Burundi&rsquo;s Francine Niyonsaba took more than two seconds off Genzebe Dibaba&rsquo;s world 2000m record with a brilliant run of 5:21.56 at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb on Tuesday (14).
Dibaba&rsquo;s best of 5:23.75 was set indoors in Sabadell, Spain in 2017 and stood as the outright world record. But, taking advantage of a windless and warm evening for the final World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event of the year in Europe, Niyonsaba strode clear of Olympic 1500m fourth-place finisher Freweyni Hailu on the final lap to win by four seconds.
Niyonsaba, who last week won the Wanda Diamond League title at 5000m, followed the pacemakers for the first three laps, passing through 400m in 1:04.50 and 800m in 2:09.22. The half-way point was reached in 2:41.37, putting Niyonsaba and Hailu inside world record pace.
Niyonsaba went through the bell in 4:20.23, meaning she needed a final lap of about 63 seconds to claim the world record. Hailu tried to move into the lead on the back straight, but Niyonsaba kept her at bay and then kicked for home, eventually crossing the line in 5:21.56.
Hailu finished second in 5:25.86, an outdoor Ethiopian record and just half a second shy of Sonia O&rsquo;Sullivan&rsquo;s 5:25.36 clocking from 1994, the fastest outdoor performance before today.
Afterwards, a smiling Niyonsaba said: &ldquo;I am feeling seriously wonderful. I didn&rsquo;t realise I could run a world record, but it was my first time here. I came here to do what I have to do.
&ldquo;I did it. It&rsquo;s wonderful and it&rsquo;s fabulous. The pacing was really perfect. I want to thank all the people who came to cheer us.&rdquo; 
<h2>Allen goes sub-13</h2>
One of the most eye-catching performances of the night came in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles where USA&rsquo;s Devon Allen joined the sub-13-second club.
Ending his season in blistering style following victories in Zurich and Berlin, Allen left Olympic gold and bronze medallists Hansle Parchment and Ronald Levy in his wake as he logged 12.99 (0.7m/s). Levy was second in 13.11 with Jamaican teammate Parchment 0.01 behind in third. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/614104ba5c4abc81a66768fa.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited,&rdquo; said Allen. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been there, you know that when you are running consistent. It&rsquo;s great conditions tonight and warm with no wind, with a great crowd.
&ldquo;I started well and when I am out front, as long as I run it clean, I am running quick.&rdquo;
The men&rsquo;s 100m was another race of high quality won by USA&rsquo;s Marvin Bracy in 9.86 (0.8m/s), just 0.01 shy of Usain Bolt&rsquo;s 10-year-old meeting record. US teammates Ronnie Baker and Trayvon Bromell completed the top three in 9.97 and 10.03 respectively. 
<h2>Four meeting records fall</h2>
A clutch of other athletes were in record-breaking form in the Croatian capital with four further meeting records falling in the course of the evening.
The men&rsquo;s pole vault saw an incredible five athletes bettering the existing meeting record of 5.76m. But it was Olympic fourth-place finisher KC Lightfoot of USA who best rose to the occasion, clearing 5.87m on his third attempt to win with an outdoor personal best.
His US teammates, two-time world champion Sam Kendricks and Olympic silver medallist Chris Nilsen, Australia&rsquo;s Kurtis Marschall and France&rsquo;s Valentin Lavillenie all went clear at 5.82m, the latter two also earning personal bests. But Kendricks was second and Marschall third on countback.
Olympic silver medallist and Diamond League winner Christine Mboma of Namibia scorched to a meeting record of 22.04 in the women&rsquo;s 200m. The world U20 champion was 0.26 clear of Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, who was 0.05 quicker than Allyson Felix&rsquo;s meeting record that had stood since 2012.
Three-time Olympic medallist and former champion Kirani James stamped his class all over the men&rsquo;s 400m. Running strongly from the gun, he stormed to a meeting record of 44.46, slicing nearly half a second off the four-year-old previous best, held by Gil Roberts.
World silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts leapt to a meeting record of 14.77m to win the women&rsquo;s triple jump. The Jamaican led from the outset, opening with jumps of 14.33m and 14.37m before improving to 14.77m in the penultimate round. Slovenia&rsquo;s Neja Filipic was second with a PB of 14.37m. 
<h2>Allman on top</h2>
In one of the most eagerly awaited events of the evening, Olympic champion Valarie Allman defied sentimental favourite and her predecessor as Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic the chance of a 10th successive win on home turf in Zagreb in the &nbsp;discus. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/614104d95c4abc81a66768fd.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 After setting a North American record of 71.16m in Berlin last weekend, the 26-year-old wrapped up a memorable season with a superb final-round throw of 69.63m with Perkovic settling for runner-up with her second-round effort of 66.48m.
Allman had led since the first round when she threw 64.22m before improving to 67.61m and 68.87m in the second and third rounds.
World and Olympic champion Daniel Stahl also rubberstamped a memorable season, winning a championship-quality men&rsquo;s discus contest. His first-round throw of 67.79m was good enough to hold off Olympic bronze medallist Lucas Weisshaidinger&rsquo;s final-round effort of 66.21m. Slovenia&rsquo;s Kristjan Ceh continued his fine end of season form with 65.17m in third.
In a tightly fought men&rsquo;s 800m, Catalin Tecuceanu of Romania enjoyed a breakthrough victory, emerging from the outside to win in 1:44.93. Not only was it a PB, but it also broke the national record of 1:45.41 that had stood since 1985. The 22-year-old didn&rsquo;t compete at the Olympics as he didn&rsquo;t achieve the entry standard, but has now won three of his past four races on the international circuit.
He finished ahead of British duo Daniel Rowden and Elliot Giles in 1:44.98 and 1:45.01 respectively. World silver medallist Amel Tuka dropped out at about the 600m mark,
In the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, Diamond League winner Tobi Amusan of Nigeria eased to a comfortable win in 12.61, just one hundredth outside the meeting record.
In the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, Olympic fourth-place finisher Getnet Wale of Ethiopia triumphed in 8:12.01. Olympic finalist Madara Palameika of Latvia took the women&rsquo;s javelin with a season&rsquo;s best of 63.35m and Panama&rsquo;s Olympic finalist Gianna Woodruff won the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in 54.67.
Chris Broadbent for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Burundian clocks 5:21.56 at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial

