting works by the Chinese artist Liu Yujun for the first time,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;I asked the gallerist if he would design our poster for the 2008 edition, and I received a positive reply! He even came to our press conference in Brussels, even though he didn&rsquo;t speak a word of French or English.&rdquo;
<h2>A tradition of elegance, creativity and philanthropy in athletics</h2>
Art has also played a philanthropic role in the Memorial&rsquo;s history, with past sculptures auctioned to benefit humanitarian organisations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve always wanted to bring elegance to the sport, combining athletics with art,&rdquo; Meert explains. &ldquo;Athletics doesn&rsquo;t enjoy year-round media coverage like football or cycling. But unveiling a new artwork months ahead of the meeting helps us reach the public in a creative and meaningful way.&rdquo;
The 2005 trophy now becomes part of the MOWA&rsquo;s growing archive of historic objects that celebrate the global culture of track and field. It also serves as a tribute to one of the sport&rsquo;s most storied events.
The next edition of the Memorial Van Damme takes place on 22 August at Brussels&rsquo; King Baudouin Stadium, which has been the site of 16 world records since the meeting's inception. Named in memory of Ivo Van Damme, the Belgian double Olympic silver medallist tragically killed in a car accident in 1976 at the age of 22, the meeting remains a shining tribute to excellence in middle and long-distance running, with world records set over the years by legends such as Coe, Sifan Hassan and Kenenisa Bekele.
Pierre-Jean Vazel for World Athletics Heritage

The bronze statue was officially given to the MOWA at a dinner in Monaco hosted by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe on Friday

Museum of World Athletics welcomes bronze trophy from Memorial Van Damme

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is looking for an investigator &ndash; anti-doping to play a critical role in the investigations of potential violations of anti-doping rules in international athletics.&nbsp;
The AIU is responsible for the implementation of World Athletics' anti-doping and integrity programmes globally.
The&nbsp;investigator role&nbsp;is responsible for working largely autonomously, under direction of the AIU's manager of anti-doping investigations, to conduct objective, fact-finding investigations into potential violations of anti-doping rules.
Job description and details of how to apply:&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=a3637d44-9104-49c6-aa72-7b22c9326324.pdf&amp;urlSlug=aiu-investigator-anti-doping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=b69b6b18-4858-451f-83bb-b94f69c3f33c.pdf&amp;urlSlug=aiu-enqueteur-antidopage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French</a>
Deadline: 8 August 2025

The Athletics Integrity Unit is looking for an investigator – anti-doping to play a critical role in the investigations of potential violations of anti-doping rules in international athletics

