It&rsquo;s not easy being a standout athlete from a small nation. Marija Vukovic knows that only too well.
The 30-year-old high jumper is Montenegro&rsquo;s leading track and field exponent. And while she is always honoured to represent her nation of 620,000 on an international stage, with that comes a certain level of pressure, of wanting to do her country proud.
Alongside that, Vukovic also had the weight of expectation that many young athletes face after early success. Back in 2010 she won high jump gold at the World U20 Championships, becoming the first athlete from Montenegro to earn a global title in athletics.
Montenegro had, it seemed, discovered a real talent. And now, more than a decade later &ndash; and thanks to Vukovic&rsquo;s perseverance &ndash; that star is beginning to shine. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63387534b677ebfb27f842d3.jpg" alt="Marija Vukovic in the high jump at the 2010 World Junior Championships" />
Marija Vukovic in the high jump at the 2010 World Junior Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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 &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a long journey in the sport,&rdquo; said Vukovic. &ldquo;There have been many changes &ndash; changing country, changing coaches. I was trying to find myself, and I found it difficult to believe in myself. But at the end of 2019, after the World Championships, I moved to Greece.&rdquo;
Vukovic started training at the Olympic Stadium in Athens with Ioanna Siomou, whose group includes Greek high jumper Tatiana Gusin and sprint hurdler Elisavet Pesiridou. The 2020 season ended up being a write-off in terms of competition opportunities, but for Vukovic it worked in her favour.
&ldquo;We lost a year due to the pandemic, but maybe I needed that year to connect with the coach and the group,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Towards the end of 2020, something clicked. I started enjoying the high jump again. That was the most important change &ndash; enjoying it, and training every day for it. I&rsquo;m loving every day now.&rdquo;
When the 2021 season got underway and international competitions returned, Vukovic started to thrive. She set a national indoor record of 1.93m in just her second competition of the year, then placed seventh at the European Indoors &ndash; her first major championships final as a senior at a continental level. Outdoors, she added two centimetres to her own national record, jumping 1.97m to win at the Balkan Championships. And while the improvement in height wasn&rsquo;t staggering in and of itself, the difference in her outlook and confidence was notable.
She headed to Tokyo for what would be her first Olympics. She missed out on the Rio Games in 2016 because she didn&rsquo;t have the qualifying standard of 1.93m. She jumped a national record of 1.95m in late July but it was 13 days after the qualification deadline. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63387519b677ebfb27f842d0.jpg" alt="Marija Vukovic at the Olympic Games in Tokyo" />
Marija Vukovic at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (&copy; Getty Images)
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 Thankfully, in 2021, her 1.97m leap guaranteed her a place in Tokyo. And once there, she acquitted herself well; she jumped 1.95m in qualifying with no failures to lead the list of qualifiers for the final. Then in the final she cleared 1.96m &ndash; the same height as the fifth-place athlete, but eventually placing ninth on countback in a competitive final.
But whatever mark she achieved that day, Vukovic would have made history regardless, as she became the first athlete from Montenegro to reach an Olympic final.
It marked the start of a new chapter for Vukovic and she continued that level of performance in 2022. She set national indoor records of 1.95m and 1.96m, then went on the place fourth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22.
Despite missing out on a medal by one place in the Serbian capital, Vukovic was delighted with her performance.
&ldquo;Fourth place was really big for me,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I knew the first two places were pretty much decided because (Yaroslava) Mahuchikh and (Eleanor) Patterson had been jumping really well, so I told myself, &lsquo;ok, third place is open, let&rsquo;s go for it&rsquo;. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/633874c839015367e52cb417.jpg" alt="Marija Vukovic in the high jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22" />
Marija Vukovic in the high jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 (&copy; Getty Images)
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 &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t quite work out, and maybe that&rsquo;s because I didn&rsquo;t believe it 100%, but I&rsquo;m still really happy. And it was a nice jump at 1.95m, which is only one centimetre less than my indoor PB, so that gave me confidence for the outdoor season.
&ldquo;I was so close to a medal, but I wasn&rsquo;t ungrateful,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;This was big for me.&rdquo;
What made the moment more special is that, for the first time since the pandemic, she was able to compete in front of her family and friends. And with Serbia being so close to her home country, she was made to feel very welcome.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d been training in Belgrade before the championships, so I felt at home there,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;People also speak the same language, and my family were there, so I felt more confident and I wanted to show them a better me. It felt like a home crowd to me.&rdquo;
Vukovic went on to clear 1.95m four more times during the 2022 outdoor season. The only real disappointment came at the World Championships in Oregon, where a second-time clearance at 1.90m meant she missed out on making the final on countback (a first-time clearance at that height would have been sufficient to progress). 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/633874ab39015367e52cb414.jpg" alt="Marija Vukovic in the high jump at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22" />
Marija Vukovic in the high jump at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (&copy; Getty Images)
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 But she regrouped and refocused her energy on the European Championships in Munich one month later. This time there were no mistakes in qualifying &ndash; she led the group of qualifiers for the final &ndash; and she went on to match her 1.95m season&rsquo;s best to secure the silver medal, once again making history for her home country by becoming Montenegro&rsquo;s first ever medallist at the European Championships.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy that I&rsquo;m able to continue this good form following on from last year and that I didn&rsquo;t lose myself,&rdquo; she said.
&ldquo;After so many years of jumping, I feel as though I&rsquo;m still not fully aware of my potential and what I can do. I don&rsquo;t like to make predictions. I&rsquo;m just aiming to believe more in myself and to show that in my jumps. I&rsquo;m now older and more experienced and I want to use the next few years to make sure I give my best at the Paris Olympics.
&ldquo;After the next Olympics, I want to look back on those Games and say that I gave it my all,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my main goal.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

