Competing in his first race since taking bronze at the Olympic Games, Belgium&rsquo;s Bashir Abdi broke the European record to win the NN Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday (24), clocking 2:03:36 at the World Athletics Elite Label road race.
At one point the 32-year-old had looked to be out of contention after two-time Rotterdam winner and course record-holder Marius Kipserem opened up a significant gap with less than 10km to go. But Abdi finished strongly to overtake the Kenyan in the closing stages before going on to win by 28 seconds.
Meanwhile, Kenya&rsquo;s Stella Barsosio produced a solo effort to win the women&rsquo;s race in a lifetime best of 2:22:08, improving on her runner-up finish in this race two years ago.
Most of the big contenders in the men&rsquo;s race ran as a group in the early stages, passing through 10km in 29:17 before reaching the half-way point in 1:01:57, suggesting Kipserem&rsquo;s course record of 2:04:11 was under threat.
Soon after reaching 25km in 1:13:33, Kipserem forged ahead and broke up the lead pack, hitting 30km with a 12-second lead over Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dawit Wolde with Abdi a further five seconds in arrears.
But Abdi and Wolde caught up with Kipserem again by 35km, reached in 1:42:33, while Kenya&rsquo;s Titus Kipruto was 20 seconds adrift of the lead trio.
Soon after, Abdi made his decisive move and broke away from his remaining opponents before going on to win in 2:03:36. His winning time took 40 seconds off the previous European record, set by Turkey&rsquo;s Kaan Kigen Ozbilen in Valencia two years ago, and places Abdi 14th on the world all-time list.
Kipserem held on for second place in a PB of 2:04:04, inside his former course record, while Wolde took third place in 2:04:27, almost a minute ahead of Kipruto (2:05:22).
In contrast to the men&rsquo;s race, the women&rsquo;s contest was essentially a solo effort from Stella Barsosio. The Kenyan had opened up an 18-second lead over compatriot Bornes Kitur by 5km (16:29), which grew to more than a minute by 15km (49:27).
Barsosio&rsquo;s half-way split of 1:09:33 suggested a sub-2:20 finishing time, but with no competitors to help push her, the 28-year-old&rsquo;s pace dropped slightly in the second half. Nevertheless, her lead continued to grow and she had a margin of almost four minutes by the time she reached 30km in 1:39:02. Further back, Ukraine&rsquo;s Natalya Lehonkova was closing on Kitur, who was starting to fade.
Barsosio went on to win comfortably in 2:22:08. Lehonkova overtook Kitur in the closing stages to take the runner-up spot in 2:30:28 while Kitur held on for third place in 2:30:41. 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Stella Barsosio (KEN) 2:22:08 2 Natalya Lehonkova (UKR) 2:30:28 3 Bornes Kitur (KEN) 2:30:41 4 Clara Evans (GBR) 2:31:21 5 Tirza van der Wolf (NED) 2:34:52 6 Runa Skrove Falch (NOR) 2:34:57 7 Emilie Jacquot-Claude (FRA) 2:39:56 8 Marijke Visser (NED) 2:40:47
Men 1 Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:03:36 2 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04 3 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:04:27 4 Titus Kipruto (KEN) 2:05:22 5 Emmanuel Saina (KEN) 2:05:51 6 Kebede Wami Tulu (ETH) 2:06:27 7 Limenih Getachew (ETH) 2:08:56 8 Abdellah Taghrafet (MAR) 2:09:40

Olympic bronze medallist takes 40 seconds off continental mark

Abdi wins Rotterdam Marathon in European record of 2:03:36

World Athletics is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Ecuador&rsquo;s world 200m bronze medallist Alex Quinonez at the age of 32.
According to the Ecuadorian Sports Ministry, he was found dead in the street in Guayaquil on Friday (22).
&ldquo;With great sadness, we confirm the murder of our sportsman Alex Quinonez,&rdquo; the Sports Ministry announced on Twitter.
&ldquo;We have lost a great sportsman, someone who allowed us to dream, who moved us....he was the greatest sprinter this country produced.&rdquo;
Today the Barcelona Football Club held a minute of silence in Quinonez&rsquo; honour as he was a member of their athletics team.
&ldquo;Brother, I cannot believe it&rsquo;s true,&rdquo; said world and Olympic 400m silver medallist Anthony Zambrano, a training partner of Quinonez, in a social media post. &ldquo;We do not deserve this. What awful news. It&rsquo;s a shame that life is such, but to die one has to be alive. You are great and I will always cherish you in my heart.&rdquo;
With his third-place finish in Doha two years ago, Quinonez became the first Ecuadorian athlete to win a global medal in a track event. Although he was a 200m specialist, he held national records at every sprint distance: 60m (6.66), 100m (10.09), 200m (19.87) and 400m (46.28).
Born in the coastal city of Esmeraldas in August 1989 and raised in Quito, Quinonez first came to prominence as an international sprinter in 2011 when he won the national 200m title, set a PB of 20.49 and reached the final of the Pan American Games.
He set his first national record when winning 200m gold at the 2012 Ibero-American Championships in 20.34, a time which he improved at the Olympic Games in London where he clocked 20.28 in the heats before going on to finish seventh in the final.
In 2013 he set a national 100m record of 10.09 and won the sprint double at the South American Championships. He semi-retired after the 2013 season and competed sparingly for the next four seasons, but he returned to action in 2018, equalling his own national 100m record and improving his 200m record to 19.93 when winning gold at the South American Games.
A regular on the Diamond League circuit, Quinonez improved his national 200m record again at the 2019 Athletissima meeting in Lausanne, clocking 19.87 to finish in between winner Noah Lyles and Canada&rsquo;s Andre De Grasse.
Less than three months later, the same three men occupied the podium places at the World Championships in Doha with Quinonez taking bronze behind Lyles and De Grasse. Quinonez also won the Pan American Games title in Lima earlier that season.
Quinonez qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games this year but was suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit in July, when he was charged with breaching the whereabouts rules. The case has not been concluded.
World Athletics

