The XXXII Olympic Games (Athletics)

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Portugal's Olympic triple jump champion Pedro Pichardo on his way to gold in Tokyo

Double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan

Eliud Kipchoge wins the marathon at the Tokyo Olympic Games

In a landmark decision, World Athletics has today (10 April) announced it will become the first international federation to award prize money at an Olympic Games, financially rewarding athletes for achieving the pinnacle of sporting success, starting at this summer&rsquo;s Olympic Games in Paris.
A total prize pot of US$2.4 million has been ring fenced from the International Olympic Committee&rsquo;s revenue share allocation, which is received by World Athletics every four years. This will be used to reward athletes who win a gold medal in each of the 48 athletics events in Paris with US$50,000.
This initiative by World Athletics also includes a firm commitment to extend the prize money at a tiered level, to Olympic silver and bronze medal winners at the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
When sharing details of the decision, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe commented: "The introduction of prize money for Olympic gold medallists is a pivotal moment for World Athletics and the sport of athletics as a whole, underscoring our commitment to empowering the athletes and recognising the critical role they play in the success of any Olympic Games.
&ldquo;This is the continuation of a journey we started back in 2015, which sees all the money World Athletics receives from the International Olympic Committee for the Olympic Games go directly back into our sport.
&ldquo;We started with the Olympic dividend payments to our Member Federations, which saw us distribute an extra US$5m a year on top of existing grants aimed at athletics growth projects, and we are now in a position to also fund gold medal performances for athletes in Paris, with a commitment to reward all three medallists at the LA28 Olympic Games.
&ldquo;While it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal, or on the commitment and focus it takes to even represent your country at an Olympic Games, I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is.&rdquo;
The payment of prize money will depend upon the World Athletics ratification process, including athletes undergoing and clearing the usual anti-doping procedures. Each individual Olympic champion will receive US$50,000. Relay teams will receive the same amount, to be shared among the team. The format and structure of the LA28 Olympic bonuses will be announced nearer the time.
World Athletics

World Athletics will become the first international federation to award prize money at an Olympic Games

World Athletics introduces prize money for Olympic gold medallists

Double world champion Alvaro Martin&rsquo;s favourite rock group is Extremoduro.
This is no great surprise. Roughly translated, the Spanish band&rsquo;s name means &lsquo;tough&rsquo; - and Martin is mostly certainly that.
One world title is more than praiseworthy. Two in five days needs dedication, hard work, focus and yes, toughness.
His wins in the 20km and 35km race walk events in Budapest last year also showed another side of Martin&rsquo;s character: meticulous timing.
For three quarters of the 20km, he was mostly hovering around sixth or seventh place and 20 seconds or so off the pace.
Watchful and steady, Martin didn&rsquo;t make his move until 15km, but when he did, it was decisive.
With Japan&rsquo;s Koki Ikeda feeling the strain of leading from the gun, the Spaniard eased past and opened a six-second gap over the next kilometre.
It&rsquo;s not a lot to an outsider, but when the elastic snaps on the chasers, it&rsquo;s just a case of holding form and inching away from your opponents.
It was much the same in the longer race.
Aurelien Quinion made a desperate bid for glory as early as 14km, and Martin allowed him a 30-second lead.&nbsp;
When the Frenchman was done, Martin slipped into a four-second advantage over Brian Pintado from Ecuador over the final kilometre. Again, it was not a lot, but just enough.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64e70bff296d572d7f9d4198.jpg" alt="Alvaro Martin wins the 35km race walk at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Alvaro Martin wins the 35km race walk at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
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The big question is, can Martin reproduce that calm winning effort at the Olympic Games in Paris in August, when the expectation will be even greater?
&ldquo;There have always been those expectations,&rdquo; he says.
&ldquo;Even before Budapest, Spain has always been a powerhouse, and we have the Tokyo Olympic Games as a reference, where we achieved three fourth places and a sixth place.&rdquo;
Martin himself was fourth on the streets of Sapporo in the 20km event, followed by Diego Garcia in sixth. Marc Tur was fourth at 50km and double world champion in the making, Maria Perez, fourth in the women&rsquo;s 20km.
Add to that a gold for Daniel Plaza in the 1992 Olympics, as well as two silvers and a bronze spread out since Jordi Llopart came home second in Moscow in 1980.
That doesn&rsquo;t take into account the Spanish treasure chest of gold, silver and bronze won at world, European and World Race Walking Team Championships events since Llopart took gold at the European Championships in 1978.
&ldquo;We arrive in Paris with the certainty that there is a very good team to improve on the results in Tokyo,&rdquo; Martin adds.
Bearing in mind his calm and gradual control in races, Martin&rsquo;s personal best of 1:17:32 in Budapest was something of a leap from a previous 1:19:11 set when winning the European Championships in Munich in 2022.
Likewise, his 35km win in Hungary was a massive slice off his previous best &ndash; 2:29:59 down to 2:24:30, more than a kilometre in racing terms.
As one might expect, the winter months were all about building up and reaching a peak in Paris.
&ldquo;Everything is going according to schedule,&rdquo; says Martin, who opened his year at the Spanish 20km Championships on 25 February and then raced in the International Race Walking Mixed Relay in Valencia on 10 March.
&ldquo;We are taking the first months of the year very calmly to only make peak of form that will be in the next Olympic Games.&nbsp;
&ldquo;In April I will compete in the World Race Walking Team Championships in Turkiye, in the mixed relay event.
&ldquo;Apart from those competitions, I have my commitment to my club in the Division of Honour league of Spanish athletics. But I would also like to compete in the Coruna race registered in the World Race Walking Tour.&rdquo;
At the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24 on 21 April, teams will have the opportunity to qualify for the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/olympic-race-walking-event-paris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marathon race walk mixed relay</a> at the Paris Olympics.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65fc4c1f1636b5a2c53599f0.jpg" alt="Alvaro Martin at the Olympic Games" />
Alvaro Martin at the Olympic Games (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Martin made a statement with his two world title wins in Budapest, and doubling up is something of a theme for the native from Extremadura, one of the autonomous communities/states of Spain.
Not only does he have a degree in law, he also has one in political science.&nbsp;
It somewhat answers the question, what does he do in his spare time?
Quite a lot more, is the answer.
He made time to found a sports commission in his home region. He is also a member of the OSCEC, Asociacion 25 de Marzo and Asociacion Cultural Moria. This is a group who meet to debate political, cultural and historical analysis, past, present and future, to make sure Extremadura&rsquo;s place in the world is correctly depicted.&nbsp;
Martin is clearly something more than just a champion race walker - and would like others to know so, too.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I like to be able to say that I'm not just an athlete,&rdquo; he adds.
&ldquo;My sports career is accompanied by my academic career and my social involvement as well as my interest in reading that I am passionate about.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Of course, I also love music, especially rock, which helps me get away from the sport.&rdquo;
There are plenty of competitors who would like to see the 29-year-old well away from start lines in 2024 - but that isn&rsquo;t going to happen.
Martin might be passionate about interests off the road, but he&rsquo;s just as passionate about adding to an impressive haul of medals.
It&rsquo;s a brave person who will bet against it.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics

World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships

With one month to go to the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24, Alvaro Martin continues on his path to Paris

