WCH Tokyo 25 facts and figures - day six

Women’s 400m final

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) took down Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 42-year-old championship record of 47.99 with 47.78, the second fastest time in history behind Marita Koch’s world record of 47.60 which will celebrate its 40th birthday on 6 October. "It's amazing, it's an honour. I knew there were a lot of people doubting me with making the switch from 400 metres hurdles to the flat 400m, but ultimately, I had faith in my training," she said.


For the first time in history, two athletes broke the 48 second-barrier in the same 400m race. Marileidy Paulino (DOM) finished second in 47.98 to move to third on the world all-time list behind Koch and McLaughlin-Levrone

McLaughlin’s 100m splits were: 11.71 100m, 22.95 200m, 34.87 300m. Paulino's splits were: 11.92 100m, 23.09 200m, 34.97 300m

For only the second time in history after last year’s Olympic Games in Paris, three athletes broke the 49 second-barrier in the same race. Salwa Eid Naser’s (BRN) time of 48.19 to win bronze was by far the fastest time for third in any race

And for the second successive major championships, all eight finalists broke the 50 second-barrier in the final

McLaughlin-Levrone's victory means the last nine world 400m finals have all been won by different athletes

Men’s 400m final

Busang Collen Kebinatshipi (BOT) became the first male athlete from Botswana to win a gold medal at the World Championships in any event. The one gold medal for Botswana prior to Tokyo also came in the 400m with Amantle Montsho winning the women’s title in 2011

Kebinatshipi’s winning time of 43.53 was the fifth fastest winning time in World Championships history 

This was just the second 400m final in World Championships history with two men breaking the sub-44 second barrier with Jereem Richards (TTO) winning silver in 43.72


Men’s javelin final

Keshorn Walcott (TTO) has the near-unique distinction of winning global titles 13 years apart. After winning Olympic gold in 2012 as a teenager at 19, Walcott wins the world javelin title in Tokyo with 88.16m. "I have been fighting for this but I was always off the podium. I even thought that the championships are not my competition. But I never gave up," he said. Kipchoge also had a 13-year gap between winning 5000m gold in 2003 and Olympic marathon gold in 2016

Walcott's roommate at the World Championships is Jereem Richards who won silver later in the same session in the men's 400m

Curtis Thompson (USA) becomes the United States’ first medallist in the men’s javelin at the World Championships since Breaux Greer in Osaka in 2007

For the first time in World Championships history, there was a NACAC sweep in the men’s javelin


And this was the first men’s javelin final in World Championships history that a European thrower didn't make the podium 

Women's triple jump final

Leyanis Perez Hernandez (CUB) becomes the second Cuban winner of this title after Yargelis Savigne in 2007 and 2009

With silver, Thea Lafond (DMA) becomes the first woman from Dominica to win a medal in the history of the World Championships. Both of their country's medals have come in the triple jump (Jerome Romain also won bronze in the men's triple jump in 1995)

Men’s 200m semifinals

Noah Lyles’ (USA) 19.51 in the third semifinal was the fourth fastest 200m recorded in World Championships history. Only Lyles himself and Usain Bolt (JAM) have run faster in championship history. “I surprised myself. I kind of backed up a little bit as we got to the last 20 metres. I am going to put on a whole race in the final,” he said.   

Makanakaishe Charamba’s (ZIM) 20.03 was the fastest ever non-qualifying time for a 200m final in World Championships history  

Women’s 200m semifinal

The women’s 200m will be a nine-woman final after Anthonique Strachan (BAH) and Mckenzie Long (USA) were given the identical time down to the thousandths (22.478)

Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) qualifies for her sixth successive world 200m final - Merlene Ottey also made six world 200m finals between 1983-1997 - and her tenth individual world final 


Men’s 800m semifinals

Cian McPhillips’ (IRL) time of 1:43.18 in the second 800m semifinal was not just the fastest ever 800m semifinal but the third fastest time in World Championships history behind Kenya’s Billy Konchellah (1:43.06 - 1987) and Donavan Brazier (1:42.34 - 2019)

McPhillips' time was matched by Mohamed Attaoui (ESP) in the third 800m semifinal. In total, there were nine sub-1:44 clockings across the three semifinals

For the first time in World Championships history, a sub-1:44 clocking proved insufficient to make the 800m final. Donavan Brazier’s (USA) 1:43.82 is the fastest non-qualifying time in World Championships history

Eight different nations will be represented in the men’s 800m final


Women’s 800m heats

Lilian Odira’s (KEN) 1:57.86 was the fastest 800m heat recorded in World Championships history. The previous fastest heat was 1:58.69 by Maryna Arzamasava (BLR) in 2015

In total, nine athletes ran faster than the previous fastest heat time at the World Championships. Jemma Reekie (GBR) didn’t progress to the semifinal despite clocking 1:59.35

In total, 20 athletes broke the 2:00-barrier across the seven heats


Women’s high jump qualifying

Fatoumata Balley (GUI) made history by becoming the first athlete from Guinea - male or female - to make a World Championships final in any event 

Angelina Topic (SRB) qualified for the women’s high jump final some 34 years after her coach and father Dragutin made the men’s high jump final at the 1991 World Championships