• 1,500. Hasass sweeps: believing in her is an act of faith
  • Dalilah Muhammad.The world record of the daughter of the imam
  • Spain: The IAAF awards the bronze to Orlando Ortega for a desperate resource from Spain

A few minutes before they would Khalifa stadium lights Doha, giant screens offered a summary of the World, about three minutes of highlights and the compilation showed that almost no one will remember this championship. The record pitcher Daniel Stahl appeared , a guy able to deny a photo to one of the few children present at the stadium, celebrating his gold with histrionic gestures; Noah Lyles pointing to his mark in the 200 meters, that is, reminding the planet that the extraordinary times of Usain Bolt ended; Sifan Hassan emerged, whose coach Alberto Salazar was disabled by doping this week, celebrating his double at 1,500 and 10,000 meters; then Jonathan Busby fainted on the goal after about 5,000 meters eternal ... Ultimately a succession of moments that, perhaps they were entertaining, that surely made some enjoy, but that will not go down in history. At a crucial moment, with the absences of Bolt, David Rudisha, Mo Farah or Caster Semenya , in full restructuring of their International Federation (IAAF), athletics lost an opportunity.

After the extraordinary London World Cup in 2017, the Doha World Cup was a bad idea from the beginning. Corruption in the IAAF locked some athletes in a semi-empty enclosure, exposed others to the worst weather conditions ever and the top officials of the organization still boasted of it. «We cannot afford to stay in 10 or 12 countries. We have to go to new places and, in that sense, this championship has been magnificent, ”argued Sebastian Coe , president of the IAAF, who faced the criticism of his charisma, his legend in the 1,500 meters. «Do I look like someone who does not care about the health of the runners?», Defended himself from the statements of those who put on their shoes and felt helpless.

In addition, the images of the final of the 100 meters, before the moment of greatest expectation, with four cats in the stands were a blow to television audiences and to attract new viewers. "People who put the World Cup will say 'this sport is dying' and will change the channel," said former sprinter Darren Campbell on the BBC and he had plenty of reason. "I disagree. The realization has introduced innovations and the experience for the spectators has been extraordinary. Those responsible for the BBC or NBC are very happy. There has been a lot of level on the track, ”Coe replied as a parapet.

Indeed, the World Cup left extraordinary marks, but only a world record, that of Dalilah Muhammad in the 400 meter hurdles. The feeling is that athletics is increasingly a sport for connoisseurs. The great figure of the contest, Hassan, had a stain on his curriculum; Lyles's resignation at 100 meters prevented him from being placed in the succession of Bolt; in the background, with the victories this Sunday of the Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot and the Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei in the 1,500 and 10,000 meters respectively it was shown that there are no longer figures like Haile Gebreselassie or Farah himself ...

The sport barely exceeded its own borders and, for example, the performance of the Spanish team. Orlando Ortega bronze, with its rarity, after two appeals and a correction of the IAAF, took the headlines, but none of the other actions could draw attention to the uninitiated. The selection left Qatar in the thirtieth place in the medal standings and the twenty-second place in the points classification without new references. Some like Ana Peleteiro or Fernando Carro are close to being, but they still need to ascend one more step. The future, for Spain and for all athletics, is always hopeful; The present is still gray.

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