After double world gold, Martin continues on his path to Paris

For Emmaculate Anyango, nothing is impossible as long as you believe in yourself. This is a slogan she will march forward with in a year that holds so many opportunities and possibilities, from the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 24 to the Olympic Games in Paris.
While the rest of the world watched and cheered as her Kenyan compatriot Hellen Obiri became a multiple world champion, a two-time Olympic silver medallist and a two-time world major marathon winner, Anyango observed something in her that would change her own running career.
&ldquo;I always like watching Hellen Obiri run. She tends to give it her all in her races,&rdquo; says Anyango. &ldquo;In her cross country races, she often runs one way at the front from start to finish. She always has a great desire to win and believes in herself.
&ldquo;In the past, I always told myself that when I became a good runner, I wanted to be like Hellen. When you get a chance to shine, use it to shine. You need to use your time right now to make history while you can, so you do not regret it later.&rdquo;&nbsp;
When it comes to giving it their all, the same characteristics appear to apply to Anyango, who went for a 30km long run the week after running faster than the world 10km record in Valencia on 14 January. Remarkably, she didn&rsquo;t win the 10km race, as her compatriot Agnes Ngetich won in a world record of 28:46 ahead of Anyango&rsquo;s 28:57.
After such a great run, it would have been no surprise if Anyango decided to take a few days of rest, but the 23-year-old was feeling great, and what would have been an easy run ended up being a 30km effort.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think the world record run in Valencia helped take my form to its peak,&rdquo; she explains. &ldquo;After that race, I felt that I was getting into another level of fitness.&rdquo;
Her solo run at the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event in Eldoret some three weeks later may have proved her right.
&ldquo;I believe that when I recover a bit too much, it will take long for my body to pick up again,&rdquo; Anyango says.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65be6bd46673039a533905d8.JPG" alt="Emmaculate Anyango wins the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country " />
Emmaculate Anyango wins the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country (&copy; Michelle Katami)
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<h2>Early days</h2>
Anyango did not have support from her family when she decided to take up running, because nobody believed she had the talent. But now her family realise that she can make it, and that has made her want to achieve even more.
When she moved to Iten, she found a great community of runners who trained alongside her, offering her much-needed teamwork in long runs and other workouts. However, she still often creates some extra time for herself to train before joining the group later in the day.&nbsp;
&ldquo;At times, I go for my own training run alone at 3am, and then I join the rest of the group for the 9am training,&rdquo; says Anyango.
Having ideal conditions to train well, Anyango swore to herself that she would always do her best to excel and be a breadwinner for her family back in Litein, Kericho.
The athlete has reached the point in her life where a mother and a daughter exchange their roles. Her single mother and her siblings now depend on her, and she is happy about the opportunity to give back.
&ldquo;I am now like a father and a mother to my entire family in Litein, Kericho. That includes my mother and five siblings," says Anyango, who has a brother and four sisters. &ldquo;I am a father to all of them, and I am happy to be like that to them. They are part of what motivates me to work hard in my training.&rdquo;
<h2>Medals in mind</h2>
Like every other top athlete in the world this year, Anyango is eyeing the Paris Olympics. Any medal there would be great for her, but her aim is gold.
But first, she has already booked her ticket to the World Cross Country Championships, which will be held in Belgrade on 30 March. Anyango finished second to Ngetich at the Kenyan cross country trials on 2 March.
&ldquo;Regarding my plans this year, I am really hoping I can get a medal at the World Cross Country Championships and another medal at the Paris Olympics,&rdquo; Anyango says.
&ldquo;My year so far has started very well.&rdquo;
She has been taking lessons from her races, and this explains why she decided to dominate the World Cross Country Tour Gold race in Eldoret, from gun to tape.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Agnes (Ngetich) has been my favourite competitor. I wish she were running with me at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country. She has been making me push my limits while running,&rdquo; says Anyango.
&ldquo;Sometimes, you may decide to relax in a group waiting to unleash a finishing kick in the end, but then you are beaten by competitors with a better finishing speed. I now go to my races with my own plan. So, at the Sirikwa Classic, I went with my own race plan.&rdquo;
The 2019 African U20 3000m silver medallist has achieved her best performances so far in distances ranging from 1500m to 10,000m on the track, but her main focus going to the Paris Olympics will be on the longer discipline.
&ldquo;My mind is on the 10,000m, although I believe I am also able to do well in the 5000m event,&rdquo; she says.
"I only pray for good health, and I believe I will be able to achieve anything I set my mind to this year."
Justin Lagat for World Athletics

45th World Athletics Cross Country Championships

For Emmaculate Anyango, nothing is impossible as long as you believe in yourself

Anyango's time to shine as she targets Belgrade and Paris

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m the mailman, I guess,&rdquo; says Josh Kerr, reflecting on his ability to deliver &ndash; at least in the two most recent global track championships.&nbsp;
First there was the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, and that thrilling finale to the men&rsquo;s 1500m as he swept past Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Then there was the&nbsp;World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, when Kerr almost took the roof off the Glasgow Arena as he powered to 3000m gold.
And we all know what comes next.&nbsp;
The Olympics, and that showdown, not just with a certain Norwegian but with all the other men who stand in Kerr&rsquo;s way. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not worried about how many times I get beaten throughout the season as I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;ll happen,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just excited for that Paris Games.&rdquo;
That same excitement was with him on the eve of the world indoor 3000m final. &ldquo;I was like a kid on Christmas eve,&rdquo; says Kerr. &ldquo;Like I had a secret in my head all day: I know I&rsquo;m going to win this world title and I hope everyone is excited and ready to see it.&rdquo;
The 26-year-old duly fulfilled the prophecy, powering past Ethiopia&rsquo;s Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega entering the final turn to strike gold after a vicious 25.19-second final 200m.&nbsp;
Not long after the race, Kerr thought back to 2015, when he clocked 9:11.76 for 3000m at a British Milers Club meeting in that same arena. He was 17 at the time. Later that season, he went on to win the European U20 1500m title, then a new chapter began: Kerr spent the next three years at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, USA, for whom he won three NCAA titles.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65f073fbe83d7a29dc375fd1.jpg" alt="Josh Kerr wins the world indoor 3000m title in Glasgow" />
Josh Kerr wins the world indoor 3000m title in Glasgow (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Still, for all his outlying talent, Kerr knows what it&rsquo;s like to fall short. He got his first taste of how cutthroat it is at global level at the 2017 World Championships in London, Kerr finishing 11th in his 1500m heat. That memory came flooding back in Glasgow. &ldquo;I failed in front of a British crowd,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;And now I&rsquo;m able to perform like that. It&rsquo;s been a long process.&rdquo;
Kerr took up the sport at the age of eight, joining Edinburgh AC, where one of his clubmates was Jake Wightman. Their careers ran on separate but relatively parallel tracks as they progressed to senior level &ndash; Wightman choosing Loughborough University in England, with Kerr plying his trade in the NCAA.&nbsp;
They both had to take a few beatings before they cracked the code of major championships, with Wightman rising to the top of the world in 2022 in Oregon, Kerr doing so a year later in Budapest. And, of course, they both did so by toppling the same Norwegian.&nbsp;
In Glasgow, Kerr was visibly reticent every time he was asked about Ingebrigtsen, aware that he&rsquo;d likely heaped enough fuel on the fire in interviews in recent months.
&ldquo;What&rsquo;s great is there is a rivalry,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a rivalry between myself, Jake, Ingebrigtsen, Yared (Nuguse), everybody. They&rsquo;re all trying to go after that title. I&rsquo;m going to work my way through the season and hopefully see those guys later in the year. You never want to be involved in an era where it&rsquo;s boring in the 1500m, where you know someone is going to win it.&rdquo;
Kerr is a student of his sport, and he grew up watching footage of the British middle-distance greats on YouTube. He&rsquo;s aware that the one of the greatest rivalries in athletics history &ndash; between Seb Coe and Steve Ovett &ndash; thrived off the two being pitted against each other, both in the media as much as on the track.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re having a bit of fun back and forth, aren&rsquo;t we?&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Hopefully it keeps you guys interested, but I&rsquo;m more looking forward to the head to heads (on the track).&rdquo;
In Glasgow, anytime he was asked about Ingebrigtsen &ndash; which was a lot &ndash; Kerr always turned the conversation back towards himself.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just focusing on myself and I&rsquo;m confident, so things are going to come out (in interviews). He&rsquo;s focused on himself as well and that&rsquo;s going to end up in clashes. It&rsquo;s a very high level of sport and we&rsquo;re going to go head to head many times this season, I believe, especially with the races I&rsquo;m signing up for.&rdquo;
Kerr isn&rsquo;t yet able to announce which races he&rsquo;ll do, but rest assured he won&rsquo;t be wrapping himself in cotton wool on the path to Paris. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a fantastic season of 1500m running and I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m going to win them all, but I&rsquo;m going to win the right one,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my goal. That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m focusing on.&rdquo;
His progress in the past year has been both physical and psychological. Last December, Kerr ran a 1:01:51 half marathon on a slightly downhill course in San Diego, proof that the endurance work he&rsquo;s been focusing on is paying dividends. His approach to training hinges on consistency, with coach Danny Mackey steering his career with a sensible hand since Kerr moved to Seattle and joined the Brooks Beasts in 2018.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I run a pretty simple schedule of six days a week: two sessions, a long run, two gym sessions,&rdquo; says Kerr. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not recreating anything. We&rsquo;re not doing anything wild. I don&rsquo;t do lactate testing. I don&rsquo;t do double sessions. I just focus on consistent work and I know what my body is capable of.&rdquo;
On his workout days, Tuesdays and Fridays, Kerr also lifts weights which he says has &ldquo;changed the game, not only in building strength and power but also staying away from injuries.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64e67467440ed0db4f16ef6b.jpg" alt="Josh Kerr wins the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Josh Kerr wins the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
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The heat of major championships can make many athletes crumble, but Kerr relishes that cauldron. &ldquo;When the pressure&rsquo;s on, the lights are on, I put my shades on and have a good time,&rdquo; he says.
He left it late to commit to Glasgow. As much as Kerr wanted to compete at his home championships, Mackey insisted he could only do so if his body was properly assimilating the training, conscious that with the Paris Games just five months away, they would not push the envelope with unnecessary risks.
Kerr knows how many Scottish youngsters were in the arena and how many more were watching at home. He hopes his performance sent them a message.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an amazing sport but it&rsquo;s a very difficult sport and I hope people find inspiration from that,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our job now, to help everyone from the grassroots level to get where they want to be.&rdquo;
Still, Kerr knows this sport is not only about the medals. &ldquo;For me, it&rsquo;s the process,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I fall in love with the process and I&rsquo;ve found what works for me.&rdquo;
Can he get better? Of course. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m one of the worst 5km runners in the world, so that&rsquo;s a pretty big weakness. There&rsquo;s lots of ways to go, but I&rsquo;m getting better every week.&rdquo;
And given the level he&rsquo;s reached, with those two global titles, Kerr now carries a certain swagger every time he lines up against the world&rsquo;s best.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a sick boy with that, I can&rsquo;t stop believing in myself,&rdquo; he smiles. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a funny feeling I&rsquo;ve got anytime I step on that track &ndash; that anything is possible. I trust my feelings and my instincts and my fitness. Because it&rsquo;s there every single time.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