Job vacancy: AIU investigator – anti-doping

World-leading meeting records were set by Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Femke Bol at Herculis, but perhaps the biggest talking point came from Noah Lyles, who won the 200m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday (11).
The Olympic 100m champion hadn&rsquo;t raced since April due to minor injury issues in his ankle, but any questions over the US sprinter&rsquo;s form were answered swiftly within the space of 20 seconds after the gun fired for the men&rsquo;s 200m.
Lyles, who was drawn in lane seven, just one lane outside Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, got a solid start and was level with the world leader as they came off the bend. The multiple world champion showed no signs of rustiness as he held his form well in the closing stages, pulling away from Tebogo to win in 19.88. Tebogo was second in 19.97, just 0.02 ahead of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Makanakaishe Charamba.
Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi lived up to expectations in what was arguably the toughest test of his career so far. Not only did the men&rsquo;s 800m reunite all eight finalists from the 2024 Olympics, it also had the addition of world indoor champion Josh Hoey and Oceanian record-holder Peter Bol.
Wanyonyi tracked the pacemaker through the first half as 400m was covered in 49.21, 0.07 quicker than David Rudisha&rsquo;s first lap when the legendary Kenyan set his world record. Once the pacemaker dropped out, Wanyonyi held the lead until the end and pulled away from Hoey, who was doing his best to hold off Algeria&rsquo;s Djamel Sedjati.
Wanyonyi crossed the line in 1:41.44, shaving 0.02 from the meeting record Sedjati set last year and racking up his sixth career sub-1:42 clocking &ndash; just one shy of Rudisha&rsquo;s record tally. Hoey was second in a PB of 1:42.01 with Sedjati placing third (1:42.20). Bol came through to set an Oceanian record of 1:42.55 in fourth, one place ahead of world champion Marco Arop (1:42.73).
Like fellow Herculis debutant Wanyonyi, Femke Bol also ensured her first Monaco appearance was a good one. The world champion bided her time in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles and pulled away gradually from former world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad to win in a world-leading 51.95, breaking one of the oldest track meeting records at Herculis.
Muhammad was second in a season&rsquo;s best of 52.58, also inside the previous meeting record set by Lashina Demus back in 2009. Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell was third in 52.91, also a season&rsquo;s best.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/68717152d15cca9e1af1c846.jpg" alt="Femke Bol wins the 400m hurdles in Monaco" />
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Femke Bol wins the 400m hurdles in Monaco (&copy; Wanda Diamond League <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,CiAgICA8c3ZnIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyIgd2lkdGg9IjE2IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjE2IiB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgNDgwIDM2MCI+CiAgICAgIDxnIHRyYW5zZm9ybT0idHJhbnNsYXRlKDAsMzYwKSBzY2FsZSgwLjEsLTAuMSkiIGZpbGw9IiNCMkIyQjIiPgogICAgICAgIDxwYXRoIGQ9Ik0xOTA1IDMxODIgYy0xMjYgLTQ0IC0xODcgLTEwMCAtMjUzIC0yMzMgbC00NyAtOTQgLTM1MCAtNSBjLTMyNiAtNQogICAgICAgIC0zNTQgLTYgLTQwMSAtMjYgLTE0NyAtNjAgLTI0NiAtMTgwIC0yNzQgLTMzMSAtMTQgLTc2IC0xNCAtMTY1OSAwIC0xNzM0IDMxCiAgICAgICAgLTE2NyAxNzMgLTMxMyAzMzggLTM0OCAzNyAtOCA0NzYgLTExIDE0OTAgLTExIDE1NDMgMCAxNDgwIC0yIDE1ODggNTAgMTA0IDUxCiAgICAgICAgMjAwIDE4MSAyMjQgMzA1IDggNDMgMTAgMzAwIDggOTEwIGwtMyA4NTAgLTIzIDU2IGMtNDcgMTEyIC0xNDEgMjA2IC0yNTIgMjUyCiAgICAgICAgLTUyIDIxIC03MiAyMiAtNDA1IDI3IGwtMzUwIDUgLTQ2IDk1IGMtNTQgMTEyIC0xMDYgMTY2IC0yMDcgMjEzIGwtNjcgMzIKICAgICAgICAtNDYwIDIgYy00MTYgMyAtNDY1IDEgLTUxMCAtMTV6IG05NzIgLTIzNyBjMTggLTEzIDUyIC02OCA5MyAtMTUwIDQyIC04MyA3NQogICAgICAgIC0xMzcgOTMgLTE1MCAyNyAtMTkgNDcgLTIwIDQxNSAtMjUgNDM4IC02IDQyNyAtNCA0ODcgLTg5IGwzMCAtNDMgMyAtODM2IGMyCiAgICAgICAgLTYxMCAwIC04NDggLTggLTg3NiAtMTcgLTU2IC01NCAtMTAyIC0xMDQgLTEyNSAtNDIgLTIxIC01MSAtMjEgLTE0ODggLTIxCiAgICAgICAgbC0xNDQ1IDAgLTQ0IDIzIGMtMjkgMTYgLTU0IDQwIC03NCA3MiBsLTMwIDQ4IDAgODUxIGMwIDg0NCAwIDg1MSAyMSA4OTEgMTEKICAgICAgICAyMiA0MCA1NCA2MyA3MCBsNDMgMzAgMzg4IDUgYzM2OSA1IDM5MCA2IDQxNyAyNSAxOCAxMyA1MCA2NCA4OCAxNDEgMzMgNjcgNjcKICAgICAgICAxMjkgNzUgMTM5IDM2IDQzIDUzIDQ1IDUxMiA0MiA0MjIgLTIgNDM4IC0zIDQ2NSAtMjJ6Ii8+CiAgICAgICAgPHBhdGggZD0iTTIzMDAgMjQ1MSBjLTM4MiAtNTQgLTY3MSAtMzYzIC02OTcgLTc0NiAtMjEgLTMxOCAxNjEgLTYyNyA0NTIKICAgICAgICAtNzY2IDEyNiAtNjAgMTg5IC03NCAzNTAgLTc0IDExOSAwIDE1MSA0IDIxNSAyMyAyNzYgODcgNDgwIDI5NiA1NTYgNTcyIDI1CiAgICAgICAgOTAgMjYgMjk5IDEgMzkwIC03OCAyODggLTMwMCA1MDkgLTU4OSA1ODQgLTcxIDE4IC0yMTYgMjcgLTI4OCAxN3ogbTI3MCAtMjQ5CiAgICAgICAgYzE5NyAtNjggMzM0IC0yMTQgMzg1IC00MDcgNzQgLTI4NyAtMTA0IC01OTkgLTM5MCAtNjg0IC0xMDEgLTMwIC0yNjcgLTI3CiAgICAgICAgLTM2MCA3IC0xNzQgNjQgLTMyNyAyNDAgLTM2NCA0MjAgLTYyIDMwNSAxMzUgNjA4IDQzOSA2NzcgODIgMTkgMjE1IDEyIDI5MAogICAgICAgIC0xM3oiLz4KICAgICAgPC9nPgogICAgPC9zdmc+CiAgICA=" alt="photographer icon" /> Chiara Montesano)