World 200m bronze medallist Quinonez dies

The Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP witnessed a men&rsquo;s world record last year as Kibiwott Kandie ran a stunning 57:32. This time the women&rsquo;s world record is the target and organisers have assembled a star-studded line-up for the World Athletics Elite Label road race on Sunday (24).
Ethiopians Letesenbet Gidey and Yalemzerf Yehualaw will clash in a long-awaited showdown. Gidey is the world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder, while Yehualaw ran 1:03:44 in August, and although that time will not be ratified as a world half marathon record the two athletes will now go head-to-head in Valencia as they target the 1:04:02 run by Ruth Chepngetich in Istanbul in April, a mark which is pending world record ratification.
The 23-year-old Gidey has competed sparingly this year but managed to set a world 10,000m record by running 29:01.03 in Hengelo before claiming bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. While the diminutive Yehualaw is an accomplished half marathon specialist, with nine outings over the last three seasons, Gidey will tackle the distance for the first time but her impressive 44:20 world best for the 15km set in Nijmegen in 2019 suggests she might become the first debutante to set a world record for the distance.
Reportedly, each of the Ethiopian aces will be joined by their respective pacemakers &ndash; Mebrahtu Kiros and Genetu Molalign &ndash; in a battle which promises to be fierce, while the organisers will provide an official pacemaker for the rest of the elite targeting a 1:05 clocking.
That second group looks set to be led by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi, the winner in 2019 thanks to a 1:05:32 time; her compatriot Hawi Feysa, fresh from a 1:05:41 PB in Copenhagen last month; Sheila Chepkirui, runner-up last year in a career best of 1:05:39; and her fellow Kenyan Brenda Jepleting, a 1:06:52 performer.
After last year&rsquo;s climax, when no fewer than four men ran inside the then world record of 58:01, one of them &ndash; Rhonex Kipruto &ndash; will be the marquee athlete this time. The Kenyan star, who clocked a 57:49 debut last year, also excelled in Valencia in January 2020 when he set the world 10km record of 26:24. He couldn&rsquo;t place higher than ninth at the Tokyo Olympics over 10,000m but proved to be in top form in September when he recorded 26:43 at a 10km road race in Herzogenaurach.
While a men&rsquo;s world record assault is not planned on this occasion, the pacemakers are set to go through the opening 10km in 27:30 on the hunt for a sub-58:00 finish time.
In addition to Kipruto, Sunday&rsquo;s field includes another four Kenyan athletes with PBs under 59 minutes: Philemon Kiplimo, who was fifth last year in Valencia in a career best of 58:11, plus Kelvin Kiptum (58:42), Abel Kipchumba (58:48) and Felix Kipkoech (58:57).
Yet Kipruto&rsquo;s toughest opposition might come from the two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris. The 27-year-old Ethiopian posted a promising debut over the distance last November by clocking 59:04 in New Delhi and should play a key role on Sunday, while the European challenge will be headed by Norway&rsquo;s Sondre Moen and Spain&rsquo;s Carlos Mayo.
Weather forecasters predict an ideal morning for running, with a 13&ordm;C temperature and a very slight breeze. After the four records set in Valencia last year &ndash; the men&rsquo;s 10km, half marathon and 10,000m, plus the women&rsquo;s 5000m &ndash; the city could witness another world best on Sunday.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics 
<h2>Abdi eyes record in Rotterdam after Olympic bronze</h2>
Olympic bronze medallist Bashir Abdi plans to attack the European record while Marius Kipserem will be on the hunt for a hat-trick when the 40th NN Marathon Rotterdam, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, takes place on Sunday (24).
Kenya&rsquo;s Kipserem broke the course record with 2:04:11 to win in 2019 and he leads the entries, but Belgium&rsquo;s Abdi, who ran 2:04:49 in Tokyo last year, will be looking to challenge him as he attempts to beat the 2:04:16 run by Kaan Kigen Ozbilen in 2019.
&ldquo;Rotterdam is the city of the marathon for me,&rdquo; said Abdi. &ldquo;If I have any chance of beating the European record anywhere, then it is here, but I will have to do my very best for it.&rdquo;
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Solomon Deksisa also has a sub-2:05 PB, having clocked 2:04:40 in Amsterdam in 2018, and they will be joined in Rotterdam by athletes including Emmanuel Saina and Gideon Kipketer of Kenya, who have respective PBs of 2:05:02 and 2:05:51, plus sub-2:07 runners Dawit Wolde, Kebede Wami Tulu and Limenih Getachew Yizengaw of Ethiopia.
Kenya&rsquo;s Bornes Kitur, who ran her best of 2:21:26 in Ljubljana in 2019, and her compatriot Stella Barsosio feature in the women&rsquo;s race, with Barsosio looking to go one better than her second place finish in 2019, when she ran her PB of 2:23:36.
They will line up alongside athletes including Ukraine&rsquo;s Nataliya Lehonkova, Norway&rsquo;s Runa Skrove Falch and Sweden&rsquo;s Louise Wiker.

Organisers have assembled a star-studded line-up for the World Athletics Elite Label road race.

