Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli led a sub-27:00 top three, while Sheila Chepkirui came close to the women-only world record, as they both set Romanian all-comers&rsquo; records at the Brasov Running Festival 10km, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, on Sunday (25).
Kipkorir won the men&rsquo;s race in 26:51, a time that moves him to fifth on the world 10km all-time list, and his Kenyan compatriot Chepkirui clocked 30:07 to miss the women-only world record by just six seconds.
Kipkorir passed the 5km point in 13:27 and maintained that pace through to the finish to improve the Romanian all-comers&rsquo; record of 28:40 that had been set in Brasov last year. In an exciting end to the race, both Weldon Langat and Isaac Kibet Ndiema crossed the finish line in 26:55, the pair now sitting joint seventh on the world all-time list.
Speaking after the race, Kipkorir acknowledged the great potential of the fast course in Brasov. &ldquo;I hope that I can challenge the world record here one day,&rdquo; said the 23-year-old, who finished fourth in the 5000m at the Tokyo Olympic Games and won Commonwealth Games silver last month. &ldquo;The course is very flat and fast.&rdquo;
Kipkorir led a Kenyan top six and the top seven athletes all dipped under 28 minutes. Finishing 11th, Dorin Andrei Rusu ran 28:38 to improve the Romanian record of 28:53 that had been set by Stefan Iulius Gavril in 2019.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist Chepkirui achieved a clear win, finishing 23 seconds ahead of her compatriot Agnes Jebet Ngetich, with Uganda&rsquo;s Sarah Chelangat just a further second behind in 30:31. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6332e8578b66db4eee4c4252.jpg" alt="Women's 10km winner Sheila Chepkirui at the Brasov Running Festival" />
Women's 10km winner Sheila Chepkirui at the Brasov Running Festival (&copy; Organisers)
</div>
With her&nbsp;30:07 performance, Chepkirui, who set her 29:46 PB in a mixed race in Valencia in 2020, improved the Romanian all-comers&rsquo; record of&nbsp;32:12, also set in&nbsp;Brasov last year.
Kenya&rsquo;s Brenda Tuwei, Faith Cherono and Veronica Loleo were next to finish, while Stella Rutto threatened the Romanian record with her time of 32:04 to secure seventh place.
As a special guest and ambassador of the race, Kenyan marathon great Mary Keitany enjoyed running in the children&rsquo;s race and presented the medals to the champions.
&ldquo;I really enjoyed this city, the weather, the atmosphere and the race,&rdquo; she said during an interview with Romanian media. &ldquo;It is a great course and excellent conditions for world-class running.&rdquo;
Organisers for World Athletics
<h2>Leading results</h2>
Women 1&nbsp;Sheila Chepkirui (KEN)&nbsp;30:07 2&nbsp;Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN)&nbsp;30:30 3&nbsp;Sarah Chelangat (UGA) 30:31 4&nbsp;Brenda Tuwei (KEN)&nbsp;31:35 5 Faith Cherono (KEN)&nbsp;31:49 6 Veronica Loleo (KEN)&nbsp;31:52 7 Stella Rutto (ROU) 32:04 8&nbsp;Sheila Jebiwott (KEN)&nbsp;32:27 9 Elle Twentyman (GBR)&nbsp;33:58 10&nbsp;Liliana Maria Dragomir (ROU)&nbsp;34:02
Men 1&nbsp;Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli (KEN)&nbsp;26:51 2&nbsp;Weldon Langat (KEN)&nbsp;26:55 3 Isaac Kibet Ndiema (KEN) 26:55 4&nbsp;Daniel Kosen (KEN)&nbsp;27:19 5&nbsp;Denis Kobet (KEN)&nbsp;27:35 6&nbsp;Shadrack Kipchirchir (KEN)&nbsp;27:44 7&nbsp;Egide Ntakarutimana (BDI)&nbsp;27:45 8&nbsp;Fredrick Yeko Domongole (KEN)&nbsp;28:07 9&nbsp;Brian Kwemoi (KEN)&nbsp;28:11 10&nbsp;Josphat Meli (KEN)&nbsp;28:14

Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli and Sheila Chepkirui run Romanian all-comers' records in the 10km

Fast 10km times from Kipkorir and Chepkirui as records fall in Brasov

The first in a series of gender leadership podcasts stars Ashley Kovacs, as she shares insight into coaching her husband, two-time world shot put champion Joe Kovacs, while also being the USATF women's throws coach.
The gender leadership podcasts are presented by athlete and Athletics Ireland Women in Sport manager Lilly-Ann O'Hora and Vicky Huyton, coach and founder of the Female Coaching Network, as they interview a number of coaches involved with the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, either as a team coach or a personal coach. 
<iframe style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%; max-width: 700px;" title="Audioboom player" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8163833/embed/v4" width="100%" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
 In an interview conducted before the World Championships, Ashley described her vital role at the event as an honour but also something that she takes in her stride, as she previously served as the USATF men&rsquo;s throws coach back in 2019, when Joe won the most competitive men&rsquo;s shot put competition of all time.
"My role with USTAF is more as a facilitator, whereas my role as a personal coach is to do the same thing that I have been doing all year: calling the shots to make sure that they are prepared to compete at the highest level,&rdquo; she said.
Ashley explained that she never envisioned coaching Joe, but when they found themselves having to decide between retirement in 2018 or continuing into the new year, they knew they had to fix something. Taking that leap of faith and throwing themselves into the unknown turned out to be very rewarding.
"I was a young coach, I wasn&rsquo;t sure if I even deserved that resposibility in some ways. I don&rsquo;t want to say I wasn&rsquo;t excited to do it, but the only reason I wanted to do it was so I could to something to get him out of the situation he was in.&rdquo;
On Joe&rsquo;s winning moment in Doha, where he threw 22.91m to beat Ryan Crouser and Tom Walsh by just a single centimetre, she said: "It proved to me that I could trust myself and my judgement. The fact he trusted me really gave me more faith in myself, and if he trusts me, I really need to trust myself with my instincts and that&rsquo;s what we did.&rdquo;
The past few years have been the best of Joe&rsquo;s career, as he as consistently thrown beyond 22 metres, and after Ashley&rsquo;s podcast video, Joe threw a PB of 23.23m at the Wanda Diamond League final in Zurich to move to second on the world all-time list behind Crouser.
Ashley is also the associate head coach and throws coach for the Vanderbilt women&rsquo;s track and field programme, which she believes enhances her coaching and also Joe&rsquo;s throwing.
"We are really in sync with everything that needs to happen, we&rsquo;re on the same page,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Another thing that has really helped us gel our thought process is my role as a college coach.
&ldquo;Joe&rsquo;s there as my volunteer. He trains with the athletes, which has been a huge help to us. Being able to discuss other people&rsquo;s techniques and training, it gives me perspective on where his head is at. It has helped us get on the same page and build on our system together.&rdquo;
On her advice to any aspiring coaches, she said: &ldquo;You have to have the courage to trust your own instincts. You need to know enough so you can have the confidence, so people around you can believe what you are going to tell them. My main job with Joe, is to keep Joe out of Joe&rsquo;s way. I think that coaches need to understand, you are important, and you have a big job to do, but the more you can empower your athlete to teach them to trust themselves, that&rsquo;s when they are really going to be at their best. Confidence in what you are doing leads to your athletes having confidence in what they are doing.&rdquo;

Ashley Kovacs, coach to two-time world shot put champion Joe Kovacs, is the first to star in this new podcast series

Gender leadership podcast: Ashley Kovacs

World Athletics is looking for an Event Operations Coordinator to join its competition and events department.
Reporting to the Head of Event Operations, the post-holder will be responsible for the coordination of specific operational aspects of World Athletics Series events and the Olympic Games.
Job description and details of how to apply: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=8185fa14-4b16-4d60-996d-1b0484f70fea.pdf&amp;urlSlug=event-operations-coordinator-en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a> | <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=bfbf8155-91c7-4694-b50e-4df120cb4af4.pdf&amp;urlSlug=event-operations-coordinator-fr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French</a> Deadline for applications: 28 October
World Athletics

World Athletics is looking for an Event Operations Coordinator to join its competition and events department.