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Nelly Chepchirchir maintained her undefeated record in 2025 to win the women&rsquo;s 1000m in one of the fastest times in history.
The Kenyan, no doubt inspired by the recent record-breaking feats of compatriots Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet, sat back in the field during the early stages, allowing Jessica Hull to take the leading spot behind the pacemaker.
Chepchirchir moved up in the second half and took the lead just before 800m, reached in 1:58.41, still inside world record pace. The record slipped out of her grasp in the final stages, but Chepchirchir pulled away from the field to win in 2:29.77, elevating her to fourth on the world all-time list.
USA&rsquo;s Addison Wiley came through for second place in a North American record of 2:30.71 with Hull finishing third in an Oceanian record of 2:30.96.
Yomif Kejelcha was similarly dominant in the men&rsquo;s 5000m. The two-time world indoor champion led through 3000m in 7:39.47 with Sweden&rsquo;s Andreas Almgren close behind, but he dropped out soon after.
Kejelcha, meanwhile, then pulled away from his remaining opponents and won comfortably in 12:49.46, his third consecutive sub-12:50 time this year. France&rsquo;s Jimmy Gressier came through for second place in 12:53.36 ahead of Bahrain&rsquo;s Birhanu Balew (12.53.51). In fourth, Mohamed Abdilaahi broke the long-standing German record with 12:53.63.
In the 400m flat, world and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino had to call upon all of her strength in the home straight to reel in Aaliyah Butler. Paulino caught the US youngster just before the line to win in 49.06, while Butler was rewarded with a PB of 49.09 in second. Jamaica&rsquo;s Nickisha Pryce (49.63) and Olympic bronze medallist Natalia Bukowiecka (49.72) set season&rsquo;s bests in third and fourth.
Paulino wasn&rsquo;t the only world and Olympic champion who had to pull out something special to hold on to victory. Morocco&rsquo;s Soufiane El Bakkali had initially tried to attack the world record in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase. He carved out a huge lead at the half-way point but his pace then began to fade.
On the final lap, Japan&rsquo;s Ryuji Miura started motoring and even caught El Bakalli at the top of the home straight, but the Moroccan responded and sprinted to the finish line in 8:03.18. Miura was rewarded with a huge national record of 8:03.43 and Kenya&rsquo;s Edmund Serem set a PB of 8:04.00 in third.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/68717122d15cca9e1af1c843.jpg" alt="Ryuji Miura and Soufiane El Bakkali in the steeplechase in Monaco" />
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Ryuji Miura and Soufiane El Bakkali in the steeplechase in Monaco (&copy; Wanda Diamond League <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Chiara Montesano)
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<h2>Convincing wins for Alfred, Tapper and Cunningham</h2>
Olympic champion Julien Alfred returned to winning ways after her recent surprise defeat in Eugene. The St Lucian sprinter trailed USA&rsquo;s Jacious Sears at the start of the women&rsquo;s 100m, but came through strongly to win in 10.79, running into a -1.4m/s headwind. Sears held on for second in 11.02.
Megan Tapper equalled her recent PB of 12.34 to take a surprise victory in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles. Ditaji Kambundji was second in 12.43 in a race where Olympic champion Masai Russell (12.57) and US compatriot Grace Stark (12.64) struggled over the early barriers.
USA&rsquo;s 2022 world silver medallist Trey Cunningham notched up his second Diamond League victory in a row, following on from his win in Paris last month. The 26-year-old put together a near faultless run to lead a US 1-2-3 in 13.09 from world leader Cordell Tinch (13.14) and 19-year-old Ja&rsquo;Kobe Tharp (13.17), who was making his Diamond League debut.
<h2>Meeting record for Duplantis, world leads for Scott and Sanghyeok</h2>
All three jumping events on the programme produced notable performances.
Pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis won the men&rsquo;s pole vault and claimed the meeting record with a winning clearance of 6.05m. There are now just two Diamond League meeting records (Rabat and London) left for the Swede to claim. Greece&rsquo;s Emmanouil Karalis and Australia&rsquo;s Kurtis Marschall were second and third respectively, both clearing 5.92m.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Jordan Scott continued his strong run of form to win the men&rsquo;s triple jump. He set a PB of 17.44m in round five then improved in the final round to 17.52m &ndash; the farthest outdoor jump in the world this year. Algeria&rsquo;s Yasser Triki was second (17.23m).
World indoor champion Woo Sanghyeok also produced the best outdoor jump in the world this year, winning the men&rsquo;s high jump with 2.34m. Czechia&rsquo;s Jan Stefela was second with 2.32m.
European champion Jessica Schilder uncorked a final-round effort of 20.39m to win the women&rsquo;s shot put from world champion Chase Jackson (20.06m) and world indoor champion Sarah Mitton (20.00m).