World Athletics Indoor Championships

First there was Budapest, and that thrilling finale to the men’s 1500m. Then there was Glasgow, where Kerr almost took the roof off the arena as he powered to 3000m gold

'Mailman' Kerr, determined to deliver again in Paris

Just a few miles away from the site of his world 10,000m record three years prior, Joshua Cheptegei stumbled towards the finish line of the Valencia Marathon.
On the track, the Olympic 5000m gold medallist and three-time world 10,000m champion is renowned for his unbeatable finishing strength. But in what was his debut over the marathon distance, with each foot somehow supporting a tired body on the brink, the Ugandan had to be content with 37th place in the Spanish city, clocking 2:08:59.
Cheptegei wasn&rsquo;t too disappointed or surprised, though. Supported by race organiser Marc Roig, Cheptegei hobbled to the elite finishers&rsquo; tent immediately after the race, beaming from ear to ear.
A few days before, Cheptegei had prophetically warned: "The marathon has no respect for people.&rdquo;
Not even Olympic champions, it would seem.
Fans have grown used to Cheptegei finding his rhythm in a leading pack, so it was no surprise to see him there at halfway. Going through 13.1 miles in 1:00:36 wasn&rsquo;t part of the plan &ndash; not that there necessarily was one.
When asked in the build-up to the race what he wanted from his debut, Cheptegei simply said: &ldquo;I want to learn.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65c3c07cc50949381535fef5.jpg" alt="Joshua Cheptegei at the Valencia Marathon" />
Joshua Cheptegei at the Valencia Marathon (&copy; NN Running Team)
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Collapsing over the line with a rueful smile, Cheptegei made it clear that his objective had been achieved.
He knew that his preparation for the event had been far from perfect. It started with pulling out of the Wanda Diamond League final due to a reaction to wearing spikes in defending his world 10,000m crown in Budapest. Once he did return, the weeks that followed saw his usual runs around the rolling hills of Kapchorwa deemed too dangerous due to constant deluges.
Cheptegei never ran more than 160km a week &ndash; which, by the standards of most current marathon specialists, was a light schedule.
Yet in Valencia, he still chose to go with the pace. Many would expect little else from a world 5000m and 10,000m record holder consistently pushing the margins of the possible.
For many fans, their first clear memory of Cheptegei at a senior level was his performance at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships on home soil in Kampala.
That day, the 2016 Olympic 10,000m sixth-place finisher ripped the senior race apart, striding away through the middle section and building a huge lead into the final kilometre.
The Ugandan fans chasing him in bursts around the course almost went as far as to hand over the red, yellow and black flag.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/dc814f0e-aa05-4ba5-a512-7707a0aed5c9.jpg" alt="Joshua Cheptegei in the senior men's race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017" />
Joshua Cheptegei in the senior men's race at the World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017 (&copy; Jiro Mochizuki)
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As the commentators proclaimed his title, Cheptegei had pushed himself to the limit, a smooth stride rolling to a wayward struggle.
Defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor &ndash; a former mentor to Cheptegei during his time in Kenya in 2015 &ndash; silenced the crowds, passing the struggling Ugandan in a fleeting second and going on to win. Cheptegei eventually finished 30th.
&ldquo;Joshua had a great belief and a great determination in running,&rdquo; Kamworor commented on his Ugandan rival. &ldquo;Whenever you talk with him, you could see in his mind that he had great aspirations in life.
&ldquo;He's even becoming one of my mentors.&rdquo;
Cheptegei won the senior title at his next attempt in Aarhus in 2019, the year of the first of three consecutive world 10,000m titles. An Olympic silver in Tokyo in that event accompanied 5000m gold.
Risks taken, lessons learnt all in a bid to break new ground. It's core to Cheptegei&rsquo;s philosophy as a runner and ultimately role model to those that follow him around the world but perhaps most importantly back home in Uganda.
It&rsquo;s also followed him since his first days as a professional.
While training with Kamworor, Eliud Kipchoge and the rest in Kaptagat, barely aged 20, the 2014 world U20 10,000m champion made a difficult but bold decision.
&ldquo;I told my management that I wanted to go back home and build a running culture, and to inspire the young generation here in Uganda.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64e2776c4406b6acb8fcc0d0.jpg" alt="Joshua Cheptegei leads the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Joshua Cheptegei leads the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
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As a young athlete &ndash; and although it happened 24 years before Cheptegei was born &ndash; Cheptegei was made aware of the fact that John Akii-Bua earned Uganda's first Olympic athletics medal when taking 400m hurdles gold in Munich in 1972.
It&rsquo;s clear that Cheptegei now feels a sense of responsibility when it comes to developing the sport in his country, in much the same way Akii-Bua did more than 50 years ago.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a privilege to have had great guys like him open the way for us, especially in a difficult time where the country was unstable,&rdquo; says Cheptegei.
Akii-Bua was forced to live out a large part of his life outside Uganda, moving to Kenya towards the final days of the Idi Amin dictatorship.
Likewise, Uganda&rsquo;s next Olympic gold medallist, Stephen Kiprotich, trained for much of his career in their eastern neighbour.
The then 15-year-old Cheptegei admits taking a break from kicking a football around the schoolyard to watch Kiprotich win Olympic marathon gold in 2012, that being the moment he made his own plans for global success.
&ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;right it&rsquo;s in my heart. I want to become a champion, a national hero like him&rsquo;.&rdquo;
Cheptegei has developed those ambitions. For better or worse, he aims to deliberately show the next generation they need not leave home. No altitude camps elsewhere, high tech facilities or trips to some winter sun.
&ldquo;I have always trained in Uganda, always and always," he reiterates.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65c3c094c50949381535fef8.jpg" alt="Joshua Cheptegei on a training run" />
Joshua Cheptegei on a training run (&copy; NN Running Team)
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Despite the world records, Olympic gold and world championship titles, Cheptegei still feels that to prove that emphatically, one achievement remains left to tick off.
It's all about the number 10.
&ldquo;2024, it&rsquo;ll be 10 years running internationally,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;10 years at a high level.
&ldquo;I'm still in love with the 10,000m, the special distance. I still want to go to Paris and win.&rdquo;
Only Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie have won more world 10,000m titles than Cheptegei. Both won two Olympic golds in the event.
Cheptegei will head to the French capital hungry to find his first, motivated in the knowledge that in doing so he'll send a message to that young Ugandan watching, hoping to follow in his path.
George Mallett for World Athletics

A few days before making his debut over the distance, Cheptegei had prophetically warned: "The marathon has no respect for people.”