Job vacancy: Event Operations Coordinator

Eliud Kipchoge sliced half a minute from his own world record* to win the BMW Berlin Marathon, clocking a sensational 2:01:09 at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (25).
There was also a stunning breakthrough for Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Assefa in the women&rsquo;s race as she smashed the course record by more than two minutes with 2:15:37, becoming the third-fastest woman in history.
Just when it seemed Kipchoge had achieved everything he possibly could over the classic distance, the legendary pushed the world record further out of reach for the rest of the distance-running world.
Unlike his last world record run, the double Olympic champion went out hard on this occasion, passing through 5km in 14:14 and 10km in 28:22 &ndash; not just comfortably inside world record pace, but also well inside a projected two-hour finish.
Kipchoge maintained that pace through half way, which was reached in 59:50 &ndash; identical to his half-way split when he produced a sub-two-hour run in an unofficial orchestrated race in Vienna three years ago. His pace started to drop slightly from then on, and by 25km (1:11:08) his projected finish had slipped to just outside two hours, but he was still more than a minute inside world record pace.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Andamlak Belihu was just about staying level with Kipchoge up until this point, but the Kenyan superstar then gradually pulled clear and was out on his own. He passed through 30km in 1:25:40, then reached 35km in 1:40:10. By the time he passed through 40km in 1:54:53, his lead had grown to move than four minutes with Mark Korir having moved into second place. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ucXRvq8MgS4" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 His victory &ndash; and world record &ndash; now a formality, Kipchoge went on to cross the line in 2:01:09, taking 30 seconds off the world record he set in the German capital four years ago. Korir held on to second place in 2:05:58 and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tadu Abate came through to finish third in 2:06:28.
"I am overjoyed to have broken the world record in Berlin," said Kipchoge. "I wanted to run the first half so fast. No limitations.
"After 38km I knew I would be capable of breaking the world record. The circumstances were great, and so was the organisation of the event. I&rsquo;m really happy with today and impressed by the fans and their support."
By contrast, several runners were in contention for most of the women&rsquo;s race. A group of six women passed through half way in 1:08:13 &ndash; well inside course record pace &ndash; but by 30km, reached in 1:36:41, just three women remained at the front: Assefa, along with Ethiopian compatriots Tigist Abayechew and Meseret Gola. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/633027063d632326e86bd8b4.jpg" alt="Tigist Assefa wins the Berlin Marathon" />
Tigist Assefa wins the Berlin Marathon (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
 Despite running significantly quicker than she ever had done before, Assefa &ndash; a former 800m specialist &ndash; maintained her relentless pace and opened up a gap of about 20 seconds by 35km.
She continued to pull away from the rest of the field and crossed the line in an Ethiopian record of 2:15:37 &ndash; a time that has only ever been beaten by world record-holders Brigid Kosgei (2:14:04) and Paula Radcliffe (2:15:25). In a race of negative splits, Assefa's second half was quicker than her first (1:07:24) and was also faster than her official PB for the distance.
Kenya&rsquo;s marathon debutante Rosemary Wanjiru came through to take second place in 2:18:00, finishing just three seconds ahead of Abayechew.
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2:15:37 2 Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 2:18:00 3 Tigist Abayechew (ETH) 2:18:03 4 Workenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:18:51 5 Meseret Gola (ETH) 2:20:58 6 Keira D'Amato (USA) 2:21:48 7 Rika Kaseda (JPN) 2:21:55 8 Ayuko Suzuki (JPN) 2:22:02 9 Sayaka Sato (JPN) 2:22:13 10 Vibian Chepkirui (KEN) 2:22:21
Men 1 Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:09 2 Mark Korir (KEN) 2:05:58 3 Tady Abate (ETH) 2:06:28 4 Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 2:06:40 5 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 2:06:49 6 Limenih Getachew (ETH) 2:07:07 7 Kenya Sonota (JPN) 2:07:14 8 Tatsuya Maruyama (JPN) 2:07:50 9 Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:07:56 10 Zablon Chumba (KEN) 2:08:01

Double Olympic champion breaks world record yet again, Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa breaks course record with 2:15:37

Kipchoge breaks world record in Berlin with 2:01:09

The outdoor international track and field season might have <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/feature/22-standout-moments-2022-track-field-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">come to a close</a> but top-class competition continues with the return of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour.
As it did last year, the 2022-2023 calendar will again feature Gold, Silver and Bronze level fixtures and competition kicks off this weekend with the TCS Liding&ouml;loppet, a Silver level meeting, before the first Gold event &ndash; the Cardiff Cross Challenge &ndash; on 15 October. The Liding&ouml;loppet is the world&rsquo;s largest cross-country running race and has recently been recognised with the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/news/lidingoloppet-cross-country-heritage-plaque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Heritage Plaque</a>.
The World Cross Country Tour calendar has expanded this season to currently include 17 Gold level meetings as well as five Silver fixtures and one Bronze event.
The series once again features some of the most prestigious international cross-country races in the world and will form a key part in the preparation of many athletes who will be targeting the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23 on 18 February.
After next month's Cardiff Cross Challenge in Wales, UK, the Gold series moves on to Poland and Spain before stops in USA, Italy, Belgium, Botswana, Kenya and Portugal.
2022-2023 World Cross Country Tour Gold calendar 15 Oct &ndash; Cardiff Cross Challenge, Cardiff (GBR) 23 Oct &ndash; Cross Country Bydgoszcz na Start, Bydgoszcz (POL) 23 Oct &ndash; Cross Internacional Zornotza, Amorebieta-Etxano (ESP) 6 Nov &ndash; Cross Internacional de Soria, Soria (ESP) 12-13 Nov &ndash; Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, Atapuerca (ESP) 20 Nov &ndash; XL Cross Internacional de Italica, Seville (ESP) 27 Nov &ndash; Cross Internacional de La Constitucion Alcobendas, Alcobendas (ESP) 1 Dec &ndash; Cross Champs, Austin, TX (USA) 18 Dec &ndash; Cross Internacional de Venta de Banos, Venta de Banos (ESP) 6 Jan &ndash; Campaccio International Cross Country, San Giorgio su Legnano (ITA) 8 Jan &ndash; Elgoibar Juan Muguerza Cross Country, Elgoibar (ESP) 15 Jan &ndash; Cinque Mulini, San Vittore Olona (ITA) 22 Jan &ndash; CrossCup de Hannut, Hannut (BEL) 28 Jan &ndash; Botswana Cross Country Challenge, Gaborone (BOT) 11 Feb &ndash; Sirikwa Cross Country Classic, Eldoret (KEN) 12 Feb &ndash; LII Gran Premio Caceres Campo a Traves, Caceres (ESP) 26 Feb &ndash; Cross das Amendoeiras em Flor, Albufeira (POR) <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-tour/calendar-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full Cross Country Tour calendar (including Gold, Silver and Bronze meetings)</a>
The World Athletics Cross Country Tour and the cross country rankings also form part of the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/competition-decisions-qualification-championship-events" target="_blank" rel="noopener">qualification pathway for the 10,000m at future championships</a>. Starting with the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, the top eight men and top eight women in the cross country rankings, who are not already qualified via entry standard or world 10,000m ranking, will be automatically qualified. 
<h2>Tour wins for Kwizera and Daniel</h2>
The 2021-2022 World Athletics Cross Country Tour ran from September to March and a series of strong performances led to Burundi&rsquo;s Rodrigue Kwizera and Eritrea&rsquo;s Rahel Daniel becoming the overall winners.
The Cross Country Tour, which replaced the former Cross Country Permit series, takes athletes&rsquo; best three marks and converts them into performance scores (as also used by the world rankings system).
The top six at the end of the 2021-2022 season were:
Women 1 Rahel Daniel (ERI) 3820 2 Lucy Mawia (KEN) 3780 3 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) 3780 3 Likina Amebaw (ETH) 3780 5 Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (KEN) 3760 6 Dolshi Tesfu (ERI) 3680 <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-tour/standings/2022/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full standings</a>
Men 1 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 3840 2 Nibret Melak (ETH) 3780 3 Aron Kifle (ERI) 3760 4 Rogers Kibet (UGA) 3740 5 Thomas Ayeko (UGA) 3720 6 Joel Ayeko (UGA) 3700 <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-tour/standings/2022/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full standings</a>
Kwizera and Daniel were both rewarded for their season-long consistency.
Kwizera won in Soria, San Sebastian, Seville, Alcobendas and Venta de Banos last year, also finishing second in Atapuerca, and he took that form into the new year, winning in Albufeira in February. The 2019 world cross country 11th-place finisher went on run a national 10km record of 26:56 in Herzogenaurach &ndash; putting him sixth on the world all-time list &ndash; and finished 16th in the world 10,000m final in Oregon.
Daniel, meanwhile, won in Atapuerca in November and then finished fifth in Seville a week later. She returned in 2022 to claim the runner-up spot in San Giorgio su Legnano before winning at the Eritrean Cross Country Championships as well as in Albufeira. After that she switched to the track, finishing eighth in the 3000m final at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and then fifth in the 10,000m final at the World Championships in Oregon.
World Athletics