Gidey and Yehualaw target world half marathon record in Valencia

This week marks the opening of the voting process for the 2021 World Athletes of the Year ahead of the&nbsp;World Athletics Awards 2021&nbsp;to be held in December.
World Athletics is pleased to confirm a list of 10 nominees for Female World Athlete of the Year who were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.
The nominations reflect the remarkable range of exceptional performances that the sport has witnessed this year, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, one-day meeting circuits and other events around the world.
Commenting on the Awards, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;As always, the World Athletics Awards will recognise athletes who have performed at the highest level across the year, taking into account not only the Olympic Games, but the one-day meeting circuits. We do recognise that athletes in some parts of the world faced greater challenges than others in accessing international competition this year, which complicated the nomination process. However, we saw some impressive breakthroughs at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and we look forward to those athletes having more opportunities to shine next year, with five World Athletics Series events and a full schedule of one-day meetings on the calendar."
The nominees for 2021 Female World Athlete of the Year are (in alphabetical order):
Valarie Allman, USA - Olympic discus champion - Diamond League discus champion - North American discus record&nbsp;
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, PUR - Olympic 100m hurdles champion&nbsp; - Broke the Olympic 100m hurdles record - National record 12.26 moved to equal fourth on the world all-time list
Sifan Hassan, NED - Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion - Olympic 1500m bronze medallist - Broke the world 10,000m record
Faith Kipyegon, KEN - Olympic 1500m champion - Diamond League 1500m champion - Kenyan 1500m record
Mariya Lasitskene, ANA - Olympic high jump champion - Diamond League high jump champion - Jumped world-leading 2.05m
Sydney McLaughlin, USA - Olympic 400m hurdles champion - Olympic 4x400m champion - Set two world 400m hurdles records
Shaunae Miller-Uibo, BAH - Olympic 400m champion - North American 400m record - North American indoor 400m record
Athing Mu, USA - Olympic 800m and 4x400m champion - World U20 indoor 800m record - North American U20 records at 400m and 800m
Yulimar Rojas, VEN - Olympic triple jump champion - Diamond League triple jump champion - World triple jump record
Elaine Thompson-Herah, JAM - Olympic 100m, 200m and 4x100m champion - Diamond League 100m champion - National 100m and 200m records, second fastest of all time
A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.
The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms. Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram this week; a 'like' on Facebook and Instagram or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.
The World Athletics Council&rsquo;s vote will count for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family&rsquo;s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.
Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on Saturday 6 November. At the conclusion of the voting process, five women and five men finalists will be announced by World Athletics.
The female and male World Athletes of the Year will be announced live at the World Athletics Awards 2021 in December.&nbsp;
Further information about the World Athletics Awards 2021 will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
World Athletics

World Athletics is pleased to confirm a list of 10 nominees for Female World Athlete of the Year.

Nominees announced for Female World Athlete of the Year 2021

The Ugandan pair of Thomas Ayeko and Joel Ayeko head the cast at the 67th Cross Internacional Zornotza &ndash; the second Gold standard meeting in the World Athletics Cross Country Tour &ndash; in Amorebieta, Spain, on Sunday (24).
They both placed in the top 10 at the last World Athletics Cross Country Championships, held in Aarhus in 2019. While 29-year-old Thomas finished seventh, his compatriot came 10th in arguably the best performances of their respective careers so far. 
However, they have raced sparingly since then as Thomas, the 2011 world U20 cross country silver medallist, competed just once in 2020 with a fine win at a cross country contest in Caceres, while for Joel the&nbsp;Cross Internacional Zornotza will be&nbsp;his first competition in almost two years.
Thomas Ayeko took top spot in Amorebieta back in 2016 and should be the man to beat over this weekend&rsquo;s 10,700m contest.
Eritrea&rsquo;s top steeplechaser Yemane Hailesilassie could be the Ugandan&rsquo;s toughest opponent. The 23-year-old is based in Madrid, where he trains under the guidance of Jeronimo Bravo. Hailesilassie was a creditable fifth in his specialist event at the Tokyo Olympics and holds a 8:11:22 lifetime best for the event. More recently he has lined up at several mile races on Spanish soil, bagging a second place in Madrid behind Spain&rsquo;s 800m record-holder Saul Ordonez on 3 October.
His compatriot Awet Habte will likely be in the fight for the podium spots as he is fresh from a 1:02:11 career best at the Lisbon Half Marathon barely one week ago. Burundi&rsquo;s&nbsp;Onesphore Nzikwinkunda, a 1:01:48 half marathon performer, completes the African contingent.
Spain&rsquo;s Ouassim Oumaiz leads the local challenge. The 22-year-old won the&nbsp;Cross Internacional de&nbsp;Atapuerca&nbsp;in 2019 against some of the most prominent distance runners and he will be eager to bounce back.
The women&rsquo;s 6700m contest features Uganda&rsquo;s Sarah Chelangat and Eritrea&rsquo;s Dolshi Tesfu. The former came fourth at the 2018 World U20 Championships over 5000m and holds national records for the 5000m (15:00.61) and 10,000m (31:06.46). As for Tesfu, the 22-year-old finished 15th at the Tokyo Olympics over 10,000m and set a lifetime best of 1:10:59 for the half marathon last Sunday in Lisbon where she was runner-up.
Amorebieta hosted the World Cross Country Championships back in 1993. That year the victors were Kenya&rsquo;s William Sigei and Portugal&rsquo;s Albertina Dias, while a little-known legend-to-be, Britain&rsquo;s former world marathon record-holder Paula Radcliffe, placed 18th as a 19-year-old in her international senior debut.
The list of illustrious past winners in Amorebieta includes Tim Hutchings (1989), Paulo Guerra (1995),&nbsp;Serhiy&nbsp;Lebid (2009) and Joseph Ebuya (2011 and 2012) in the men&rsquo;s event and Rosa Mota (1986), Derartu Tulu (1996), Gete Wami (1999 and 2000), Vivian Cheruiyot (2007 and 2008) and Linet Masai (2009) in the women's event.
Weather forecasters predict a sunny windless day and a 18&ordm;C temperature at the time of the event on Sunday.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics

Thomas Ayeko and Joel Ayeko head the cast at the 67th Cross Internacional Zornotza.