Marathon debut behind him, Cheptegei turns focus back to 10,000m for Paris

Conner Mantz and marathon debutante Fiona O&rsquo;Keeffe secured their selection for Paris by winning the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando on Saturday (3).
The races played out in contrasting fashion; O&rsquo;Keeffe made an ambitious break with more than seven miles to go in the women&rsquo;s race and then went on to win by more than half a minute in 2:22:10.
Mantz, meanwhile, worked alongside Clayton Young in the closing stages to move past long-time leader Zachery Panning. The duo ran together for the final two-and-a-half miles, right up until the last few metres when Mantz edged ahead to win in 2:09:05.
A pack of 12 women ran together in the early stages, passing five miles 27:03 and 10 miles in 54:27. O&rsquo;Keeffe was part of that pack, alongside many of the other key contenders, including Emily Sisson, Keira D&rsquo;Amato, Sara Hall, Caroline Rotich, Betsy Saina, Dakotah Lindwurm and Lindsay Flanagan.
D&rsquo;Amato led the pack as they reached the halfway point in 1:11:43, putting them well on schedule to finish inside the Olympic qualifying time of 2:26:50. But by 16 miles, D&rsquo;Amato had fallen a few seconds behind the lead pack, which was now down to nine.
O&rsquo;Keeffe started to stretch ahead of the field shortly before the 19-mile point. The other leading opponents, most of whom are seasoned marathon runners, opted not to go with her, but it proved a decisive move for the marathon novice.
O&rsquo;Keeffe&rsquo;s lead grew with each mile. At one point, at mile 25, she had a 40-second lead over Sisson. Further back, Hall&rsquo;s challenge was starting to fade, but Lindwurm was making her way through the field. Meanwhile, D&rsquo;Amato, Saina and Jenny Simpson, making her marathon debut, all withdrew at various points in the second half.
But up front, O&rsquo;Keeffe was having the race of her life, and she went on to cross the finish line in 2:22:10. Sisson claimed runner-up spot in 2:22:42, while Lindwurm took third place in 2:25:31, all three women securing their selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The men&rsquo;s race started out with a decent sized lead pack of about 10 men passing through 10 miles in 49:07. By the half-way mark, reached in 1:14:07, eight men were still in contention, led by Panning.
At 19 miles a lead trio comprising Penning, Mantz and Young managed to break away from the rest of the pack. By this point, the leaders were on course for a 2:07:40 finish &ndash; comfortably inside the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:08:10. Only two US men &ndash; Mantz and Young &ndash; have achieved that mark within the qualifying period, but this event was an opportunity for other athletes to chase that time.
Panning continued to lead through the 23-mile point, but his fatigue soon became clear. Mantz and Young broke away from Panning, opening up a sizeable gap on the rest of the field, while Panning was passed by Elkanah Kibet and Leonard Korir in the closing stages.
Young and Mantz ran together for the final two miles and at one point it seemed as though they&rsquo;d cross the line in unison, but Mantz edged ahead right before the line to claim victory in 2:09:05. Young followed one second later, guaranteeing his Olympic selection in 2:09:06.
Korir came through to take third place in 2:09:57, five seconds ahead of Kibet.

Conner Mantz and marathon debutante Fiona O’Keeffe secured their selection for Paris by winning the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando on Saturday

O’Keeffe and Mantz victorious at US Olympic Marathon Trials

Back in 2008, Stephen Mokoka thought 38 would be the age at which he would retire.
&ldquo;I said at 38, I&rsquo;m calling it quits. I&rsquo;m going to focus on other things,&rdquo; explains the distance running stalwart, recalling a conversation he had when meeting Andries Lessing, his manager in South Africa. But Lessing believed that by that stage, Mokoka would still have plenty to give in the sport as a marathon runner.
He was right.&nbsp;
Mokoka made his marathon debut a couple of years after that discussion and has raced at least one every year since, setting his current PB of 2:06:42 last February &ndash; less than a month after turning 38.
Now, as he approaches his 39th birthday at the end of this month, any thoughts of retirement are far from his mind. His focus is instead on competing at a fourth Olympic Games in Paris in August and continuing his career in the No.1 Olympic sport for as long as possible.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65afd2276725a4676b678e05.jpg" alt="Stephen Mokoka at the start of the World Road Running Championships half marathon in Riga" />
Stephen Mokoka at the start of the World Road Running Championships half marathon in Riga (&copy; Adam Nurkiewicz)
</div>
&ldquo;I had a proper team behind me, having family and having management that looked after me &ndash; they pushed me to focus more on cross country and track and field, and not to rush into marathons,&rdquo; says Mokoka, who believes the variety of road, track and cross country competition throughout his career has aided his longevity.
&ldquo;But I never believed that I would be running at this point in time.&rdquo;
In fact, the Paris Olympics would be Mokoka&rsquo;s 22nd senior global championship appearance. His first came at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, and his most recent was at the World Road Running Championships in Riga in October, where he claimed his first major international medal &ndash; team half marathon bronze &ndash; also at the age of 38.
He has competed in a World Athletics Series event or an Olympic Games every year since that international debut in 2008, bar 2022 when he was injured. Even then, he still managed to set a world record, clocking 2:40:13 on his 50km debut in Gqeberha in the March of that year. 
<div style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; border: 2px solid #adf375;">
<h2>Mokoka's global championship appearances</h2>
1 October 2023, World Road Running Championships half marathon, Riga, 11th and team bronze 8 August 2021, Olympic Games marathon, Sapporo, DNF 17 October 2020, World Half Marathon Championships, Gdynia, 7th&nbsp; 5 October 2019, World Championships marathon, Doha, 5th&nbsp; 24 March 2018, World Half Marathon Championships, Valencia, 16th&nbsp; 4 August 2017, World Championships 10,000m, London, 20th&nbsp; 13 August 2016, Olympic Games 10,000m, Rio de Janeiro, 18th&nbsp; 26 March 2016, World Half Marathon Championships, Cardiff, 10th&nbsp; 22 August 2015, World Championships 10,000m, Beijing, 20th&nbsp; 28 March 2015, World Cross Country Championships, Guiyang, 29th&nbsp; 29 March 2014, World Half Marathon Championships, Copenhagen, 12th&nbsp; 10 August 2013, World Championships 10,000m, Moscow, 20th&nbsp; 6 October 2012, World Half Marathon Championships, Kavarna, 8th&nbsp; 12 August 2012, Olympic Games marathon, London, 49th&nbsp; 28 August 2011, World Championships 10,000m, Daegu, 13th&nbsp; 20 March 2011, World Cross Country Championships, Punta Umbria, 15th&nbsp; 28 March 2010, World Cross Country Championships, Bydgoszcz, 22nd&nbsp; 11 October 2009, World Half Marathon Championships, Birmingham, 8th&nbsp; 28 March 2009, World Cross Country Championships, Amman, 32nd&nbsp; 12 October 2008, World Half Marathon Championships, Rio de Janeiro, 67th 30 March 2008, World Cross Country Championships, Edinburgh, 74th&nbsp; 
</div>
<h2>It started with a bike</h2>
Mokoka&rsquo;s original sporting focus was football but that changed in 2003 when he took part in a 5km fun run.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I won a bike for first prize and that bike, I used to use it to travel to the stadium,&rdquo; says Mokoka, who lived 13km away. He later received a pair of Nike shoes through his participation in a national schools competition. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what motivated me to come into running,&rdquo; he adds.
He met his coach, Michael Seme, in 2005 when Mokoka was recruited to the Vaal University of Technology.
&ldquo;It has been a long journey,&rdquo; says Mokoka, whose first World Athletics profile entry is for a 3000m steeplechase race in 2003. &ldquo;It started on the track. We kept graduating and growing with the pace and everything that coach said.&rdquo;
It was also on the track that Mokoka achieved what he considers to be the standout championship performance of his career so far.
&ldquo;Being able to become the African champion in 2016, especially in front of a home crowd in Durban, that was amazing,&rdquo; says Mokoka, who clocked 28:02.97 to take the 10,000m title. &ldquo;That will always be in the back of my head. After winning that, I started believing that anything is possible.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65afd2ad6725a4676b678e08.jpg" alt="Stephen Mokoka in the 10,000m at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu" />
Stephen Mokoka in the 10,000m at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu (&copy; Getty Images)
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Later that year he raced at his second Olympic Games, finishing 18th in the 10,000m in Rio after making his Olympic debut in London in the marathon. As well as his three Olympic appearances so far, Mokoka has run at five editions of the World Athletics Championships, capped by his fifth-place finish in the marathon in Doha in 2019.
It&rsquo;s that performance, he says, which proved what is possible with the right preparation.
&ldquo;I have had disappointment at a previous Olympics where I could not finish,&rdquo; Mokoka explains, reflecting on the marathon in Sapporo.
&ldquo;At Sponge Group (his training group), we try to see what could have gone wrong. We had put a lot of work in prior to the Olympics, but we noticed that I was preparing in cold weather hoping to run well in the hot conditions.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The shape was there, the problem was the conditions. I couldn&rsquo;t cope with the conditions. When we look at how I did in Doha &ndash; we ran in October. Our summer started in September, so I managed to get six weeks of training in the hot conditions, that&rsquo;s why I survived in Doha.
&ldquo;I believe that (in the lead up to the Paris Olympics) I need to be away from South Africa, because it will be cold,&rdquo; adds Mokoka, who finished second in Sunday&rsquo;s Hong Kong Marathon, part of his preparations for Paris. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m hoping that somewhere, somehow, some person or some company will come on board to fund my camp so I can prepare, because I know that I am going to put in the work.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I believe that if I can get that support, something special will come.&rdquo;
<h2>Forward focus</h2>
Alongside his consistency in the marathon &ndash; with 14 years of sub-2:11:00 performances &ndash; Mokoka's half marathon record is equally impressive. He made his debut in the 13.1-mile event in 2008, clocking 1:02:04 in Port Elizabeth, and completed his first marathon race two years later, running 2:08:33 in Seoul. Since then, he has taken his half marathon best to 59:36 &ndash; a South African record that placed him seventh in the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia &ndash; and his marathon best to 2:06:42 in Osaka last year. 
<div style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; border: 2px solid #adf375;">
<h2>Mokoka's half marathon and marathon season's bests</h2>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">Half marathon</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">Marathon</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2024</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">-</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:12:58</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2023</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:00:29</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:06:42</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2022</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:01:14</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:09:58</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2021</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:01:24</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:10:01</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2020</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">59:36</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:08:05</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2019</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">59:51</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:07:58</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2018</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:01:26</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:08:31</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2017</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">-</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:08:35</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2016</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:01:26</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:10:18</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2015</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:02:41</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:07:40</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2014</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:00:47</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:08:43</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2013</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:02:45</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:09:30</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2012</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:00:57</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:09:43</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2011</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:01:42</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:10:29</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2010</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">-</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2:08:33</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2009</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:01:26</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">-</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">2008</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">1:02:04</td>
<td style="width: 25%; height: 22px;">-</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
 &ldquo;It comes from less competition, less intense running and less pressure,&rdquo; he says, discussing his consistency and longevity. &ldquo;I remember some guys who asked me why haven&rsquo;t I done London (Marathon) before, why haven&rsquo;t I done a Major? I would tell them that I am not ready for a Major yet. I believe that I need to be faster first, for me to be able to expose myself to something like that. Because it&rsquo;s not easy &ndash; you need to prepare yourself physically, psychologically, emotionally.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always tried to stay in a lane that I believe I can cope with. In future, yes, my wish is to find myself running a big major marathon and probably getting a medal from there. I have tried so much over the years.&rdquo;
But now when he races, he does so as a world half marathon medallist, having helped the South Africa squad to team bronze at last year&rsquo;s World Road Running Championships in Riga thanks to his 11th-place finish.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65afd2ed6725a4676b678e0b.jpg" alt="Stephen Mokoka prepares to receive his world half marathon team medal from Sebastian Coe in Riga" />
Stephen Mokoka prepares to receive his world half marathon team medal from Sebastian Coe in Riga (&copy; Adam Nurkiewicz)
</div>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very grateful that I got that team medal &ndash; a global team medal &ndash; the first time that I could climb on a World Athletics podium after so many years,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that I am going to live with for a very long time. In a journey of 13 years, eventually I came out with something. I would have loved to have an individual one, but with the grace of God, eventually I managed to get on to the podium.&rdquo;
As he reflects on the journey so far, what is his message to other runners who are inspired by him and his years in the sport?
&ldquo;If you choose to be a runner, it needs discipline in terms of training, it needs dedication. But, most importantly, if you are patient. Reduce racing a lot &ndash; good things don&rsquo;t come to people who overwork themselves,&rdquo; he says.
&ldquo;We look at the superstars, the Platinum athletes in the world &ndash; they focus more in training and then race a little bit. We know our sport, it&rsquo;s a short career. But for you to be able to sustain it for a very long time, it needs proper discipline in all spheres &ndash; specifically training, racing, travelling and all those things.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They say a happy mind, a happy soul &ndash; good results always come from there. But if you are too busy &ndash; travelling a lot, racing a lot &ndash; the results don&rsquo;t come. So, patience is the most important thing in everything.
&ldquo;If you choose this journey, choose it wisely. Find the event that you know is suitable for you and put in the hard work, and everything will fall into place.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Back in 2008, Stephen Mokoka thought 38 would be the age at which he would retire.

