South Africa&rsquo;s Jacques Freitag, who won the world high jump title in 2003, has died at the age of 42.
According to news reports from South Africa, Freitag had been missing for two weeks before, tragically, his body was found with multiple gunshot wounds. Police are treating the case as murder.
A prodigious athlete, Freitag is one of a select group of athletes to have won individual world titles at the U18, U20 and senior level.
Born in Warrenton in 1982, Freitag grew up in Gauteng and was exposed to athletics at a young age as his mother Hendrina was a national high jump champion.
Freitag&rsquo;s first big success came shortly after his 17th birthday when he struck gold at the 1999 World U18 Championships in Bydgoszcz.
He won 14 of his 15 competitions in 2000, culminating with victory at the World U20 Championships in Santiago de Chile. One year later, he set an African U20 record of 2.31m and competed at the World Championships in Edmonton.
In early 2002, still aged just 19, he set an African record of 2.37m. Success continued in 2003 as he struck gold at the World Championships in Paris with a clearance of 2.35m, becoming the first African man to win a world title in a field event. Just six days later, his compatriot Hestrie Cloete won the women&rsquo;s event, marking a memorable high jump double for South Africa.
Freitag made his Olympic debut in 2004, though he missed out on making the final. He rebounded in 2005 and increased his African record to 2.38m &ndash; a record that still stands to this day.
He struggled both on and off the track in the latter years of his career, but he continued competing up until 2013.

Jacques Freitag, 1982-2024

Freitag, 2003 world high jump champion, dies

Stream the entire first season of SPRINT <a href="https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81685880?utm_campaign=netflix_launch&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81685880?utm_campaign=netflix_launch&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=worldathletics">here</a>
 After months of anticipation, the full first series of SPRINT hits screens around the globe today (2 July) as the six-part docuseries officially launches worldwide on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81685880?utm_source=worldathletics&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=netflix_launch" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81685880?utm_source=worldathletics&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=netflix_launch">Netflix</a>.
Created by the team behind Drive to Survive, SPRINT follows the lives of top athletes such as Sha'Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, Marcell Jacobs and Shericka Jackson as they navigate the rollercoaster ride of being among the fastest sprinters of all time. It shines a spotlight on their lives &ndash; on and off the track &ndash; as never seen before.
Delving deep into the relationships, rivalries, trials and tribulations behind the race to become a global champion in the 100m and 200m, the series provides unique insight into the exhilarating realm of sprinting, where every millisecond counts.
The series takes viewers across the world on the sport&rsquo;s premier one-day meeting circuit &ndash; the Wanda Diamond League &ndash; as athletes battle it out towards the pinnacle of the 2023 season: the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.
Showing an unseen side of their remarkable routes to Budapest, and as athletes now prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the series showcases:
<ul>
<li>Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the Jamaican sprint great who just last weekend secured her spot for her fifth Olympic Games</li>
<li>Zharnel Hughes, the British record-holder guided by Usain Bolt's former coach Glen Mills</li>
<li>Shericka Jackson, the second-fastest women&rsquo;s 200m sprinter in history who recently retained her Jamaican 100m and 200m titles</li>
<li>Marcell Jacobs, the Italian record-holder on the hunt for a second consecutive Olympic 100m crown</li>
<li>Fred Kerley, the 2022 world 100m champion who is looking to go one better than his Tokyo Olympic silver in Paris</li>
<li>Noah Lyles, the six-time world champion who completed a 100m and 200m double at the recent US Olympic Team Trials</li>
<li>Sha'Carri Richardson, the world 100m champion who stormed to the US title in Eugene in a world-leading time</li>
<li>Gabby Thomas, the recent US 200m title winner and fastest woman in the discipline so far this year</li>
<li>Elaine Thompson-Herah, Jamaica&rsquo;s five-time Olympic gold medallist</li>
</ul>
Offering unique insight into the exclusive world of international-level sprinting are athletics legends Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix, Ato Boldon and Michael Johnson, who between them have a total of 73 Olympic and World Athletics Championships medals.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6683de3c071dca4633c32d84.jpg" alt="Usain Bolt on SPRINT" />
Usain Bolt on SPRINT (&copy; Netflix)
</div>
The six episodes are:
<ol>
<li>Heir to the Throne</li>
<li>Queens</li>
<li>Belonging</li>
<li>Trials &amp; Tribulations</li>
<li>The Gold Standard</li>
<li>The Double is Alive</li>
</ol>
Many of the stars of SPRINT have already made their marks this season and the new series shows how they got to this stage. Fresh from national championships action and with sights now set on the Paris Games, the story continues over the next few weeks as athletes aim to state their case ahead of their battle for glory in the No.1 Olympic sport. Against the odds. Against uncertainty. Against the world.
Lyles has already been announced for the 200m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on 12 July and the 100m at the meeting in London eight days later. Some of the world&rsquo;s biggest names will also clash in the women&rsquo;s 100m in Monaco and women&rsquo;s 200m in London before athletics at the Olympic Games kicks off on 1 August.
&ldquo;It takes a different mindset to be a track athlete,&rdquo; asserts Lyles. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t have main character energy, track and field ain&rsquo;t for you.&rdquo;
The only question that remains is: &ldquo;who wants it more?&rdquo; Find out on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81685880?utm_campaign=netflix_launch&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81685880?utm_campaign=netflix_launch&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=worldathletics">SPRINT</a>.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/sprint" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/sprint">Learn more about SPRINT and its stars on our dedicated webpage.</a>

After months of anticipation, the full first series of SPRINT hits screens around the globe today (2 July) as the six-part docuseries officially launches worldwide on Netflix