It’s not easy being a standout athlete from a small nation. Marija Vukovic knows that only too well.

More than a decade after landmark global title, Vukovic continues making history for Montenegro

Ethiopia&rsquo;s world 10km record-holder Yalemzerf Yehualaw and defending TCS London Marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei headline an incredibly deep women&rsquo;s line-up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum road race on Sunday (2).
Seven women in the field have PBs faster than 2:19, while three of those &ndash; Yehualaw and Jepkosgei included &ndash; have bettered 2:17.
Yehualaw heads to the British capital undefeated in all four of her road races this year. She only made her marathon debut as recently as April, winning in Hamburg with 2:17:23 &ndash; the fastest marathon debut in history. Earlier in the year she had set a world 10km record of 29:14, while more recently she warmed up for London with a 1:04:22 victory at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in late August.
Jepkosgei has raced just once this year, placing seventh at the Boston Marathon in April, but her past record underlines her status as a formidable opponent. She won in London last year in 2:17:43, her second victory in a marathon major, having also won in New York in 2019.
Yehualaw and Jepkosgei have clashed just once before, at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, where Yehualaw finished three places ahead of the Kenyan. But in a non-championship race over double the distance, the outcome on Sunday could be quite different.
Ashete Bekere is the third woman in the field with a sub-2:18 PB. The 2019 Berlin winner placed second in Tokyo earlier this year in 2:17:58. Having finished fourth in London in 2020 and third in 2021, she will be aiming to continue that trajectory with a top-two finish on Sunday.
Former half marathon specialist Joan Chelimo Melly finally got to grips with the marathon earlier this year, setting a Romanian record of 2:18:04 to win in Seoul. She placed seventh in London last year, but is an improved runner since then.
Sutume Asefa Kebede finished a close second to Melly in Seoul, clocking a PB of 2:18:12. The 27-year-old Ethiopian has contested nine marathons to date, winning one of them (Beijing in 2019), but this will be her first in London.
Kenya&rsquo;s Judith Jeptum Korir was a late addition to the field but is still one to watch. Earlier this year she won in Paris with a course record of 2:19:48, then improved on that mark to take silver at the World Championships in Eugene, clocking a PB of 2:18:20. She has finished in the top two of all seven of her marathons to date, winning five of them.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Alemu Megertu and Hiwot Gebrekidan, who have set respective PBs this year of 2:18:51 and 2:19:10 add even further depth to the high quality field.
Mary Ngugi&rsquo;s PB may not be as fast as some of her rivals, but this will be her first run on one of the faster big city courses. Two successive third-place finishes in Boston underlines the Kenyan&rsquo;s pedigree.
Others in the field include Britain&rsquo;s Charlotte Purdue and Japanese duo Reia Iwade and Ai Hosoda.
Despite some late withdrawals, the men&rsquo;s race should still be a highly competitive one.
An Ethiopian victory seems fairly likely as the five fastest athletes in the field &ndash; including multiple global champion Kenenisa Bekele and defending champion Sisay Lemma all hail from the East African nation. But recent form is important too, and Kenya&rsquo;s Amos Kipruto and Belgium&rsquo;s Bashir Abdi carry plenty of that into Sunday&rsquo;s race.
Lemma, who won in the British capital last year in 2:04:01, has reached the podium in his past four marathon majors. The Ethiopian has a PB of 2:03:36 and will be keen to get close to &ndash; or improve on &ndash; that on Sunday.
Bekele ran two marathons in quick succession last year, finishing third in Berlin (2:06:47) and sixth in New York City (2:12:52). He warmed up for London with a 1:01:01 clocking at the recent Great North Run. It doesn&rsquo;t suggest he&rsquo;s in form to match his 2:01:41 PB, but he should still be competitive.
Two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese finished fifth in London last year, but hasn&rsquo;t raced at all since then. His 2:02:48 PB dates back to his runner-up finish at the 2019 Berlin Marathon. Fellow Ethiopian Kinde Atanaw also has a PB from 2019, his 2:03:51 set when winning in Valencia on his marathon debut. He was 10th in Boston earlier this year, but the London course may be more to his liking.
