World Athletics Championship is the highest level of senior outdoor track and field competition, contested over several disciplines including sprinting, middle and long distances, and race walking. Taking place every two years, it is organised by World Athletics (formerly known as the International Association of Athletic Federations) and aims to find the best athletes in each event.
Athletes compete in individual events to earn a gold medal – the ultimate sporting achievement – and a place on the podium. There are also team events such as 4x100m and 4x400m relays, which require synchronised passing of the baton and smooth transitions. Throwing disciplines, from the hammer to the javelin, demand immense strength and precision. Combined events such as the heptathlon and decathlon are true tests of all-round athletic prowess, with athletes scoring points across seven or ten track and field disciplines.
For fans, the World Athletics Championship is a must-see spectacle of record-breaking performances and unforgettable moments. From the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 100m to the lung-busting 400m, sprinting is all about speed and power. Middle and long distance races such as the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m test an athlete’s ability to maintain a sustained pace for lap after lap. Longer endurance events such as the marathon are a true test of stamina.
There was a brilliant British sweep across the middle distances as Keely Hodgkinson won silver in the 800m and Ben Pattison took bronze in the men’s discipline. GB also claimed a bronze in the mixed 4x400m and a silver in the women’s pole vault as they rounded off an excellent week of competition.