Niyonsaba breaks world 2000m record in Zagreb

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s 10.78 clocking over 100m was one of six meeting records set at the Gal&agrave; dei Castelli, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, in Bellinzona on Tuesday (14).
The world 100m champion smashed the stadium record held by another Jamaican legend, Merlene Ottey, who clocked 10.95 in 1996. Fraser Pryce, who clocked a lifetime best of 10.60 last month in Lausanne, once again ran well on Swiss soil, producing her 13th consecutive sub-11-second clocking.
&ldquo;Bellinzona is very special to me,&rdquo; said the multiple world and Olympic gold medallist. &ldquo;I am happy to be back here. I came to this meeting in 2018 with my son Zyon. I really wanted the meeting record held by Merlene Ottey, so I am excited about that. The weather was perfect. I set most of my best performances in Switzerland.&rdquo;
World 200m bronze medallist Mujinga Kambundji finished second in 10.99 to beat Swiss compatriot Ajla Del Ponte, the European indoor champion (11.11).
Kambundj returned to the track for the 200m and scored one of two Swiss wins of the evening in 22.36, ending the meeting on a high note.
&ldquo;I wanted to break the Swiss record (22.26),&rdquo; said Kambundji. &ldquo;I was not able to achieve it but I am very happy. I am very proud with my season, especially with the Olympic final in the 100m and the Diamond League win in the 200m in Eugene.&rdquo;
Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse won the men&rsquo;s 100m in 10.06 (-0.1m/s) beating Olympic 100m silver medallist and Diamond League winner Fred Kerley (10.11) after two false starts. De Grasse avenged his loss to Kerley, who beat the Canadian sprinter in 9.87 to 9.89 at the Diamond League final in Zurich last week.
Olympic bronze medallist Femke Bol crowned her successful season with a win in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in a meeting record of 54.02. European champion Lea Sprunger finished second in 54.53 in what was the final race of her career.
&ldquo;It was really my last race,&rdquo; said Sprunger. &ldquo;I wanted to end my career on a high note. I ran my second-best time of the year. I am definitely happy with what I achieved this evening. I have a special relationship with this meeting and Canton Ticino. I train with my close friend Del Ponte and it will be strange that I will no longer train with Ajla and Femke Bol, but I will still remain in the world of athletics.&rdquo;
Sweden&rsquo;s Carl Bengstrom won the 400m hurdles B race in 48.53, improving the stadium record that had stood to Fabrizio Mori since 1997. But just minutes later, Olympic bronze medallist Alison Dos Santos won the A race in another meeting record with 48.15, holding off Estonia&rsquo;s Olympic finalist Rasmus Magi (48.53).
European indoor champion Nadine Visser won the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in 12.59, improving the meeting record by 0.03 and comfortably beating Cindy Sember (12.73).
Swiss record-holder Jason Joseph won the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles, named in honour of local coach Fiorenzo Marchesi, in 13.34, beating Brazil&rsquo;s Rafael Pereira (13.42).
Jamaican record-holder Natoya Goule won the women&rsquo;s 800m in 1:58.20. Pacemaker Aneta Lemlesz went through the 400m mark in 56.69 before Goule broke away from the rest of the field with 300m to go. Chanelle Price finished second in 1:59.75 ahead of Sweden&rsquo;s Lovisa Lindh (1:59.94).
Elsewhere, Olympic finalist Charles Grethen from Luxemburg came through in the final straight to win the men&rsquo;s 1500m in a meeting record of 3:35.48. Slovenian record-holder Tina Sutej cleared 4.70m to win the women&rsquo;s pole vault. She had a clean sheet at 4.35m and 4.50m before vaulting 4.60 on her second attempt and 4.70m at the third time of asking.
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics

The world champion's 10.78 clocking over 100m was one of six meeting records set at the Galà dei Castelli

Fraser-Pryce dashes to 10.78 victory in Bellinzona

World Athletics is saddened to hear that world hammer record-holder Yuriy Sedykh died on Tuesday (14) at the age of 66.
Across a 15-year span, Sedykh won three global titles, three European titles and broke the world record six times.
Born in 1955 in Novocherkassk, Sedykh took up athletics in 1967, initially training in Burevestnik and later in Kiev. Six years later, and coached by 1972 Olympic champion Anatoliy Bondarchuk, he landed his first major title by taking gold at the 1973 European U20 Championships in Duisburg.
Sedykh was just 20 years of age when he threw a world-leading 78.86m at the start of the 1976 season. He went on to win the Olympic title in Montreal with an Olympic record of 77.52m while his coach, Bondarchuk, took bronze.
Sedykh successfully defended his Olympic title on home soil in Moscow in 1980 and remains one of just three men to win back-to-back Olympic titles in the hammer.
He won three consecutive European titles between 1978 and 1986, the latter in a memorable duel with training partner Sergey Litvinov in Stuttgart.
Litvinov broke Sedykh&rsquo;s championship record in the first round with 85.74m, but Sedykh responded with a world record of 86.74m in the fourth round. Five of Sedykh&rsquo;s six throws from that competition landed beyond 85 metres; his shortest throw that day was 83.94m.
&ldquo;On that day, everything came together: my mood, my physical fitness, my ambition, the competition, the sector, the fans and the weather,&rdquo; Sedykh told European Athletics.
Sedykh took silver behind Litvinov at the 1988 Olympics, but his throw of 83.76m was by far his best mark ever achieved in an Olympic arena.
He won his first and only world title at the age of 36 when he struck gold at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, throwing 81.80m. Despite having a best of 82.18m in 1992, he narrowly missed out on selection for what would have been his fourth Olympic Games.
He competed internationally until the mid-1990s, recording his final 80-metre throw in 1994. Although he continued to enter competitions as a veteran, coaching became his main focus once he retired from the sport.
Sedykh married 1980 Olympic 100m champion Lyudmila Kondratyeva, with whom he had a daughter, Oksana, who became an international-level hammer thrower. Sedykh later married world shot put record-holder Natalya Lisovskaya and together they had a daughter, Alexia, the 2010 Youth Olympic hammer champion.
World Athletics Senior Vice President Sergey Bubka paid tribute to Sedykh. &ldquo;For me, Yuriy was a friend, a wise mentor, to whom I am deeply grateful that we shared life experience and human values,&rdquo; said Bubka.
&ldquo;He was an outstanding two-time Olympic champion, whose fantastic world record is still not broken after 35 years. My sincere condolences to Natalya, Alexia, the whole family and the sports community. We will always remember Yuriy.&rdquo;
World Athletics

World Athletics is saddened to hear that world hammer record-holder Yuriy Sedykh died on Tuesday (14) at the age of 66.