Top-class competition continues with the return of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour

World Cross Country Tour launches at Lidingöloppet

As the world prepares for November's COP27 in Egypt, Athletics Kenya has been advocating for increased transboundary cooperation for climate action. Working with athletes who have become climate action ambassadors, the governing body continues to seize strategic opportunities to spread the message.
Since August 2021 when it signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Athletics Kenya in cooperation with the Stockholm Environment Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has installed four air quality sensors in the Kasarani Stadium, Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi National Park and Nakuru Athletics Club, with more to come.
Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei recently travelled to Dakar, Senegal, with Kenya&rsquo;s 1992 Olympic 800m gold medallist William Tanui and Maxwell Nyamu, sustainability and communications officer. There they marked the third International Day of Clean Air for blue skies and participated in the 18th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), organised by the UNEP Regional Office for Africa and the Government of Senegal under the theme 'Securing people's well-being and ensuring environmental sustainability in Africa'.
&ldquo;Athletes need a good environment and clean air to train optimally and to enable them to give good performances in competitions,&rdquo; said Tanui.
His local counterpart, 1988 Olympic 400m hurdles silver medallist Amadou Dia Ba, who serves as director of the African Athletics Development Centre, said: &ldquo;I am ready to work with Athletics Kenya on climate action.&rdquo; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/632e2d8e31673c1d1e8ffcaa.jpg" alt="Senegal&rsquo;s Amadou Dia Ba and Kenya&rsquo;s William Tanui in Dakar" />
Senegal&rsquo;s Amadou Dia Ba and Kenya&rsquo;s William Tanui in Dakar (&copy; Athletics Kenya)
</div>
<h2>Air quality sensor installed at venue of 2026 Youth Olympic Games</h2>
The week-long activities demonstrated cooperation between Athletics Kenya, the Senegalese Athletics Federation and the African Athletics Confederation. On the eve of the AMCEN meeting, an air quality device was installed at Diamniadio Stadium in Dakar, venue of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. That was followed by a symbolic tree planting ceremony attended by dignitaries and schoolchildren.
&ldquo;A clean environment is important around stadiums,&rdquo; said Senegalese Athletics Federation President Sara Oualy. &ldquo;We will work to inspire athletes by connecting them with African athletes who are leading, like William Tanui. We are happy and will work for fruitful collaboration between Senegal Athletics and Athletics Kenya.&rdquo;
Each year, Africa records more than one million premature deaths associated with air pollution - indoors and outdoors. In fact, the continent faces a double burden of worsening air quality and climate vulnerability, which need to be addressed together.
<h2>37 measures for Africa identified</h2>
A report presented at the AMCEN conference, Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate Change for Sustainable Development in Africa, was prepared by the African Union Commission, the UNEP Regional Office for Africa, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the Stockholm Environment Institute. It has identified 37 measures that, if implemented, provide a tailored package of solutions for achieving clean air while also enabling African countries to meet climate obligations contained in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The report states that most measures are already being implemented in parts of Africa. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/632e2ce731673c1d1e8ffca7.jpg" alt="Lawrence Nzuve, Ngongang Wandji Danube Kirt, Maxwell Nyamu, Aminata Mbow Diokhane, Baba Drame and Issa Mboup" />
Lawrence Nzuve, Ngongang Wandji Danube Kirt, Maxwell Nyamu, Aminata Mbow Diokhane, Baba Drame and Issa Mboup at Diamniadio Stadium (&copy; Athletics Kenya)
</div>
In 2022, for example, 19 African countries have established Ambient Air Quality Standards and another 17 have developed or are in the process of developing national action plans to reduce emission of short-lived climate pollutants. In addition, regional framework agreements for air pollution are in place for eastern, southern, west and central African regions. The Assessment concludes that it will take &ldquo;integrated approaches&rdquo; and proposes &ldquo;the establishment of an Africa Clean Air Programme as a continent-wide platform for partnership to facilitate data collection and action at national, regional and continental levels.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It is very important to develop this partnership between Athletics Kenya and Senegal Athletics because Senegal is preparing for a very important event &ndash; the Youth Olympics in 2026,&rdquo; emphasised Cheikh Fofana, Deputy Director of Environment in the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Government of Senegal.
A press conference on the topic &lsquo;Connecting sports to Climate and Air Quality in Africa&rsquo; was held alongside the AMCEN meeting. The objectives of the conference were to:
<ul>
<li>Present and share the status of air quality and climate change in Senegal and the implications for sports,</li>
<li>Highlight the actions by sports organisations and federations to address air quality and climate action, including examples from Kenya and Senegal, and wider actions across Africa,</li>
<li>Give a platform for leading athletes and sportspeople from Senegal and Kenya to share their experiences on implications of climate and air pollution on sports, and the role of athletes in raising awareness about these challenges.</li>
</ul>
&ldquo;We look forward to sharing the experiences and pathway on Sports for Climate Action with Athletics Senegal and for consideration by other sister federations in Africa through the Confederation of African Athletics,&rdquo; said President Tuwei. &ldquo;We hope the African Union will assist us in championing this important venture.&rdquo;
Looking to the future, he noted: &ldquo;We will be seeking to work with the Confederation of African Athletics and our partners (UNEP and Stockholm Environment Institute) in enhancing and scaling up the training to other federations on Sports for Climate Action.&rdquo;
<h2>CAA for environment and climate action</h2>
Representing the CAA, Director General Lamine Faty said: &ldquo;Sport is one of the good ways to communicate environment protection and climate change. Air quality is important for athletes and more awareness activities will be organised with the expert knowledge of Athletics Kenya.&rdquo;
With these key bodies united for climate action, the week&rsquo;s activities were an important milestone for athletics and the environment in the African continent that will soon be hosting COP27.
Alice Annibali for World Athletics

As the world prepares for November's COP27 in Egypt, Athletics Kenya has been advocating for increased transboundary cooperation for climate action

Athletics Kenya, Senegalese Athletics Federation and CAA join efforts for climate action