Athletics hits Netflix with release of new series SPRINT

With various area championships having been held throughout June, and the national championships window having now closed, the fields for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are starting to take shape.
Some of the sport&rsquo;s biggest stars, as well as some newer names, have excelled in recent weeks. To mark one month to go until track and field action starts at the Olympic Games, here&rsquo;s a run-down of the status quo among some of the current standout performers.
&nbsp;
<h2>Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone</h2>
Having missed most of the 2023 season through injury, the super-talented Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone showed she is back to her best by winning the 400m hurdles at the US Trials in a world record of 50.65 &ndash; her fifth world record of her career so far, despite still being just 24 years of age.
Prior to that, she had outlined her strong form by setting a 200m PB of 22.07 and clocking a world-leading 48.75 over 400m.
Four other women heading to Paris have broken 53 seconds this season, but McLaughlin-Levrone is almost two seconds faster than her nearest rival this year &ndash; world champion Femke Bol &ndash; so the US athlete will start as the strong favourite in Paris. If she succeeds, she&rsquo;ll become the first woman in history to win two Olympic titles in the 400m hurdles.
&nbsp;
<h2>Mondo Duplantis</h2>
Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, another dominant force in the sport, has been undefeated so far this year. Not only that, he has already won a global title and broken a world record.
He took world indoor gold in Glasgow in March, then just seven weeks later he opened his outdoor season at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, where he won with 6.24m, adding a centimetre to his own world record.
Since then he has continued his run of six-metre-plus victories, his latest coming at the European Championships in Rome where he struck gold with 6.10m before having three solid attempts at a would-be world record of 6.25m.
&nbsp;
<h2>Faith Kipyegon</h2>
Contesting any distance farther than 1000m at altitude can often be challenging due to the lack of oxygen in the air, but Faith Kipyegon made it look incredibly easy at last month&rsquo;s Kenyan Trials.
The multiple world and Olympic gold medallist won the 5000m in 14:46.28, finishing six seconds ahead of Beatrice Chebet, who had smashed the world 10,000m record just a few weeks prior. One day later, Kipyegon returned to the track and won the 1500m in 3:53.98. Both of her winning marks were the fastest times ever produced at altitude.
The 30-year-old Kenyan won the 1500m and 5000m at last year&rsquo;s World Championships and is now eyeing a similar double at the Olympic Games in Paris.
&nbsp;
<h2>Noah Lyles</h2>
At the Paris Olympics, US sprinter Noah Lyles is not simply looking to replicate his feat from last year&rsquo;s World Championships; he wants to go above and beyond.
Having won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m in Budapest last year, Lyles wants to win those same disciplines in the French capital, along with the 4x400m. He is clearly in medal-winning form, too, having recently won the sprint double at the highly competitive US Trials.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66811fde356f647cea82fb55.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles wins the 200m at the US Olympic Trials" />
Noah Lyles wins the 200m at the US Olympic Trials (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
The star of <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/sprint" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&lsquo;Sprint&rsquo;</a> equalled his PB of 9.83 to take the 100m, then won the 200m in a world-leading 19.53. In early May, he anchored USA to 4x100m victory at the World Relays, clocking a world-leading 37.40.
&nbsp;
<h2>Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson</h2>
World 100m champion Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson has picked up where she left off last season. She won the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in May in 10.83, then breezed through the rounds of the US Trials before taking the title in a world-leading 10.71.
She went on to equal her 200m PB of 21.92 in the semifinals of the US Trials, but in a high-quality final she was just edged out of a podium place, so missed earning a spot on the US team in that discipline.
It simply means she can focus all of her energy at the Olympic Games on winning the same disciplines &ndash; the 100m and 4x100m &ndash; that she won at last year&rsquo;s World Championships.
&nbsp;
<h2>Kishane Thompson</h2>
A relatively new name on the international sprint scene, Kishane Thompson&rsquo;s breakthrough last year went almost unnoticed.
He clocked 9.91 in the heats of the Jamaican Championships last year, but didn&rsquo;t contest the final and so missed out on competing at the World Championships. Later in the season, he reduced his PB to 9.85 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen.
The enigmatic 23-year-old opened his 2024 campaign at last week&rsquo;s Jamaican Championships, clocking a PB of 9.82 in the heats before winning the final in a world-leading 9.77 to earn his spot in Paris. Could he be the man to put Jamaica back on top of the Olympic 100m podium?
&nbsp;
<h2>Shericka Jackson</h2>
Ever since making the rookie error of easing up too early in her heat at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Shericka Jackson has been near flawless in the 200m.
From June 2022 until May 2024, the versatile Jamaican sprinter was undefeated at 200m, notching up two world titles and clocking three of the four fastest times in history.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64e90a5b5d3818775b5e8b75.jpg" alt="Shericka Jackson secures the 200m title at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Shericka Jackson secures the 200m title at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
The 29-year-old may have needed a few races this year to find her top gear, but her performance at the recent Jamaican Championships &ndash; where she won the 100m (10.84) and 200m (22.29) &ndash; suggests she is rounding into form at just the right time.
&nbsp;
<h2>Ethan Katzberg</h2>
When Ethan Katzberg won the world hammer title last year, he was considered one of the most surprising winners of the championships. But the Canadian has been undefeated since then, showing that his performance in Budapest was no fluke.
In his first outing of 2024, just two weeks after his 22nd birthday, Katzberg smashed the North American record with a world-leading 84.38m in Nairobi. He backed it up with an 81.98m victory in Bergen and, more recently, an 82.60m triumph at the Canadian Championships.
One month out from Paris, Katzberg owns the six farthest throws in the world so far this year.
&nbsp;
<h2>Nafi Thiam</h2>
When an injury ruled out Nafi Thiam from defending her world heptathlon title in Budapest last year, some wondered whether the Belgian all-rounder would be able to return to title-winning form.
But the 29-year-old quashed any doubts when winning the European title last month in 6848, the third-best score of her career, despite it being her first competition since last July.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62d5ff1dac21b8b435813144.jpg" alt="Belgian heptathlete Nafissatou Thiam at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22" />
Belgian heptathlete Nafissatou Thiam at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
She&rsquo;ll now spend the next month sharpening her form ahead of the Paris Games, where she&rsquo;ll look to make history by becoming the first woman to win three Olympic combined events titles.
&nbsp;
<h2>Lamecha Girma</h2>
If anyone is due a global gold medal, it&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma. The Ethiopian distance runner has contested five global championships to date, and has won silver every time.
But Girma &ndash; who holds world records for the 3000m steeplechase and the indoor 3000m &ndash; has started 2024 in superb form. He was undefeated indoors, then set PBs of 12:58.96 for 5000m and 3:53.82 for the mile at the start of the outdoor season. Last month, he clocked a world-leading 8:01.63 in the steeplechase in Stockholm.
With world and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali struggling with a knee injury, perhaps 2024 will be Girma&rsquo;s chance to shine on the global stage.

The XXXIII Olympic Games

Some of the sport’s biggest stars, as well as some newer names, have excelled in recent weeks

Ten stars set to shine bright at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe travelled to Ukraine this past weekend and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the capital city of Kyiv, on Constitution Day, Friday 28 June 2024. During the meeting the following topics were discussed:
<ul>
<li>President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, for the assistance provided to Ukrainian athletes and their families.</li>
<li>President Coe underscored World Athletics&rsquo; unwavering support for the people and athletes of Ukraine as they defend themselves against ongoing Russian aggression.</li>
<li>President Coe committed to continue financially supporting Ukrainian athletes through the Ukraine Fund, together with the International Athletics Foundation (IAF) and Members of the Diamond League Association. The fund provides support to professional athletes affected by the conflict in their home country, ensuring they can continue to train, qualify for and participate in World Athletics Series events and the World Athletics Championships.</li>
<li>The Head of State expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the IAF to the affected Ukrainian athletes, coaches and their families.</li>
</ul>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66827e7c2a4f2c2f4ed52eeb.jpg" alt="World Athletics President Sebastian Coe meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine" />
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine
</div>
<ul>
<li>President Zelenskyy also commended the decisions made by World Athletics in early March 2022 to prevent representatives of Russia and Belarus from participating in any international athletics competitions.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Thank you for your strong steps and decisions. Russia needs to feel that its terrorist war will cause its athletes to be treated accordingly. And that the price for this war is very high,&rdquo; the President of Ukraine emphasised.</li>
<li>President Coe condemned the loss of Ukraine&rsquo;s sports infrastructure, which has seen more than 500 sports facilities been damaged or destroyed, with more than 400 athletes killed during the war.</li>
<li>World Athletics committed to work with the Ukrainian Government in the lobbying of international organisations and national governments to help financially support the reconstruction and development of these facilities.</li>
<li>Both parties discussed exploring other initiatives and further support for Ukrainian athletes, including the creation of a programme focused around supporting 18-22-year-old athletes and their coaches, so they can continue to compete in athletics at international level.</li>
<li>President Coe shared information with President Zelenskyy around a new holistic initiative based on World Athletics' Kids Athletics programme, aimed at leveraging athletics to support mental health and well-being. The programme, focused on children in Ukraine who have been deprived of parental care due to the war, would include sports camps, using athletics to promote mental wellbeing, life skills sessions, and community-building activities to help children cope with trauma and loss.</li>
<li>President Coe invited President Zelenskyy to attend athletics at the Olympic Games in Paris as his personal guest, should the President&rsquo;s schedule allow.</li>
</ul>