Two-time Olympic hammer champion and world record-holder Sedykh dies

The one-day series of the world&rsquo;s best cross country, combined events and race walking meetings will all move to a three-tier World Tour format from next month.
Adding the final pieces to the jigsaw of the restructuring of international athletics competitions, the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, Combined Events Tour and Race Walking Tour will replace the existing challenge and permit series with a more global spread of fixtures.
A combined amount of more than $400,000 in prize money will be on offer for the best tour performers, including a new pool of $75,000 for the best male and female cross country runners.
The development of these tours is part of a concerted effort by World Athletics to create a logical long-term global calendar of international events. It will also ensure more top-level competition opportunities and exposure for athletes in all areas of the sport.
As with the Continental Tour and World Indoor Tour, competitions within the new tours will be given either gold, silver or bronze status. The calendars for each tour &ndash; more details of which will be provided in the coming weeks &ndash; are already beginning to take shape.
The Cross Country Tour, for example, which gets underway later this month, is expected to have stops in North America, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe and will incorporate many of the world&rsquo;s biggest and most prestigious cross-country meetings that have been part of the Cross Country Permit series in recent years. Athletes who compete in Cross Country Tour meetings will also earn world cross country ranking points.
"One of our primary goals at World Athletics is to improve the competitive and earning opportunities for elite athletes around the world and these new tour formats are designed to do just that," World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said. "They will also create new avenues for fans to watch our leading athletes, either in person or via broadcast or livestream. My thanks goes to World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon and Competition Director, Jakob Larsen, for the work they have been doing on the global competition calendar and the one-day meetings and the team they have now put in place to drive this critical area forward."
All gold-level Cross Country Tour meetings will be shown on the World Athletics YouTube Channel, and World Athletics is working to ensure a similar level of coverage for next year&rsquo;s Combined Events and Race Walking Tours.
In order to support the restructure of the global one-day competition calendar, World Athletics has made the following staff appointments.
Pierce O&rsquo;Callaghan has been appointed as Head of Competition Management after working as a consultant to World Athletics to establish the Continental Tour, expand the World Athletics Indoor Tour and lead the Global Calendar Unit in recent years. He has also been an international referee at four World Athletics Championships and four Olympic Games and was Director of Operations for the 2017 World Championships in London and Director of Readiness for the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
Luca Verrascina has joined World Athletics as Competition Manager after serving as a Technical Delegate or International Technical Official at many World Athletics Series events. He was the Head of Competition at the 2016 World Race Walking Team Championships, the 2013 and 2017 European U20 Championships and the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome.
The Competition Department will continue to work on a number of key projects, including the integration of mass participation events into the World Athletics Series, the cohesion of one-day meetings and major championships, the development of the world rankings and qualification pathways for major championships, and a review of the competition rules.
Meeting and race organisers who are interested in having their events included in the new tours should send an email to <a href="mailto:competition@worldathletics.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">competition@worldathletics.org</a> for more information.
World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h3>Regulations</h3>
&bull; <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=dbbd6f71-d7c5-490f-a061-64035433ec66.pdf&amp;urlslug=C1.7%20-%20Race%20Walking%20Tour%20Regulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Race Walking Tour</a> &bull; <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=8fc6e49c-7132-453d-abcb-91520f41681b.pdf&amp;urlslug=C1.8%20-%20Combined%20Events%20Tour%20Regulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Combined Events Tour</a> &bull; <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=fd7d4bb1-8dae-40a7-84d9-8b4116f99957.pdf&amp;urlslug=C1.9%20-%20Cross%20Country%20Tour%20Regulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cross Country Tour</a>

The one-day series of the world’s best cross country, combined events and race walking meetings will all move to a three-tier World Tour format from next month.

World Tour competition structure announced for cross country, combined events and race walking

Double Olympic champion and world record-holder Ryan Crouser brought the curtain down on a flawless season by beating his own meeting record to win the Ivan Ivancevic Memorial men&rsquo;s shot put in Zagreb on Monday night (13).
There was an intimate atmosphere at the specially staged event at the city fountains ahead of Tuesday&rsquo;s main Boris Hanžekovića Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, but the action was explosive in the circle. Crouser produced a series of consistent high quality, bettering 22 metres with all six throws, his best being a fourth-round effort of 22.84m &ndash; a 10-centimetre improvement on his meeting record set last year. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ctAqkZIdzrU" width="100%" height="400" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 He was pushed hard by twice Olympic bronze medallist Tom Walsh of New Zealand who thrived in front of an appreciative crowd, landing a fifth-round 22.39m for second place, with his other five throws all in excess of 21 metres. World champion Joe Kovacs took third with 21.70m in a competition that also featured music, flames and lights against the spectacular fountain backdrop.
&ldquo;This is one of my favourite meetings and a great capstone to what has been a fantastic season for me,&rdquo; said a very satisfied Crouser. &ldquo;In 2021, I have achieved everything I could have wanted and more. To be able to come out here for one of my favourite meetings and perform as well as I did for a great crowd, I was extremely happy. You can see the energy that the athletes bring when the crowd has so much energy and enthusiasm.
&ldquo;They let us pick our theme songs for the music, which is always fun and gets the athletes hyped up,&rdquo; added Crouser, who has now been undefeated for almost two years. &ldquo;It was a lot of fun and I feel like the results showed. With the shape I am in right now, after eight weeks on the road travelling, that was one of my best competitions of the year with just how I felt coming in and how I performed.&rdquo;
Chris Broadbent for World Athletics

Crouser breaks meeting record in Zagreb

There was a huge amount of excitement for the first ever&nbsp;World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup race in Spain and Canfranc-Canfranc served up two races over the weekend. Firstly, the 45km race on Saturday (11) was the latest long mountain race in the series, while Sunday (12) featured a 16km classic mountain race.
The 45km race is renowned for being tough. It&rsquo;s technical and rugged, with four climbs of between 250m and 1400m, and of course it&rsquo;s one of the longest races in the World Cup.&nbsp;
The men's race featured Slovakia's Peter Frano, winner of Tatra SkyMarathon this year, and Spain's Raul Criado, who was third&nbsp;at Tatra SkyMarathon and was 12th&nbsp;here last year. Basque runner&nbsp;Ugaitz Artola was also hotly tipped. In the women&rsquo;s starting line up were Britain's Charlotte Morgan, the 2018 WMRA long distance world champion currently lying third in the World Cup standings, while Spain's Eva Mesado, the 2020 runner-up here, and Olivia Magnone of France were also expected to be challenging for the podium.
As Covid restrictions were still in place at Canfranc the runners set off in small groups at one-minute intervals. These small gaps were soon to become bigger gaps as the first climb of 1400m kicked in. In the women&rsquo;s race Morgan struck out into an early lead and by the top of the first climb at Moleta she was four minutes in front of Magnone, who in turn was two minutes ahead of Mesado. Similarly, in the men&rsquo;s race it was Spain's Fran Naval who had a clear lead of three minutes over Frano, with Criado and Inigo Macias snapping at his heels, just 30 seconds behind.
One long descent and another big ascent (of 800m) and descent later, and by the 28km Candanchu checkpoint it was all change in the men&rsquo;s race. Frano was now in the lead, but Criado was just 30 seconds behind. A gap of three minutes had opened back to Naval in third, with Macias another minute behind him. In the women&rsquo;s race Morgan had really begun to stretch out a lead and she passed through Candanchu with a lead of 16 minutes over Magnone, with Mesado three minutes behind. It seemed unlikely that Morgan could be caught, but the men&rsquo;s race could still go to any of the top four.
Who would we see running into the finish first? In the end it was Frano, who looked incredibly fresh and took the win in 5:38:16. Criado just couldn&rsquo;t hang on to the second place he&rsquo;d battled for and it was Macias who came in as runner-up in 5:42:48, with Criado completing the men&rsquo;s podium in 5:43:23.
It was no surprise to see Morgan coming in to win the women&rsquo;s race, though the cuts on her knee and face showed that it hadn&rsquo;t been an easy final section. Her time was 6:38:09, which put her in eighth place overall. Magnone was second in 6:57:14 and Mesado third in 7:01:37, with a gap of over 10 minutes on fourth. 
<h2>Murphy breaks course record and Martinez takes second win</h2>
The 16km event welcomed USA's 2019 world champion Grayson Murphy back for more European action, after her win at Trofeo Nasego and second place at Vertical Nasego last weekend. Also on the startline for the women were course record-holder Nadege Servant of France, Spain's Nuria Gil and Yolanda Martin.
In the men&rsquo;s race all eyes were on 2020 winner Antonio Martinez of Spain, who would face strong competition from Sandor Szabo of Hungary and Spanish athletes Inigo Arantzamendi, Roger Comellas and Ion Sola. Also on the start for the men was Raul Criado, who was third in Saturday&rsquo;s 45km race.
The runners were again set off in small groups at minute intervals. They would face one up and down over the 16km, but what a big up and down it was. It featured 1400m over the course of the first 6km to the summit of La Moleta, followed by a technical 10km descent down to the finish. &nbsp;
It was Szabo who hit the summit in the lead in the men&rsquo;s race, with Daniel Castillo of Spain a minute behind and Martinez a minute behind him. It was all still very close, despite the long climb. In the women&rsquo;s race there was a clear leader and that was Murphy. She hit La Moleta 10 minutes ahead of Gil and in fact was lying in fourth place in the race overall at that point. Servant was around 90 seconds behind Gil.
It looked unlikely that Murphy would be caught, but anything can happen on a 10km technical descent. In the men&rsquo;s race it was Martinez who hit the final stretch (part of the famous Camino del Santiago) first and he took the win, his second consecutive one here, in 1:52:26. Szabo was a minute and a half behind in second place in 1:53:52, with Castillo taking third in 1:54:38.
All eyes were on the clock for Murphy&rsquo;s arrival as it looked likely that the existing women&rsquo;s course record of 2:08:18 was under threat. In fact Murphy broke the tape in an incredible 1:57:43, obliterating the previous mark and finishing fifth overall. The runner who set that record, Gil, took second in 2:15:28 and Servant was third in 2:17:16.
Kirsty Reade (WMRA) for World Athletics

