News

Kenya’s Paul Lonyangata and Yebrgual Melese of Ethiopia took the men’s and women’s title at the Shanghai International Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday (17).

Jim Walmsley of the US and Cristina Simion of Romania raced to victory in the long races as the World Mountain Running Championships concluded in Villa La Angostura, Argentina, on Saturday (16).

World Athletics is deeply saddened by the news that Harrison Dillard, the only male athlete to win Olympic titles in the 100m dash and 110m hurdles, died near his home in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, on Thursday (15). Dillard, who won four Olympic gold medals during his career, was 96, the oldest living US Olympic champion.

Ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2019 we toast a special quintet of athletes from yesteryear who have all enjoyed great success at the glittering annual event.

Defending champion Yebrgual Melese and 2015 winner Paul Lonyangata, the course record-holders of the Shanghai International Marathon, will return to the World Athletics Gold Label road race on Sunday (17).

USA’s Joe Gray and Grayson Murphy won the senior races over the classic distance, 14km, on the first day of the World Mountain Running Championships in Villa La Angostura on Friday (15).

The Diamond League has released the 2020 Diamond disciplines, revealing which meetings will host which disciplines during the course of next season

The Cross Internacional de Soria, the second leg of this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Permit series, will take place on Sunday (17) at the Monte Valonsadero circuit, a beautiful forest on the outskirts of Soria, well known for having been a frequent training venue for 1992 Olympic 1500m champion Fermín Cacho and 1997 and 1999 world marathon champion Abel Antón.

At least $2.5million in extra revenue will be made available for a comprehensive integrity programme for road running in 2020, under a new funding scheme announced by World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit last June.

Rising Colombian star Anthony Zambrano produced a major surprise at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 last month when he raced to 400m silver. The 21-year-old clocked a notable 44.15 to clip a hefty 0.14 from the South American record set by Brazil’s Sanderlei Claro Parrela at the 1999 World Championships in Seville when Zambrano was barely a year old.

Described as one of the greatest comebacks in athletics history, Kenenisa Bekele’s astonishing victory in September’s Berlin Marathon in 2:01:42 – within two seconds of the world record - sent shockwaves through the athletics world.

With just 11 days to go until the World Athletics Awards 2019, World Athletics is delighted to reveal the names of the five finalists for the Female World Athlete of the Year 2019.