World Cross Country Tour heads to Amorebieta 

This week marks the opening of the voting process for the 2021 World Athletes of the Year ahead of the&nbsp;World Athletics Awards 2021&nbsp;to be held in December.
World Athletics is pleased to confirm a list of 10 nominees for Male World Athlete of the Year who were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.
The nominations reflect the remarkable range of exceptional performances that the sport has witnessed this year, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, one-day meeting circuits and other events around the world.
Commenting on the Awards, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;As always, the World Athletics Awards will recognise athletes who have performed at the highest level across the year, taking into account not only the Olympic Games, but the one-day meeting circuits. We do recognise that athletes in some parts of the world faced greater challenges than others in accessing international competition this year, which complicated the nomination process. However, we saw some impressive breakthroughs at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and we look forward to those athletes having more opportunities to shine next year, with five World Athletics Series events and a full schedule of one-day meetings on the calendar."
The nominees for 2021 Male World Athlete of the Year are (in alphabetical order):
Joshua Cheptegei, UGA - Olympic 5000m champion - Olympic 10,000m silver medallist - World-leading 8:09.55 for two miles
Ryan Crouser, USA - Olympic and Diamond League shot put champion - Undefeated all year - World shot put records indoors and outdoors
Mondo Duplantis, SWE - Olympic pole vault champion - Diamond League pole vault champion - European indoor pole vault champion
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, NOR - Olympic 1500m champion - European indoor 1500m champion - European 1500m and 5000m records
Eliud Kipchoge, KEN - Olympic marathon champion - Largest winning margin in men&rsquo;s Olympic marathon since 1972 - Winner of Enschede Marathon
Pedro Pichardo, POR - Olympic triple jump champion - Diamond League triple jump champion - European indoor triple jump champion
Daniel Stahl, SWE - Olympic discus champion - Diamond League discus champion - Threw world-leading 71.40m
Miltiadis Tentoglou, GRE - Olympic long jump champion - European indoor long jump champion - Jumped world-leading 8.60m
Damian Warner, CAN - Olympic decathlon champion - Winner at the G&ouml;tzis Hypo Meeting - National and Olympic record of 9018, moved to fourth on the world all-time list
Karsten Warholm, NOR - Olympic 400m hurdles champion&nbsp; - Diamond League 400m hurdles champion - World 400m hurdles record and world 300m hurdles best
A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.
The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms. Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram this week; a 'like' on Facebook and Instagram or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.
The World Athletics Council&rsquo;s vote will count for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family&rsquo;s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.
Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on Saturday 6 November. At the conclusion of the voting process, five men and five women finalists will be announced by World Athletics.
The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced live at the World Athletics Awards 2021 in December.&nbsp;
Further information about the World Athletics Awards 2021 will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
The female nominees will be announced tomorrow, Friday 22 October.
World Athletics

World Athletics is pleased to confirm a list of 10 nominees for Male World Athlete of the Year.

Nominees announced for Male World Athlete of the Year 2021

World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Jean-Pierre Durand, one of the sport&rsquo;s most prolific photographers, died on Tuesday (19) at the age of 66.
A familiar friendly figure at athletics events for the past four decades, Durand was hugely respected and admired by fellow photographers, journalists, event organisers, athletes and fans for his work and dedication.
His career began in 1981, when he joined a local weekly newspaper, and after shooting a range of sports he decided to focus on athletics. While he covered numerous Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships during his career, Durand would also enjoy capturing the action at smaller meetings as he worked as a freelance photographer, regularly supplying images to World Athletics and publications such as L'&Eacute;quipe.
Not only would he work behind the lens for World Athletics, but he was also the photo chief for a number of World Athletics Series events, including the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019 and the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Kampala in 2017, plus&nbsp;the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas in 2015 and 2017 and in Yokohama in 2019.
Earlier this year he covered the Olympic Games in Tokyo and then just a few days later travelled to Kenya for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi.
&ldquo;I was very sad to learn of the passing of Jean-Pierre Durand. He was a real gentleman and it was a pleasure to work with him,&rdquo; said France&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie. &ldquo;He would always come to talk to me at competitions &ndash; something really nice, especially when I was younger in a big event far from home &ndash; and I'd always receive my photo from him in the evening.
&ldquo;We will miss you Jean-Pierre, my condolences to his family."
Sharing some memories for L'&Eacute;quipe, journalist Marc Ventouillac wrote: &ldquo;There is not a single photographer from L'&Eacute;quipe who, arriving at an athletics competition, did not ask if Jean-Pierre Durand was there.
&ldquo;He particularly liked going to cover meetings in Germany because he took the opportunity to go hunting in photo fairs where he made a point of discovering a rare pearl to enrich his Leica collection.
&ldquo;Jean-Pierre was above all a warm, brotherly, convivial man, who liked to tell stories around a good beer, the foam of which sometimes moistened his legendary moustache.&rdquo;
Also among those to pay tribute was former French high jump record-holder turned journalist Maryse Ewanje-Epee, who wrote: &ldquo;A key figure in the French athletics landscape. Jean-Pierre did all the big events and the small ones too. How many times have I shared a beer, a laugh, with the man with the moustache. May the Earth be light to you, comrade.&rdquo;
Given his great experience and knowledge, Durand inevitably became a mentor to photographers aspiring to follow in his footsteps.
&ldquo;Jean-Pierre was an amazing and very talented photographer who showed an incredible amount of kindness towards young photographers,&rdquo; said fellow French photographer Solene Decosta. &ldquo;He encouraged us to dare and opened many doors for so many of us. We will miss him a lot, track events won&rsquo;t be the same without JP."
While photographer and videographer Dan Vernon wrote: &ldquo;Such sad news to hear of the passing of JP, he dedicated so much of his life to athletics. I was lucky to spend a lot of time with him especially this last year. He was always ready with advice and a good telling off if you needed it. A wonderful man who will be sorely missed.&rdquo;
Sharing memories of&nbsp;Durand, photographer&nbsp;Pascal Rondeau added:&nbsp;"Jean-Pierre was a first class example of what I refer as the true sport specialist. I never actually saw&nbsp;Jean-Pierre shooting or talking about any other sports other than athletics.&nbsp;
"He had very deep knowledge on every aspect of our sport and sharp journalistic skills. The 400m loop had no secret for him and it will be a very sad and strange feeling for many of us to no longer cross his path on a field of play somewhere."
British photographer Mark Shearman, who has been capturing athletics action since 1962, said: "I was devastated to hear that my long-time friend JP had died. We had worked together at four Olympic Games&nbsp;and many world and European championships, indoors and outdoors.&nbsp;
"His dedication to the sport, his professionalism and friendship will be sorely missed by me and many others in athletics. RIP JP."
Another of Durand's colleagues and friends, Italian photographer Giancarlo Colombo, said: "Two of the things that I will remember with pleasure about Jean-Pierre are his calm temper and his inner strength.
"I met him over 30 years ago and during such a long period of time spent together on the athletics fields of the world, it happened that we had the luck to share many good memories but also some bad moments. One of these in particular made me reflect a lot.
"We were in Rio for the Olympic Games of 2016 and as usual we were the last people leaving the Olympic Stadium after the evening session. We were both quite tired after the long day and I was also quite angry because we couldn&rsquo;t find transport to get back to our hotel. While I was in this state of mind, Jean-Pierre tried to calm me down, highlighting that during our lives we had both encountered many obstacles, but the fact that we were both in Rio at that moment was a sign that we were able to overcome them all. After that moment, we continued speaking about our lives and at the end of the day, when I was in my hotel room alone, I realised what a kind heart he had. The more I think about the memories I have with him, the more I can confirm it."
World Athletics