There was a huge amount of excitement for the first ever World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup race in Spain and Canfranc-Canfranc served up two races over the weekend.

Morgan and Frano among winners at Canfranc

Not content with capping her season by taking the Diamond trophy in Zurich three days ago, Olympic champion Valarie Allman continued her incredible year in the discus by breaking the North American record with 71.16m at Berlin&rsquo;s ISTAF meeting, a Continental Tour Silver competition, on Sunday (12).
Her record-breaking throw came in the first round. Even before her discus landed comfortably beyond the 70-metre line, Allman was beaming and punching the air in delight, knowing that she&rsquo;d hit a good throw. Just moments later it was confirmed: her 71.16m had broken the North &amp; Central American &amp; Caribbean record that had stood to Cuba&rsquo;s Hilda Ramos since 1992. It also smashed the meeting record that had stood to Margitta Pufe since 1979.
Allman skipped the second round, but resumed her series with 65.15m in round three before ending her day with throws of 66.78m and 68.80m. All four of those measured marks would have been enough to win from Olympic bronze medallist Kristin Pudenz, who was second with 64.52m.
Allman now moves to 18th on the world all-time list; since 1993, only one other athlete - three-time world champion Sandra Perkovic - has entered the top 20 on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;Honestly, I am still processing this,&rdquo; said Allman. &ldquo;This stadium, the crowd and the competition was so incredible. This season has had so many magic moments. One thing I wanted to do this season is to improve my best. 2021 is coming to an end and I have a PR that is so good. All my work is paying off.
&ldquo;My season has been a dream come true,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;For a long time, I&rsquo;ve been working my way up. And now to have all this work paid off and doing it in Germany, a place where there is such an amazing history of throwing, only makes it more special. Next season I just want to keep getting better, trying to take on big goals. Being able to represent your country at home &ndash; and I see how much the crowd cheers on Kristin &ndash; is so special. Having a moment like that in 2022 will just be unreal.&rdquo;
One of the biggest cheers of the day came in the men&rsquo;s javelin, which was won by 2017 world champion Johannes Vetter. The German took an early lead with 84.64m and then improved to 88.76m in round two.
He eventually won by almost five metres with Moldova&rsquo;s Andrian Mardare taking second place with 84.44m.
&ldquo;I have 18 friends sitting in the stadium and I told them that if I won today and have to run a lap of honour, they had to bring me a beer,&rdquo; explained Vetter. &ldquo;And they managed to do so.&rdquo;
World and Olympic champion Karsten Warholm was another convincing winner. The Norwegian star won the 400m hurdles in a comfortable 48.08 as Estonia&rsquo;s Rasmus Magi finished several strides behind in 48.73. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/613e5b77201f7451b581d3d2.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 The men&rsquo;s pole vault was a lot closer, though. Olympic silver medallist Chris Nilsen registered one failure at his opening height, 5.41m, but it ultimately proved decisive as that was the only difference between his card and that of two-time world champion Sam Kendricks.
The US duo cleared 5.56m and 5.71m first time, then both needed two attempts at 5.81m and 5.91m before ending with three misses at 6.01m. Due to Nilsen&rsquo;s early miss, Kendricks had the upper hand on countback.
There were further US victories on the track. Kate Grace continued her fine run of middle-distance form and stepped up in distance to win the 1500m by three seconds in a PB of 4:01.33. Spain&rsquo;s Esther Guerrero was second in 4:04.45, just 0.14 ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Axumawit Embaye.
Just three days after they were separated by mere thousandths of a second at the Diamond League final, Devon Allen and Ronald Levy once again filled the top two places in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles &ndash; though this time Allen&rsquo;s winning margin was a whole hundredth of a second. The world and Olympic finalist clocked 13.10 to the Jamaican&rsquo;s 13.11. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/613e5b95201f7451b581d3d5.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Marvin Bracy notched up his sixth sub-10-second clocking of the season to comfortably win the men&rsquo;s 100m in 9.95. Britain&rsquo;s Olympic finalist Daryll Neita took the women&rsquo;s race in 11.04 from Jamaica&rsquo;s Natasha Morrison (11.09).
Elsewhere, Olympic champion Mariya Lasitskene won the high jump with 1.98m and Britain&rsquo;s Jazmin Sawyers took the long jump with a fifth-round leap of 6.73m to beat world and Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo by three centimetres.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Allman breaks North American discus record in Berlin