Meeting International d’Athlétisme Herculis EBS

World-leading meeting records were set by Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Femke Bol at Herculis, but perhaps the biggest talking point came from Noah Lyles, who won the 200m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday (11).

Lyles back with a bang in Monaco

Phyllis Green&rsquo;s milestone of becoming the first woman to clear five feet in the high jump is not as celebrated as the likes of Roger Bannister&rsquo;s first sub-four-minute mile, but it remains a hugely important landmark.
This feat has its centenary on Friday 11 July and provides an opportunity to reflect on the short but spectacular career of a super-talented teenager from south London who briefly became a sporting celebrity in the 1920s.
Green joined the London Olympiades Athletic Club, the first women-only club in Great Britain which had been formed in 1921, in either late 1924 or early 1925 and was probably inspired by the growing attention given to women&rsquo;s athletics, changes in the social climate, as well as a supportive father who himself had been a club athlete.
After winning myriad athletics prizes at Peckham High School for Girls, in what appears to be her first ever outing for her club, the 17-year-old Green cleared 4&rsquo;11&frac12;&rdquo; (1.51m) on 6 June 1925, an era when British competitions were measured in feet and inches.
&ldquo;A wonderful new girl athlete was discovered during the women's inter-club athletic contest at Stamford Bridge [in west London] on Saturday,&rdquo; eulogised the British newspaper the Daily Mirror, alongside photos of her on their front page. &ldquo;Though she is only just over 17 and was competing for the first time at an open meeting, Miss Phyllis Green broke world record.&rdquo;
In fact, it actually equalled the mark of Belgium&rsquo;s Ellen van Truyen from the previous year, but it would be little more than a month before Green made the record her own.
<h2>Celebrity status</h2>
Her instant fame was such that the Daily Mirror even despatched a photographer to take pictures of her the following week while she was on holiday at the seaside.
However, Green was back in action on 5 July, representing London in an inter-city match involving Brussels and Paris in the Belgian capital and once again cleared 1.51m. One week later, she returned to Stamford Bridge &ndash; on the grounds of what is now the home to two-time Champions League winners and Premier League powerhouse Chelsea &ndash; for the third edition of the Wormen&rsquo;s Amateur Athletics Association (WAAA) Championships and duly made history by clearing 5&rsquo;0&rdquo; (1.524m).
&ldquo;For that marvellous moment, even as you realise that you have cleared that far greater height than your fellow competitors, you feel as though you are in the clouds trailing glory behind you. I can&rsquo;t imagine anything that is comparable with this experience,&rdquo; she wrote, almost predicting her record, when writing in the Daily Express the previous week in a column entitled &lsquo;Sports Thrill for Girls&rsquo;.
Finishing off her superlative summer, Green took maximum points for Great Britain in a match against Canada and Czechoslovakia when clearing 4&rsquo;10&rdquo; (1.47m), again making the front pages of several newspapers.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6870e346ce38ae830f830030.jpg" alt="Phyllis Green" />
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Phyllis Green (&copy; Courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum)
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<h2>Sweet charity in Chiswick</h2>
She went on to even greater heights in the following two years and commanded plenty more headlines.
Green won both the high and long jump at the 1926 WAAA Championships and later that summer, at the Chiswick Charity Sports on 2 August, she cleared 5&rsquo;1⅛&rdquo; (1.5526m) to improve her own official world record.
Sadly, for reasons that are not clear, she was not part of the small British team that competed at the 1926 Women's World Games in Stockholm later that month, a competition won by France&rsquo;s Helene Bons with 1.50m. However, Green continued to ascend upwards in 1927.
At the WAAA Championships in Reading, she won the high jump for the third consecutive year, clearing 5&rsquo;2&frac14; from a grass take off, a mark which was to ultimately to be her personal best.
Translating metrically to 1.58m, Green&rsquo;s jump theoretically equalled the world record of Canada&rsquo;s Ethel Catherwood but it was not ratified by the France-based International Women's Sports Federation &ndash; which governed women&rsquo;s athletics at the time before the International Amateur Athletic Federation brought it under its aegis in 1934 &ndash; as it was &sup3;&frasl;₁₆ths of an inch less than Catherwood had jumped in a local competition in September 1926.
And then Green disappeared from the sport almost as meteorically as she appeared just two years earlier.
No records exist of Green ever competing again after the end of 1927 and she did not make it to the 1928 Olympic Games. If she had competed in Amsterdam, she would have gone head to head with Catherwood, who eventually won the gold medal with a leap of 1.60m (re-measured and ratified at 1.595m) and would also have had a tilt at the accolade of Britain&rsquo;s first woman athlete to win an Olympic medal, an honour eventually achieved by their 4x100m team who finished third four years later in Los Angeles.
<h2>Mysterious disappearance</h2>
Why Green suddenly retired from the sport she was so successful at, despite still being only 19, remains unanswered to this day.
Local historians in Ewell, the town close to London where Green lived for many years from the late 1930s until she died in 1999, have recently been delving into her family archives. They have speculated, with some substance, that it may have been to help with her family&rsquo;s increasingly successful undertaking business. After all, despite her celebrity, there were no shoe contracts, no sponsorship and no appearance fees for women athletes in the 1920s.
Six feet in imperial measurement was subsequently scaled when the Romanian legend Iolanda Balas cleared 1.83m in 1958 while seven feet (2.14m) now beckons after Yaroslava Mahuchikh improved the world record to 2.10m last year. But Phyllis Green will always have her place as one of the early icons of women&rsquo;s athletics.
Phil Minshull for World Athletics Heritage (With thanks to Sue Dalloe and Vicky Rowley at the Bourne Hall Museum for their assistance)

