Exhausting Marathon
Due to the heat and high humidity, the organizers of the Doha World Cup decided to hold the first midnight marathon in history. The women started at 23:59 on the first day of the competition, and the competition ended at the second morning. Hopes that the conditions will become more comfortable at night did not materialize. The temperature still exceeded 30 degrees, and the humidity was 73%.
Not everyone managed to withstand such a severe test, which specially prepared extreme marathons usually agree to. Of the 68 participants, only 40 finished. Among those who did not reach the end of the race, there was an entire Ethiopian team that claimed medals.
Gold eventually won the main favorite from Kenya, Ruth Chepngetic, who earlier this year in Dubai set the third time in the history of the women's marathon. In Doha, she ran for 2:32:43 - this result was the lowest in the history of world championships. After 63 seconds, the previous world champion Rose Chelimo, representing Bahrain, reached the finish line.
The bronze was won by 39-year-old Helalia Johannes from Namibia. She became the first woman in her country to win a World Cup medal. The last medalist from Namibia was Frankie Fredricks in 1997. The fourth place in the marathon was taken by the great Edna Kiplagat, who did not have 39 seconds to win her fourth world championship award at age 40. Fifth was the champion of Europe from Belarus Olga Mazurenok. The only representative of Russia Sardan Trofimova ran to the finish line of the 22nd.
A first midnight marathon at a world championship saw Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich earn her first major gold, clocking 2:32:43 in testing heat and humidity.
Our report👇
📰: https: //t.co/mTfytd7YW8pic.twitter.com/n9UummDTL2
Norwegian-British showdown
Fans from Norway and the UK almost declared war on each other. It all started with a 5000 meter race on the first day of the World Cup, in which the Norwegian Jacob Ingebrigtsen took part. A year ago, at the age of 17, he created a sensation by winning the European Championships in 1,500 and 5,000 meters and came to Doha as one of his favorites.
However, shortly after the finish of his race, Ingebrigtsen found out that he was disqualified in three steps off the track. This allowed the British runner Andrew Butchart to reach the final, however, in retaliation, the Norwegian athletics enthusiasts threw him on social networks with angry messages.
The next day it became known that the Norwegians' protest against Ingebrigtsen’s disqualification was satisfied - the judges noted that the runner had physical contact from the opponents, and the violation of the rules did not give him an advantage over the distance. However, now the British have already asked to reconsider the decision, hoping to get Butchart to the finals, for which he again got from the Norwegian fans. They had reason to recall how Ingebrigtsen's elder brother Philip was disqualified at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro at the request of the British side, so that their athlete Charlie Grice went into the semi-final race of 1,500 meters.
View this Instagram post
I've worked harder than ever and it didn't work out 🤷🏼♂️ 🔥. . . . It was a bizarre night and never experienced post race emotion like it. This is what happened for me .... I placed 16th in the heats overall. Top 15 go through. I was pretty upset when it was confirmed that I wasn't going into the final. 5 mins later I heard that on twitter @jakobing had stepped on the infield and was a potential DQ. I said nothing and let the IAAF officials do there job - I continued warm down and recovery. 30 minutes passed, I'm going back to the hotel and I get a message confirming Jakobs disqualification. I am in !!! I had a small q next to my name (meaning qualified). I did all my recovery and went to bed. A few messages came in saying the Norwegians had protested Jakob DQ - I would have done the same. I slept .... when I woke up I was told the protest was successful - so Jakob is in and sadly for me I am out. . . . . I wish Jakob all the best in the final 👍🏼 but to all the Norwegian's ... I never knew I could receive so many hateful messages in such a short period 🥳😘 love you all. . #TeamNB #BionicButchy
Posted by Andrew Butchart 🤘🏼🏴 (@andybutchart) Sep 27, 2019 at 11:28 am PDT
As a result, the track and field federation of Norway had to intervene in the Internet conflict. She appealed to sports fans with a request to stop the persecution of Butchart, who in the end did not appear in the final race.
Badge championship
The Doha World Cup faced another challenge in addition to the weather and housing conditions. Already several strong athletes, claiming medals, refused to go to the start. On the eve of the men's 100-meter star, the winner of the third result of the season, Nigerian Devine Oduduru. The next day, his example was followed by the titled sprinter Blessing Okagbare and the Botswana Nigel Amos, claiming a high result in the run for 800 meters.
In the case of Amos, the cause of failure was injury. He suddenly pulled the Achilles at the warm-up and did not go to the start of the preliminary race. Oddudra and Okagbar have no health problems, but they decided to concentrate on running for 200 meters and relay races, although usually sprinters try not to miss the 100 meters, as they are always riveted by the special attention of the fans.