An array of Olympic medallists will be seeking to sign off their seasons in style at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb on 13-14 September.
The final World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in Europe this year sees multiple champions from Tokyo named on the start lists in the Croatian capital. In particular, the throws events are brimming with championship quality.
The men&rsquo;s shot will see the complete podium from Tokyo &ndash; and Rio and Doha &ndash; renew rivalries. Unbeaten all year and fresh from his most recent Wanda Diamond League success in Zurich last week, two-time Olympic gold medallist and world record-holder Ryan Crouser will start as favourite.
The US thrower, who excels at street meets, has won in Zagreb three times and set a meeting record of 22.74m when winning in the Croatian capital last year.
Olympic silver and bronze medallists Joe Kovacs and Tom Walsh will be joined by Olympic finalist Armin Sinancevic of Serbia as well as home hope Filip Mihaljevic to try to blot Crouser&rsquo;s perfect year.
The sport&rsquo;s strongmen may also draw inspiration from their competition enjoying showcase status on the eve of the main meeting in the intimate setting of Zagreb&rsquo;s City Fountains on Monday evening in a competition that is known as the Ivan Ivancevic Memorial.
The following night in the Sports Park Mladost, the main Hanzekovic Memorial welcomes another complete Tokyo podium to the men&rsquo;s discus circle. Fresh from wrapping up another impressive win at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, Olympic champion Daniel Stahl leads a stellar entry from Tokyo silver and bronze medallists Simon Pettersson and Lucas Weisshaidinger. Zurich runner-up Kristjan Ceh will also be seeking to end his season with a further flourish.
The women&rsquo;s discus is the event perhaps most likely to capture the crowd&rsquo;s imagination. Croatian heroine Sandra Perkovic, the three-time world champion, goes head-to-head with her successor as Olympic champion Valarie Allman of the USA. Allman got the better of Perkovic again at the Diamond League final, but the Croat will be highly motivated to end her season on a high in front of her home supporters after the disappointment of her fourth-place finish in Tokyo last month.
The men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s sprint hurdles both offer some real intrigue.The men's event in particular always takes on extra significance at this competition as Boris Hanzekovic, after whom the meeting is named, was a 110m hurdler before he was killed in World War II.
An evenly matched men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles includes Olympic gold and bronze medallist Hansle Parchment and Ronald Levy going in against Devon Allen, fourth in Tokyo but in fine form off the back of his Diamond League final victory over the Jamaican duo.
In the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, Diamond League winner Tobi Amusan of Nigeria will be looking to build on her searing African record run of 12.42 which landed her with the Diamond trophy. She will have world indoor silver medallist Christina Clemons among the opposition.
In the sprints, the women&rsquo;s 200m pits Olympic silver medallist Christine Mboma against Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson in a rematch from Zurich that saw Mboma win by 0.03 in 21.78 for an improvement on her own world U20 record. Allyson Felix's meeting record of 22.35 looks to be living on borrowed time.
The men&rsquo;s 400m is spearheaded by 2012 Olympic champion and Tokyo bronze medallist Kirani James of Grenada with Botswana&rsquo;s Isaac Makala his chief opposition. The meeting record in this discipline, 44.94 from 2017, also appears to be under threat.
USA&rsquo;s Ronnie Baker, Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell head up the men&rsquo;s 100m line-up. With a fifth-place finish in Tokyo and a third-place finish in the Diamond League final, Baker arrives in the better form of the trio. Former European record-holder Jimmy Vicaut is also in the field.
In the men&rsquo;s pole vault, Olympic silver medallist Chris Nilsen goes in against USA teammate and two-time world champion Sam Kendricks, who will be hoping to end the season on a high after missing out on competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
In the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, Olympic fourth placer Getnet Wale of Ethiopia heads the line-up. There will also be plenty of interest in the women&rsquo;s 2000m with Diamond League 5000m champion Francine Niyonsaba, Olympic 1500m fourth-placed Freweyni Gebreeziweher and 2013 world 5000m silver medallist Mercy Cherono set to tackle the rarely run distance.
Chris Broadbent for World Athletics

An array of Olympic medallists will be seeking to sign off their seasons in style at the Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb on 13-14 September.