A marathon of a career and Paris is the next milestone for Mokoka

When, as a schoolboy, Emmanuel Wanyonyi used to run near his home village in the Saboti region of Kenya, people mocked him.
Yet at 19 he has a world U20 title and a senior World Championships silver medal at 800m, and he finished his season by winning the Diamond League title in a world-leading PB of 1:42.80.
His sights are now set on this year&rsquo;s Olympics.
Nobody is laughing at him now.
Speaking in Monaco, where he received the men&rsquo;s Rising Star award for 2023, Wanyonyi explained that, historically, people in his Luhya tribe &ldquo;have not been people who can run&rdquo;, adding:
&ldquo;More people who can run the 800m are Kalenjin. But I am Luhya. It is not our culture. I am the first one to run the 800m in my tribe. My family is six boys and six girls. I am the fifth of 12 children. I am the only one in my family who can run.&rdquo;
He concluded, with a dazzling smile: &ldquo;I have a talent to run. I like my job!&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61229fae364b5bd8db35ee2f.jpg" alt="Emmanuel Wanyonyi on his way to a championship record in the 800m in Nairobi" />
Emmanuel Wanyonyi on his way to a championship record in the 800m in Nairobi (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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Mockery was only one of the factors working against the extraordinarily disciplined Wanyonyi as he sought to make the most of his natural gift.
He was obliged to leave school aged 10 to become a herdsman tending the family&rsquo;s cattle. Times were hard. Even more so when his father died in 2018 and his mother had to move away with several of his younger siblings.
But by then he had gained a vital piece of knowledge.
&ldquo;I knew from way back that the only thing that could save my family from this difficult life was running,&rdquo; he told Olympics.org. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I just focused all my energy on training.
&ldquo;After Covid, I went back to school to try to catch up,&rdquo; he told World Athletics. &ldquo;I would wake up five in the morning to train. Then I would go to breakfast and to my class. After class, you go training. Then shower. Then eat. Then sleep.&rdquo;
Then repeat&hellip;
His talent as a runner was recognised and he soon began training under the direction of Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 world 800m champion and 2008 Olympic silver medallist who was by then working as a youth coach.
Soon he was linked up with her former coach, the Kenyan-based Italian Claudio Berardelli, who runs the 2 Running Club at Kapsabet.
Wanyonyi came to wider notice by winning the world U20 title in Nairobi in 2021, aged 17, in a championship record of 1:43.76. The Olympic title was won later that summer by his compatriot Emmanuel Korir in 1:45:06.
Rather than defending his world U20 title in Cali, Wanyonyi decided to raise his sights.
&ldquo;After that I decided to go to senior level as maybe I could earn something good,&rdquo; he said.
In 2022 he missed a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon by just one place.
This year he has built methodically upon that experience. His Wanda Diamond League season saw him win in Rabat and then Paris &ndash; setting a world-leading PB of 1:43.27 at the latter meeting.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/645fa7b464537fec451f2eeb.JPG" alt="Emmanuel Wanyonyi wins the 800m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi" />
Emmanuel Wanyonyi wins the 800m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi (&copy; Sila Kiplagat)
</div>
At the World Championships in Budapest he came up once more against the Canadian who had earned bronze in Oregon the year before, Marco Arop.
Before the final, Kenya&rsquo;s double Olympic champion and world record-holder David Rudisha, present in the Hungarian capital as an event ambassador, advised Wanyonyi on tactics.
Rudisha, who set his world record of 1:40.91 in winning the 2012 Olympic title by running from the front, told his young compatriot on no account to do the same thing. Wanyonyi&rsquo;s coach concurred.
&ldquo;David told me &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t run in front&rsquo;,&rdquo; Wanyonyi recalled. &ldquo;And my coach told me &lsquo;don&rsquo;t run in front&rsquo;.&rdquo;
But once the gun went, Arop &ndash; normally a front runner &ndash; was playing a different game, waiting this time at the back of the field before making his move.
&ldquo;At the start I was in the front,&rdquo; Wanyonyi said. &ldquo;And I felt confused for the first 200 metres. I didn&rsquo;t see Arop in front.&rdquo;
The Canadian got there when it mattered, however, claiming gold in 1:44.24. Wanyonyi, despite his initial puzzlement, was not far behind, taking silver in 1:44.53.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6508995ec31006782c4c8c44.jpg" alt="Emmanuel Wanyonyi" />
Emmanuel Wanyonyi (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
It was a huge achievement for a 19-year-old. But soon enough Wanyonyi was working on how to beat the world champion.
At the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen on 2 September &ndash; running from the front with full permission this time from his coach &ndash; he did so, clocking another world lead of 1:43.20, with Arop second in a personal best of 1:43.24.
At the Wanda Diamond League final in Eugene later in September, the two rivals excelled themselves &ndash; and the result was the same, with Wanyonyi winning in a world-leading PB of 1:42.80 and Arop setting a Canadian record of 1:42.85 in second place.
&ldquo;I like to run.&rdquo; Wanyonyi said. &ldquo;I like to compete. I like running against Arop. He is my friend, and he makes me train hard for our competitions. That&rsquo;s why I need to keep my discipline for next year, for the Olympics.
&ldquo;My target next year is to run 1:41. Some people say to me &lsquo;Wanyonyi you can run the world record next year&rsquo;. But I say no. The world record may come in a few more years, but I am still young.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, Wanyonyi has been able to carry out his long-term plan to make running work for his family.
His successes so far have enabled him to locate his mother and younger family members, build a house for them on their own plot of land and send his siblings to school.
His fame has also inspired other young talents from his village to take up the sport &ndash; without a hint of mockery.
&ldquo;Many boys in my tribe now run,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My plan in future is to open a junior camp. Then I will find someone who can run, and train young men and young women.&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