Phyllis Green’s milestone of becoming the first woman to clear five feet in the high jump is not as celebrated as the likes of Roger Bannister’s first sub-four-minute mile, but it remains a hugely important landmark.

The short, spectacular career of Phyllis Green - the first woman to high jump five feet

As the countdown to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 continues, we shine a spotlight on some of the podium sweeps that have lit up past editions of the global showpiece.
This five-part series launches with a look back at Ethiopia&rsquo;s dominance in the women&rsquo;s 5000m in Helsinki in 2005.
------
The 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland, holds particular significance in the history of sweeps. Not only were podium sweeps achieved in three events, but in two of those &ndash; the women&rsquo;s 5000m and the men&rsquo;s 200m &ndash; the top four spots were secured by athletes from the same nation: a feat never before achieved at the World Championships.
After leading an all-Ethiopian podium in the women&rsquo;s 10,000m, Tirunesh Dibaba returned to head the first ever women&rsquo;s World Championships 1-2-3-4 in the 5000m. At the age of 19, she became the first woman to complete the 5000m and 10,000m double.
As well as making history with its &lsquo;foursweep&rsquo; and Dibaba double, the women&rsquo;s 5000m featured one of the best rivalries in women&rsquo;s international long-distance running. While notable Ethiopian women came before and after Dibaba and Meseret Defar, their legacies carry weight in the country today as thousands of young women began running after seeing their success on television or hearing about it on the radio.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/68701350e449dac6c1c98509.jpg" alt="The women's 5000m final at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki" />
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The women's 5000m final at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki (&copy; Getty Images)
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After winning her first world 5000m title as a 17-year-old in Paris in 2003, Dibaba eyed the double in Helsinki. First up was the 10,000m final on 6 August, which she won ahead of her compatriots Berhane Adere and Ejegayehu Dibaba, Tirunesh&rsquo;s older sister. Many, however, were more excited for her face off against Defar in the 5000m. Defar wanted to claim the world title in her Olympic gold medal event, and Tirunesh&nbsp;wanted to become the first woman to prevail in both the 5000m &ndash; for which she had a wild card entry as the defending champion &ndash; and the 10,000m.
The early stages of the race were conservative, with China's Sun Yingjie leading the charge. The field passed through 3000m in 8:52.62 and 4000m in 11:52.40. Conserving their energy, the four Ethiopian athletes in the race began to break away from the rest of the pack throughout the last kilometre. Defar took the lead with 400 metres to go, and Tirunesh unleashed a final kick over the last 150 metres to win in a championship record of 14:38.59. Defar finished second in 14:39.54, Ejegayehu Dibaba in third in 14:42.47 and Meselech Melkamu in fourth in 14:43.47.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/68701314e449dac6c1c98506.jpg" alt="Ejegayehu Dibaba, Meseret Defar, Tirunesh Dibaba and Meselech Melkamu in Helsinki" />
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Ejegayehu Dibaba, Meseret Defar, Tirunesh Dibaba and Meselech Melkamu in Helsinki (&copy; Getty Images)
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This top four sweep did more than just cement Ethiopia&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s distance runners as a dominant force. It also paved the way for the Defar-Dibaba rivalry to ramp up even further in the following years. In 2006, the two met seven times. Tirunesh won four of them, but Defar led the overall count at that point and beat her rival for the Golden League victory. In Ethiopia, houses and neighbourhoods became divided as the country&rsquo;s athletics fans watch the two duel it out on a frequent basis. Defar set the first of her two world 5000m records in 2006 and a few years later, Tirunesh lowered it to 14:11.15 &ndash; a mark that stood for 12 years.&nbsp;
The two would go on to win several more world and Olympic medals, and ultimately faced each other 32 times in their careers &ndash; Defar winning 19 times to Tirunesh&rsquo;s 13.&nbsp;
While fierce rivals, they collectively &ndash; together with the other women who joined them on multiple major podiums &ndash; cemented Ethiopian women&rsquo;s running as a deep force to be reckoned with on the global stage.
Hannah Borenstein for World Athletics
&nbsp;