Leul Gebresilase is another athlete whose PB dates back to his marathon debut. He clocked 2:04:02 in Dubai back in 2018, then went on to win in Valencia later that year. Highly consistent around the 2:05 mark, Gebresilase sas second in Rotterdam this year in 2:04:56.
Kipruto, the 2019 world bronze medallist, set a PB of 2:03:13 in Tokyo earlier this year when finishing second to Eliud Kipchoge, just 33 seconds adrift of the legendary Kenyan. Another run like that from Kipruto would be difficult to beat.
Abdi has proven himself to be capable of performing well at major championships and in big city marathons. When he last raced in London, back in 2019, he set a national record of 2:07:03. Now a world and Olympic bronze medallist, Abdi set a European record of 2:03:36 at the 2021 Rotterdam Marathon.
Japan&rsquo;s Naoki Okamoto, Naoki Aiba and Kohei Futaoka add further depth to the field, as does Australia&rsquo;s Brett Robinson.

Seven women in the field have sub-2:19 PBs

Yehualaw takes on defending champion Jepkosgei in high quality London clash

The second World Athletics Global Running Conference, 'The Next Normal. Re-imagining Running and Running Events', is to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, between 1-3 December 2022.
<h2>Thematic strand #1</h2>
RUNNING WHY? What it means to be a runner today
&bull; Runners&rsquo; value sets and needs and how they have evolved through time &bull; Similarities/differences between running motivators across cultures and generations &bull; Findings from the latest market research into recreational running &bull; Clubs and communities: modes of aggregation in mature and emerging running markets &bull; &rsquo;Spiritual but not affiliated&rsquo;: are more and more runners choosing not to sign up for races? &bull; The 70s. The 00s. The mid-10s. What defines a "running boom" and when&rsquo;s the next one (now?) &bull; The ultrarunner&rsquo;s mindset: why it&rsquo;s hip to go the distance&nbsp; &bull; Short and sweet: road miles as an entry gate to the sport? &bull; The hyper-quantified self: how the monitoring of everything is changing how we practice and enjoy running
<h2>Thematic strand #2</h2>
RUNNING WHERE? The sport and its spaces&nbsp;
&bull; The state of trail running &bull; Destination races, and the state of participation sports tourism &bull; Urban landscapes for runners: designing the best race course &bull; The other 364 days: making cities fit for runners &bull; Winning the fear of local communities: the benefits of running events for the non-running population &bull; Beyond economic impact: introducing the social impact &bull; Pro-running policies and their effects on public health outcomes &bull; Go natural: behind the global explosion of trail running &bull; Virtual races: three years on, where are we? &bull; The event hosting pipeline: from local event to world championships
<h2>Thematic strand #3</h2>
RUNNING HOW? Modes of organisation and participation in running events
&bull; Failing and thriving business models for mass participation events going forward: what have these past three years taught us? &bull; Marketing a mass participation event in 2023 &bull; Public sector involvement in running events: comparing models &bull; Race ownership trends: consolidation vs extreme fragmentation &bull; Addressing diversity, equity and inclusion &bull; All in the same boat? How the pandemic hurt some races more than others &bull; The elephant in the room: pricing races in a world where everything is more expensive &bull; The impact of Web3 on the mass participation sporting events industry&nbsp; &bull; Sport volunteering cultures across the world and the expected developments of the volunteering landscape &bull; The imperative of sustainability and its cross-geographic interpretations &bull; The impact of climate change on running events &bull; The great resignation and the shortage of everything: how to overcome staffing and supply chain issues
Further information, including details on event packages for road race organisers, can be found on the <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/63357feca65013ec3963bfbd.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event invite</a>.
SAVE THE DATE Registration to open after 5 October