World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Jean-Pierre Durand, one of the sport’s most prolific photographers, died on Tuesday (19) at the age of 66.

Prolific athletics photographer Durand dies

If there’s one thing Shamier Little knows how to do, it’s how to bounce back.

Little's road to redemption leads to Eugene

For Holly Bradshaw, the most important thing is not what her body looks like, but what it can do.
That body has helped the 29-year-old to become an Olympic medallist and a national record-breaker. It has soared over a bar almost five metres high. And, most recently, it has helped her to highlight the importance of celebrating body diversity in sport.
But it has not been an easy journey. Bradshaw remembers when she first saw the comments.
&ldquo;It started in 2011 and the worst of it was in 2012, maybe 2013,&rdquo; recalls the British pole vaulter, then competing under her maiden name of Bleasdale.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not genetically programmed to be a really slim athlete, that&rsquo;s just not who I am and that&rsquo;s fine. But as a youngster, I definitely got a lot of criticism on how I looked. I was constantly judged. People would write posts on social media and include my name, saying: &lsquo;She&rsquo;s so unathletic, so unattractive, overweight.&rsquo; It was coming from so many different angles that it created such a panic in me.
&ldquo;You would type my name into Google and the predicted search results would be things like &lsquo;Holly Bleasdale Olympics&rsquo;, &lsquo;Holly Bleasdale pole vault&rsquo; and &lsquo;Holly Bleasdale fat&rsquo;. Then in 2013 I did the European Team Championships in front of a home crowd in Gateshead. I had been injured all summer and I ended up not doing so well. I remember reading some of the comments after that, and they were just so hurtful. As a 21-year-old, I was like: &lsquo;Why are these people saying this?&rsquo; As a young athlete, new to social media and the sport, it was a bit of a shock that these people could hate me when I hadn&rsquo;t done anything to them. It was just so much for a young athlete to have on their shoulders and not really have anyone to talk to about it.&rdquo;
This is what Bradshaw wants to change. Those experiences of almost a decade ago sparked body image challenges that the multiple European medallist continues to deal with today and she doesn&rsquo;t want any other athlete to go through the same. It was only after she shared her story about the kit offering for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that Bradshaw &ndash; who chooses to compete in an all-in-one with shorts &ndash; realised she was far from alone. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/616ea685ff09785a2c124087.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /> Bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw celebrates at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (&copy; Getty Images)
 &ldquo;I was shown the outfits I could wear (for Tokyo) and I just saw a bikini onesie, a crop top and knickers or a crop top and shorts,&rdquo; explains the three-time Olympian, who sits ninth on the world all-time list with her PB of 4.90m achieved this year.
&ldquo;I remember feeling panic and I asked if there was an all-in-one with shorts that they could make available. To be fair, Team GB were great, and we got permission from World Athletics to wear an adapted rowing onesie. But it made me think &ndash; I&rsquo;ve been to three Olympics now, I&rsquo;m quite well known and my voice is heard, whereas back in 2012 when I was a 19-year-old kid, I wouldn&rsquo;t have had the courage to do that, so I would have definitely been competing in something I was uncomfortable in.
&ldquo;Now I really feel like I have a voice and it&rsquo;s an important voice to share,&rdquo; adds Bradshaw, who has a master&rsquo;s degree in sports psychology. &ldquo;I only really realised it when British Athletics <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUUaSrkIzuR/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared my story</a> and the amount of messages I have had in response, it has hit home that I have this voice and it&rsquo;s my obligation to use it. I now feel like my pole vault career is two pathways and they are equally as important &ndash; one is seeing how high I can jump and how successful I can be, and the other is being a relatable role model who is promoting positive body image of all shapes and sizes.
&ldquo;I am the only one out there that wears an all-in-one because I don&rsquo;t want to show my body off. If people want to wear a crop top and knickers, that&rsquo;s not the issue &ndash; that&rsquo;s great that they want to wear that, but what is hitting home to me is the amount of girls, especially, being put off athletics because of the kit they feel they have to wear. That to me is so sad. There are enough barriers to getting into sport as it is.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/616ea61bff09785a2c124081.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Holly Bradshaw competes at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene&nbsp;(&copy; Matthew Quine / Diamond League AG)
 Bradshaw might previously have been reluctant to call herself a role model, but she now realises the power of her position. As well as diversity within athletics, she is also keen to raise awareness about the diversity within each of the sport's disciplines.
&ldquo;One of the reasons I think I got so much backlash was because I just don&rsquo;t particularly look like anyone else out there in the pole vault,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I am quite tall and with a bigger build and I just think it is important that &ndash; particularly now I have won an Olympic medal &ndash; I have proved it is possible. I have had these doubts, thinking that I don&rsquo;t look like these other girls, so how am I ever going to be successful if I&rsquo;m the anomaly and everyone else looks the same? But it just shows you that you can, and I think that&rsquo;s a really promising message.
&ldquo;Athletics is the most diverse sport,&rdquo; she adds. &ldquo;If you are not teeny-weeny, you can do so many different athletics events. People see athletes on TV and there is this kind of stigma that you need to be ripped, that you need to have abs to do athletics, and you absolutely don&rsquo;t.
&ldquo;I just tell youngsters that it doesn&rsquo;t matter what you look like, it&rsquo;s more what your body is doing. At the end of the day, I do sport because I love it, and I want to see how good I can be.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