The 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki holds particular significance in the history of sweeps

Sensational sweeps: Ethiopia in the women's 5000m at the 2005 World Championships

The Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, officially opened the MOWA Heritage Athletics Exhibition Tokyo 2025 on Sunday (6). The exhibition is being staged for 11 weeks in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) building.

Governor Koike opens MOWA exhibition as Tokyo is awarded Heritage Plaque

World 1500m record-holder Faith Kipyegon will step up to the 3000m in Silesia, while Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan will drop down to the mile in London, organisers of the Wanda Diamond League meetings have announced.
Kenya&rsquo;s Kipyegon improved her own world 1500m record to 3:48.68 in Eugene earlier this month and the world mile record-holder ran the fastest mile in history by a woman in an unofficial and unratifiable exhibition event in Paris in June. Now she prepares to race the 3000m at the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on 16 August.
The multiple world 1500m and 5000m gold medallist has a 3000m PB of 8:23.55 but that was set back in 2014 when Kipyegon was just 20. Since then, she has claimed three Olympic 1500m titles and her 5000m PB of 14:05.20 was also a world record when she ran it in 2023.
Also announced for Silesia are Femke Bol and Karsten Warholm in the 400m hurdles, Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers in the hammer, Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem in the javelin, Julien Alfred in the 100m and Grant Holloway in the 110m hurdles.
While Hassan is now an Olympic gold medallist in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon, she is also a former world record-holder in the mile and it is that shorter distance she will contest at the London Athletics Meet on 19 July.
The Dutch star has secured success in London in the past, taking victory on her marathon debut in 2023 before finishing third in the 2025 event. She last competed on the track in the London Athletics Meet in 2023, finishing third in the 5000m in a European record of 14:13.42.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve learned so much about myself racing in London, both on the road and the track, and I&rsquo;m excited to return and to compete again at the Olympic stadium,&rdquo; said Hassan, whose 4:12.33 mile time from Monaco in 2019 remains the European record.
&ldquo;Last year my curiosity pushed me to take a risk and compete in three distances at the Paris Games. I know I&rsquo;m probably a bit crazy to mix it up so much, but I like the combination of track and road and I want to see what is possible,&rdquo; added the 32-year-old, who claimed Olympic 5000m and 10,000m bronze as well as marathon gold last year. &ldquo;Now that the London Marathon is over, I will be returning to shorter distances for the track season. I enjoy these different races, tactics and distances, and I am looking forward to seeing what I can do in the Diamond League mile in London.&rdquo;

World 1500m record-holder Faith Kipyegon will step up to the 3000m in Silesia, while Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan will drop down to the mile in London