The second World Athletics Global Running Conference will take place in Bangkok in December

The next normal: re-imagining running and running events

It&rsquo;s a now familiar sight: Joseph Fahnbulleh using his superb top-end speed to chase down his dreams on the hunt for sprint stardom.
That powerful finish was most recently on display at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Zagreb earlier this month, Fahnbulleh capping his season with one final win to celebrate his 21st birthday in style.
That season finale also offered Fahnbulleh the opportunity to reflect on an impressive couple of years that have seen him go from collegiate star to global stage, successfully transitioning to the senior ranks. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/633466ad0264e999dd086651.jpg" alt="Joseph Fahnbulleh on his way to a 200m win at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb" />
Joseph Fahnbulleh on his way to a 200m win at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb (&copy; Zagreb Meeting)
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Fahnbulleh started his athletics journey as a cross country runner at Hopkins High School in Minnesota but is now a world and Olympic sprint finalist, one who made history for Liberia by becoming the nation&rsquo;s first athlete to reach the top eight at either the World Athletics Championships or the Olympic Games with his performances in Oregon and Tokyo.
&ldquo;After the Olympics, then having the NCAA season I had and going to the World Championships, it has been mad, but at the same time, I&rsquo;ve asked for it,&rdquo; says the three-time NCAA gold medallist. &ldquo;It has been a learning experience, I&rsquo;ve been taking it all in. Not really having any expectations on what I have been doing. Having a season where I can just reflect at the end of it and move on to the next with bigger goals.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s certainly lots to reflect on, and a lot to look forward to. Then still a teenager, Fahnbulleh broke 20 seconds for 200m for the first time last year, storming to a 19.91 PB to win his first NCAA title in Eugene. That set him up for making his Olympic debut in Tokyo, where the 19-year-old ran 19.99 in the semifinals and then 19.98 in the final to finish fifth.
Under the guidance of coach Mike Holloway at the University of Florida, Fahnbulleh took that form through to 2022. It led him to a memorable sprint double on his return to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, where he won the 100m and retained his 200m title within the space of just 45 minutes. He ran national records in both races &ndash; 10.00 for 100m and 19.83 for 200m &shy;&ndash; again leaving fans mesmerised as the long-striding sprinter first chased down, and then breezed past, his rivals in the closing stages.
Next up was the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, where he won his heat, finished second in his semifinal in 19.92 and then finished fourth in the final in 19.84, just 0.04 behind his training partner Erriyon Knighton, who completed a US top three behind Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek.
&ldquo;People have different journeys,&rdquo; says Fahnbulleh, who turned pro after the World Championships, signing with ASICS. &ldquo;My first major international competition was the Olympics. Coach Holloway always says: &lsquo;act like you&rsquo;ve been there&rsquo;, so I really wasn&rsquo;t scared. I was just more excited to run with the best because you see Andre De Grasse, you see Noah Lyles. I watched Andre in high school four years ago and I was like, &lsquo;I want to be there&rsquo;. So, you work hard and you put in the daily grind.
&ldquo;That set me up and it gave me confidence going into the NCAA season, and the NCAA season gave me the confidence going to Worlds. It&rsquo;s a continuous build &ndash; each year you just get better.&rdquo; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63346561f168593a0f7945d4.jpg" alt="Joseph Fahnbulleh competes in the 200m semifinals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo" />
Joseph Fahnbulleh competes in the 200m semifinals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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And Fahnbulleh has no doubt as to the people who have helped him as he grows. From his sixth grade teacher Miss Rossow who first encouraged him to try cross country, to his high school coach Nick Lovas who got him into sprints (&ldquo;I loved cross country, but I would sprint the last 800m of the race and they were like, &lsquo;you&rsquo;re in the wrong sport!&rsquo;&rdquo;) and now the Florida Gators team. From great family support, to being welcomed as an ASICS-sponsored athlete, Fahnbulleh hasn&rsquo;t done it alone.