For Holly Bradshaw, the most important thing is not what her body looks like, but what it can do.

Olympic medallist Bradshaw ready to be a role model as she celebrates body diversity

This year's finest athletics achievements will be celebrated at the World Athletics Awards 2021.
The ceremony will recognise exceptional achievement in what has been another memorable and sometimes challenging year for the sport. Once again, athletics fans from around the world will be invited to help select the female and male athletes of the year.
Commenting on the Awards, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;As always, the World Athletics Awards will recognise athletes who have performed at the highest level across the year, taking into account not only the Olympic Games, but the one-day meeting circuits. We do recognise that athletes in some parts of the world faced greater challenges than others in accessing international competition this year, which complicated the nomination process. However, we saw some impressive breakthroughs at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and we look forward to those athletes having more opportunities to shine next year, with five World Athletics Series events and a full schedule of one-day meetings on the calendar."
Ten awards will be presented:
Female and Male World Athlete of the Year These awards recognise the top-performing athletes across the whole year. A panel of expert statisticians has selected the 10 nominees for each award and a three-way voting process will determine the five men and five women finalists. The voting is split between the World Athletics Council, the World Athletics Family, and the worldwide community of athletics fans.
The nominees for Male World Athlete of the Year will be announced on 21 October and the nominees for Female World Athlete of the Year on 22 October. The five male and female finalists will be announced on 22-23 November.
Female and Male Rising Stars These awards shine the spotlight on the top U20 athletes of the year. Five female and male nominees will be announced on 8-9 November, from which a winner will be selected by an international panel of experts.
Coaching Achievement Award Given to a coach who has helped athletes thrive.
Inspiration Award This award will recognise an individual or group of individuals whose efforts have resulted in a particularly inspiring athletics event or experience.
Member Federations Award This honour will recognise a Member Federation that&nbsp;has distinguished itself&nbsp;in its&nbsp;accomplishments in 2021 and, as a result, has positively contributed to the growth and profile of the sport.&nbsp;Six finalists for this award will be announced on 11 November.
Woman of the Year Award Recognising a woman who has dedicated her life to the sport of athletics.
President&rsquo;s Award This award recognises and honours exceptional service to athletics.
Athletics Photograph of the Year Awarded to the best athletics photograph of 2021, as decided by an expert panel of judges. Entries will open on 25 October and the three finalists will be announced on 16 November.
The voting process for the Athlete of the Year awards will open this week. Further information about the World Athletics Awards 2021, which will be held at the start of December, will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
World Athletics

Once again, athletics fans from around the world will be invited to help select the female and male athletes of the year.