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe travelled to Ukraine this past weekend and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine

President Coe’s meeting with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe travelled to Ukraine on Friday 28 June &ndash; Ukraine&rsquo;s Constitution Day &ndash; to witness first-hand how the country&rsquo;s athletes are coping as they prepare to compete in their first Olympic Games since the war.
More than 500 sports facilities in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed during the ongoing Russian aggression, several of which Coe visited during his time in the country. The impact on Ukraine&rsquo;s infrastructure has made it extremely difficult for athletes at all levels in the sport to train and compete.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/668289c0bd180b0df491e8e1.JPG" alt="World Athletics President Sebastian Coe in Ukraine" />
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe visited the site of a missile attack in Kyiv that destroyed the gym, the congress hall and the exhibition center of the Art Academy
</div>
In 2022, World Athletics &ndash; together with the International Athletics Foundation (IAF) and members of the Diamond League Association &ndash; set up the Ukraine Fund to provide support to professional athletes affected by the conflict in their home country, ensuring they can continue to train, qualify for and participate in World Athletics Series events and the World Athletics Championships.
The fund was renewed in 2023, and was pivotal in helping Ukraine field a team of 29 athletes for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. As well as paying for travel and accommodation for elite athletes at training camps, support also included purchasing equipment to replace items that have been destroyed during missile attacks.
Coe attended the Ukrainian Championships in Lviv on Saturday 29 June and spent several hours meeting with the competitors, many of whom have benefitted from the World Athletics Ukraine Fund over the past 24 months. Like many national championships around the world, the competition doubled as the country&rsquo;s Olympic trials, forming a key stepping stone for Ukrainian athletes as they prepare for the Olympic Games in Paris.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66828ad4bd180b0df491e8f3.JPG" alt="Sebastian Coe with Ukrainian athletes ahead of the Ukrainian Championships" />
Sebastian Coe with Ukrainian athletes ahead of the Ukrainian Championships
</div>
"Having met with the Ukrainian team at our World Championships in Oregon in 2022, last year in Budapest, and most recently at the European Athletics Championships in Rome, I consistently told them, 'If you can come to our championships, I can come to yours&rsquo;. So, it was important for me to be here this weekend at their national championships ahead of the Paris Olympics,&rdquo; said Coe.
&ldquo;I have been deeply moved by the resilience and determination of the athletes. As we arrived at the stadium, an air raid siren was sounding and delayed the 200m start. This is the stark and sobering reality and challenges the athletes face day-in, day-out."
Ahead of the championships, Coe also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday, who thanked World Athletics for the assistance provided to Ukrainian athletes and their families over the past two years.
&ldquo;Thank you for your strong steps and decisions,&rdquo; said Zelenskyy, who also commended the decisions made by World Athletics in March 2022 to prevent Russia and Belarus from participating in international athletics competitions. &ldquo;Russia needs to feel that its terrorist war will cause its athletes to be treated accordingly. And that the price for this war is very high."
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66827e942a4f2c2f4ed52eee.jpg" alt="World Athletics President Sebastian Coe meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine" />
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine
</div>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66828ab7bd180b0df491e8f0.JPG" alt="World Athletics President Sebastian Coe with former high jumper Dmytro Demyanyuk and Olha Saladukha" />
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe with former high jumper Dmytro Demyanyuk, who is now serving in the Ukrainian military, and Ukrainian Athletics Federation Acting President Olha Saladukha
</div>
Coe assured Zelenskyy that World Athletics will continue to support Ukraine, not only through the fund, but also in the lobbying of international organisations and national governments in the reconstruction of sports facilities in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy was also informed of World Athletics&rsquo; plans for a new holistic initiative based on World Athletics&rsquo; Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme, focused on children in Ukraine who have been deprived of parental care due to the war. The plan would include sports camps, using athletics to promote mental wellbeing, life skills sessions, and community-building activities to help children cope with trauma and loss.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66828a78bd180b0df491e8ea.JPG" alt="Sebastian Coe with young athletes in Ukraine" /></div>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66828a62bd180b0df491e8e7.JPG" alt="Sebastian Coe with young athletes in Ukraine" /></div>
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66828a07bd180b0df491e8e4.JPG" alt="Sebastian Coe meets young athletes in Ukraine" />
Sebastian Coe meets young athletes in Ukraine
</div>
During his visit, Coe paid homage to fallen athletes at the Marsove Pole war memorial. He also met with Ukrainian Athletics Federation Acting President Olha Saladukha, World Athletics Council Member Nataliia Dobrynska, Ukrainian Olympic Committee President Vadym Hutsait, Acting Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Matviy Bidnyi, and Vice-Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Viktoriia Ryasna.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe travelled to Ukraine to witness first-hand how the country’s athletes are coping as they prepare for the Olympics