Eliud Kipchoge and Keira D'Amato will lead two top fields when they make their highly anticipated returns to the BMW Berlin Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Platinum road race, on Sunday (25).
Kenya&rsquo;s Kipchoge is back at the scene of his 2:01:39 world record set in 2018, seeking &ldquo;a very good race&rdquo;, while D'Amato has her eye on another North and Central American record as she aims to become the first US winner of this race.
Kipchoge refused to be drawn on exactly what he would class as a &ldquo;very good race&rdquo;, but added: &ldquo;Berlin is a very good place where a human being can actually push limits. I still have to come back to Berlin to try and push limits.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say it will be a world record but I want to run a good race &ndash; be it a world record, be it a personal best, be it a good race. If all goes well and it is a personal best, a world record, then I will celebrate.&rdquo;
The 37-year-old returns to race in Berlin for the first time since that remarkable record four years ago, now as a two-time Olympic champion and with an unofficial marathon best of 1:59:41 to his name following the non-record eligible INEOS 1:59 Challenge time trial in Vienna in 2019.
&ldquo;I trust that I have shown the way to many athletes, to the next generation, that one day a human being will run under two hours on a normal course, like Berlin or somewhere else,&rdquo; added Kipchoge, who won the Enschede Marathon and his second Olympic marathon last year and then returned to Japan in March to win the Tokyo Marathon in 2:02:40.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I am going to Berlin to run under two hours, but I am going to Berlin to run a very good race that will make everybody inspired and love marathons.&rdquo;
With wins in 2015 and 2017 also on his CV, Kipchoge could match the record number of Berlin Marathon victories achieved by Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie, who won four consecutive titles between 2006 and 2009.
Among those looking to deny him will be defending champion Guye Adola, who won last year&rsquo;s race in 2:05:45. The Ethiopian&rsquo;s PB remains the 2:03:46 he ran on his debut in Berlin in 2017, when he went head-to-head with Kipchoge and eventually finished second, 14 seconds back. In 2019 he ran 2:04:42 to finish third in Valencia.
Kipchoge and Adola are among six athletes in the men&rsquo;s field to have dipped under 2:06 for the marathon, while 13 have gone sub-2:07. That list includes Kenya&rsquo;s Bethwel Yegon, who finished runner-up to Adola in Berlin last year in 2:06:14, and Eritrea&rsquo;s Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, who won the world marathon title in 2015 and clocked his PB of 2:05:34 when finishing third in Seville in February.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s 2019 Chicago Marathon runner-up Dejene Debela, Eritrea&rsquo;s Oqbe Kibrom Ruesom and Kenya&rsquo;s Mark Korir, who won the 2016 Frankfurt Marathon and 2015 Paris Marathon, also have PBs under 2:06.
In the women&rsquo;s race, D'Amato starts as favourite thanks to the 2:19:12 area record she set when winning the Chevron Houston Marathon in January. The 37-year-old went on to finish eighth at the World Athletics Championships on home soil in Oregon and earlier this month won the USA 20km Road Running Championships in 1:04:29 in hot conditions.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to run faster than that (2:19:12) in Berlin,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Amato at the pre-event press conference. &ldquo;To win a great race such as Berlin would be a dream and a great career ambition.&rdquo;
The course record stands at 2:18:11, set by Kenya&rsquo;s Gladys Cherono in 2018.
Although D'Amato might be the only athlete in the field with a sub-2:20 PB, there are several athletes who will be looking to break that mark for the first time to challenge her for victory.
Ethiopia's Gutemi Shone Imana ran her personal best of 2:20:11 in Dubai in 2020 and then clocked 2:21:46 in Prague last year, while her compatriots Workenesh Edesa and Sisay Gola have respective PBs of 2:20:24 and 2:20:50, Gola's set when finishing second in Seville in February.
Kenya's Maurine Chepkemoi and Vibian Chepkurui are the other two sub-2:21 women in the field. Chepkemoi set her PB of 2:20:18 in Amsterdam in 2021, while Chepkurui will want to continue her progress after running 2:24:29 to win in Vienna on her debut last year and then 2:20:59 to retain her title in April.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Bekelech Gudeta won the Prague Marathon in 2:22:56 in May, while Tigist Abayechew ran 2:22:45 when finishing fourth in Dubai in 2020.
Another athlete to watch will be Kenya's 2019 world 10,000m fourth-place finisher Rosemary Wanjiru, who makes her marathon debut and will be looking to follow the example of Gotytom Gebreslase, who won in Berlin last year when racing over 26.2 miles for the first time.
Ethiopia's Nigsti Haftu, who has a half marathon best of 1:06:17, also lines up for her debut.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics 
<h2>Elite fields</h2>
Women Keira D'Amato (USA) 2:19:12 Gutemi Shone Imana (ETH) 2:20:11 Maurine Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:20:18 Workenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:20:24 Sisay Gola (ETH) 2:20:50 Vibian Chepkurui (KEN) 2:20:59 Tigist Abayechew (ETH) 2:22:45 Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:22:56 Sayaka Sato (JPN) 2:23:27 Risper Chebet (UGA) 2:23:45 Yukari Abe (JPN) 2:24:02 Meseret Belete (ETH) 2:24:25 Lisa Weightman (AUS) 2:25:15 Natasha Wodak (CAN) 2:26:19 Kanako Takemoto (JPN) 2:26:23 Sonia Samuels (GBR) 2:28:04 Rika Kaseda (JPN) 2:28:29 Ayuko Suzuki (JPN) 2:28:32 Hikari Onishi (JPN) 2:28:56 Ftaw Zeray (ETH) 2:29:15 Katja Fischer (GER) 2:42:39 Julia Mayer (AUT) 2:46:35 Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) Debut Nigsti Haftu (ETH) Debut 
Men Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:39 Guye Adola (ETH) 2:03:46 Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ERI) 2:05:34 Dejene Debela (ETH) 2:05:46 Mark Korir (KEN) 2:05:49 Oqbe Kibrom Ruesom (ERI) 2:05:53 Ashenafi Moges (ETH) 2:06:12 Deme Tadu Abate (ETH) 2:06:13 Bethwel Yegon (KEN) 2:06:14 Awet Habte (ERI) 2:06:25 Ryu Takaku (JPN) 2:06:45 Limenih Getachew (ETH) 2:06:47 Hiroto Inoue (JPN) 2:06:47 Zablon Chumba (KEN) 2:07:18 Kenya Sonota (JPN) 2:07:23 Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:07:26 Kazuki Muramoto (JPN) 2:07:36 Tadashi Isshiki (JPN) 2:07:39 Atsumi Ashiwa (JPN) 2:07:54 Daisuke Doi (JPN) 2:08:13 Nguse Amlosom (ERI) 2:08:23 Rintaro Takeda (JPN) 2:08:48 Yuki Matsumura (JPN) 2:09:01 Byambajav Tseveenravdan (MGL) 2:09:03 Tatsuya Maruyama (JPN) 2:09:36 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 2:09:39 Stephen Scullion (IRE) 2:09:49 Koshiro Hirata (JPN) 2:09:57 Masashi Nonaka (JPN) 2:09:57 Peter Herzog (AUT) 2:10:06 Abraham Kipyatich (KEN) 2:10:51 Jamsran Olonbayar (MGL) 2:11:02 Kamil Jastrzebski (POL) 2:11:08 Leonard Barsoton (KEN) 2:11:11 Gantulga Dambadarjaa (MGL) 2:11:18 Renqing Dongzhibu (CHN) 2:11:54 He Jie (CHN) 2:12:00 Johannes Motschmann (GER) 2:12:18 Mike Sayenko (USA) 2:13:00 Haftom Welday (ERI) 2:13:47 Frank Schauer (GER) 2:14:43 Konstantinos Gkelaouzos (GRE) 2:14:44 Erik Hille (GER) 2:15:04 
&nbsp;

Eliud Kipchoge and Keira D'Amato will lead two top fields when they make their highly anticipated returns to the World Athletics Elite Platinum road race on Sunday