Crouser, Allman and Stahl lead star-studded cast for Zagreb

Kenya&rsquo;s Agnes Tirop took 28 seconds off the long-standing women-only world record for 10km*, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi set an outright world 5km record of 14:29* at the adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach on Sunday (12).
Tirop, the world 10,000m bronze medallist, put in a decisive surge with little more than two kilometres to go in the 10km, breaking away from fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui before eventually winning in 30:01.
Teferi, the 2015 world 5000m silver medallist, ran away from her opponents after the first kilometre with an incredible solo effort, winning the 5km in 14:29.
Tirop and Chepkirui were part of a five-woman lead pack during the early stages of the 10km and passed through 4km in 12:07. A couple of minutes later, Tirop and Chepkirui had broken away from the rest of their opponents, reaching the half-way point in 15:00 after coving the fifth kilometre in a swift 2:54.
Chepkirui then moved in front of her compatriot and tried to force the pace but was unsuccessful in making a break. The duo continued to run side by side for the best part of three kilometres, but Tirop started her long run for home with about six minutes to go.
Tirop, who won the senior world cross-country title as a teenager back in 2015, passed through 9km in 27:07 with a comfortable lead and was still comfortably inside world record pace. She didn&rsquo;t ease back for the final kilometre, though, and covered it in another 2:54 to reach the finish line in 30:01.
Chepkirui finished second in 30:17, also inside the previous mark of 30:29 set by Morocco&rsquo;s Asmae Leghzaoui back in 2002. Nancy Jelagat was third in 30:50.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy to have broken the world record,&rdquo; said Tirop. &ldquo;I felt the pace was good and Sheila assisted me a lot. The course was very good too.&rdquo;
Teferi, contesting the final race of the day, ensured the event ended on a high as she smashed the world 5km record with 14:29, winning by 25 seconds from Ethiopian teenager Melknat Wudu.
Six weeks after her sixth-place finish over 5000m at the Olympic Games, Teferi ran with the pack for the first kilometre, covered just inside three minutes. Then, sensing that the pace wasn&rsquo;t quite fast enough to challenge the world record, set off on her own and covered the second kilometre in 2:49.
By 3km, which she reached in about 8:43, Teferi had an eight-second lead over the chase pack. She continued to forge ahead, passing 4km in 12:07 and then ended with a 2:52 final kilometre to cross the finish line in 14:29.
Not only did it break the women-only world record of 14:44 set by Beatrice Chepkoech and the 14:43 outright world record set by Sifan Hassan in a mixed race, she also bettered the fastest 5km clocking in history of 14:32, set by Joyciline Jepkosgei before the distance became an official world record event.
&ldquo;I'm so happy,&rdquo; said Teferi. &ldquo;After the Olympics, I knew I was ready to go after this world record. I'm so happy.&rdquo;
Wudu, a double medallist at the World U20 Championships, took second place in 14:54, just ahead of compatriot Nigisti Haftu.
In the day&rsquo;s other races, world record-holder Rhonex Kipruto won the men&rsquo;s 10km in 26:43, the fourth-fastest time in history, while recently crowned world U20 champion Tadese Worku was second in 26:56, an Ethiopian U20 record.
Abel Kipchumba was a convincing winner of the men&rsquo;s half marathon in 58:48 with fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso Munyao taking second in 59:20, and Brenda Jepleting added to the Kenyan success with a dominant 1:06:52 victory in the women&rsquo;s race.
Jacob Krop won the men's 5km in 13:06, breaking away from two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris in the second half to finish three seconds ahead of the Ethiopian.
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
<h3>Leading results</h3>
WOMEN
5km 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 14:29 2 Melknat Wudu (ETH) 14:54 3 Nigisti Haftu (ETH) 14:54 4 Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) 15:02 5 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 15:10
10km 1 Agnes Tirop (KEN) 30:01 2 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 30:17 3 Nancy Jelagat (KEN) 30:50 4 Betty Chepkemoi (KEN) 31:09 5 Dorcas Kimeli (KEN) 31:22
Half marathon 1 Brenda Jepleting (KEN) 1:06:52 2 Besu Sado (ETH) 1:08:15 3 Brillian Jepkorir (KEN) 1:08:28 4 Tgise Haileselase (ETH) 1:08:30 5 Irene Jepchumba (KEN) 1:09:02
 MEN
5km 1 Jacob Krop (KEN) 13:06 2 Muktar Edris (ETH) 13:09 3 Hosea Kiplangat (UGA) 13:13 4 Geoffrey Kimutai (KEN) 13:22 5 Daniel Kinyanjui (KEN) 13:27
10km 1 Rhonex Kipruto (KEN) 26:43 2 Tadese Worku (ETH) 26:56 3 Kennedy Kimutai (KEN) 27:09 4 Nicholas Kimeli (KEN) 27:22 5 Bayelign Teshager (ETH) 27:24
Half marathon 1 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 58:48 2 Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) 59:20 3 Amos Kurgat Kibiwot (KEN) 59:34 4 Raymond Magut (KEN) 1:00:00 5 Phenus Kipleting (KEN) 1:00:08
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Chepkirui and Langat victorious in Vienna</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Vibian Chepkirui and Leonard Langat took top honours at the Vienna City Marathon, a World Athletics Label road race, on Sunday (12) in what was the first major marathon worldwide with a strong international elite field and a mass race since the start of the corona pandemic.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Derara Hurisa actually crossed the line in first place in the men&rsquo;s race, but it transpired afterwards that his shoes were not compliant with the rules, so Langat was awarded the victory.
On a day when temperatures reached about 25C during the final part of the race, hopes of records faded during the second half of the race. Chepkirui, a marathon debutante, won in 2:24:29 while Langat clocked 2:09:25. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61407a97b474dc6c27b831e2.JPG" alt="" width="100%" /> Vibian Chepkirui wins the Vienna City Marathon (&copy; VCM / Leo Hagen)
&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s leaders were running well inside the course record pace of 2:22:12 for most of the race as Chepkirui and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Meseret Dinke and Gelete Burka passed the half way mark in 1:100:47.
Burka had recovered from a fall earlier in the race when she stumbled at a zebra crossing where a section was slightly elevated. However, neither she nor Dinke was able to hold on to Chepkirui, who had opened up a 33-second lead at 30km.
Although she slowed in the final section, Chepkirui&rsquo;s victory was never in doubt as she crossed the line in 2:24:29, winning by more than a minute. Dinke and Burka finished in 2:25:31 and 2:25:38 respectively. Little over a month after her 12th-place finish in the Olympic marathon, Fabienne Schlumpf of Switzerland was fourth in 2:26:31.
&ldquo;Had it not been for the heat, I would have run at least two minutes faster,&rdquo; said Chepkirui.
The leading group in the men&rsquo;s race passed the half-way mark in 1:03:41, and their 30km split of 1:30:33 still pointed towards a finishing time of about 2:07:30. But soon after, when the last pacemaker dropped out, the race became much slower and more tactical.
Japan&rsquo;s Kento Kukutani joined the leading group with Langat, Hurisa, Kenya&rsquo;s Samwel Kiptoo and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Betesfa Getahun, then the pace increased again. Kukutani and Kiptoo were quickly dropped while the other three battled for victory. Hurisa had the best sprint and crossed the line first, but learned of his disqualification about 45 minutes later.
&ldquo;Of course I would have preferred to have broken the tape,&rdquo; said Langat, who achieved his first sub-2:10 performance. &ldquo;I had no clue about the disqualification until they told me. It was a good race, but the heat was a problem.&rdquo;
Organisers registered about 26,000 entries from 126 nations for the various events in Vienna across the weekend. 6000 of them were marathon runners. In the 10km race, Julia Mayer smashed the national record with a time of 32:54, becoming the first Austrian woman to break 33 minutes.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
WOMEN 1 Vibian Chepkirui (KEN) 2:24:29 2 Meseret Dinke (ETH) 2:25:31 3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:25:38 4 Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) 2:26:31 5 Lucy Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:27:47 6 Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:28:49
MEN 1 Leonard Langat (KEN) 2:09:25 2 Betesfa Getahun (ETH) 2:09:42 3 Edwin Kosgei (KEN) 2:10:10 4 Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:10:37 5 Samwel Kiptoo (KEN) 2:11:16 6 Tadesse Abraham (SUI) 2:12:26

Kenya’s Agnes Tirop took 28 seconds off the long-standing women-only world record for 10km, clocking 30:01* to win at the adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach on Sunday (12).

Tirop and Teferi smash world records in Herzogenaurach

Agnes Tirop of Kenya clocks 30:01 for 10km, Ethiopia's Senbere Teferi runs 14:29 for 5km

A number of Tokyo Olympic medallists, including champions Faith Kipyegon and Peruth Chemutai, will be among the athletes in action at the Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Nairobi, Kenya, on 18 September.
Athletes from at least 28 countries are expected to compete when the final meeting of this year&rsquo;s Continental Tour Gold series is held at the Kasarani Stadium, which recently hosted the World Athletics U20 Championships.
After winning her second Olympic 1500m title and then claiming the series crown at the Wanda Diamond League final in Zurich, Kenya&rsquo;s Kipyegon will make her Kip Keino Classic debut. Uganda&rsquo;s Olympic 3000m steeplechase champion Chemutai, meanwhile, returns to the event after her sixth-place finish in the inaugural edition of the meeting last year.
Both Olympic steeplechase champions will be competing, with Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco having already been announced for the men&rsquo;s race. He is set to be joined on the start line by Kenya's world U20 champion Amos Serem.
Like Kipyegon, USA&rsquo;s Fred Kerley claimed a Diamond Trophy in Zurich, becoming the first athlete to ever win top series honours in both the 100m and 400m. Three years after his 400m success, Kerley won the 100m in 9.87 in Zurich and the Olympic 100m silver medallist is now set to race in Nairobi.
In men's 100m action will be the USA&rsquo;s world leader Trayvon Bromell, Kenyan record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala and the USA&rsquo;s Justin Gatlin, while Botswana&rsquo;s Isaac Makwala has been announced for the 400m.
Namibia's Christine Mboma improved her world U20 record and African record to 21.78 to win the 200m Diamond Trophy in Zurich and the Olympic silver medallist returns to Nairobi, where the 18-year-old won the world U20 title last month.
The men&rsquo;s hammer competition will also feature an Olympic champion, with Poland's Wojciech Nowicki among those who will be seeking more success when they compete in Kenya.
Ukraine&rsquo;s world finalist Iryna Klymets will compete in the women&rsquo;s event.
World Athletics

A number of Tokyo Olympic medallists will be in action at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting.