Coe visits Ukrainian Championships and athletes, meets with President Zelenskyy

The record books were rewritten on the final day of the US Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday (30). Championship records fell in every track event final, culminating in Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaking her own world record* in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles.
McLaughlin-Levrone stunned with her time of 50.65, improving on the previous record by 0.03. Crowds have now witnessed her break the world record at Hayward Field four times throughout her career.
&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s something really exciting about trying to figure out how to improve upon history in whatever capacity that looks like,&rdquo; McLaughlin-Levrone said. &ldquo;That always is something that I&rsquo;m looking at, and I&rsquo;m just grateful that thus far we&rsquo;ve been able to continue to do it.
&ldquo;I would love to dip under 50 at some point,&rdquo; she said when asked how fast she thought she could go. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s this year, I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s next year, but always chipping away, seeing what&rsquo;s possible, and continuing to just improve.&rdquo;
With her win, McLaughlin-Levrone confirmed her place on her third Olympic team.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it ever gets old, I think it&rsquo;s like reliving that childhood dream over and over again,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really hard team to make so I don&rsquo;t take it for granted and I don&rsquo;t take it lightly. I just want to do the best that I can and represent Team USA.&rdquo;
Behind her, Anna Cockrell and NCAA champion Jasmine Jones ran PBs of 52.64 and 52.77 respectively to punch their tickets to Paris. Shamier Little was fourth in 52.98, marking the first time four women have finished inside 53 seconds in any 400m hurdles race in history.
Olympic silver medallist Rai Benjamin ran a world-leading 46.46 to win the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be phenomenal in Paris,&rdquo; said Benjamin, who holds the North American record of 46.17. &ldquo;One meet at a time, one round at a time, and if the conditions are right, and the circumstance is right, there&rsquo;s gonna be fireworks.&rdquo;
CJ Allen finished second in 47.81 and world bronze medalist Trevor Bassitt was third in 47.82, both season&rsquo;s bests.
World indoor fourth-place finisher Masai Russell had the race of her life in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, running a world-leading 12.25 to set a championship record and move to fifth on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;It was just confirmation that I&rsquo;m exactly where I need to be,&rdquo; Russell said. &ldquo;I told myself that I deserve to win, I deserve to be here, I deserve to be an Olympian&hellip; I&rsquo;m an Olympic Trials champion and I&rsquo;m ready to be an Olympic champion next.&rdquo;
Joining Russell in Paris will be 2023 US indoor champion Alaysha Johnson, who was second in a PB of 12.31, and NCAA champion Grace Stark, who clocked the same time in third. 2019 world champion Nia Ali (12.37) and former world record-holder Keni Harrison (12.39) were fourth and sixth. It was the first time in history that six women have finished inside 12.40 in a 100m hurdles race.
An electric men&rsquo;s 800m saw all three of the podium-finishers run under 1:44. World indoor champion Bryce Hoppel ran a nearly half-second PB of 1:42.77 to break Johnny Gray&rsquo;s long-standing championship record of 1:42.80.
Hoppel&rsquo;s time is the fourth-fastest in the world this year and elevates him to third on the US all-time list. World road mile champion Hobbs Kessler, Hoppel&rsquo;s training partner who earlier in the week qualified for the Olympic team in the 1500m, ran a PB of 1:43.64 to place second. Brandon Miller finished third in 1:43.97.
The women&rsquo;s 1500m final was historically deep, with the top eight athletes all running personal bests and finishing inside four minutes. World indoor silver medallist Nikki Hiltz crossed the line as champion in 3:55.33, a PB by more than four seconds that moves Hiltz to second on the US all-time list.
World indoor bronze medallist Emily Mackay was second in 3:55.90 and world indoor 3000m champion Elle St Pierre was third in 3:55.99. St Pierre also qualified in the 5000m, but told reporters she would likely only be competing in the 1500m in Paris.
Bridget Williams, Katie Moon, and Brynn King all cleared 4.73m to form the podium in the women&rsquo;s pole vault, with their placings determined on countback. Pan-American Games champion Williams was first, with defending Olympic champion Moon second and King earning a PB (and the Olympic qualifying standard) in third. Olympic silver medallist and two-time world indoor champion Sandi Morris was fourth with 4.68m.
Grant Fisher, the winner of the men&rsquo;s 10,000m, added the 5000m title to his name on Sunday, winning in a championship record of 13:08.85.
NCAA champion Salif Mane launched into the lead with his very first attempt in the men&rsquo;s triple jump final and never looked back. He secured the win and the Olympic qualifying standard with a PB of 17.52m.
Elsewhere, world indoor silver medallist Shelby McEwen cleared 2.30m to win the men&rsquo;s high jump, while world finalist Daniel Haugh claimed victory in the hammer with a season&rsquo;s best of 79.51m.
Maggie Malone Hardin won the women&rsquo;s javelin on her first attempt with a championship record of 64.58m. 2022 world silver medallist Kara Winger, who recently came out of retirement, was second with 62.94m.
Jessi Gabriel for World Athletics
 *Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Olympic champion clocks 50.65