Kipchoge and D'Amato head fields for Berlin, where records could fall

<a href="#FR">fran&ccedil;ais</a>
Seven Member Federations have been placed on the new Competition Manipulation Watch List following an investigation of suspicious competition results conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit&nbsp;(AIU).
The World Athletics Council approved the introduction of a Competition Manipulation Watch List at its meeting in Oregon in July, in response to an AIU investigation prompted by 17 reports of suspicious competition results during the qualification period for the 2021 Olympic Games.
The World Athletics Competition Department will work with Member Federations who are placed on the Watch List to improve and reform their competition procedures.
Their position on the Watch List will be kept under review by the Council with the aim of those Member Federations being able to demonstrate that they should no longer remain on the Watch List. All seven federations have already engaged positively with World Athletics in that regard.
The following Member Federations have been placed on the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=9a163edc-09fc-4501-8376-74832c7e792c.pdf&amp;urlslug=Competition%20Manipulation%20Watch%20List" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Competition Manipulation Watch List</a>:
Albania Armenia Georgia Kyrgyzstan Moldova Turkey Uzbekistan
Please note that this decision reflects the high degree of risk of results manipulation within the Member Federation&rsquo;s territory and not the conduct of individual officials or specific cases. Any conduct-related matters will be referred to the AIU for investigation.&nbsp;
World Athletics will not recognise results achieved at competitions hosted by these Federations, except for the following:
<ul>
<li>Official international or area championships</li>
<li>Competitions which form part of the following international competition structures: Diamond League Continental Tour World Indoor Tour World Race Walking Tour World Combined Events Tour World Cross Country Tour World Athletics Label Road Races</li>
<li>National championships, provided certain conditions are fulfilled and subject to World Athletics approval.</li>
</ul>
 World Athletics reserves the right to appoint up to three International Technical Officials to ensure these competitions are conducted appropriately, at the expense&nbsp;&nbsp;of the Member Federation.
These conditions apply to the above Member Federations from today (23).
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;The integrity of our sport is our highest priority at World Athletics. Without it, we don&rsquo;t have a sport. That is why we established the independent AIU, to identify and address all threats to integrity. I would like to thank the AIU for their continued hard work to protect our sport. Maintaining integrity requires eternal vigilance and this is a timely reminder that all our Member Federations must be equally committed to upholding the principles of fair competition.&rdquo; 
<h2>Four medals reallocated from historic age manipulation cases</h2>
World Athletics has also taken action to annul the results of 11 athletes from World Athletics Series events between 2001 and 2013 due to age manipulation.
These historic cases were referred to World Athletics by the Athletics Integrity Unit &ndash; the independent integrity body for the sport &ndash; following its investigations into the birthdates of these competitors. This has resulted in the concerned athletes being stripped of results, and in some cases, medals being reallocated.
Nine of the athletes have been identified as overage at the time of the championships in which they competed, and two athletes have been identified as underage.
These investigations have led to the reallocation of medals in the following events: the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles at the 2002 World Junior Championships (Shi Dongpeng of China disqualified, Shamar Sands of The Bahamas awarded the silver medal and Richard Phillips of Jamaica awarded the bronze medal); the men&rsquo;s long jump at the 2003 World Youth Championships (Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Ahmed Nezar H. Al-Sharfa disqualified and Andrejs Maskancevs of Latvia awarded the bronze medal); and the men&rsquo;s medley relay at the 2005 World Youth Championships (Saudi Arabia disqualified and South Africa awarded the bronze medal).
This is the full list of results which have been annulled:
<ul>
<li>Shi Dongpeng, CHN (overage): 2002 World Junior Championships 110m hurdles (silver).</li>
<li>Awet Nftalem Kibrab, ERI (overage): 2013 World Youth Championships 3000m (5th).&nbsp;</li>
<li>Aberu Kebede, ETH (overage): 2007 World Cross Country Championships 6km (16th).</li>
<li>Mulu Seboka, ETH (underage): 2005 World Championships marathon (48th).</li>
<li>Lhoussaine Dhame, MAR (overage): 2002 World Junior Cross Country Championships (29th), 2003 World Junior Cross Country Championships (18th).</li>
<li>Ali Ahmad S. Al-Amri, KSA (overage): 2006 World Junior Championships 3000m (10th).</li>
<li>Sultan Mubarak Al-Dawoodi, KSA (overage): 2001 World Youth Championships discus (5th), 2002 World Junior Championships discus (15qb), 2004 World Junior Championships discus (9th).</li>
<li>Sultan Abdulmajeed Al-Hebshi, KSA (overage): 2001 World Youth Championships shot put (12th).&nbsp;</li>
<li>Ismail Al-Sabani, KSA (overage): 2005 World Youth Championships 800m (7th&nbsp;h6) and medley relay (bronze), 2008 World Junior Championships 400m (8th&nbsp;s2) and 4x400m (6th&nbsp;h2).</li>
<li>Ahmed Nezar H. Al-Sharfa, KSA (overage): 2003 World Youth Championships long jump (bronze), 2006 World Junior Championships long jump (18th q).&nbsp;</li>
<li>Taher Belkorchi, MAR (underage): 2007 World Youth Championships 1500m (6th), 2008 World Junior Championships 1500m (6th).</li>
</ul>
 World Athletics thanks those Member Federations involved for their co-operation with the AIU&rsquo;s investigations and is not proposing to take any further action.
Commenting on these issues, the Chairman of the AIU David Howman said: "Today's announcements demonstrate that World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit are committed to protecting the sport from all kinds of integrity threats. The Competition Manipulation Watch List is an important protective measure to support honest and hardworking athletes who may otherwise be robbed of their rightful place in major events. The AIU is currently investigating several specific allegations of competition manipulation relating to qualification for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. I thank World Athletics for taking action on historical age manipulation cases, based on evidence provided by the AIU. The rightful medallists have finally been acknowledged, and I&rsquo;m sure this is very meaningful to them. While this step has corrected some historic wrongs, age manipulation continues to be a concern in athletics, and the AIU is actively investigating more recent allegations of this nature.&rdquo;
World Athletics
<a name="FR"></a>&nbsp;
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&nbsp;
<h1>World Athletics publie la Liste de surveillance relative &agrave; la manipulation des comp&eacute;titions</h1>
Au terme d&rsquo;une enqu&ecirc;te men&eacute;e par l&rsquo;Unit&eacute; d&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute; de l&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme sur des r&eacute;sultats de comp&eacute;tition suspects, sept F&eacute;d&eacute;rations membres ont &eacute;t&eacute; plac&eacute;es sur la nouvelle liste de surveillance relative &agrave; la manipulation des comp&eacute;titions.&nbsp;
En effet, lors de sa r&eacute;union tenue en juillet, en Oregon, le Conseil de World Athletics avait approuv&eacute; la mise en place d&rsquo;une liste de surveillance, apr&egrave;s une enqu&ecirc;te r&eacute;alis&eacute;e par l&rsquo;UIA et d&eacute;coulant de 17 cas de r&eacute;sultats de comp&eacute;tition suspects durant la p&eacute;riode de qualification en vue des Jeux olympiques 2021.
Le d&eacute;partement Comp&eacute;tition de World Athletics travaillera avec les F&eacute;d&eacute;rations membres figurant sur la Liste pour am&eacute;liorer et r&eacute;former leurs proc&eacute;dures en mati&egrave;re de comp&eacute;tition.
Le Conseil r&eacute;examinera la situation de ces F&eacute;d&eacute;rations, l&rsquo;objectif &eacute;tant qu&rsquo;&agrave; terme ces derni&egrave;res soient en mesure de d&eacute;montrer que leur pr&eacute;sence sur la Liste de surveillance n&rsquo;est plus n&eacute;cessaire. Les sept f&eacute;d&eacute;rations se sont d&eacute;j&agrave; investies positivement aupr&egrave;s de World Athletics dans ce sens.
Les F&eacute;d&eacute;rations membres suivantes ont &eacute;t&eacute; plac&eacute;es sur <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=43f272b2-c426-483a-bed5-cc1b62a00e92.pdf&amp;urlslug=Competition%20Manipulation%20Watch%20List" target="_blank" rel="noopener">la liste de surveillance</a> :
