Doha (AFP)

The level of performance of the World Cups of Doha (Qatar) went up until several anthology moments, some polluted indirectly by the doubt of the doping.

- The world record: 400 m hurdles -

The race of these Championships: the expected duel between the Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad and the young nugget Sydney McLaughlin, both American, delivered an epic race.

Pushed by her ten-year-old cadet, 29-year-old Muhammad broke the world record for the second time this season (52.16 versus 52.20), seeing McLaughlin (19) finish on her heels (52.23), in a time below the old record of the Russian Yulia Pechonkina (52.34 in 2003), beaten three times this year!

Other stratospheric performances: Bahraini Salwa Eid Naser's victory in 48 sec 14/100, 3rd time in history behind East German Marita Koch and Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova, 43.48 from Bahamian Steven Gardiner over 400m (6th all-time performer) and the victory of Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas in the triple jump (15.37m), 4th all-time performance close to the world record of Ukraine's Inessa Kravets (15.50m in 1995).

- Doping: between the lines -

Two cases polluted these Championships. First the discovery of three failures to his anti-doping localization of the American Christian Coleman in August, finally not sanctionable, which accompanied the advent of the sprinter on 100 m (victory in 9.76).

Then the blast Alberto Salazar, the coach of the Nike Oregon Project, suspended four years by the American anti-doping for "organization and incitement to prohibited doping conduct".

Problem? Its athletes leave Doha with five medals, including the titles of the American Donavan Brazier on 800 m (1: 42.34, championship record) and the Dutch Sifan Hassan, on 10,000 m and 1,500 m. This last race gave birth to bewildering chronos, Hassan becoming the 6th performer of all time (3: 51.95) behind the Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba and four Chinese women of the "army of Ma Junren", heavily suspected of doping.

- The competitions: Barshim and the heavyweights -

The most beautiful atmosphere? Certainly during the victory of the very local (he studied close to the stadium) Mutaz Essa Barshim in high jump, pushed by the public for a return to the top after an operation of the left ankle.

And what a contest of the men's shot put! The tough guys have delivered a battle of titans of a level never seen before: the American Joe Kovacs pocketed the final try with a throw at 22.91 m (third performer in history), one centimeter ahead of his compatriot Ryan Crouser (2nd) and New Zealander Tom Walsh (3rd).

- The suspense: bottom and middle distance -

The long distance runners offered superb clashes. In the 5,000-meter race, Ethiopian Muktar Edris (12: 58.85) retained his title following a team race that dominated the 19-year-old Norwegian nugget Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who tried to overturn the table in the last round.

On the 3,000m steeplechase, Kenyan Conseslus Kipruto pulled out in a breathless finish to beat Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma by one hundredth of a second and win his second world crown.

© 2019 AFP