McLaughlin-Levrone breaks world 400m hurdles record at US Trials

Ackera Nugent, Kishane Thompson and Shericka Jackson produced the standout performances at the Jamaican Championships in Kingston.
Nugent, the 2021 world U20 champion and 2023 NCAA champion, won a competitive women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles final in a Jamaican record of 12.28 (0.5m/s). Her time was briefly a world-leading mark (until Masai Russell clocked 12.25 to win the US title just moments later) and elevates Nugent to equal ninth on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;I am feeling really good,&rdquo; said a beaming Nugent. &ldquo;This is something that I have envisioned; the time is literally saved on my phone. Just being able to come out here, stay focused, execute an excellent race and go faster than I&rsquo;ve ever been is a great feeling to know where I&rsquo;m at this point in the season.&rdquo;
Two-time world champion Danielle Williams made her first Olympic team after finishing second in 12.53. Former national record-holder Janeek Brown was third in 12.61.
Kishane Thompson kicked off the championships in style, cruising to a 9.82 PB in the 100m heats. He then won his semifinal in 9.84, setting up an exciting final showdown against the favourite, Oblique Seville, who ran 9.83 in the other semifinal.&nbsp;&nbsp;
But Seville proved no match for the Stephen Francis-coached Thompson, who powered away from the field to win in a world-leading 9.77 (0.9m/s). The performance is the fastest in the world since 2022 and it moves Thompson to joint ninth on the world all-time list.
Seville claimed second in 9.82, matching his personal best, while Ackeem Blake finished third in 9.92.
&ldquo;This year is the best I&rsquo;ve ever been health-wise,&rdquo; said Thompson, who was racing for the first time since finishing fourth in the Wanda Diamond League final in Eugene in September.
&ldquo;Running the three rounds at this championship has helped me better understand my body and the sport. I was never short on confidence, but I believe I have much more to do as I can run way faster. Deep down, I look forward to some great competition and nice vibes from the top sprinters.&rdquo;
Shericka Jackson won a sprint double as the two-time world 200m champion showed she is rounding into form just in time for the Olympics.
In the 100m, Jackson had to dig deep to fend off the challenge of 19-year-old training partner Tia Clayton, who had set a PB of 10.86 in the semifinals. Jackson won the final in 10.84 (-0.3m/s) ahead of Clayton (10.90) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.94).
Two days later, Jackson won the 200m in a season&rsquo;s best of 22.29 (1.6m/s). Jackson was once again made to work, this time by Lanae-Tava Thomas (22.34) and Niesha Burgher (22.39).
World champion Antonio Watson's Olympic dreams were dashed after 150 metres when he suffered an injury in his 400m heat. Deandre Watkin seized the opportunity and broke the 45-second barrier for the first time to win in 44.48, ahead of Sean Bailey (44.65) and Jevaughn Powell (44.79).
Malik James-King produced the race of his life when he became the third Jamaican to run the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles inside 48 seconds. He won in 47.42, just 0.08 off the national record held by Roshawn Clarke, who was well beaten into second (48.04).&nbsp;&nbsp;
In the women&rsquo;s equivalent, two-time world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton solidified her status as the nation&rsquo;s top one-lap hurdler with an impressive run of 52.51. She moved to eighth on the world all-time list and second on Jamaica&rsquo;s all-time list behind Melaine Walker&rsquo;s 52.42. Janieve Russell (53.33) and Shiann Salmon (53.71) took second and third.
In a closely contested men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles final, Commonwealth champion Rasheed Broadbell (13.18) got the verdict just ahead of Orlando Bennett (13.18). Olympic champion Hansle Parchment was a close third in 13.19. He finished in exactly the same position at the 2021 Jamaican Championships before going on to win Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Twenty-year-old Bryan Levell took the men&rsquo;s 200m title in 19.97 (1.3m/s), his second PB of the weekend following his 9.98 run in the 100m semifinals. Andrew Hudson was second in 20.02.
NCAA champion and national record-holder Nikisha Pryce coasted to victory in the women&rsquo;s 400m in 50.01, winning by more than half a second from Stacey-Ann Williams (50.56). Junelle Bromfield, who almost took a break from athletics after losing her brother in the off-season, came through to take third place.
Traves Smikle won his sixth national discus title with 67.08m. He&rsquo;ll be joined on the Olympic team by Roja Stona (65.29m) and Ralford Mullings (64.92m). 2019 world silver medallist Fedrick Dacres was fourth.
Elsewhere, Carey McLeod won the men&rsquo;s long jump with 8.38m and Shanieka Ricketts bounded out to 14.50m to win the women&rsquo;s triple jump.
Noel Francis for World Athletics
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7211616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> 
<h2>Caudery and Asher-Smith among winners at UK Championships</h2>
Molly Caudery retained her national pole vault title, while five championship records fell at the UK Championships in Manchester.
Competing in wet conditions, world indoor champion Caudery &ndash; who set a British record of 4.92m a week prior &ndash; cleared 4.83m to win and then attempted 4.93m.
Dina Asher-Smith produced her fastest run since the 2022 World Championships to win the 200m in a championship record of 22.18 (-0.7m/s), comfortably beating Daryll Neita (22.46) and Amy Hunt (22.78).
Amber Anning won the 400m in a championship record of 50.47 to finish ahead of Laviai Nielsen (50.92), while Alastair Chalmers took the men's 400m hurdles in 48.54, breaking a championship record that had stood to Edwin Moses since 1979.
There were also championship records in both steeplechase finals. Phil Norman won the men's title in 8:18.65, an agonising 0.15 outside the Olympic qualifying standard. Lizzie Bird clocked 9:29.67 in challenging conditions to win the women's final.
There were surprises in the middle-distances as European silver medallist Georgia Bell outkicked Laura Muir to win the 1500m,&nbsp; 4:10.69 to 4:11.59. And world 1500m champion Josh Kerr collided with Elliot Giles in the men's 800m, both eventually trailing home several seconds behind the winner Ben Pattison, who clocked 1:45.49 to Max Burgin's 1:46.01.
Seventeen-year-old Phoebe Gill held off a strong challenge from world indoor silver medallist Jemma Reekie to win the women's 800m in 1:58.66, becoming the youngest winner at the British Championships since 1974. Reekie was second in 1:59.28.
European silver medallist Charlie Dobson set a stadium record of 44.56 to take the men's 400m. European record-holder for that distance Matthew Hudson-Smith stepped down to the 200m and took the title in a PB of 20.34.
NCAA champion Louie Hinchliffe, who is coached by Carl Lewis, ran 10.18 (-0.8m/s) to win his first national 100m title, while Neita clocked 11.24 (-1.5m/s) to regain her 100m crown.
Cindy Sember secured a spot at her third Olympics by winning a fifth national 100m hurdles title in 12.85 (-1.8m/s).
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7213161" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> 
At a rainy French Championships in Angers, the women's 400m hurdles final exceeded all expectations.
European silver medallist Louise Maraval was pushed all the way by Shana Grebo. Maraval held on to win by just 0.07, winning in 53.71 to Grebo's 53.78 as the duo became just the second and third French women to break 54 seconds for the discipline.
The women&rsquo;s 100m title was claimed by Gemima Joseph in a PB of 11.01 (1.3m/s) ahead of Chloe Galet who ran 11.14 after clocking a PB of 11.11 in the heats.
European champion Gabriel Tual won the men's 800m in 1:43.99, finishing exactly one second ahead of Benjamin Robert.
World finalist Sasha Zhoya overcame a scare in the 110m hurdles to take the title. His blocks slipped in the heats and he almost pulled up, assuming the race would be restarted. When no recall gun sounded, he got back into his running and went on to gain one of the automatic qualifying spots for the final. In the final, he got off to a much better start and won in 13.32 (-1.1m/s).
Pauline Lett topped the 100m hurdles with a 12.94 PB and Alice Finot set a championship record of 9:29.78 to win her fourth national 3000m steeplechase title.
<a href="http://bases.athle.fr/asp.net/liste.aspx?frmbase=resultats&amp;frmmode=1&amp;frmespace=0&amp;frmcompetition=291389" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> 
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
At the Canadian trials in Montreal, world champion Marco Arop cruised to a championship record of 1:43.53 in his 800m heat, then returned to the track 24 hours later to win the final in 1:43.71.
Jazz Shukla took the women's two-lap title in 1:58.20, elevating her to second on the Canadian all-time list.
Olympic 200m champion and 100m bronze medallist Andre De Grasse won a close race in the shorter discipline, clocking 10.20 (-0.3m/s) ahead of Eliezer Adjibi (10.23) and Aaron Brown (10.25), who like De Grasse ran 10.10 in the heats.
The women&rsquo;s title was claimed by national record-holder Audrey Leduc in 11.20 (0.1m/s), following a 11.09 run in the heats.
Alysha Newman cleared 4.75m to win the pole vault before attempting 4.85m, which would have improved her own national record, while world indoor champion Sarah Mitton won the shot put with 19.62m.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7207284" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
World silver medallist Leonardo Fabbri continued his superb shot-putting form at the Italian Championships in La Spezia.
The European champion won by almost two metres with 22.11m, his eighth successive victory beyond 22 metres this outdoor season.
In a race missing Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, Matteo Melluzzo won the men's 100m in 10.12 (1.0m/s), while European champion Lorenzo Simonelli clocked 13.18 (-1.3m/s) to capture the 110m hurdles crown.
National record-holder and world indoor 60m bronze medallist Zaynab Dosso won the women&rsquo;s 100m in 11.20 (0.8m/s) and Giada Carmassi the 100m hurdles in a PB of 12.87 (0.4m/s).
The 5000m titles were won by European champion Nadia Battocletti in 15:24.69 and Pietro Arese in 13:35.97.
Roberta Bruni cleared 4.55m to win the pole vault.&nbsp;
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7209929" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> 
<h2>Ingebrigtsen completes national 1500m and 5000m double</h2>
Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen achieved a national 1500m and 5000m double on his home track in Sandnes, winning the shorter event at the Norwegian Championships on Friday (28) and following that with 5000m victory on Saturday (29).
In the 1500m he ran 3:34.03 in cool and blustery conditions and one day later he clocked a 5000m championship record of 13:14.36, leading the top five under 13:25. World bronze medallist Narve Gilje Nordas was a close second in 13:14.99.
Henriette Jaeger also set a championship record and achieved a national title double, winning the 200m in 22.86 (1.6m/s) after taking the 400m crown in 51.69. Decathlete Sander Skotheim jumped 7.94m to win the long jump.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7203633" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> 
Five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek won the hammer ahead of Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki at the Polish Championships in Bydgoszcz on Friday (28), surpassing 80 metres for the first time this season with 80.02m to Nowicki&rsquo;s 75.89m.
Natalia Kaczmarek, who improved the Polish record to 48.98 at the European Championships, clocked 50.77 to retain the national 400m title. Jakub Szymanski&nbsp;won the 110m hurdles in 13.25 (1.1m/s) to equal the national record, while Pia Skrzyszowska topped the 100m hurdles in 12.67 (0.5m/s).
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7204650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> 
At the Swiss Championships in Winterthur, 2022 world indoor 60m champion Mujinga Kambundji achieved a sprint double, winning the 100m in 11.01 (0.2m/s) and the 200m in 22.42.
William Reais did the same in the men&rsquo;s events, winning the 100m in 10.26 and 200m in 20.27. Annik Kalin was another double winner, earning titles in the long jump (6.82m) and 100m hurdles (12.97).
Four athletes dipped below the Olympic qualification standard in the women's 800m on Saturday (29), led by Rachel Pellaud in a PB of 1:58.60. She was followed by world U20 silver medallist Audrey Werro (1:58.67), Valentina Rosamilla (1:58.69) and Lore Hoffmann (1:59.26).
Jason Joseph won the 110m hurdles in 13.26, finishing 0.12 ahead of Simon Ehammer, who had earlier won the long jump (8.03m). Elsewhere, Lionel Spitz was just 0.02 off the Swiss record in winning the men&rsquo;s 400m in 45.01, while Angelica Moser cleared 4.65m to claim the pole vault title.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7210162" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> 
Owen Ansah became the first German sprinter to dip below 10 seconds for 100m, running 9.99 (0.5m/s) at the German Championships in Braunschweig on Saturday (29).
Taking 0.02 off Julian Reus' eight-year-old national record, Ansah also achieved the qualification mark for the Paris Olympics. Behind him, Joshua Hartmann was second in a PB of 10.06.
The women&rsquo;s title was won by Gina Luckenkemper in 11.04 ahead of Alexandra Burghardt in 11.26.
Olympic and world fourth-place finisher Julian Weber won his fourth consecutive national javelin title, throwing 86.63m to capture the crown again ahead of 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler with 76.84m.
Kristin Pudenz secured her sixth national discus title in a row, throwing 65.93m.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7213792" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> 
Over at the Greek Championships in Volos, Emmanouil Karalis improved his own national pole vault record by a centimetre to 5.93m before attempting 6.00m.&nbsp;
Among the performances at the Chinese Championships in Rizhao was a Chinese U20 record of 10.06 (1.1m/s) by 17-year-old He Jinxian to win the 100m.&nbsp;Yan Ziyi won the javelin ahead of&nbsp;Lyu Huihui,&nbsp;63.51m to 61.50m.