Kipyegon set for Silesia 3000m, Hassan for London mile

All eight finalists from the men&rsquo;s 800m at the Paris Olympic Games will clash again at the Herculis EBS Meeting, providing what looks set to be one of the highlights of the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday (11).
It&rsquo;s one of eight disciplines in Monaco in which the Olympic champion is set to compete. The men's 200m, meanwhile, boasts two Olympic gold medallists in the form of Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo.
Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi heads to Monaco off the back of two wins on the Diamond League circuit, topped by his world-leading 1:41.95 run in Stockholm last month &ndash; the fifth sub-1:42 clocking of his career. But this Friday&rsquo;s race could be the toughest test of his season so far as he takes on the two men who joined him on the Paris podium last year: Canada&rsquo;s Marco Arop and Algeria&rsquo;s Djamel Sedjati.
Arop, the world champion, is undefeated over 800m this year, but he hasn&rsquo;t contested any Diamond League races so far this season. Sedjati, the winner in Monaco last year in a meeting record of 1:41.46, finished second to Wanyonyi in Stockholm last month, clocking a season&rsquo;s best of 1:42.27, his fastest time since the Olympic final.
The field also includes two other men who broke 1:42 last year: France&rsquo;s Gabriel Tual and USA&rsquo;s Bryce Hoppel. The addition of world indoor champion Josh Hoey, Botswana's Tshepiso Masalela, Spain's Mohamed Attaoui and Algeria&rsquo;s Slimane Moula means there&rsquo;ll be nine men with sub-1:43 PBs on the start line.
World and Olympic gold medallist Noah Lyles will make his highly anticipated Diamond League debut. The 27-year-old opened his outdoor season in April with a low-key appearance over 400m (45.87) but was forced to delay the start of his international campaign due to some ankle troubles.
He won't have it easy, though, as he'll be up against the man who beat him to the Olympic 200m title last year: Botswana&rsquo;s Letsile Tebogo. The 22-year-old, who clocked a world-leading 19.76 in Eugene last weekend, will be looking for a repeat performance of last year&rsquo;s Monaco victory in a race that also features Alexander Ogando and Jereem Richards.
The Olympic podium will be reunited in the men&rsquo;s pole vault with world record-holder Mondo Duplantis taking on Sam Kendricks and Emmanouil Karalis &ndash; three of the seven men in the field with PBs higher than six metres. Duplantis has been beaten in two of his three Monaco appearances to date, and Monaco remains one of just three Diamond League meetings in which the Swede doesn&rsquo;t hold the meeting record.
The world champion will no doubt have his eye on Piotr Lisek&rsquo;s meeting record of 6.02m, and if the conditions are good, he could even look to improve on the 6.28m world record he set in Stockholm last month.
Numerous global champions will clash in the other two field events. Following a high-standard competition in Eugene last week, two-time world champion Chase Jackson renews her rivalry with world indoor champion Sarah Mitton, Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye and European champion Jessica Schilder.
In the men&rsquo;s high jump, Olympic champion Hamish Kerr takes on world indoor champion Woo Sanghyeok, Olympic silver medallist Shelby McEwen and world leader Jan Stefela of Czechia.
Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred will be looking for a second successive Herculis victory after winning in Monaco last year with 10.85. The St Lucian has a best this year of 10.75, though her 10.77 clocking into a -1.5m/s headwind in Eugene last weekend suggests she&rsquo;s capable of going much faster. She&rsquo;ll face Jamaican twins Tia and Tina Clayton as well as USA&rsquo;s Jacious Sears, who ran 10.85 last weekend.
World and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino, competing in Monaco for the first time, headlines a women&rsquo;s 400m field that includes Olympic bronze medallist Natalia Bukowiecka, NCAA champion Aaliyah Butler, Diamond League record-holder Nickisha Pryce and Chile&rsquo;s Martina Weil.
In the women's 100m hurdles, Olympic champion Masai Russell takes on Grace Stark &ndash; winner at the Paris Diamond League last month in 12.21 &ndash; and 2021 Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper.
World champion Femke Bol takes on former world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad, Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell and Jamaica&rsquo;s Andrenette Knight in the women's 400m hurdles.
Elsewhere on the track, the four fastest men in the world this year clash in the 110m hurdles: US quartet Cordell Tinch, Trey Cunningham, Dylan Beard and Ja'Kobe Tharp.
Winners of three recent Diamond League races will clash in a high-quality men&rsquo;s 5000m, racing on the track where the current world record was set. Sweden&rsquo;s Andreas Almgren, winner of the 5000m in Stockholm in a European record of 12:44.27, takes on Paris Diamond League winner Yomif Kejelcha and Eugene 10,000m winner Biniam Mehary in a field where eight men have PBs faster than 12:50.
Elsewhere, Kenneth Rooks and Abraham Kibiwot, the Olympic silver and bronze medallists respectively, lead a men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase field that also includes in-form German Frederik Ruppert, Xiamen Diamond League winner Samuel Firewu and Kenyan duo Simon Koech and Edmund Serem.