Kipyegon among Olympic champions set for Kip Keino Classic

In Berlin&rsquo;s Olympic Stadium on Sunday 12 September, before the start of the 80th edition of ISTAF Berlin, the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Heritage Plaque</a>, which was awarded to the meeting in 2019, will be officially received by the Mayor of Berlin, Michael M&uuml;ller.
The World Athletics Heritage Plaque is awarded for &ldquo;an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track &amp; field athletics&rdquo;.
Berlin&rsquo;s plaque honours the history of the world&rsquo;s oldest invitational one-day track and field meeting. It was therefore appropriate that the plaque, which will be permanently on display in the stadium&rsquo;s visitor centre, was publicly presented in the centenary year of ISTAF&rsquo;s foundation. 
<h2>Aquatic beginnings</h2>
On 3 July 1921, the Berliner Sport-Club (BSC), the Sport-Club Charlottenburg (SCC) and the Schwimmclub Poseidon organised the first sports festival under the current name of &lsquo;Internationales Stadionfest&rsquo; or &lsquo;ISTAF&rsquo;. In 1921, the meeting had swimming events as well as athletics in its programme.
ISTAF didn&rsquo;t move into its current home, the 1936 Olympic Stadium, until the year after those Games. "Luz" Long, who had duelled with Jesse Owens in Berlin 1936, long jumped 7.90m on the same runway at the 1937 ISTAF. It was a mark which lasted 39 years as an ISTAF meeting record and 19 years as a European record! 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/0d63364e-ab15-4409-a0b6-17885eae311f.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /> Luz Long (L) and&nbsp;Jesse Owens (R) chat together in the Berlin stadium 1 August 1936 during the Olympic Games (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
 ISTAF was welcomed into its new home in 1937 by, what remains an ISTAF record to this day, 85,000 spectators. Large crowds have been a hallmark of the meeting. In 2007, 70,000 fans were attracted to the stadium and in the last decade crowds of 50,000 have remained common.
A founding member of the Golden Four (1993-1997) and the Golden League (1998-2009) circuits, ISTAF from 2010 to 2019 was a fixture in the World Challenge and, since 2020, is a World Athletics Continental Tour meeting.&nbsp;
While the Berlin Olympic Stadium has been its main home, ISTAF has been held in two other stadiums post 1937 &ndash; the Mommsen Stadium (1938, 1941, 1949 and 1953) and, due to the reconstruction of the Olympic Stadium, at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark (2002 and 2003).
As well as during most of WWII, ISTAF was not staged in 1972 due to the Munich Olympics. It was also cancelled the following year which allowed the organisation of the event to be reconstructed. ISTAF made a promising return in 1974 with a crowd of 20,000.
Seventeen world records have been set at ISTAF. The last officially ratified infield mark is Poland&rsquo;s Anita Wlodarczyk&rsquo;s 79.58m hammer throw in 2014. Kenyan David Rudisha&rsquo;s 800m run in 2010 is the last track world record (1:41.09). 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/613ca91ac7768572463d2883.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 High jumper Rosemarie Ackermann is the only person to have set two world records. In 1977, the East German first equalled her own world mark (1.97m), and then straddled 2 metres exactly. Both records were made with her first attempts at those heights. 
<h2>Historic connections</h2>
The storied history of ISTAF Berlin uniquely connects generations of all-time greats like few other invitational athletics meetings can.
Sprint stars Fanny Blankers-Koen, Wilma Rudolph and Merlene Ottey, legendary long jumpers Long, Carl Lewis and Mike Powell, and 800m greats Rudolf Harbig, Mike Boit and Rudisha, have in their turn each headlined at ISTAF.
Given Germany&rsquo;s love of the throwing events, it&rsquo;s not surprising that throwers have also occupied much of ISTAF&rsquo;s limelight over the decades. Parry O&rsquo;Brien, Lars Riedel, Robert Harting and Wlodarczyk are among the many multiple Olympic and world champions who have been lured to Berlin by the atmosphere created by a knowledgeable and appreciative crowd. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/613caa2cc7768572463d2886.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 And where hurdling is concerned, ISTAF was the famous scene in 1977 of Ed Moses' defeat by Germany&rsquo;s Harald Schmid. The American was not to lose again over 400m hurdles for nine years.
It was in the 1989 edition that Arturo Barrios of Mexico stunned with a 10,000m world record, carrying on a tradition of great long-distance running at the meeting. For instance, in 1962, Ethiopia&rsquo;s marathon running greats Mamo Wolde and Abebe Bikila also graced the meeting, respectively taking a one-two over 25 laps.
At 1500m in 1985, Morocco&rsquo;s Said Aouita broke Steve Cram&rsquo;s month-old world 1500m record with 3:29.46.
In the 1960s the ISTAF 100m was of course a regular haunt for Germany&rsquo;s world record-breaking Armin Hary. On 28 August 1976, USA&rsquo;s Steve Williams became, to date, the only man to sprint to a 100m world record at the meeting. At the 30th edition of ISTAF Berlin he dashed 9.9 seconds. &nbsp;
Large crowds, legendary athletes and historic performances mark out ISTAF&rsquo;s status as the oldest one-day meeting in existence.
Happy Birthday, ISTAF Berlin!
Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage

Berlin’s plaque honours the history of the world’s oldest invitational one-day track and field meeting.