&ldquo;Just being around greatness all the time, it only forces you to be great,&rdquo; explains Fahnbulleh, who says he has learned from the likes of multiple world and Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor, two-time world 110m hurdles winner Grant Holloway and two-time world indoor triple jump gold medallist Will Claye at Florida. &ldquo;Being under Coach Holloway coming out of high school, it was the best plan for me. My mom is a single mother and so with that, my high school coach was like a father figure to me, and I wanted a father figure going into college because I feel like that&rsquo;s how I grow. Coach Holloway, he has kids of his own, he treats his athletes like his kids, and it&rsquo;s a family.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s never a bad day with Coach Holloway or any of the staff. They push you and if you don&rsquo;t take the push as a constructive push, you&rsquo;re only going to fight them and when you fight them, you&rsquo;re not going to do well.&rdquo;
Coaching is also a path Fahnbulleh&nbsp;can see himself taking one day. &ldquo;I took educational sciences (at the University of Florida) because I wanted to learn how the brain works and in the future I want to be a coach as well,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;So finding out how people learn and getting comfortable with the different mindsets that people have when it comes to different scenarios. After I get that degree, I&rsquo;m going back to do sports marketing.&rdquo;
And the &lsquo;Sound Mind, Sound Body&rsquo; approach of ASICS also fits with the ideals of Fahnbulleh, who still enjoys going on slightly longer runs when training allows.
&ldquo;When I am alone and when I have down time, I do like to go for a run,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Fahnbulleh, who is also passionate about art and enjoys working with watercolour to create portraits. &ldquo;You find the rhythm of running and it feels good as a release.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/633466fb0405888f7058ded5.jpg" alt="Joseph Fahnbulleh is proudly sponsored by ASICS" />
Joseph Fahnbulleh is proudly sponsored by ASICS (&copy; ASICS)
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Fundamentally, it's clear why Fahnbulleh works as hard as he does. His on track goals help the sprinter to achieve what is most important to him off of it.
&ldquo;Growing up, it was just me and my mom,&rdquo; says Fahnbulleh, whose mother, Charlotte, is a nurse. &ldquo;She loves what she does but life as a nurse is tiring. That pushed me in high school to be like, &lsquo;all right mom, I&rsquo;m going to do well in my life so I can make sure that you are well in yours&rsquo;.&rdquo;
She is the reason Fahnbulleh represents Liberia. It&rsquo;s to represent her.
&ldquo;Competing for my mom was probably the best thing that I could do,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;&ldquo;She had to flee the country (Liberia) when she was like 12. My uncle and my two aunts went to London and my mom went to the States to live with my grandmother. Since that has happened, I wanted to represent my mom the best way that I could and at the best level that I could. Competing for Liberia and always having the ability to be on the biggest stage is phenomenal.
&ldquo;If I can work hard now and in a few years I can make sure that she is good and she is relaxed, then I have fulfilled life.&rdquo;
One of the two necklaces Fahnbulleh always wears &ndash; a cross and chain &ndash; was given to him by his mother before the World Championships final. The other &ndash; made of beads &ndash; was made for him by a friend. The beads spell the word &ldquo;bullet&rdquo;.
&ldquo;It came from high school,&rdquo; he says, explaining the significance of 'bullet'.&nbsp;&ldquo;The end of my last name &ndash; they dropped the &lsquo;h&rsquo; from &lsquo;bulleh&rsquo; and added the &lsquo;t&rsquo;. I call myself that a little bit because I am like a bullet. My mom gave me this other one before the final at Worlds and so I wore it for good luck. Since then, I haven&rsquo;t taken it off.&rdquo;
And&nbsp;Fahnbulleh &ndash; Bullet by nickname &ndash; already has some key targets he hopes to hit in the future.
&ldquo;The next huge aims are, next year at Worlds &ndash; to make the podium,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gone from fifth to fourth. Next year podium. No time goals really, we just chase execution.
&ldquo;Having a good support system around me, whether that be my coach, friends, my mom &ndash; make that stronger. And take the ASICS brand to new heights.
&ldquo;Those are my main goals right now. I&rsquo;m working. I&rsquo;m not at the level yet where on a bad day I run 19.6. I&rsquo;m going to be there, but I have to put in the work in order for me to be there.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