Exceptional achievement to be celebrated at World Athletics Awards 2021

Angela Tanui and Tamirat Tola produced the fastest ever times on Dutch soil with their victories at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, clocking 2:17:57 and 2:03:39 at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (17).
Tanui, who was a late addition to the field after her plans to compete in Boston fell through due to visa issues, bided her time for much of the race before breaking away in the closing stages to win by more than two minutes, covering the second half in a swift 1:07:50.
Running as part of a lead group of six, Tanui covered the first 10km in 33:00. Shortly after, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Shasho Insermu dropped back from the lead pack, leaving Tanui, fellow Kenyan Maureen Chepkemoi and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haven Hailu, Gabiyanesh Ayele and Worknesh Alemu out in front.
They covered 15km in 49:48 before reaching the half-way point in 1:10:07, suggesting a sub-2:20 finish was possible with a slightly faster second half.
Alemu was the next to drift off the pack, and she trailed the leaders by 24 seconds at the 25km point, which was covered in 1:23:02. Tanui, Hailu, Ayele and Chepkemoi stuck together through 30km (1:39:37), but Tanui then put in a surge and covered the next five-kilometre section in 15:51, giving her an 11-second lead over her opponents at 35km.
She continued to pull away from her pursuers in the closing stages and went on to cross the finish line in 2:17:57, smashing the previous course record of 2:19:26. She also chopped more than two minutes from her previous best of 2:20:08 set earlier this year, and now moves to 10th on the world all-time list.
Chepkemoi came through to take second place in 2:20:18, overtaking Hailu shortly before the finish. Hailu finished one second adrift in third, while Ayele was further behind in fourth (2:21:22). Ruth van der Meijden was the top Dutch finisher, placing sixth in 2:29:55 to secure the national title.
Tola, like Tanui, displayed great patience and waited until the final few kilometres before making his move in the men&rsquo;s race.
The opening pace was relatively swift as a large lead pack covered the first 10km in 29:10 and 15km in 43:58. The pace settled down slightly then, with the half-way point reached in 1:02:11 and 25km in 1:13:49, putting them just outside course record schedule (2:04:06). 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/616c07bf5e459c4bc8b3184a.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 After going through 30km in 1:28:33, some of the runners in the lead pack &ndash; namely Edwin and Abraham Kiptoo and Ethiopia&rsquo;s marathon debutante Amdewerk Walelegn &ndash; started to drift off the pace. Just six men &ndash; Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Eritrea&rsquo;s Hiskel Tewelde and Afewerki Berhane and Kenya&rsquo;s Jonathan Korir and Bernard Koech &ndash; were left in the pack at the 35km point (1:42:59).
Tola then started to win up the pace and, having covered the previous 10km section in 28:53, had a nine-second gap on his opponents at the 40km point with the leading contenders now strung out.
Tola continued to extend his lead and crossed the line in a 2:03:39, winning by 30 seconds from Koech (2:04:09). Tola&rsquo;s winning time took almost half a minute off the previous course record (2:04:06) and elevates him from 23rd to 16th on the world all-time list.
Gebresilase took third in 2:04:12, 20 seconds ahead of Korir. In fifth, Tewelde set an Eritrean record of 2:04:35.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Angela Tanui (KEN) 2:17:57 2 Maureen Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:20:18 3 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:20:19 4 Gabiyanesh Ayele (ETH) 2:21:22 5 Worknesh Alemu (ETH) 2:26:54 6 Ruth van der Meijden (NED) 2:29:55 7 Bo Ummels (NED) 2:31:51
Men 1 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39 2 Bernard Koech (KEN) 2:04:09 3 Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:12 4 Jonathan Korir (KEN) 2:04:32 5 Hiskel Tewelde (ERI) 2:04:35 6 Moses Kibet (UGA) 2:05:20 7 Afewerki Berhane (ERI) 2:05:22 8 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 2:06:05 9 Bernard Kipyego (KEN) 2:06:32 10 Merhawi Kesete (ERI) 2:06:36

Angela Tanui (2:17:57) and Tamirat Tola (2:03:39) produce the fastest ever times on Dutch soil