Happy 100th birthday to ISTAF Berlin

At first, it seemed like mission impossible complicated by the pandemic, confinement and lack of competitions in 2020. It was not easy getting these athletes out of the refugee camps, but the dream came true for 16-year-old Joseph Loboi Morris (3000m), 18-year-old Emmaculate Napeyok (200m) and 16-year-old Alice IIam Samuel (800m) at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi.
In June, World Athletics facilitated travel and full board for an U20 Athlete Refugee Team (ART) selection process at the regional trials that took place in Iten, Kenya, which led to the discovery of these three young promising athletes. They come from the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement which at the end of July 2020 registered 196,666 refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia and Uganda. The mission was a joint effort on the part of World Athletics, Athletics Kenya (AK), the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation (TLPF) and the UNHCR.
Prior to leaving Kakuma, the team had to undergo PCR tests organised by the latter, then the team had to live in a bubble at the TLPF camp in Ngong for 14 days before moving into the official World U20 Championships team hotel which also required a negative PCR test 48 hours before arrival. Of course, parental approval was fundamental and, as minors, the UNHCR insisted that they travel by plane in order to reduce contact with the public. In addition, the TLPF had to provide a tutor so that the youngsters could continue their schooling once they left the refugee camp, and the team had to be joined by a male and female accompanying person, a role undertaken by Daniel Kiptugen, acting CEO of the TLPF who sadly passed away this week, and Eliza Lopilale, who served as matron. Arcade Arakaza, a refugee from Burundi stationed in Kakuma, took on the role of coach.
Aside from the trials in Iten, it was the first time these athletes had left the refugee camp since their arrival after atrocities in South Sudan forced their families to flee to Kakuma. Although excited, one can only imagine how competing at their first international competition must have been daunting. So, what was going through their minds and how was this experience?
Alice IIam Samuel was the first athlete to compete and ran a 2:43.76 PB in the 800m. She impressed the Italian national coach, who wants to invite the team to compete in Italy some time in the future. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/613b6d2a955c9ec656eb1f9a.jpg" alt="" width="100%" height="" /> Emmaculate Napeyok, Alice Samuel and ART matron Eliza Lopilale at Nairobi's Kasarani Stadium
 Joseph Loboi Morris explained how his family (six brothers and his mother) escaped South Sudan in 2016. His mother told them: &ldquo;Dad is dying, and I cannot feed you,&rdquo; so the whole family had to leave for Kakuma. Until then, he used to spend his days herding cows and goats. Today, he is about to start class 8 at Future Primary School. He says life in the camp is tough, with only one meal of beans or yellow grams per day. Each family member receives one kilo of rice, yellow grams and oil per month. In addition, they receive a monthly SIM card worth 500Ksh (a little less than 4 Euros / 4.55USD ). One day, he hopes to become a doctor and return to his native village, Chukudum, in the Equatoria region, so that he can help his people.
Alice evokes the same tough life at the camp but, as a distraction, when not attending school, she attends athletics training sessions, plays football or cooks for the family. She is currently enrolled in class 7 at Kalobeyei Settlement Primary school and hopes to become a coach.
Then there is Emmaculate, who moved to Kakuma with her mother and sister. Last year, on her own initiative, she left Kakuma Refugee Camp to join the TLPF training camp in Ngong. Unfortunately, upon arrival, she had to make a U-turn because UNHCR formalities had not been followed. She was depressed for a while but coach Arcade encouraged her to join the training sessions at the camp. Participating at the World U20 Championships has been a game changer as she realised that she had a talent to develop. At the same time, she was also sad because she could not continue her education at Kakuma Secondary School as her family could not afford the fees. Learning of this, a well-wisher in Nairobi stepped in and donated the year&rsquo;s school fees (50USD) so that she could continue her education. As the coach explained: &ldquo;Most girls that find themselves in similar situations usually end up pregnant or married off. Emmaculate would like to become a teacher."
Loroupe feels that talent like Emmaculate should attend &ldquo;Kenyan athletics schools&rdquo; like the one in Iten so that they are scouted early, receive professional training and, at the same time, continue their education. Loroupe often reminds the athletes not to complain because: &ldquo;If I remove my shoes, you will see all the scars on my feet from the time I was running barefoot&rdquo;. She encourages them to be patient, disciplined, work hard and to listen to their coaches.
Expressing her gratitude to the IOC and World Athletics for supporting the ART since 2014, Loroupe mentions with pride that this year, three elite ART athletes and one former athlete that transitioned his career within the foundation have received university scholarships to study in Canada and the UK. On 25 August 2021, middle distance runners James Nyang Chiengjiek, Rose Nathike Lokonyen and Paulo Amotun Lokoro headed on a one-year scholarship to Sheridan College in Oakville, Canada. In October this year, former ART member Lam Joar, who has been handling communications for the TLPF, is off to Oxford University for his masters degree. Loroupe says this milestone &ldquo;will change the course of their lives and those of their families. Without doubt, these athletes would still be in tents in refugee camps were it not for athletics.&rdquo; They are the models for the U20 athletes. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/613b6d52955c9ec656eb1f9d.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Kiptugen, who accompanied the team as Covid-19 liaison officer, had spoken about the chemistry he observed within the group. Boarding a plane and staying in a four-star hotel for the first time ever gave them moments of laughter as they teased each other. They would also analyse and give each other advice after their respective races. He said that the whole experience not only motivated them but also helped improve their English and mathematics as the population in Kakuma is dense and &ldquo;individual&rdquo; attention to students is not possible.
At the training camp in Ngong, they got one-to-one attention. As the ART project developed, he was encouraged to see the growing link between sports and academics for this category of athletes as he believed it opened better future perspectives. Referring to those heading for further education, he said: &ldquo;For a year,&nbsp; they have an opportunity to migrate legally thus enabling for an exit strategy.&rdquo; On a personal level, this group of ART U20 athletes left him with a deep sense of fulfilment because he saw that &ldquo;what we think is small, makes a world of difference to others&rdquo;. He believed that there is talent in the refugee camps, but they are lacking experienced sports staff, facilities and a clear framework to develop sporting skills.
Without a coach there is no team, and having one who can relate to one&rsquo;s struggles is even better. Arakaza left Burundi in April 2016 after allegations that he was organising demonstrations against the government.
He had been a gym instructor in university, so naturally he took up coaching in Kakuma and Kalobeyei where he trains 25 elite refugee athletes. Interacting with the athletes, it's clear to see his interest in their wellbeing. For example, he allowed them to use his phone to call their parents regularly because he understands that reassurances on both sides is fundamental to their well-being and performance.
There are no gym facilities in Kakuma and Arakaza has had no formal training in athletics but refers to a programme designed by Nahason Gitonga Karuri, an athletics coach in Kakuma who also initiated him into coaching. Arakaza would like more visitation from the TLPF to Kakuma and promises that with more skills and the right support, he can produce world-class refugee athletes.
Finally, there was the ever-smiling matron, Lopilale, a mother figure who had previously chaperoned a team to Tampere, Finland. &ldquo;The team from Kakuma was a team with a difference,&rdquo; she says. Their innocence and outgoingness uplifted her spirits as they started training the following day. Then, when they arrived at the Ole Sereni Team Hotel, the athletes kept asking if they were really in Kenya or abroad. At the dinner table, they were surrounded by people of different nationalities. When chatting with their parents and guardians, the youngsters opened up to her and she could see the joy and broad smiles that made heads turn from nearby tables.
Constantly busting with innocent but genuine laughter, a hallmark of the team, they became favourites of the hotel staff. At one point, they asked what PB (personal best) meant and when they understood, Alice said that she wants their performances to be quoted at the next edition in Cali, Colombia. Emmaculate added: &ldquo;they will now not only be competing with individuals but will be competing with time!" These were the most motivating statements Lopilale heard from the team. &nbsp;
These U20 athletes may not have returned to Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps with any medals, but they gained a powerful message of hope which could prove pivotal in their future development, on and off the track. 
<h3>Athlete Refugee Team World Athletics U20 Championships Nairobi 21 results:</h3>
Alice IIam Samuel (800m): 2:43.76 PB Emmaculate Napeyok (200m) 29.50 PB Joseph Loboi Morris (3000m) DQ due to infringement of the inside border 
Alice Annibali for World Athletics

The World U20 Championships dream came true for Joseph Loboi Morris, Emmaculate Napeyok and Alice IIam Samuel.

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