It’s a now familiar sight: Joseph Fahnbulleh using his superb top-end speed to chase down his dreams on the hunt for sprint stardom.

'Bullet' Fahnbulleh targets the top

When&nbsp;Sada&nbsp;Williams thinks about what she achieved this season, the 24-year-old knows it could have long-lasting significance for the next generation of athletes in Barbados.
&ldquo;It definitely is an example to the other ones coming up that even though we&rsquo;re from a little island, we can do big things,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great feeling to be an example.&rdquo;
Williams&rsquo; story is not simply that of a gifted sprinter fulfilling her talent, becoming, as she did, the first Barbadian woman ever to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships when taking 400m bronze in Oregon. It&rsquo;s also a story of an athlete navigating the notoriously difficult path from the underage to senior, overcoming injuries and making a tough choice to leave her nation behind to ultimately get where she wanted to be.&nbsp; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6332d5894160c73f99b8550a.jpg" alt="Sada Williams celebrates her 400m bronze at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22" />
Sada Williams celebrates her 400m bronze at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (&copy; Getty Images)
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Williams was born in Saint Philip in the eastern part of Barbados but grew up in Saint Michael on the west side of the island. In global terms, Barbados is a tiny place &ndash; just 34km long and 23km wide, with a population of just under 300,000 &ndash; yet like many Caribbean islands, it punches significantly above its weight in sprinting, most notably through the world 110m hurdles title won by Ryan Brathwaite in 2009 and the Olympic 100m bronze medal won by Obadele Thompson in 2000.&nbsp;
In 2014, Williams announced herself as the next potential star, winning the Carifta Games 400m title in 53.39 at the age of just 16. She went on to reach the world U20 400m semifinal in Oregon that year and also made the 400m final at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.
She started running in primary school, but her talent wasn&rsquo;t immediately obvious. &ldquo;I was okay, let&rsquo;s just say that,&rdquo; she laughs. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I had those (Olympic) dreams then, but from about 14, 15, I started to get serious, wanting more. It was a joy representing my country so I wanted to do that more on a global stage.&rdquo;
Under the guidance of national coach Ramon Armstrong, she clocked a national U20 record of 52.39 in 2015 and won 200m bronze and 400m silver at the Pan American U20 Championships, while in 2016 she again struck 400m gold at the Carifta Games. But that was when the problems started, with Williams suffering the first of several hamstring injuries that halted her development &ndash; meaning it was another three years before she lowered her 200m or 400m personal best.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I hurt them three times,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;The third time was actually a tear &ndash; they said I shouldn&rsquo;t have been able to walk.&rdquo;
The last of those injuries occurred in 2018 when Williams was in Gold Coast, Australia, ahead of the Commonwealth Games. After missing out on that championship and the rest of the season, she knew something had to change. In September that year, she moved to Jamaica, enrolling at UTech in Kingston and joining the MVP Track Club, training under the guidance of coach Stephen Francis.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Every year since I&rsquo;ve been there, I get better, faster,&rdquo; says Williams, who trained alongside a horde of world-class sprinters like Shericka Jackson, Stephenie Ann McPherson, Junelle Bromfield and Janieve Russell. &ldquo;It was different to what I&rsquo;m accustomed to. I was always at home and went to a foreign country where I didn&rsquo;t know anyone.&rdquo;
Was the training harder?
&ldquo;Definitely,&rdquo; laughs Williams. &ldquo;I was used to the 200m training and then I had to switch to the 400m.&rdquo;
Part of the reason she left the 200m behind was to lower her chance of hamstring issues, and in Jamaica Williams soon adjusted to the early-morning training routine at MVP. &ldquo;In the off-season it&rsquo;s like 5am, 5:30,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;During the season it&rsquo;s 6, 6:30.&rdquo;