Kishane Thompson and Shericka Jackson stormed to 100m wins on day two of the Jamaican Championships in Kingston on Friday

National championships round-up: Nugent and Thompson impress in Jamaica

World leads in the sprints highlighted action during the second half of the US Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Six-time world champion Noah Lyles added another Olympic Trials title to his collection with his victory in the men&rsquo;s 200m on Saturday in a world-leading 19.53. Michael Johnson&rsquo;s meeting record of 19.66 had stood since 1996 before Lyles broke it in his semi-final (19.60), then broke it again in the final. The feat strengthened Lyles&rsquo; case for four gold medals at the Olympic Games in Paris.
&ldquo;You claim you&rsquo;re gonna go out there and win four medals, so the goal had to be win the 100m and 200m &ndash; job is accomplished,&rdquo; Lyles said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m right where I need to be.&rdquo;
Lyles led five athletes under 20 seconds, showcasing the depth of the US men. He was pushed to the line by Olympic silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, who took 0.08 off his personal best with his second-place performance of 19.59. World silver medallist Erriyon Knighton was third in a season&rsquo;s best of 19.77.
Saturday also saw Olympic bronze medallist Gabby Thomas take the crown in the women&rsquo;s 200m in 21.81, having clocked a world-leading 21.78 in her semifinal.
&ldquo;I feel like everything&rsquo;s coming together right where it needs to and I&rsquo;ve done my job,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;Now we&rsquo;re looking at the gold medal.&rdquo;
Brittany Brown, the 2019 world silver medallist, placed second in a PB of 21.90, with NCAA champion McKenzie Long taking third in 21.91. Both earned their first Olympic berths. World 100m champion Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson was fourth, running 22.16 after equalling her PB of 21.92 in the semifinals.
There were fireworks in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles final on Friday evening as Grant Holloway led a trio of men under 13 seconds. Holloway, who has won the past three world titles, took the victory in 12.86, the second-fastest time of his career and just 0.06 shy of the world record. He will be looking to improve upon his silver medal performance from the Tokyo Olympics.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re training for that moment, and that moment only comes every four years,&rdquo; Holloway said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not training to be Olympic gold medallist, then what the hell are you doing? That&rsquo;s my mentality.&rdquo;
Freddie Crittenden, the fourth-place finisher from last year&rsquo;s World Championships, placed second in a PB of 12.93, with world bronze medallist Daniel Roberts rounding out the podium in a PB of 12.96.
Olympic champion Valarie Allman was dominant in winning the women&rsquo;s discus on Thursday with 70.73m. With the exception of one foul, all her throws in the finals were beyond 67 metres. Jayden Ulrich (62.63m) and Veronica Fraley (62.54m) placed second and third respectively.
World silver medallist Tara Davis-Woodhall survived a scare in the women&rsquo;s long jump final after fouling her first two attempts. She recorded a mark in the third round which granted her three more jumps, and she moved into the lead with her wind-assisted fifth-round leap of 7.00m (2.6m/s). That would prove good enough for the win, with Jasmine Moore right behind her at 6.98m.
Monae&rsquo; Nichols moved into third on her final jump. Her mark of 6.86m is also the exact distance of the Olympic qualifying standard, guaranteeing her spot in Paris.
Two-time world champion Chase Jackson led a solid contingent of US women&rsquo;s shot putters to earn a spot on her first Olympic team. Jackson&rsquo;s best mark of 20.10m was a season&rsquo;s best. Olympic silver medallist Raven Saunders threw 19.90m (also a season&rsquo;s best) to get second, with NCAA champion and collegiate record-holder Jaida Ross finishing third (19.60m).
The women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase final was a barn burner with the top nine finishers setting PBs. Valerie Constien triumphed in a championship record of 9:03.22, 15 seconds quicker than her pre-2024 PB. Constien&rsquo;s swift time is made all the more remarkable considering she underwent knee surgery just a year ago.
Courtney Wayment was second in 9:06.50 and Marisa Howard was third in 9:07.14. The podium finishers moved to third, fourth and fifth respectively on the US all-time list.
Weini Kelati, the only woman in the field with the Olympic qualifying standard, came out on top of the women&rsquo;s 10,000m in 31:41.07. Parker Valby and Karissa Schweizer battled down the home stretch, both recording a time of 31:41.56 with Valby taking silver by four-thousandths of a second.
Sunday (30) will see the conclusion of the US Olympic Trials, with 11 event finals on deck. World record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will highlight the day&rsquo;s competition after her world-leading 52.48 in the 400m hurdles semifinals on Saturday.
Jessi Gabriel for World Athletics

