Hero flies into stadium on a zip wire (© Getty Images)
What a night, what a sport, what a championships. The IAAF World Championships came to a close in suitably dramatic style on day ten. This, for one last time, is the London Wrap.
Sunday morning strolling
The final day of these champs kicked off with a festival of race walks, each race providing a reminder of the unique drama of walking competition.
Best of all was the women’s 20km, which had a little bit of everything. With the line in sight, there were still four in contention for the medals, led by Lyu Xiuzhi. But with just yards remaining, the Chinese walker was given the red card for her third breach of tekkers. Her teammate Jiayu Yang benefited, edging away to take gold by a single second ahead of Mexico’s Maria Gonzalez.
If you’re more used to watching running races, the walks can look, well, pedestrian; but we challenge you to go run a 1:26:18 half marathon, never mind walk it.
Obiri and out
Kenya’s Hellen Obiri has had two stints away from running. The first was around a decade ago, when she stepped away from athletics to focus on her studies. More recently, she spent the whole of the 2015 season out following the birth of her child. Obiri’s racing instant has never left her. Neither has her kick.
In tonight’s 5000m, she shadowed defending champion (and this week’s 10k champ) Almaz Ayana, who raced cagily for the first of the race before dropping the hammer. Obiri never looked troubled, and with 250m to go she made a devastating move that her Ethiopian rival had no answer to.
Majd moments
A few weeks before Majd Eddin Ghazal was due to compete in the London Stadium at the 2012 Olympic Games, the Damascus facility where he was training was bombed as Syria began its sad descent into civil war. Ghazal competed in the Olympics anyway, clearing only 2.16m and not making it out the qualifiers.
Earlier this week, the 29-year-old had first time clearances up to 2.29m in the qualis, a mark he matched in the final to win his country’s first ever world champs bronze medal in the high jump. His emotional celebration made clear just what that achievement means to him.
Finish line Filip
Just as he did at last year’s European Championships, Filip Ingebrigtsen finished his 1500m final with a dive for the line. Though it didn’t secure him gold in London as it did in Amsterdam – just a bronze this time, as Kenyan Elijah Manangoi broke away for the win – the Norwegian’s dramatic forward lunge shows just how much he puts into the race.
“I was focusing on the finish line,” he said post-race. With his face pressed against it at the race’s conclusions, it’s hard to imagine he could focus on anything else.
One last upset
These world champs have been defined by surprises. Before tonight there was Usain Bolt’s defeat in the 100m; Phyllis Francis’ surprise win in the 400m and Muktar Edris’ defeat of Mo Farah in the 5000m to name just a few.
True to form, there was time for one last ripping up of the rule book in the closing event of the championships, the men’s 4x400m. The US team have won gold in the event at ever edition going back to 2003.
Unlike in the women’s race, where the US team spearheaded by Allyson Felix pulled away for a comfortable win, the American men just couldn’t get away from Trinidad and Tobago. The anchor leg came down to a battle between youth – USA’s 22-year-old sub-44 man Fred Kerly – and experience – TTO’s 28-year-old not sub-44 man Lalonde Gordon. The latter won out, Gordon overtaking Kerly on the home straight to upgrade on the silver they had to settle for in 2015.
It was an apt end to a championships that has reminded us that nothing can ever be taken for granted.