At age 19, Emmanuel Wanyonyi has a world U20 title, a senior world silver, and a Diamond League trophy

Wanyonyi pioneering a dazzling route to Paris 2024

Noah Lyles is hungry for more. The US sprinter might have won a gold medal treble at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, but rather than seeing it as &lsquo;job done&rsquo;, those achievements &ndash; together with a comment from a friend &ndash; mean he has even greater ambition for 2024.
Sitting with some of the world&rsquo;s media in Monaco ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2023, where he was named men&rsquo;s World Athlete of the Year for track events, Lyles was asked if getting those three world titles &ndash; in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m &ndash; had changed him.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not different. I&rsquo;m still the same Noah,&rdquo; replied the 26-year-old. &ldquo;If anything, I&rsquo;m more hungry than before because I&rsquo;ve proved to myself that I can do it, so now I&rsquo;m even more eager to do it for next year. It&rsquo;s almost like another fire has been ignited for next year.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64ebe1e02316bbd25e01e676.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles celebrates with fans at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Noah Lyles celebrates with fans at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Next year; Olympic year. A chance for Lyles to win a first Olympic title, or perhaps four.
&ldquo;I was talking to a close friend and he's like: 'I already know you're going to win three golds at the Olympics. I want you to win four. I remember when you were in high school, I watched you at Penn Relays go from second to last to first in the 4x400m, chasing down all those Jamaicans - there's your fourth medal,&rsquo;&rdquo; recounted Lyles, the Olympic 200m bronze medallist in Tokyo.
&ldquo;I've never had somebody tell me something that has thrown my out-of-the-box thinking to inside-the-box, but that was like: okay, I'm not going to say no to that. Because after what I did at Budapest and seeing what my body could handle, if I train for it, okay, let's take a shot. If they allow me, if they need me and they are willing - let's go, let's take it.&rdquo;
Lyles put on quite the show in Budapest. After winning the 100m title in 9.83 &ndash; a PB that remained the joint fastest time of the season &ndash; he then won his third consecutive world 200m title in 19.52. Just one day later he completed the treble, running the anchor leg as USA regained the men&rsquo;s 4x100m title.
He held up three fingers in celebration.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64ea5b6f184c3ee07f84f49e.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles anchors USA to win the 4x100m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Noah Lyles anchors USA to win the 4x100m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
So, which of the three, if it&rsquo;s possible to choose, was his favourite title to win?
&ldquo;This is hard, because each one of them was very important to me,&rdquo; Lyles replied. &ldquo;The 100m was important because I&rsquo;ve always known that I&rsquo;m the fastest man on the planet, but nobody would believe me unless I actually had the 100m title. I&rsquo;d definitely say that has changed the way that people have viewed me a little bit, especially outside of the sport. Now it&rsquo;s no longer &lsquo;American record-holder Noah Lyles&rsquo;, it&rsquo;s &lsquo;fastest man in the world Noah Lyles&rsquo;, and that has changed their viewpoint.
&ldquo;I think for this year, I&rsquo;m going to rank that as first and I&rsquo;ll rank the 200m as second, because it was my third time winning the 200m. Then the 4x100m I&rsquo;ll put third. Just because the relay, it&rsquo;s fun. The icing on top was the 4x100m.&rdquo;
All that was achieved in a season in which Lyles remained undefeated in six 200m finals, including at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in London where he clocked 19.47 for the third-fastest performance of his career. That time saw him maintain his position as world 200m leader for the sixth consecutive year.
&ldquo;I was extremely shocked to find out how well my body held up (in Budapest),&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Going through it, I&rsquo;m like: &lsquo;I&rsquo;m feeling great, each round I&rsquo;m getting better.&rsquo; I&rsquo;m truly shocked with what my body was able to produce. In training right now I&rsquo;m pushing my body way past what I did last year because we now know where it can go.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64e2881a4b3502a0a448b4bd.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles wins the 100m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Noah Lyles wins the 100m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
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Someone who has been there for Lyles through it all is his mother, Keisha Caine, who was in the room as Lyles was being interviewed. Offered the mic in Monaco, it was her turn to ask a question.
&ldquo;Which publication are you representing?&rdquo; Lyles asked with a smile.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m representing all the moms,&rdquo; Caine replied.
&ldquo;You have a lot of youth who look up to you, and they have no idea how they can get to where you are because you seem so untouchable to them,&rdquo; she continued. &ldquo;But I know you remember being that kid, watching athletics on television. So, if you could go back, what would you tell that kid in how to reach where you are right now?&rdquo;
Lyles replied: &ldquo;To be honest, I actually did not care to be an Olympian or a world champion when I was younger. Because I grew up in a household where there were a lot of connections to other Olympians and other world champions. Jearl Miles Clark is one of my godmothers and she is a five-time Olympian. Her sisters-in-law are also Olympians &ndash; multi-Olympians &ndash; so at the age of eight I had the assumption that being an Olympian was a rite of passage; it was like getting your driver&rsquo;s licence. It just eventually happened &ndash; as long as you live long enough, and you say you want to do it; you can do it.
&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t until probably 2012, I was around 15, when I realised this was an actual hard thing to do. While watching the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, me and my brother &ndash; at the USATF Junior Olympics &ndash; we&rsquo;re like: &lsquo;we want to become Olympians&rsquo;. It was that passion we had that we never let go of.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6582f2e9943ad66d8c9b00eb.jpg" alt="Brothers Josephus Lyles and Noah Lyles" />
Brothers Josephus Lyles and Noah Lyles (&copy; Getty Images)
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&ldquo;A lot of people will say: &lsquo;how could you have so much conviction in what you wanted to do at such a young age?&rsquo; To be honest, I don&rsquo;t have an answer for you &ndash; I just knew that&rsquo;s what I wanted. I know that there are a lot of youth who are probably doing things that they don&rsquo;t want to do, and you know what it feels like when you get to do the thing that you love. That was running, for me. When I had the avenue to be able to go down that path and say I&rsquo;m going to devote almost all my energy to this one thing, sacrifices didn&rsquo;t feel like sacrifices.
&ldquo;I love what I do, I prayed for this. I get to live my dream. When you have a passion for something, avenues will open up. My advice is be strong, be brave and take those avenues. When the door opens, take it. When the window opens, jump through it. The window might be high and you might have to scale a wall to jump through that window to get in, but take it, because it might never come again. Being brave doesn&rsquo;t mean that you have no fear &ndash; it means that through fear, you still attempt.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6582f1d6bc058687a0737807.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles and his mother, Keisha Caine, in Monaco" />
Noah Lyles and his mother, Keisha Caine, in Monaco (&copy; Christel Saneh)
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Putting a question to his mother in return, Lyles asked: &ldquo;How did you decide to make the sacrifice to choose your children&rsquo;s dreams over your own dream, or was that even a sacrifice at all?&rdquo;
&ldquo;And what publication are you with?&rdquo; Caine retorted with another smile.
Moving to sit alongside Lyles, she added: &ldquo;When you were chatting just now, and you were speaking about sacrifice and how people say: &lsquo;how can you sacrifice so much for your sport?&rsquo; You said: &lsquo;this is what I prayed for.&rsquo; I can resonate with that because my philosophy on parenting is children don&rsquo;t ask to be born, and so as a parent, it is our job to make sure that we are their boosters. It was my job to find out &ndash; when my children were small &ndash; what are your gifts? That&rsquo;s something that I prayed for; for God to show me, what is each child&rsquo;s gift?
&ldquo;I look at it as my job to figure out how to take their gift and help them edify it and build the skills around it. To me, it was not a sacrifice, it&rsquo;s something that I feel comes naturally as a parent, because that is our job to do as a parent. If we do our jobs right, each generation in our family gets better and better. That is how we leave a legacy that extends beyond our lifetime.&rdquo;
With the Olympic Games on the horizon, and with four titles to shoot for, award-winner Lyles can continue his own legacy in 2024.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Noah Lyles is hungry for more. The US sprinter might have won a gold medal treble in Budapest but he has even greater ambition for 2024