Albanie&nbsp; Arm&eacute;nie&nbsp; G&eacute;orgie&nbsp; Kirghizistan&nbsp; Moldavie&nbsp; Turquie&nbsp; Ouzb&eacute;kistan&nbsp;
Cette d&eacute;cision est fond&eacute;e sur le fait que le risque de manipulation des r&eacute;sultats est &eacute;lev&eacute; sur le territoire de ces F&eacute;d&eacute;rations mais ne vise pas la conduite individuelle d&rsquo;officiels ou des cas sp&eacute;cifiques. Toute question li&eacute;e &agrave; la conduite sera renvoy&eacute;e devant l&rsquo;Unit&eacute; d&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute; de l&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme pour enqu&ecirc;te.
World&nbsp;Athletics a d&eacute;cid&eacute; de ne plus reconna&icirc;tre les r&eacute;sultats obtenus lors de comp&eacute;titions organis&eacute;es par ces F&eacute;d&eacute;rations. Cela ne concerne pas les comp&eacute;titions suivantes&nbsp;:
<ul>
<li>Les Championnats continentaux ou internationaux officiels</li>
<li>Les comp&eacute;titions qui font partie des structures de Comp&eacute;titions internationales suivantes&nbsp;: Ligue de diamant Circuit continental Circuit mondial en salle Circuit mondial de marche athl&eacute;tique Circuit mondial d&rsquo;&eacute;preuves combin&eacute;es Circuit mondial de cross-country Courses sur route World&nbsp;Athletics &agrave; label</li>
<li>Les championnats nationaux, sous certaines conditions et sous r&eacute;serve de l&rsquo;approbation de World Athletics.</li>
</ul>
 World Athletics se r&eacute;serve le droit de nommer jusqu&rsquo;&agrave; un maximum de trois Officiels techniques internationaux pour officier lors de n&rsquo;importe laquelle de ces comp&eacute;titions aux frais de la F&eacute;d&eacute;ration membre.
Ces conditions s&rsquo;appliquent aux F&eacute;d&eacute;rations membres indiqu&eacute;es ci-dessus &agrave; compter d&rsquo;aujourd&rsquo;hui (23).
Le pr&eacute;sident de World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, a d&eacute;clar&eacute; : &laquo;&thinsp;&Agrave; World Athletics, l&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute; de notre sport est la priorit&eacute; absolue. Sans int&eacute;grit&eacute;, notre sport n&rsquo;existe pas. C&rsquo;est pourquoi, nous avons institu&eacute; l&rsquo;UIA qui est ind&eacute;pendante et charg&eacute;e d&rsquo;identifier et de traiter toute menace visant l&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute;. Je tiens &agrave; remercier l&rsquo;UIA pour son travail assidu aux fins de prot&eacute;ger notre sport. Pr&eacute;server l&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute; requiert une vigilance de tous les instants. &Agrave; ce propos, il convient de rappeler que toutes nos F&eacute;d&eacute;rations membres doivent s&rsquo;engager aussi fermement dans ce sens pour d&eacute;fendre les principes d&rsquo;une comp&eacute;tition juste.&thinsp;&raquo; 
<h2>Quatre m&eacute;dailles r&eacute;attribu&eacute;es &agrave; la suite de cas ant&eacute;rieurs de manipulation li&eacute;e &agrave; l&rsquo;&acirc;ge</h2>
World Athletics a &eacute;galement pris des mesures pour annuler les r&eacute;sultats de 11 athl&egrave;tes obtenus lors de comp&eacute;titions de la S&eacute;rie mondiale d&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme disput&eacute;es entre 2001 et 2013 pour cause de manipulation li&eacute;e &agrave; l&rsquo;&acirc;ge.
L&rsquo;Unit&eacute; d&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute; de l&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme, l&rsquo;instance ind&eacute;pendante charg&eacute;e de l&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute; du sport, a transmis ces cas ant&eacute;rieurs &agrave; World Athletics apr&egrave;s avoir effectu&eacute; des v&eacute;rifications sur les dates de naissance de ces athl&egrave;tes. En cons&eacute;quence, les r&eacute;sultats des athl&egrave;tes concern&eacute;s ont &eacute;t&eacute; annul&eacute;s, et dans certains cas, les m&eacute;dailles ont &eacute;t&eacute; r&eacute;attribu&eacute;es.
Neuf des athl&egrave;tes ont &eacute;t&eacute; identifi&eacute;s comme &eacute;tant trop &acirc;g&eacute;s au moment des championnats auxquels ils ont particip&eacute; et deux athl&egrave;tes ont &eacute;t&eacute; identifi&eacute;s comme &eacute;tant trop jeunes.
Les enqu&ecirc;tes men&eacute;es ont d&eacute;bouch&eacute; sur la r&eacute;attribution de m&eacute;dailles dans les &eacute;preuves suivantes : le 110m haies masculin aux Championnats du monde juniors 2002 (le Chinois Shi Dongpeng a &eacute;t&eacute; disqualifi&eacute;, Shamar Sands des Bahamas a re&ccedil;u la m&eacute;daille d&rsquo;argent et Richard Phillips de Jama&iuml;que la m&eacute;daille de bronze)&thinsp;; le saut en longueur masculin aux Championnats du monde juniors 2003 (le Saoudien Ahmed Nezar H. Al-Sharfa d&rsquo;Arabie Saoudite a &eacute;t&eacute; disqualifi&eacute; et Andrejs Maskancevs de Lettonie a re&ccedil;u la m&eacute;daille de bronze)&thinsp;; le relais medley masculin aux Championnats du monde cadets 2005 (l&rsquo;Arabie Saoudite a &eacute;t&eacute; disqualifi&eacute;e et l&rsquo;Afrique du Sud a re&ccedil;u la m&eacute;daille de bronze).
Voici la liste compl&egrave;te des r&eacute;sultats qui ont &eacute;t&eacute; annul&eacute;s :
<ul>
<li>Shi Dongpeng, CHN (trop &acirc;g&eacute;)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde juniors 2002 au 110m haies (argent)</li>
<li>Awet Nftalem Kibrab, ERI (trop &acirc;g&eacute;)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde cadets 2013 au 3000m (5e)</li>
<li>Aberu Kebede, ETH (trop &acirc;g&eacute;e)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde 2007 de cross-country au 6km (16e)</li>
<li>Mulu Seboka, ETH (trop jeune)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde 2005 au marathon (48e)</li>
<li>Lhoussaine Dhame, MAR (trop &acirc;g&eacute;)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde juniors de cross-country 2002 (29e), Championnats du monde juniors de cross-country 2003 (18e)</li>
<li>Ali Ahmad S. Al-Amri, KSA (trop &acirc;g&eacute;)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde juniors 2006 au 3000m (10e)</li>
<li>Sultan Mubarak Al-Dawoodi, KSA (trop &acirc;g&eacute;)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde cadets 2001 au lancer de disque (5e), Championnats du monde junior 2002 au lancer de disque (15e), Championnats du monde juniors 2004 au lancer de disque (9e)</li>
<li>Sultan Abdulmajeed Al-Hebshi, KSA (trop &acirc;g&eacute;)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde cadets 2001 au lancer du poids (12e)</li>
<li>Ismail Al-Sabani, KSA (trop &acirc;g&eacute;)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde cadets 2005 au 800m (7e, s&eacute;rie 6) et relais medley (bronze), Championnats du monde junior 2008 au 400m (8e&nbsp;s&eacute;rie 2) et 4x400m (6e&nbsp;s&eacute;rie 2)</li>
<li>Ahmed Nezar H. Al-Sharfa, KSA (trop &acirc;g&eacute;)&nbsp;: Championnats du monde cadets 2003 au saut en longueur (bronze), Championnats du monde juniors 2006 au saut en longueur (18e)</li>
<li>Taher Belkorchi, MAR (trop jeune) : Championnats du monde jeunesse 2007 au 1500m (6e), Championnats du monde junior 2008 au 1500m (6e)</li>
</ul>
 World Athletics remercie les F&eacute;d&eacute;rations membres impliqu&eacute;es pour leur collaboration dans le cadre des enqu&ecirc;tes men&eacute;es par l&rsquo;UIA et ne pr&eacute;voit pas de prendre d&rsquo;autres mesures.
&Agrave; propos de ces questions, le pr&eacute;sident de l&rsquo;UIA, David Howman, a d&eacute;clar&eacute; : &laquo;&thinsp;Les annonces d&rsquo;aujourd&rsquo;hui d&eacute;montrent l&rsquo;engagement de World Athletics et de l&rsquo;Unit&eacute; d&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute; de l&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme &agrave; prot&eacute;ger le sport contre tous les types de menaces &agrave; l&rsquo;int&eacute;grit&eacute;. La Liste de surveillance relative &agrave; la manipulation des comp&eacute;titions est une mesure de pr&eacute;vention majeure pour soutenir les athl&egrave;tes int&egrave;gres et d&eacute;vou&eacute;s qui, sans cette mesure, pourraient se voir priv&eacute;s d&rsquo;une place l&eacute;gitime dans les grands &eacute;v&eacute;nements. L&rsquo;UIA enqu&ecirc;te actuellement sur plusieurs all&eacute;gations de manipulation de comp&eacute;tition en lien avec les performances de qualification pour les Jeux olympiques de Tokyo 2020. Je remercie World Athletics d&rsquo;avoir pris des mesures concernant les cas ant&eacute;rieurs de manipulation li&eacute;e &agrave; l&rsquo;&acirc;ge, sur la base des &eacute;l&eacute;ments fournis par l&rsquo;UIA. Les m&eacute;daill&eacute;s m&eacute;ritants ont enfin &eacute;t&eacute; reconnus et je suis s&ucirc;r que cela signifie beaucoup pour eux. Bien que cette mesure ait corrig&eacute; certains torts pass&eacute;s, la manipulation li&eacute;e &agrave; l&rsquo;&acirc;ge reste une pr&eacute;occupation en athl&eacute;tisme. L&rsquo;UIA diligente actuellement des enqu&ecirc;tes sur des all&eacute;gations plus r&eacute;centes de cette nature.&thinsp;&raquo;
World Athletics