All eight finalists from the men’s 800m at the Paris Olympic Games will clash again at the Herculis EBS Meeting

Fireworks expected in Olympic 800m rematch in Monaco

Five content creators and 27 sports media professionals have been selected for the Content Creator Programme and the World Athletics Media Academy, respectively, as World Athletics aims to nurture the next generation of talent.
By addressing critical gaps in talent, diversity and expertise, the Media Academy is designed to ensure a bright future for the storytelling of athletics &ndash; in journalism, photography and broadcast commentary.
Running alongside this is the Content Creator Programme, which was established in 2023 and has become a launch pad for content creators within the sport &ndash; providing a platform for talented creatives on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
The inaugural edition of the Media Academy will take centre stage during the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September, when the 27 selected journalists, photographers and TV commentators will have the unique opportunity of covering the prestigious event in person.
The journalist section of the initiative is delivered in partnership with the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), offering young reporters the chance to develop their skills in Tokyo where they will be guided by leading international mentors. The participants were chosen following an online part of the project that launched in February.
The photographer workshop, in collaboration with Sony, will see 11 young professionals learn from some of the world&rsquo;s best athletics photographers and news agencies in Tokyo, to sharpen their visual storytelling skills covering athletics.
The TV commentator programme will involve aspiring broadcasters being mentored by seasoned commentators, gaining hands-on experience and insight into live athletics production during the championships.
This multifaceted Media Academy underlines World Athletics&rsquo; commitment to fostering high-quality global coverage of the sport by investing directly in the next generation of athletics media professionals. In total, 27 participants &ndash; 14 women and 13 men &ndash; from 19 countries across all continental areas are represented. They include AIPS Young Reporters Programme finalists and former track stars such as Olympic champions Wilfred Bungei and Tonique Williams, as they aim to kick off their international broadcast careers.
<h2>World Athletics Media Academy class of 2025</h2>
Journalism: Camila Alves (BRA), Louis Boulay (FRA), Andjela Cegar (AUT) Anushe Engineer (PAK), Beatrice Go (PHI), Nika Aurora Kljucaric (CRO), Martin Moses (KEN), Pierre Pillet (SUI), Annika Saunus (GER), Ainhoa Serrano (ESP), Jasmine Trapnell (GBR), Lucijan Zalokar (SLO)
Photography: Hassan Omar Wamwayi (UGA), Diogo Cardoso (POR), Birgit Dieryck (BEL), Anastasia Karekla (CYP), Mate Ladjanszki (HUN), Annabel Lee-Ellis (GBR), Kenichiro Ogane (JPN), Will Palmer (GBR), Pamela Smith (USA), Ross Turteltaub (USA), Eric Wu (AUS)
Commentary: Wilfred Bungei (KEN), Martin Keino (KEN), Rosie Tinbergen (GBR), Tonique Williams (BAH)
Five more creatives will have their work showcased on World Athletics&rsquo; digital channels following their selection to the Content Creator Programme.
More than 800 applications from all around the world were received for the Content Creator Programme following the 2025 launch in April and the five selected creatives &ndash; from five different countries &ndash; will now create TikTok, YouTube and Instagram content for World Athletics&rsquo; platforms.
<h2>Content Creator Programme class of 2025</h2>
Ajay Allen (USA) A cinematographer and filmmaker, and a student athlete hurdler at the University of Missouri&ndash;Kansas City.
Leila Gammouh (FRA) A photographer and social media expert.
Fette (Jorge Larco) (ECU) An illustrator best known for his cycling illustrations, exploring a new interest in athletics.
Sikhalo Mguni (GBR) A full-time engineer and rising athletics content creator with a lot of passion for the sport.
Herbert Thomas (JAM) A filmmaker and photographer with a lifelong passion for athletics.
World Athletics

Five content creators and 27 sports media professionals have been selected for the Content Creator Programme and the World Athletics Media Academy

Bidding process for 2028 and 2030 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships opens

Win a VIP trip to Tokyo

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