New fire ignited, Lyles eyes Olympic quadruple in Paris

Canadian sprinters and combined eventers have distinguished themselves at the highest level in recent years, but it was a pair of hammer throwers who took centre stage at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg both captured world hammer titles in the Hungarian capital, providing half of Canada&rsquo;s gold medal haul.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty incredible,&rdquo; says 24-year-old Rogers, who improved upon the silver medal she won in Oregon in 2022. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that has never been done before, and to be able to share this moment with Ethan is really cool; we get to show we are a throwing country and we have a lot of force and power on the world stage.
&ldquo;He is such an awesome person, and he and his coach Dylan (Armstrong) work so hard,&rdquo; Rogers added of Katzberg. &ldquo;He is so deserving of being the world champion.&rdquo;
Incredibly, Katzberg is even younger than Rogers, having turned 21 in April of this year. Although he earned silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, it was inconceivable that he would improve to the point he might contend for a place on the Budapest podium. But as he did in Birmingham a year ago, the 1.98m tall former basketball player peaked precisely at the right time, throwing a Canadian record of 81.18m in the qualifying round.
&ldquo;In the qualifying, (Wojciech) Nowicki asked me how far I threw and I said 81.18m,&rdquo; he recalls with a laugh. &ldquo;I think he might have even chuckled as if he didn&rsquo;t believe me. It came as a shock to everyone. With the qualifying, going to the final I knew I was capable (of winning).&rdquo;
He threw even farther in the final, reaching 81.25m to earn the title. He credits Armstrong &ndash; the 2008 Olympic shot put bronze medallist &ndash; and the legendary Anotoliy Bondarchuk, former world record-holder and 1972 Olympic hammer champion, for their meticulous guidance.
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&ldquo;That is Dylan&rsquo;s job. He masterminds the whole season,&rdquo; Katzberg declares with a smile. &ldquo;A personal best at major championships is what he wants. Being able to do that twice now shows what we are doing is working and that full commitment was the reason for the huge growth this year.&rdquo;
The celebratory dinner that night included his parents and sister Jessica, whom he followed into the hammer event when they were both teens, along with Armstrong and his family. And when Rogers finally met up with him that night, he was the recipient of a bear hug from his teammate.
Although Rogers and Katzberg are both from British Columbia, they only see each other at major championships. Still, she drew inspiration from his performance.
&ldquo;Ethan basically had the competition that so many people can only dream of &ndash; setting a personal best in the qualifying and then again in the final to win &ndash; it&rsquo;s unheard of,&rdquo; Rogers said.
"Oh my gosh, we were all so excited for him, so I was hoping to carry that momentum through with the women's hammer. That&rsquo;s the kind of energy you want to have before a competition.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6537ad8a395326af0b26fffc.jpg" alt="Ethan Katzberg in the hammer at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Ethan Katzberg in the hammer at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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The women&rsquo;s hammer final was three days later and Rogers, with the help of her coach Mo Saatara, was able to contain her emotions in the interim. The draw for the final put her 12th and last in the order, meaning she would be forced to watch a sublime cast of throwers ahead of her.
&ldquo;Sometimes part of the fun can be being last in the order because it gives you a chance to respond,&rdquo; Rogers says, laughing again. &ldquo;In that situation it was really cool to be 12th and last in the order for that reason specifically. When you have such incredible women throwing in a competition together, I think it&rsquo;s a very motivating factor.&rdquo;
The anticipation of getting into the circle to start the competition built to a crescendo, and on Rogers&rsquo; very first throw she reached 77.22m. That would be enough for the gold medal.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6537ad68395326af0b26fff9.jpg" alt="Camryn Rogers in the hammer at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Camryn Rogers in the hammer at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
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Leading up to the championships, both Canadians had their share of distractions.
A native of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Katzberg has lived and trained in Kamloops since Armstrong recruited him after high school. It's in an area known as the Thompson Okanagan and was surrounded for months by out-of-control wildfires.
&ldquo;There were days when, if the wind was blowing the right way, Kamloops would be covered in smoke,&rdquo; Katzberg remembers.
His thoughts were with his grandparents who live 170km away in West Kelowna. Unbeknown to Katzberg, two days before his gold medal victory, the BC government ordered residents to evacuate as roughly 200 homes were razed. Katzberg&rsquo;s grandparents were among the evacuees but were eventually able to return to their home.
Rogers, who is from Richmond, British Columbia, just outside Vancouver, has been studying at the University of California, Berkeley the past five years and recently finished up her masters&rsquo; degree in cultural studies of sport and education. Her collegiate career included three NCAA hammer titles (2019, 2021 and 2022).
Academia was on her mind even as she was in her final preparation for the World Championships.
&ldquo;I actually submitted my masters&rsquo; thesis two weeks before I competed in the final of the World Championships,&rdquo; she says, laughing aloud. &ldquo;I wrote a policy recommendation that would help allow international student-athletes competing in the NCAA to benefit and partake in image-and-likeness contracts, and to be able to receive compensation while they are in the US. It&rsquo;s a very personal experience on that one.&rdquo;
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hTc2BrL4BOw" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Now that she is finished with school, she has signed a Nike contract which she says will ease financial stress going forward. She also starts a job in a couple of weeks; she will be an advocate for special education in an attorney&rsquo;s office. Her hours will be flexible and she will work remotely from her home in Oakland.
Having enjoyed some time off, she is back in the gym lifting weights and preparing for 2024.
&ldquo;Coach Mo was telling me the other day &lsquo;every year you start back at square one&rsquo;,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;And so we have to do everything we did last year all over again and look at all the things we did right and how we get better.&rdquo;
Already the Paris Olympics are in focus. Looking back on her Tokyo Olympic experience &ndash; she was a credible fifth &ndash; she remembers feeling &ldquo;young and inexperienced like a deer in the headlights&rdquo;. This time she will compete as the world champion and with all of the expectations and pressures Canadians will likely place on her.
&ldquo;I am someone who has always liked pressure,&rdquo; she responds. &ldquo;Going into Paris, I think I will feel some of that anxiety a little bit. But it&rsquo;s more because I understand the level of competition coming to Paris. I want to be up there with them and aiming to get on the podium like everyone else; aiming for the gold. It&rsquo;s definitely going to be an insane competition, I can tell you that.&rdquo;
Katzberg, who enjoys fly fishing for rainbow trout in the lakes near Kamloops, was given one day off following his Budapest victory before he, Armstrong and Bondarchuk embarked on a programme aiming at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although he was still coming to terms with his World Championships gold a month afterwards, Katzberg believes he can shelve the excitement of being world champion and return to the podium.
&ldquo;I am extremely motivated; I just want to stick to the programme, keep doing what I am doing, keep enjoying it and make a big push for the Olympics,&rdquo; he says. &rdquo;Hopefully the season goes well leading up to that. I am not looking at anything number-wise. I will keep my head down and train hard.&rdquo;
An unprecedented double victory behind them, this pair of Canadians will be a force come the Paris Olympics and, given their young age, for years to come.
Paul Gains for World Athletics

A pair of hammer throwers took centre stage for Canada at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest

World hammer champions Rogers and Katzberg preparing to lead Canada to gold in Paris and beyond