Seven Member Federations have been placed on the new Competition Manipulation Watch List following an investigation of suspicious competition results conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit

World Athletics publishes Competition Manipulation Watch List

The history of the annual Liding&ouml;loppet, the world&rsquo;s largest cross country running race, has been recognised with the World Athletics Heritage Plaque (category - Competition).
The Liding&ouml;loppet, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Silver competition that celebrates its 58th edition this weekend, is the 79th recipient of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque since the programme was created in December 2018.
Liding&ouml; &ndash; where the competition takes place &ndash; is an island suburb of Stockholm, while &lsquo;loppet&rsquo; is Swedish for &lsquo;race&rsquo;.
Since 1982, the race has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the world's largest cross country race. There are usually around 15,000 runners in the 30km, with other races bringing the total number of participants across the weekend to around 35,000 each year.
&ldquo;The Liding&ouml;loppet is rightly renowned as one of the world&rsquo;s great cross country running competitions,&rdquo; World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said. &ldquo;Its history and ongoing legacy are well deserving of a World Athletics Heritage Plaque. 
&ldquo;A classic event in Sweden&rsquo;s annual sporting calendar, Liding&ouml;loppet&rsquo;s impact on the development of recreational running has been profound. It has encouraged hundreds of thousands to take up exercise and get enjoyment from running in the vast, beautiful Swedish countryside.&rdquo;
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Heritage Plaque</a> is a location-based recognition, awarded for 'an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field athletics and of out-of-stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking'. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/632d50fa5852bcc53f3f89dc.jpg" alt="Mikael Jansson, Mikkel M&ouml;rdrup, Anna &Ouml;berg and Chris Turner with the Liding&ouml;loppet plaque" />
Mikael Jansson, Mikkel M&ouml;rdrup, Anna &Ouml;berg and Chris Turner with the Liding&ouml;loppet plaque (&copy; Marcus Wicander)
</div>
<h2>Grete Waitz &ndash; 12 victories</h2>
Liding&ouml;loppet, which is organised by the sports clubs IFK Liding&ouml; Orientering (SOK) and IFK Liding&ouml; Track and Field (Friidrott), takes place on a challenging, undulating course. Three-time winner Malin Ewerl&ouml;f, who lives in Liding&ouml;, told stadium.se: &ldquo;The Liding&ouml; race is like long interval training. The toughest stretch is between 15-20km. Here it goes up and down all the time.&rdquo; 
The last 10km is most famous and called the 'last mile' (in Sweden, 10km is normally described as a 'mil'). At 25km, runners come to the famous 'Abborrbacken' (perch hill), a key challenge of the race. The hill is 540m in length, during which runners ascend 48m from sea level.
The initiators of the race in 1965 were Karl Axel "Kacke" Karlberg and Sven G&auml;rderud. Their inspiration came from an article by sportswriter Sven Lindhagen, who proposed an annual mass event for recreational runners comparable with the Vasaloppet for cross country skiers. The first ever Liding&ouml; race was 30km long and 644 runners signed up. Of these, 512 completed the distance.
The distance for senior men has remained 30km. In 1967, a women&rsquo;s race over 15km was established. Since 1996 women also have had an official distance over 30km. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/632d50ba5852bcc53f3f89d9.JPG" alt="Runners in action at the Liding&ouml;loppet" />
Runners in action at the Liding&ouml;loppet (&copy; Liding&ouml;loppet)
</div>
Norway&rsquo;s five-time world cross country champion Grete Waitz was a 12-time winner of the women&rsquo;s 15km race. Other illustrious women&rsquo;s race winners include Ingrid Kristiansen, Tegla Loroupe, Angela Tooby, Lena Gavelin, Malin Ewerl&ouml;f, Sara Wedlund and Annemari Sandell.
The men&rsquo;s 30km has been won by many distance running luminaries including Tapio Kantanen, Knut Kvalheim, Douglas Wakiihuri, Benson Masya and Mustafa Mohamed.
Since 1968, a giant wreath has been awarded to the winner of each running category. A Kranskulla (Wreath Maiden) and a Kransmas (Wreath Man) are appointed each year from the members of the organising clubs to place the wreaths around the neck of each winner as they approach the finish line. That task is not easily accomplished while running!
Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage

The history of the annual Lidingöloppet, the world’s largest cross country running race, has been recognised with the World Athletics Heritage Plaque

Lidingöloppet - world’s largest cross country race honoured

Poland&rsquo;s Adrianna Sulek and Grenada&rsquo;s Lindon Victor are the winners of the 2022 World Athletics Combined Events Tour, rewarding their season-long consistency in the heptathlon and decathlon respectively.
The Combined Events Tour, which this year replaced the former Combined Events Challenge, takes athletes&rsquo; best three marks across the series and converts them into performance scores (as also used by the world rankings system). Winners of the Combined Events Tour receive a wildcard entry for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, as well as a US$30,000 bonus.
The top five at the end of the season are:
Heptathlon 1 Adrianna Sulek (POL) 3498 2 Annik Kalin (SUI) 3463 3 Emma Oosterwegel (NED) 3409 4 Claudia Conte (ESP) 3307 5 Bianca Salming (SWE) 3268 <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2022/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full standings</a>
Decathlon 1 Lindon Victor (GRN) 3608 2 Simon Ehammer (SUI) 3578 3 Marcus Nilsson (SWE) 3436 4 Dario Dester (ITA) 3414 5 Finley Gaio (SUI) 3333 <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2022/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full standings</a>
Sulek enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2022, which began with her silver medal at the World Indoor Championships Belgrade 22. That strong form continued outdoors on the Combined Events Tour, starting with her victory on home soil in Bydgoszcz at the Wiesław Czapiewski Memorial, the newest addition to the Gold level meetings on the tour, and a meeting that is named in memory of her former coach.
Just two weeks later, Sulek smashed her PB to finish second at the prestigious Hypo Meeting in G&ouml;tzis, scoring 6429. That remained her PB until the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, where she scored 6672. Although she narrowly missed out on a medal, ultimately placing fourth, she found consolation in the fact that she broke the long-standing Polish record.
Sulek ended her season by taking silver at the European Championships with 6532 &ndash; her fourth heptathlon this year in which she has exceeded 6400 points.
Annik Kalin finished second in the series, following a great season for the Swiss all-rounder. She won at the Multistars meeting in Grosseto with a national record of 6398. She went on to break that with her sixth-place finish at the World Championships (6464) and with her bronze medal at the European Championships (6515).
Emma Oosterwegel finished third in the series, having placed fifth in G&ouml;tzis (6265), seventh at the World Championships (6440) and joint first in Talence (6233).
Victor had a similarly high quality and consistent season. Like Sulek, Victor started the year by setting a national indoor record at the World Indoor Championships, scoring 6029. His first decathlon of the season was in G&ouml;tzis, where he finished second with 8447. He improved on that season&rsquo;s best when finishing fifth at the World Championships with 8474, his best score and placing at a global championships.
Just two weeks later he struck gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, but that event is not part of the Combined Events Tour, so he needed one more performance within the series. He headed to the Decastar meeting in Talence and not only won, but he broke his own national record in the process, scoring 8550.
That was enough to move him to the top of the tour leader board with 3608 points, ahead of Switzerland&rsquo;s Simon Ehammer and Sweden&rsquo;s Marcus Nilsson.
Ehammer made as much of an impact in the decathlon this year as he did in the long jump. He won in Ratingen with 8354, then improved on that national record with 8377 in G&ouml;tzis to finish third &ndash; a series in which he leaped a world decathlon best of 8.45m in the long jump. He focused on just the long jump at the World Championships, taking bronze, and then reverted back to the decathlon for the European Championships, earning silver with 8468.
Nilsson won in Arona (8115), while his fourth-place finishes in Ratingen (7927) and at the European Championships (8327) contributed to his third-place finish in the overall standings.
World Athletics

World indoor silver medallist Adrianna Sulek and Commonwealth champion Lindon Victor top the end-of-season standings