Within her first year she saw the benefits of that work, with Williams lowering her 400m PB three times in 2019, the last of them coming in the world 400m semifinals in Doha where she finished fourth in 51.31, and 10th overall. Last year she was better again, lowering the Barbadian record to 50.11 to finish third in her Olympic semifinal in Tokyo, but again, it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the final, leaving her ninth overall.&nbsp; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6332d5ce4160c73f99b8550d.jpg" alt="Sada Williams competes in the 400m semifinals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo" />
Sada Williams competes in the 400m semifinals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
&ldquo;I believe if I made that final I could have gone a lot faster,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure about a medal, but I knew I could have gone much faster.&rdquo;
That would have to wait until this year. Heading into the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, Williams had two goals: to make the final and break the national record. She very nearly did both in the semifinal, her 50.12 to advance in second just one hundredth of a second shy of her best.&nbsp;
But she knew she could go faster. Before the final, Francis didn&rsquo;t offer her any final words of advice, knowing how Williams prefers to prepare.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like to talk to people before I have to run, I&rsquo;m in my zone,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Running in lane seven, I (couldn&rsquo;t) see people behind me so I had no choice but to go and then hopefully hold on.&rdquo;
Williams rocketed through the opening 300 metres and turned for home level with Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo. &ldquo;I saw her in the corner of the eye, I just tried to hold on and do the best I could,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;When I (saw) the finish line, I was so happy because I was like, &lsquo;it&rsquo;s almost over, almost there.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Miller-Uibo pulled away up the home straight to win in 49.11, with Marileidy Paulino coming through for second in 49.60 and Williams winning bronze in a national record of 49.75. Her reaction when she crossed the line?
&ldquo;Oh my God, I knew I won a medal but it hadn&rsquo;t sunk in,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;When I saw 49.7 it was like, &lsquo;okay, national record,&rsquo; but after the race lactic always comes. I couldn&rsquo;t even walk.&rdquo;
As she spoke to the media, Williams kept a lid on her emotion but she knew that was only going to be temporary. &ldquo;When I get back out (of the mixed zone), I&rsquo;m going to cry so bad,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;
Her superb season continued in the weeks after. Williams went to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as the favourite for the 400m and lived up to that billing, sprinting to gold in 49.90. A fortnight after that, she won silver in 49.86 at the NACAC Championships in The Bahamas behind Miller-Uibo.&nbsp; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6332d5634160c73f99b85507.jpg" alt="Sada Williams on her way to Commonwealth Games 400m gold in Birmingham" />
Sada Williams on her way to Commonwealth Games 400m gold in Birmingham (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Three championships, three medals, and one very proud athletics nation. &ldquo;When I put on my national colours, it brings me great pride and joy,&rdquo; says Williams. &ldquo;I know they were watching back home.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s been a breakthrough year, one she&rsquo;s certainly not taking for granted given how unlikely this seemed as she made that tough transition to the senior ranks. Her advice to others on that journey?
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a whole different ball game and it&rsquo;s super hard, it&rsquo;s so challenging,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Just don&rsquo;t give up. Keep running. Keep trying.&rdquo;
What does the future hold? Having run below 50 seconds four times this season, a new number is already in Williams&rsquo; mind as she looks to 2023 and beyond.
&ldquo;48,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Once I believe it, I can do it.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

When Sada Williams thinks about what she achieved this season, the 24-year-old knows it could have long-lasting significance for the next generation of athletes in Barbados.

After breakthrough season, Barbadian sprinter Williams is blazing a trail

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 
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