World leads in the sprints highlighted action during the second half of the US Olympic Trials

Lyles, Thomas and Holloway dash to world leads at US Olympic Trials

World Athletics has maintained its position in the highest band in the <a href="https://www.asoif.com/sites/default/files/download/progressing_towards_better_international_federation_governance.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fifth review of International Federation Governance</a> conducted by ASOIF (the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations).
In the previous review, published two years ago, World Athletics had progressed from the A2 band to A1, marking continued significant progress from the first review, published in 2017.
In ASOIF&rsquo;s latest review, published this week, World Athletics maintained its place in the top tier, alongside six other international sports federations.
Over the past eight years World Athletics has placed a particular focus on improving governance, structures and processes within the organisation. This included the introduction of major constitutional changes in 2017 and 2019 to ensure that World Athletics meets the expected standards of governance for a modern global organisation.
They also included the creation of the Athletics Integrity Unit, vetting and disciplinary processes, inclusion of the athlete&rsquo;s voice to the ruling Council and progress on gender equality at all levels of the sport through the work of the Gender Leadership Taskforce.
World Athletics&rsquo; reforms detailed a requirement to have 13 members of each gender elected to the World Athletics Council by 2027 &ndash; a target that was achieved last year, four years earlier than the reform roadmap prescribed.
The ASOIF governance review also recognised World Athletics as an exemplary organisation for its World Plan, annual report, gender balance, integrity investigations, safeguarding, Athletes&rsquo; Commission, publication of open positions, member governance compliance, development financial transparency, bid allocation, and data protection.
World Athletics President and ASOIF Council Member Sebastian Coe thanked the ASOIF Governance Taskforce for its commitment to promoting good governance and said he was determined to build on the work achieved during the reform process, adding: &ldquo;I am immensely proud to stand at the helm of an exemplary international federation. Our recognition as an A1 federation is testament to the hard work and the long journey World Athletics has done in recent years to get itself to this gold-standard level.
&ldquo;I would also like to acknowledge the collective improvement among international federations &ndash; the report shows the step-change across the vast majority of international federations as they strive to become models of good governance. It is important that these efforts and the progress made is recognised across the Olympic movement.&rdquo;

World Athletics has maintained its position in the highest band in the fifth review of International Federation Governance conducted by ASOIF

World Athletics remains top tier federation in ASOIF governance review

When Ingrid Kristiansen lined up for the 5000m at the 1984 Bislett Games, she was known as the former international cross country skier who had just become Europe&rsquo;s fastest ever woman in the marathon.
It was only six weeks previously that the 28-year-old mother from the Viking stronghold of Trondheim had made her major breakthrough in athletics, storming through halfway in the London Marathon in a blistering 1:10:52 en route to a winning time of 2:24:26.
In the process, Kristiansen first peeped out of the considerable shadow of the great Grete Waitz as another formidable Norse to be reckoned with on the global running stage.
The London run elevated her to second spot on the world all-time list, behind the 2:22:43 recorded by Joan Benoit of the US in Boston the previous year, but ahead of Waitz&rsquo;s Norwegian and European record of 2:25:28.7.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/667e8f3c2c3daac64e9aa710.jpg" alt="Ingrid Kristiansen (F1) in action at the 1984 London Marathon" />
Ingrid Kristiansen (F1) in action at the 1984 London Marathon (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
It was only fitting that the burgeoning Kristiansen should claim her first world mark on home ground, in the heart of Norway&rsquo;s capital city on the hallowed Bislett Stadium track.
That was 40 years ago, on the evening of 28 June 1984.
<h2>&lsquo;Dead tired&hellip; pushed on by the cheers of the crowd&rsquo;</h2>
The official world record for the women&rsquo;s 5000m stood at 15:08.26 &ndash; to Mary Decker, or Mary Tabb as she had been when she set the figures on home ground at the 1982 edition of the Pre Classic.
In Apartheid South Africa on 5 January 1984 &ndash; and therefore ineligible for recognition &ndash; the barefoot Springbok wunderkind Zola Budd had run 15:01.83 in Stellenbosch. By June of the same year, Budd had already become a British citizen and was on her way to being rubber-stamped in the British team for the Los Angeles Olympics.
That night in Oslo, though, Kristiansen&rsquo;s only rival was the Bislett Stadium clock.
After following Maggie Keyes of the USA through 1000m in 3:02.0, Kristiansen surged clear of the field, reeling off laps of 70-72 seconds.
Passing 3000m in 8:59.8, Kristiansen finished with the flourish of a 68.4 final lap before crossing the line in 14:58.89.
Off marathon training of 170-180km a week, she had become the first woman in history to beat 15 minutes for 5000m.
&ldquo;I was dead tired during the last two laps but I was pushed on by the cheers of the crowd,&rdquo; she confessed.
Aurora Cunha, the future three-time world road race champion from Portugal, finished a distant runner up in 15:09.07, followed by Briton Angela Tooby (15:22.50).
Back in sixth was Portugal&rsquo;s European marathon champion Rosa Mota (15:30.63) &ndash; followed by Tooby&rsquo;s twin sister, Susan (15:44.58), future mother of 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman.
<h2>Holding a distance world record triple</h2>
Kristiansen was to go quicker over 12.5 laps. At London&rsquo;s Crystal Palace in 1985, she clocked 14:57.43 but lost the world record to Budd, a clear winner in 14:48.07.
In Stockholm in 1986, however, Kristiansen reclaimed the record with a stunning 14:37.33.
That year she was at her zenith on the track, improving her own 10,000m world record by almost 46 seconds with a 30:13:74 run at Bislett.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/667e8f642c3daac64e9aa713.jpg" alt="Ingrid Kristiansen in action at the 1986 European Championships" />
Ingrid Kristiansen in action at the 1986 European Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Kristiansen was the first runner in history to simultaneously hold world records for 5000m, 10,000m and the marathon.
Returning to the London Marathon in 1985, she brought the women&rsquo;s 2:20 barrier into sight with a 2:21:06 triumph that stood as a world record for 13 years.
Kristiansen also became the first athlete to claim world titles on the track, on the road and over cross country. Twice a winner of the 15km world road race championship, she won the world 10,000m title on the track in Rome in 1987 and the world cross country crown in Auckland in 1988.
<h2>Big heart and big lungs</h2>
Many attributed Kristiansen&rsquo;s phenomenal success to the physiological benefits she had gained from giving birth to her first son, Gaute, in 1983. She felt it was more the edge she had gained from years of competitive cross-country skiing.
&ldquo;I think it came from my cross-country skiing career,&rdquo; she asserted. &ldquo;It gave me a big heart and big lungs, and when I got my legs trained for running I was maybe a little bit ahead of the other runners at the time.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/667e8ef42c3daac64e9aa70d.jpg" alt="Norwegian distance runner Ingrid Kristiansen" />
Norwegian distance runner Ingrid Kristiansen (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
As a cross-country skiing prodigy, Kristiansen won the European junior title in 1974, was selected as a reserve for the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck in 1976, and finished 15th in the World Championships 20km race in 1978.
She decided to concentrate on competitive skiing for several years after making the Norwegian team for the 1971 European Athletics Championships as a 15-year-old 1500m runner, Ingrid Christensen. But she got bumped off the track in her heat in Helsinki and failed to finish the race.
Her roommate in the Finnish capital was a 17-year-old called Grete Andersen, who finished eighth in the other 1500m heat, missing the cut for the final.
She also made a name for herself in future years: as Grete Waitz, the first of Norway&rsquo;s barrier-breaking distance-running duo.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage

Looking back at the first sub-15-minute run in the women's 5000m

Remembering Kristiansen’s barrier-breaking sub-15-minute 5000m

World indoor long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall is renowned for her infectious smile and positive energy.&nbsp;
Welcoming <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/667c2267480865040b6e3fe2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Inside Track</a> to her home and training session, the US athlete talks about the importance of recognising that not every day is perfect and shares her ambitions for Paris 2024 with her husband, Paralympian Hunter Woodhall.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been thinking about the Olympics, since I could even think about being a professional athlete. The Olympics is everything to me,&rdquo; says Davis-Woodhall, who placed sixth on her Olympic debut in Tokyo.
&ldquo;I feel like that first Olympics was: &lsquo;oh my gosh, I&rsquo;m an Olympian&rsquo;. Now it&rsquo;s about getting a gold medal at the Olympics. I feel like that is a whole other dream that I am dreaming.
Click the thumbnail to watch:<a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/667c2267480865040b6e3fe2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/667c30233f5d2bab97cd78b2.jpg" alt="tara 2" /></a>
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s important to show everything because it&rsquo;s like a reality check. People think that we&rsquo;re these superstars and the powerful athletes and power couple, but we are two humans, at the end of the day. I don&rsquo;t show up 110% every single day with the mind that I&rsquo;m going to win the Olympics or with the attitude and determination that I am the best. People have their bad days and I think sharing the good, the bad and the ugly is the most perfect thing to do.
&ldquo;We get wrapped up in just trying to show the best of the best, and I love showing that I&rsquo;m not okay all the time. I love showing that relationships are crazy. I enjoy doing that because I know there is someone out there that can relate, and I feel like when I was younger there was a lot that I couldn&rsquo;t relate to about people. Just showing my authentic self, whatever that comes up as, is a movement in itself. I love showing the authenticity of the Woodhalls.
&ldquo;If there is a young girl out there and you are following me, don&rsquo;t let someone else&rsquo;s thought and opinion about you dictate your life. I feel like a lot of us are looking at other people&rsquo;s lives and wishing that they could be that person, but you are your own person for a reason &ndash; yes you can take away inspiration from people but be your own self. Don&rsquo;t ever give up on yourself. Live your life to the fullest and have fun.&rdquo;

World Athletics Inside Track meets world indoor long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall

Tara Davis-Woodhall: authenticity

The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/667d62bb016ca1d990e5a3d3" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/667d62bb016ca1d990e5a3d3">World Athletics Inside Track Podcast</a> welcomes athletics royalty into the studio, with USA&rsquo;s nine-time Olympic gold medallist and &ldquo;King of the GOATs&rdquo; Carl Lewis joining the chat.&nbsp;
Podcast hosts Sanya Richards-Ross and Kelly Sotherton met up with the sprint and long jump legend at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 to discuss his own career, innovation in the sport and his role as a coach.
Lewis, who claimed five global 4x100m titles during his career, was the World Athletics ambassador for the World Athletics Relays in Nassau last month. He opened the podcast by sharing his thoughts on the format of the competition, where 14 teams in each of the five disciplines being contested in Nassau &ndash; the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x400m plus the mixed 4x400m &ndash; <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/world-athletics-relays-bahamas-24-7193343/news/press-releases/olympic-relay-fields-formed-wre-bahamas-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/world-athletics-relays-bahamas-24-7193343/news/press-releases/olympic-relay-fields-formed-wre-bahamas-24">automatically qualified for places at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games</a>.
&ldquo;I like the format,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It makes it more compelling because you&rsquo;re doing relays more specifically for the World Championships and the Olympic Games, and I like the youth involvement. If you can bridge that gap between the young people and the professional athletes, I think it&rsquo;s a great thing.&rdquo;
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/667d62bb016ca1d990e5a3d3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/667d39129a6c56efc8964126.jpg" alt="carl lewis" /></a>
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In April, World Athletics announced it will become the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/news/article/world-athletics-introduces-prize-money-for-olympic-gold-medallists" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/news/article/world-athletics-introduces-prize-money-for-olympic-gold-medallists">first international federation to award prize money at an Olympic Games</a>, rewarding athletes who win a gold medal in each of the 48 athletics events in Paris in August with US$50,000.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a fabulous idea,&rdquo; said Lewis. &ldquo;The Olympics has always been, well, &lsquo;be happy to be here and monetise it yourself&rsquo;.
&ldquo;What I would love to see by 2028 in Los Angeles is not only are all the medallists getting it (prize money), but it's sponsored. You know, &lsquo;the World Athletics Olympic programme sponsored by XYZ&rsquo; and they're paying all of that. I mean, one great thing that a lot of the big professional sports do is that they make money out of everything.&rdquo;
Asked to reflect on a standout moment from his own career, from the Olympics to World Championships or another competition, Lewis replied: &ldquo;If you take it that deep, it was in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1978 &ndash; my junior year in high school. I jumped 25 feet (7.62m) for the first time, when I was just turned 17. At that moment, I said: &lsquo;I can jump far&rsquo;. So, I made up my mind to try to break the high school record, which was 8.05m. Then, I broke the high school record &ndash; I jumped 8.13m when I was 18. That of course did it. If you go to the Olympic era, you have to say the Tokyo 100m and Atlanta long jump.&rdquo;
Episodes of the Inside Track Podcast are available via the usual podcast platforms including on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inside-track-the-official-podcast-of-world-athletics/id1733061742" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inside-track-the-official-podcast-of-world-athletics/id1733061742">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6OGo4XNfgZ3GSiXes6OO8u?si=c976714bf56b4d18" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6OGo4XNfgZ3GSiXes6OO8u?si=c976714bf56b4d18">Spotify</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;the <a href="https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/">Sport Social Podcast Network</a> &ndash; while fans can also watch the show on the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos">World Athletics website</a>.
With an evolving presenter line-up, the podcast will return later in the year with an all-star cast providing a preview to the events at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Find it all on <a href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track">Inside Track</a>.

The World Athletics Inside Track Podcast welcomes athletics royalty into the studio, with USA’s nine-time Olympic gold medallist and “King of the GOATs” Carl Lewis joining the chat

2018 world indoor 60m hurdles champion Pozzi retires

Kipyegon and Duplantis return to Paris

MOWA Olympic Athletics Collection on display in Paris

Ratified: world records for Charlton and Jepchirchir

Path to Paris: French women's 4x100m