Sulek and Victor confirmed winners of World Athletics Combined Events Tour

The bulk of outdoor international track and field action has concluded for another year, so what better time to look back on some of the season&rsquo;s highlights.
It has been an unprecedented year in terms of outdoor major championships. Along with the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, the season also featured the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, the European Championships, the NACAC Championships, the Commonwealth Games, and various other regional and U20 area championships &ndash; and this, of course, was on top of the Wanda Diamond League and the Continental Tour circuits.
Here are 22 memorable moments - in no particular order - from another great year of athletics action.
&nbsp;
<h3 style="text-align: center;">World Athletics Championships Oregon22</h3>
<h2>McLaughlin&rsquo;s lap of wonder</h2>
In what will surely go down as one of the greatest athletics performances in history, Sydney McLaughlin smashed her own already sensational world record to win the 400m hurdles on home soil in Oregon. Her winning time of 50.68 would be competitive in most international 400m flat races.
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<h2> Crouser vs Kovacs shot put rematch</h2>
The men&rsquo;s shot put was one of the enduring moments from the 2019 World Championships, and the rematch between defending champion Joe Kovacs and Olympic champion Ryan Crouser was almost as thrilling. Crouser emerged as the champion, throwing a championship record of 22.94m to win by just five centimetres from his arch rival.
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<h2> Gidey gains gold in last-lap thriller</h2>
She has smashed world records on the track and roads over the past two years, but Letesenbet Gidey was still chasing a senior global title. The Ethiopian gritted her teeth in the closing stages of the 10,000m at the World Championships and held off a host of opponents in a nail-biting finish.
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<h2> Dominant Duplantis defies gravity</h2>
That he won the world title was no big surprise; Mondo Duplantis has dominated the pole vault for some time now. But the Swedish vaulter kept his cool at the World Championships and broke his own world record with a stunning 6.21m clearance, with clear daylight between him and the bar.
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<h2> Garcia&rsquo;s golden double</h2>
Few would have predicted that Peruvian race walker Kimberly Garcia would win a world title in Oregon. And even fewer would have had her down to complete the race walks double. But the 28-year-old did exactly that, winning gold over 20km and 35km and earning her country&rsquo;s first ever world titles in the process.
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<h2> Dos Santos crowned new king of the hurdles</h2>
Brazil&rsquo;s Alison Dos Santos enjoyed a dream season in 2022, winning all of his 400m hurdles races and cementing his status as the world No.1 in his event. His best race of the year came in Oregon, where he won the world title in a championship record of 46.29 &ndash; the third-fastest time in history.
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<h2> Amusan&rsquo;s shock world record</h2>
At first many questioned the timing system. Could someone really break the world record by that much in a semifinal? But it soon became apparent that Tobi Amusan&rsquo;s 12.12 clocking in the 100m hurdles at the World Championships was legitimate, as she went even quicker in the final with a wind-assisted 12.06.
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<h2> Mayer regains world title</h2>
The expected duel with Olympic champion Damian Warner may not have materialised (the Canadian exited the competition with injury), but Kevin Mayer still had 10 disciplines with which to contend &ndash; plus the demons from the 2019 World Championships &ndash; on his way to winning his second world decathlon title in Oregon.
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&nbsp;
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Wanda Diamond League</h3>
<h2>One small step for Peters, one giant throw for javelinkind</h2>
Grenada&rsquo;s Anderson Peters made a statement at the opening Wanda Diamond League meeting of the year, sending his spear out to 93.07m in a thrilling battle with Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic. Peters went on to enjoy many more javelin duels throughout the year, including at the World Championships where he retained his title.
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<h2> Krop comes of age</h2>
Three years after reaching the World Championships final as an 18-year-old, Jacob Krop enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022. He finished second at the Diamond League meeting in Rome, clocking a PB of 12:46.79, and was runner-up again at the World Championships. But he finally enjoyed a moment of glory when winning at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels with a world-leading 12:45.71 in a race of incredible depth.
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<h2> Kipyegon climbs world all-time list</h2>
It may not have been the world record she craved, but Faith Kipyegon&rsquo;s 3:50.37 run over 1500m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco was no less impressive. Three weeks after winning her fourth global title at that distance, Kipyegon displayed her true dominance of the metric mile.
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<h2> Mahuchikh rebounds with world lead in Brussels</h2>
After winning the world indoor title earlier in the year, Yaroslava Mahuchikh looked poised to dominate the outdoor season. The Ukrainian high jumper was defeated at the World Championships, but she rebounded at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels to win with a world-leading 2.05m, equalling the national record in the process.
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&nbsp;
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Continental Tour Gold</h3>
<h2>Allen goes to No.3 all time in New York</h2>
In his final year of track and field before embarking on a career in the NFL, Devon Allen produced the best run of his life to win at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in New York. In a clash with world champion Grant Holloway, Allen won the 110m hurdles in 12.84, moving him to third on the world all-time list, just 0.04 shy of the world record.
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<h2> Fraser-Pryce kicks off season in style</h2>
There were several highlights in Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s season, not least her fifth world 100m title in Oregon, but the first big &lsquo;wow&rsquo; moment of 2022 for the Jamaican sprinter came at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi, where she won in 10.67 &ndash; what became the first of a record seven sub-10.70 clockings this year.
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<h2> Nowicki clinches hammer victory in Silesia</h2>
It&rsquo;s one of the longest and most hotly contested duels in athletics, and 2022 served up many more instalments in the Pawel Fajdek vs Wojciech Nowicki hammer rivalry. When the duo clashed on home soil at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Silesia, it was Olympic champion Nowicki who came out on top, throwing 81.58m to get the better of five-time world champion Fajdek.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62a8db99a71c1036b727aa28.jpg" alt="Wojciech Nowicki in the hammer in Silesia" />
Wojciech Nowicki in the hammer in Silesia (&copy; Marta Gorczynska)
</div>
<h2> Bol breaks world best</h2>
Before opening up her season at her specialist discipline, Femke Bol raced the 300m hurdles at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava. And while it is a rarely-contested event, the Dutch hurdler&rsquo;s winning time of 36.86 obliterated the previous mark, hinting at the strong season that was to come over the full lap distance.
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&nbsp;
<h3 style="text-align: center;">World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22</h3>
<h2>Tebogo goes into record books</h2>
Botswana&rsquo;s Letsile Tebogo had already shown his sprinting prowess by winning the world U20 100m title in Nairobi last year. He then displayed his raw speed when clocking a world U20 record of 9.94 in the heats at the World Championships. But he saved his best for Cali where he retained his world U20 title in 9.91, an improvement on his own world U20 record.
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<h2> Gold No.2 for Vilagos</h2>
Adriana Vilagos was another back-to-back winner in Cali. The Serbian javelin thrower successfully defended her title in style, winning with a championship record of 63.52m. She went on to claim silver at the senior European Championships.
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&nbsp;
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Elsewhere</h3>
<h2>Gold things come to those who wait</h2>
As had happened at the Olympic Games last year, Ugandan distance runner Jacob Kiplimo had to settle for another bronze over 10,000m at the World Championships. But the 21-year-old rebounded at the Commonwealth Games where he won the 5000m and 10,000m titles with a stunning burst of speed in the closing stages.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/632b15c5d7222153552851e3.jpg" alt="Jacob Kiplimo wins the 5000m at the Commonwealth Games" />
Jacob Kiplimo wins the 5000m at the Commonwealth Games (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
<h2> Winger&rsquo;s championship career ends on a high</h2>
Kara Winger&rsquo;s season was one of the feel-good stories of 2022. The experienced US javelin thrower, competing in her final year, was finally able to put behind her years of injury struggles and near-misses to enjoy the best season of her life. One of the many highlights came at the NACAC Championships where &ndash; in what was the 18th and final championship outing of her career &ndash; she won gold in a championship record of 64.68m. 
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<h2> Ingebrigtsen successfully defends his double</h2>
He narrowly missed out on doing the double at the World Championships, but Jakob Ingebrigtsen was a class apart at the European Championships in Munich, where he retained his 1500m and 5000m crowns.
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<h2> The creation of a new athletics discipline</h2>
And finally&hellip;
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Looking back on a busy season of international athletics

22 standout moments from a memorable ’22 track and field season

An event launch has been held with just over six weeks to go until the Amazing Thailand World Mountain and Trail Running Championships welcomes many of the sport&rsquo;s best athletes to compete in Chiang Mai between 3-6 November.
More than 900 elite athletes from 46 Member Federations are set to race during the four-day festival, which features 80km and 40km trail races plus uphill mountain races for senior athletes, and classic up and down mountain races for both senior and U20 athletes.
A number of key figures came together at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in Bangkok on Tuesday (20), as excitement continues to build for the first edition of an event that further develops the partnership between the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) and the International Trail Running Association (ITRA), with support from World Athletics.
Situated 700km north of Bangkok, on the banks of the Ping River, Chiang Mai offers the most unforgettable beautiful scenery and is the largest tourist spot in the northern part of Thailand. The mountainous surroundings and the city&rsquo;s growing reputation for outdoor mass sporting events make it the perfect place to host the first-ever combined World Championships.
Speakers at Tuesday&rsquo;s launch event included Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, Phiphat Ratchakitprakan; Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, Varawut Silpa-archa; Assistant of the Prime Minister Office, Prasan Wangrattanapranee; President of Athletics Association of Thailand, Police General Sant Sarutanont; Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Yuthasak Supasorn; Governor of the Sport Authority of Thailand, Kongsak Yodmanee; Governor of Chiang Mai Province, Prajon Prachsakul; Director General of the Department of Health, Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoen; Board Director of the National Sports Development Fund and Professional Sports Promotion, Supranee Guptasa; Alessio Punzi from World Athletics&rsquo; Competitions &amp; Events department; and Hilary Walker from the International Association of Ultrarunners. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/632a2c3e86653636397cef42.jpeg" alt="Press conference for the Amazing Thailand World Mountain and Trail Running Championships" />
Press conference for the Amazing Thailand World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (&copy; Organisers)
</div>
&ldquo;We at World Athletics are delighted to see the first joint World Mountain and Trail Running Championships being held in Chiang Mai,&rdquo; said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
&ldquo;As off-road running continues to grow in popularity across the globe, and as we continually look to increase participation at all levels of our sport, we are pleased to be collaborating closely with the World Mountain Running Association, the International Association of Ultrarunners and the International Trail Running Association.
&ldquo;Each of our organisations shares the common ambition of promoting running in all its guises,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;We are working together to create more opportunities for distance runners across the globe to compete in a range of breathtaking landscapes and take on different challenges. Chiang Mai, with its striking mountains and ancient temples, is a great place for this inaugural event.&rdquo;
The championship race action kicks off with the uphill mountain races on Friday 4 November before the long trail (80km) and short trail (40km) races on Saturday 5 November and then the classic mountain races on Sunday 6 November.
There are also mass race elements to the long trail and short trail events, as well as 10km and 21km road races.

An event launch has been held with just over six weeks to go until the Amazing Thailand World Mountain and Trail Running Championships

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