Winning Missed Tests
Many participants really didn’t make it to the men's 100 meters, as gold and silver were eventually divided by two athletes, behind whom a train of doping scandals stretches. Two Americans were considered the main favorites - the previous world champion Justin Gatlin, who had served a doping suspension twice in his life, and the rising star Chris Coleman, who missed three doping tests for 13 months but did not suffer serious punishment.
The fact that such athletes became the flagships of the most beloved discipline among the fans, the organizers do not consider it a problem. The president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, Sebastian Coe, even stated that he was pleased to see Coleman in Doha, although a few weeks ago an investigation was conducted against him by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
“It is good for our sport that Coleman will perform here at a distance of 100 meters. Yes, testing athletes who must report their location outside the extra-competitive period is a very important part of the whole system, and athletes understand the seriousness of this. I am pleased and pleased that the World Anti-Doping Agency and USADA have considered this situation in terms of rules. We must maintain the reputation of athletes, and I am pleased that he will perform, he will make the competition even more competitive, ”said Coe TASS before the start of the World Cup.
As a result, Coleman not only performed, but also won gold. He spent the final race very easily, immediately taking the lead. He ran the distance in very fast 9.76 seconds. The second to the finish ran the 37-year-old Gatlin. The best athlete who had never violated anti-doping rules was the Canadian Andre de Grass, but the prize for him was only a bronze medal.
9.76
World lead
Personal best
100m world champion @__ coleman 🇺🇸 # WorldAthleticsChampspic.twitter.com / wzmY4JaHK0
Hammer Tears
Coleman's gold was already the second for the US team that day. Earlier, Deanna Price won the women's hammer throw. The Americans never achieved serious success in this discipline and did not win medals at world championships. But the 26-year-old athlete this season managed to throw a hammer at 78.24 m, which was not only the record of North America, but also the best result of the year in the world.
In the absence of Anita Vlodarchik, who won four world championships, no one was able to compete with Price. The third attempt at 77.54 m brought her victory. The American was so glad of her success that she could not hold back her tears and wiped them with her flag. Polish girl Joanna Fyodorov broke her personal record with a throw at 76.35 meters, but she remained second, which she was infinitely happy about anyway. Bronze went to Chinese woman Wang Zheng, who, during the final, was able to move Moldavian Zalina Petrivskaya from the third line.
History maker! @ DeannaPrice32 becomes the first American in history to win a #WorldAthleticsChamps women's throwing event title.
77.54m and a shiny 🥇 to take home for her. pic.twitter.com/4EbSADzrgt
Victory in the second race in life
In the women's 10,000 meter run, the main favorites were the athletes, who for two ran this distance only three times in their lives. The Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, who was born in Ethiopia, and Kenyan Hellen Obiri decided at this world championship to reach a new level for themselves and to conquer a distance at which no other participant could compare with them in titles.
The young Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidei tried to challenge. One and a half kilometers to the finish line, she broke away from the leadership group. Obiri tried to pursue, but could not stand the pace of her rival. And Hassan, having waited for the right moment, was able to correctly decompose and overtake Guidea before the last round. The world record holder in the mile race eventually won her first gold in the summer world championships, her former compatriot became the silver medalist, and Kenyan Agness Jebet Tirop won the bronze for the second time at a distance of 10,000 meters.
Golden girl @SifanHassan 🥇
The Dutchwoman wins the 10,000m in a world-leading 30: 17.62 to clinch the #WorldAthleticsChamps title. pic.twitter.com/Xw0kKEcVy8
Jamaican gold but not on the run
For Jamaican sprinters, the glory of one of the most powerful teams in the world has long been entrenched. At the same time, in other disciplines of athletics, athletes from this Caribbean island have never won victories in technical disciplines at the world championships. In Doha, it was possible to fix it - Tajai Gail, previously unknown to fans, unexpectedly won gold in long jumps.
On the eve of Gail became the 12th in the qualification and was supposed to open the final competition. In his first attempt, the 23-year-old athlete flew to a solid 8.46 m, breaking a personal record. No one ever came close to this mark - neither the previous world champion Luvo Lounga from South Africa, nor the Olympic champion Jeff Henderson from the USA, nor the new sensation in the long jump from Cuba, Juan Miguel Echechevaria, who jumped fantastic 8 this season with the wind. 92 m.
Setting the sky-high bar, Gail began to take risks to improve his result, and he achieved his goal - with a perfect hit on a bar, he then jumped 8.69 meters, which became a knockout for all participants. After that, he did not even have to return to the sector - Henderson was content with silver, and Echechevaria with bronze.
8.69m ✔️
Personal best ✔️
Longest jump in the world this year ✔️
National record ✔️
First Jamaican man in history to win #WorldAthleticsChamps field event gold ✔️
Take a bow, Tajay Gayle 👏 pic.twitter.com/UY7KUinpoX