Tanui and Tola smash Dutch all-comers’ records in Amsterdam

Elisha Rotich of Kenya produced a strong performance to clinch his first title at the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon on Sunday (17), while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Memuye won the women&rsquo;s contest at the World Athletics Elite Label road race.
The event&rsquo;s 44th edition went off under perfect conditions. The leading pack, spearheaded by pacemakers Hillary Kipkoech and Cornelius Kangogo, passed 5km in 14:37, suggesting a possible final time of about 2:03:30, way below the course record of 2:05:03 set in 2014 by multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Kenenisa Bekele.
The Kenyan pair maintained a fast and steady pace, passing 10km and 15km in 29:17 and 44:01 respectively, before reaching half way in 1:01:51.
Twenty men were still in contention for victory at 25km, reached in 1:13:19, but the leading pack started to stretch over the next kilometres, suggesting the race of attrition had started to take its toll.
Kipkoech and Kangogo finished their work at the 30km mark, reached in 1:28:20. Joel Kimurer and Edwin Kimuta chose that moment to make their first move, but they didn&rsquo;t manage to escape. Soon after the 35km checkpoint, Hillary Kipsambu and Elisha Rotich ratcheted up the pace, breaking up the group behind them.
Rotich then made a strong move five kilometres from home, and the 31-year-old Kenyan quickly opened an eight-second gap over Kipsambu, Hailemaryam Kiros and Tsegaye Getachew.
Rotich produced an impressive display of strength over the final kilometres to cross the line in 2:04:23, 40 seconds faster than Bekele&rsquo;s previous course record.
Rotich not only improved his personal best by 55 seconds but he also produced the eighth fastest time of the year.
Kiros pushed hard in the waning stages to finish runner-up in 2:04:42 as Kipsambu took third place in 2:04:45.
&ldquo;It was really great to run in Paris,&rdquo; said a smiling Rotich. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy for both the win and the record.&rdquo;
In the women&rsquo;s race, pacemakers Sharon Kemboi and Beatrice Cheserek were asked to set a 2:21 marathon pace. The Kenyan pair hurtled down the &lsquo;Avenue des Champs Elys&eacute;es&rsquo; but nobody followed their pace; by the time they reached 5km in 16:50, they were 47 seconds ahead of the main pack.
The principal contenders never really utilised the pacemakers, but Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Memuye and fellow Yeneshesh Tilahun Dinkesa finally forged ahead six kilometres from the finish line. Memuye upped the tempo again at 41km to break away from her compatriot before going on to win in 2:26:12.
Dinkesa finished just three seconds adrift in second place, while Fantu Jimma completed an Ethiopian sweep in 2:26:22.
Quentin Guillon for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Tigist Memuye (ETH) 2:26:12 2 Yeneshesh Tilahun Dinkesa (ETH) 2:26:15 3 Fantu Jimma (ETH) 2:26:22 4 Waganesh Mekasha (ETH) 2:26:37 5 Janet Ruguru (KEN) 2:27:06
Men 1 Elisha Rotich (KEN) 2:04:23 2 Hailemaryam Kiros (ETH) 2:04:42 3 Hillary Kipsambu (KEN) 2:04:45 4 Barselius Kipyego (KEN) 2:04:49 5 Abayneh Degu (ETH) 2:04:52
&nbsp;
<h2>Debutant Teklu and Tuei reign at Barcelona Half Marathon</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haftu Teklu and Kenya&rsquo;s Sandrafelis Chebet Tuei captured commanding titles at the eDreams Mitja Marato Barcelona, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday (17).
On a perfect day for running (14C and very slight wind), 26-year-old Teklu triumphed in his first outing over the distance, clocking 59:39, while Tuei improved her career best by more than a minute to win in 1:07:12.
The leading pack in the men&rsquo;s race went through the opening 5km in 14:05, well on schedule to break the 59:44 course record. Paced by Matthew Chekwunui, the heading group included the Kenyan pair of Daniel Kemoi and Abel Sikowo, Israel&rsquo;s Maru Teferi, Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle, Uganda&rsquo;s last year&rsquo;s runner-up Stephen Kissa and the eventual victor Teklu.
The 10km checkpoint was reached in 28:08 with the only withdrawal of Teferi. Once the pacesetter dropped out it was Teklu who took command of the race but only Kissa managed to live with his rhythm despite slowing down a bit over the third 5km segment covered in 14:16 for a 42:24 15km split. By then Kifle was in third, 22 seconds in arrears, and Sikowo another four seconds adrift.
The leading pair went through 20km in 56:43, putting them on course for a sub-60-minute finish. The experienced Kissa seemed to be the favourite to take the win, but Teklu unleashed an impressive change of speed in the final kilometre to open a huge margin on the Ugandan.
Teklu crossed the line in a course record of 59:39 while a fading Kissa had to settle for second place again, 40 seconds behind the winner. Surprisingly the third spot on the podium went for Ethiopia&rsquo;s Chala Regasa who, coming from behind, overtook Kifle and Sikowo in the closing stages to clock 1:00:38.
The women&rsquo;s event kicked off at a steady 3:12 pace, the heading group comprising the Ethiopians Asnakech Awoke, Tsege Melese and Alemaz Samuel plus the Kenyan trio of Tuei, Brillian Kipkoech and Mercyline Chelangat. That sextet timed 16:02 for the first 5km section. Tuei and Kipkoech led the field at 10km, reached in 31:56, and they maintained that pace through 15km (48:01), although only four women &ndash; Tuei, Kipkoech, Awoke and Alemaz &ndash; remained in contention.
Tuei, the 2015 world U18 steeplechase silver medallist, made her move some 17km into the race to easily break away from the rest. At the tape, the 23-year-old clocked a lifetime best of 1:07:12, her second PB of the month following a 30:45 10km effort in Valencia a fortnight ago. Kipkoech finished runner-up 19 seconds in arrears to secure a Kenyan double and Awoke placed third in 1:07:47.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Sandrafelis Tuei (KEN) 1:07:12 2 Brillian Kipkoech (KEN) 1:07:31 3 Asnakech Awoke (ETH) 1:07:47 4 Mercyline Chelangat (KEN) 1:08:27 5 Alemaz Samuel (ETH) 1:08:53
Men 1 Haftu Teklu (ETH) 59:39 2 Stephen Kissa (UGA) 1:00:19 3 Chala Regasa (ETH) 1:00:38 4 Aron Kifle (ERI) 1:00:53 5 Abel Sikowo (KEN) 1:01:44
&nbsp;
<h2>Chepkemoi breaks Roma-Ostia course record</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Joyce Tele Chepkemoi won the Huawei Roma Ostia Half Marathon World Athletics Label Race in 1:06:35, beating compatriot Betty Chepkemoi Kibet by just two seconds.
Chepkemoi broke the course record that had been held by Florence Kiplagat, who clocked 1:06:38 in 2012. Runner-up Kibet also improved her PB to 1:06:37, while Gloria Kite completed an all-Kenyan podium, finishing third in 1:07:54.
And on the day his brother Tamirat won the Amsterdam Marathon, Abdera Adisa Tola triumphed in the men&rsquo;s race on his debut at the distance, clocking 59:54.
Chepkemoi, Kibet and Kite set off at a swift pace in the women&rsquo;s race, clocking 16:10 at 5km and 31:57 for 10km. With 42 minutes on the clock, Chepkemoi and Kibet broke away and ran neck and neck until the end. In a dramatic sprint finish, Chepkemoi held off Kibet and crossed the finish line in 1:06:35.
A five-man group formed by Tola, Kenya&rsquo;s Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Maxwell Mbuleli Mathanga from South Africa, Daniele Meucci and 2018 world half marathon silver medallist Abraham Cheroben from Bahrain went through 5km in 14:23, 10km in 28:30 and 15km in 42:51.
Meucci produced the first attack at 15km, but Tola caught up with the 2014 European marathon champion. Meucci and Tola ran neck and neck until 19km when Tola launched a decisive kick to cross the finish line in 59:54 with Meucci 17 seconds adrift in second. Mbuleli finished third in 1:00:17.
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Joyce Chepkemoi Tele (KEN) 1:06:35 2 Betty Chepkemoi (KEN) 1:06:37 3 Gloria Kite (KEN) 1:07:54 4 Moira Stewartowa (CZE) 1:10:16 5 Rebecca Lonedo (ITA) 1:11:45
Men 1 Abdera Adisa Tola (ETH) 59:54 2 Daniele Meucci (ITA) 1:00:11 3 Mathanga Mbuleli (RSA) 1:00:17 4 Abraham Cheroben (KEN) 1:00:29 5 Lawi Kosgei (KEN) 1:01:21

Course records for Elisha Rotich at the Paris Marathon and Joyce Tele Chepkemoi at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon

World discus gold medallist Stevens retires

Kipchoge crowned best male athlete of Tokyo 2020 at ANOC Awards

Best photographs of 2021 to be recognised at World Athletics Awards

Habte and Niyomukunzi take the spoils in Amorebieta

Gidey smashes world half marathon record in Valencia