World Athletics Championship is a biennial international track and field competition organized by World Athletics (formerly International Association of Athletic Federations). It is considered the highest level of senior international outdoor track and field athletics in the world, alongside the Olympic Games. There are also separate World Championships for marathon running, race walking and other events.
There was a moment on the opening night of the World Athletics Championships that seemed to unleash the bottled-up frustration of the entire sport. It was in the women’s 10,000 metres, as the whittled down four contenders ran their final laps around the stadium and spectators roared like they were watching a full-fat Tokyo Olympics.
This is the twentieth edition of the World Athletics Championship, and it took place from Sept. 13-21 in Tokyo, Japan. It was a week of speed, strength and endurance that had everything from record-breaking sprints to tactical distance races and dramatic field events.
It was a hot, humid, chaotic and incredibly entertaining competition. There were some huge disappointments, and there was some major controversy.
The organisers moved up some races’ start times in response to concerns about the heat, which has reached 34C in the capital. The decision was made by the organising committee in consultation with World Athletics’ Health & Safety Department.
The most successful athlete in the history of World Athletics Championship is Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who won ten gold medals at the event. American sprinters hold the second-most medals, with nine each, while British athletes are third with five.