Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan set a world record in the women’s 100-meter hurdle and Armand Duplantis set another world record in pole vault during the final day of competition at the World Athletic Championships at Hayward Field on Sunday, July 24.
In the first race of the afternoon session at Hayward Field on Sunday, July 24. The Nigerian looked casual as she crossed the line in 12.12 seconds in heat one of the women’s 110 hurdles, before looking at the clock and realizing the history she just created by smashing the former record by .08 seconds. She couldn’t believe it when she looked at the big screen after the race.
“God did it,” Amusan said after the semifinal. “It is a strong feeling. I wanted to get out and go. I did what I had to do. Looking forward to the finals.”
In the final Amusan shaved another .06 seconds off, finishing in 12.06 to win gold. The record didn’t officially count due to a +2.5 wind aid.
“The goal was to come out and to win this gold,” Amusan said. “I just did it. Honestly, I believe in my abilities but I was not expecting a world record at these championships. You know, the goal is always just to execute well and get the win. So the world record is a bonus.”
The Swedish pole vaulter Duplanitis broke a world record for the seventh time in three years, clearing 6.21m on his second attempt. Duplantis thanked the supporters of Hayward for pushing him over the bar when he got tired.
“I cannot complain,” Duplanitis said. “Actually, I did not think about the record that much today. Usually, it is always somewhere in the back of my mind but today, I was really focused on the win and I really wanted to win the gold so badly. It was the medal I was missing.”
After a silver finish in the 1500, Norwegian distance sensation Jakob Ingebrigsten took gold in the men’s 5000 with a time of 13:09.24. The Olympic champion turned one of the most talent-rich races into a final 400-meter sprint. He held off Kenya’s Jacob Krop and Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo.
“It feels amazing to win this gold,” Ingebrigsten said. “Just an amazing feeling. I have been very very disappointed, even though I got the silver medal. I knew I would not get beaten by the other in the last laps. But the 5k is a very tough race.”
Athing Mu won gold and set a world leading time in the women’s 800. She crossed the line in 1:56.30 after a physical final 200 with Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson.
Massimo Stano of Italy won Sunday morning’s inaugural men’s 35-kilometer race walk. The Olympic champion set the championship record with a time of 2:23:14. Only a second separated Stano and second place finisher, Japan’s Masatoro Kawano.
“I could go closer to the world’s best time,” Stano said. “I don’t know when and how. Kawano had a great race. I had to change pace a few times to win today. He really tired me. I am happy to win gold for the national team on the last day of the championships, as many expected.”
France’s Kyle Mayer had a stellar second day of the decathlon, which helped propel him to gold and a season’s best 8,816 total points. Pierce LePage, Canada, finished second with 8,701 and American Zachery Ziemek finished third with 8,676.
The United States took gold in both the men’s and women’s 4×400, the final events of the competition.
America won the inaugural team trophy on the final night of competition with a total of 33 medals. Ethiopia and Jamaica were the next highest with 10 total.