World Athletics has launched &lsquo;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/stats-zone/road-to/7153115" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/stats-zone/road-to/7153115">Road to Paris 2024</a>', an online tool to help athletes, media and fans track the qualification process for next year's Olympic Games.
Searchable by discipline, country and qualification status, the tool provides a real-time view of each event over the course of the Paris 2024 qualification period, which ends on 5 May for the marathon and on 30 June for all other events.
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/qualification-system-paris-2024-olympic-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/qualification-system-paris-2024-olympic-games">qualification system</a> for the athletics competition in Paris, to be held between 2-11 August, was released in December 2022.
As was the case for the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the World Athletics Championships in Oregon and Budapest, the qualification system is based on a dual pathway, with 50% of athletes qualifying through entry standards and the remaining 50% qualifying through world rankings.
The Road to Paris 2024 tool is only intended to give an overview of which athletes are in a qualifying position; it doesn&rsquo;t, and will not, indicate which athletes have been selected for entry by their National Olympic Committee. Final entries will be published nearer to the time of the Games.
The tool also covers the qualification status for the five relay events, though these are not dependent on entry standards or world rankings.
World Athletics

Searchable by discipline, country and qualification status, the tool provides a real-time view of each event over the course of the Paris 2024 qualification period

'Road to Paris' qualification tracking tool launches

One year from today, just before 9am local time, the first athletics champions of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be crowned.
It will be the first of 48 sets of medals that will be awarded during the track and field programme of the Games, spanning 11 days of action. Here are some of the expected highlights from each of those 11 days.
&nbsp;
<h2>Day one (1 August)</h2>
The starting gun will fire at 7:30am local time for the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 20km race walk events, marking the start of the athletics programme in the French capital.
Held on Pont d&rsquo;lena, against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, the races will bring together the best race walkers in the world with athletes such as double world champion Kimberly Garcia and world and Olympic champion Massimo Stano competing for top honours.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610bd1f11168f31e7f0acdda.jpg" alt="Massimo Stano on the way to Olympic 20km race walk gold in Sapporo" />
Massimo Stano on the way to Olympic 20km race walk gold in Sapporo (&copy; Getty Images)
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&nbsp;
<h2>Day two (2 August)</h2>
In-stadium track and field action will kick off on this day, starting with heats of the women&rsquo;s 100m in the morning and ending with the men&rsquo;s 10,000m in the evening session.
Uganda&rsquo;s world record-holder Jacob Kiplimo has won the past two world titles for the 25-lap event, but he was beaten to gold in this discipline by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Selemon Barega at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Another world record-holder, Kevin Mayer &ndash; one of the host nation&rsquo;s best hopes for a gold medal &ndash; will likely be in action on this day as the first five disciplines of the decathlon get under way.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64c9212f110f428ee688a301.jpg" alt="Kevin Mayer in the decathlon at the Tokyo Olympics" />
Kevin Mayer in the decathlon at the Tokyo Olympics (&copy; Getty Images)
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&nbsp;
<h2>Day three (3 August)</h2>
The fastest woman in the world will be crowned on the evening of the third day when the women&rsquo;s 100m final takes place. Expect a strong Jamaican presence as Elaine Thompson-Herah has won the past two Olympic titles, while compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a five-time world champion at the distance. But the US challenge is always tough, too.
The decathlon will also reach its conclusion on this day, while the mixed 4x400m will produce much excitement on the track.
The men&rsquo;s shot put and women&rsquo;s triple jump have seen their fair share of world records in recent years, and that could continue on this night in Paris as both disciplines take place.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/612bcc2676208e1040847dcd.jpg" alt="Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games" />
Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
&nbsp;
<h2>Day four (4 August)</h2>
The men&rsquo;s 100m final on the evening of 4 August will, as ever, be one of the biggest focuses of the Games.
Italy&rsquo;s Marcell Jacobs won the wide-open final in Tokyo in 2021, while USA&rsquo;s Fred Kerley took the world title in Oregon last year. Another gold medallist could emerge at the World Championships in Budapest next month, while several other contenders will be vying for the podium.
The women&rsquo;s high jump and men&rsquo;s hammer will add further interest to the programme on day four.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6106a555242dbd90615124e9.jpg" alt="Lamont Marcell Jacobs wins 100m gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games" />
Lamont Marcell Jacobs wins 100m gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (&copy; Getty Images)
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&nbsp;
<h2>Day five (5 August)</h2>
In recent years, Mondo Duplantis has achieved all there is to do in the pole vault.
The world, Olympic and European champion has broken the world record on several occasions, but shows no sign of slowing down. Who knows what heights he &ndash; and the rest of the world&rsquo;s leading pole vaulters &ndash; could be chasing by the time of the men&rsquo;s Olympic pole vault final on 5 August.
Other finals due to take place this day include the women&rsquo;s 800m and the men&rsquo;s discus.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61925975447534976d7b8a84.jpg" alt="Sweden&rsquo;s Mondo Duplantis competes in the men's pole vault final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games" />
Sweden&rsquo;s Mondo Duplantis competes in the men's pole vault final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (&copy; Matthias Hangst, Getty Images) 
</div>
&nbsp;
<h2>Day six (6 August)</h2>
There&rsquo;s something for everyone on day six.
The women&rsquo;s 200m will engage sprint fans, while the women&rsquo;s 5000m promises to be another mouth-watering clash for fans of distance running.
Meanwhile, the men&rsquo;s 1500m &ndash; with Jakob Ingebrigtsen potentially defending his title from Tokyo &ndash; will be a highlight for keen followers of middle-distance running.
Field event enthusiasts, meanwhile, will be enthralled by the women&rsquo;s hammer and men&rsquo;s long jump finals.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610695baf213f7bd3f1b5a83.jpg" alt="Sifan Hassan on her way to a 5000m heat win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games" />
Sifan Hassan on her way to a 5000m heat win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
&nbsp;
<h2>Day seven (7 August)</h2>
The seventh day will be highlighted by the newest discipline on the Olympic programme: the marathon race walk mixed relay.
The event will feature 25 teams, each comprising one man and one woman, who will complete the marathon distance (42.195km) in four legs of approximately equal distance.
Back in the stadium, the action will be hot as the men&rsquo;s 400m and 3000m steeplechase finals take place, along with the women&rsquo;s pole vault and men&rsquo;s discus.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64c92394110f428ee688a304.jpg" alt="Athletes in action in the women's 20km race walk at the Tokyo Olympic Games" />
Athletes in action in the women's 20km race walk at the Tokyo Olympic Games (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
&nbsp;
<h2>Day eight (8 August)</h2>
It has taken a world record to win the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles at the past three global championships, so who knows what will be needed to take the title in Paris.
On a busy night for sprints and hurdles action, the men&rsquo;s 200m final and 110m hurdles final will take place that evening, as will the finals for the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, women&rsquo;s long jump and men&rsquo;s javelin.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610a23e8696d9cc0fe67cde6.jpg" alt="Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin battle for gold in historic Olympic women's 400m hurdles final in Tokyo" />
Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin battle for gold in historic Olympic women's 400m hurdles final in Tokyo (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
&nbsp;
<h2>Day nine (9 August)</h2>
Twenty-four hours after the women&rsquo;s final takes place, the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles will be one of several finals held on the evening of 9 August.
In fact, three other finals held over one lap of the track &ndash; the women&rsquo;s 400m, women&rsquo;s 4x100m and men&rsquo;s 4x100m &ndash; are all being held this day.
The women&rsquo;s heptathlon will reach its conclusion during the evening session, while the women&rsquo;s 10,000m, shot put and men&rsquo;s triple jump will be key features of the busy night of athletics action.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6103a916e56458df96c9cad2.jpg" alt="Karsten Warholm in the 400m hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics" />
Karsten Warholm in the 400m hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
&nbsp;
<h2>Day 10 (10 August)</h2>
Nine finals will be held on the last full day of track and field action, but the day begins with the men&rsquo;s marathon on the streets of Paris.
Back in the stadium, the finals of the men&rsquo;s 800m, 5000m and women&rsquo;s 1500m will take place, so too will the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles and both men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 4x400m finals.
The men&rsquo;s high jump and women&rsquo;s javelin, meanwhile, will be the last field events of the Games.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610d6f50684c216666b4f558.jpg" alt="Faith Kipyegon wins the Olympic 1500m title in Tokyo" />
Faith Kipyegon wins the Olympic 1500m title in Tokyo (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
&nbsp;
<h2>Day 11 (11 August)</h2>
In a break from tradition, the last athletics action of the Games will be the women&rsquo;s marathon, which will take place on the morning of 11 August as the world&rsquo;s best road runners compete for the final title on offer in Paris.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610df72bf72a3ebeb0406764.jpg" alt="Peres Jepchirchir leads the Olympic marathon in Tokyo" />
Peres Jepchirchir leads the Olympic marathon in Tokyo (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
&nbsp;

One year from today, the first athletics champions of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be crowned

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