All five of Kenya&rsquo;s champions from Doha in 2019 will defend their titles at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on 15-24 July.
Beatrice Chepkoech, Ruth Chepngetich, Timothy Cheruiyot, Conseslus Kipruto and Hellen Obiri have been named on the Kenyan team for the event at Hayward Field, where they will be joined by athletes including Olympic champions Peres Jepchirchir, Faith Kipyegon and Emmanuel Korir.
Obiri won her second consecutive world 5000m title in Doha and has been selected for that event as well as the 10,000m, joined by Margaret Chelimo in both.
Chepkoech and Kipruto defend their 3000m steeplechase titles, while Cheruiyot will look to return to the top in the 1500m after securing silver behind Norway&rsquo;s Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Tokyo.
Chepngetich will be joined by Angela Tanui and Judith Jeptum in the women&rsquo;s marathon, as well as Olympic champion Jepchirchir. After Tokyo, two-time world half marathon champion Jepchirchir went on to win the New York and Boston marathons and has been added to the team for Oregon.
Kenya finished second in the medal table behind USA in Doha three years ago with five gold, two silver and four bronze medals.
<h2>Kenyan team for Oregon</h2>
Women 400m: Mary Moraa 800m: Naomi Korir, Jarinter Mawia, Mary Moraa 1500m: Winnie Chebet, Edinah Jebitok, Faith Kipyegon, Judy Kiyeng 5000m: Beatrice Chebet, Margaret Chelimo, Gloria Kite, Hellen Obiri 10,000m: Margaret Chelimo, Sheila Chepkurui, Hellen Obiri 3000m steeplechase: Beatrice Chepkoech, Jackline Chepkoech, Celliphine Chespol, Purity Kirui 20km race walk: Emily Ngii Marathon: Ruth Chepngetich, Peres Jepchirchir, Judith Jeptum, Angela Tanui
Men 100m: Ferdinand Omanyala 400m: Emmanuel Korir 800m: Wycliffe Kinyamal, Emmanuel Korir, Cornelius Tuwei, Emmanuel Wanyonyi 1500m: Timothy Cheruiyot, Abel Kipsang, Charles Simotwo, Kumari Taki 5000m: Nicholas Kimeli, Jacob Krop, Daniel Simiu 10,000m: Rodgers Kwemoi, Daniel Mateiko, Stanley Waithaka 3000m steeplechase: Leonard Bett, Abraham Kibiwott, Benjamin Kigen, Conseslus Kipruto 400m hurdles: Moitalel Mpoke 20km race walk: Samuel Gathimba Marathon: Lawrence Cherono, Geoffrey Kamworor, Barnaba Kiptum

World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022

Beatrice Chepkoech, Ruth Chepngetich, Timothy Cheruiyot, Conseslus Kipruto and Hellen Obiri are among the athletes set for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22

All five reigning world champions named on Kenya's team for Oregon

Eliud Kipchoge, Brigid Kosgei and Beatrice Chepkoech are among the world record-holders named on Kenya&rsquo;s team for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Kipchoge and Kosgei will be joined by Lawrence Cherono, Ruth Chepngetich, Amos Kipruto and Peres Jepchirchir in the marathon, while Chepkoech will race the 3000m steeplechase.
Five years after her win in Rio, Faith Kipyegon will defend her 1500m title, while two-time world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri, who claimed silver in Rio, has been named for both the 5000m and 10,000m.
Three-time world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor is selected for the 10,000m, six years after his world silver in Beijing, while 2015 world champion Julius Yego will contest the javelin.
<h2>Kenyan team for Tokyo</h2>
WOMEN 400m: Hellen Syombua 800m: Emily Cherotich Tuei, Mary Moraa, Eunice Sum 1500m: Winny Chebet, Faith Kipyegon 5000m: Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, Hellen Obiri, Agnes Tirop 10,000m: Sheila Chelangat, Irene Cheptai, Hellen Obiri Marathon: Ruth Chepngetich, Bridget Kosgei, Peres Jepchirchir 20km race walk: Emily Ngii 3000m steeplechase: Beatrice Chepkoech, Purity Cherotich Rionoripo, Hyvin Kiyeng&nbsp;
MEN 100m: Ferdinand Omanyala, Mark Otieno 400m: Emmanuel Korir 800m: Emmanuel Korir, Ferguson Rotich, Michael Saruni 1500m: Kamar Etyang, Abel Kipsang, Charles Simotwo 5000m: Samuel Chebole, Nicholas Kimeli, Daniel Simui 10,000m: Geoffrey Kamworor, Weldon Kipkurui Langat, Rodgers Kwemoi Marathon: Lawrence Cherono, Eliud Kipchoge, Amos Kipruto 20km race walk: Samuel Gathimba 3000m steeplechase: Leonard Bett, Abraham Kibiwott, Benjamin Kigen 400m hurdles: Moitalel Mpoke High jump: Mathew Sawe Javelin throw: Julius Yego

Eliud Kipchoge, Brigid Kosgei and Beatrice Chepkoech are among the world record-holders named on Kenya’s team for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Kipchoge, Kosgei and Chepkoech confirmed on Kenya’s team for Tokyo

Gudaf Tsegay, Beatrice Chepkoech and Kibiwott Kandie will go into the Olympic season with recent world records to their names, after their respective marks over 1500m, 5km and the half-marathon were ratified this week.
Tsegay achieved her 1500m feat at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais on 9 February, clocking 3:53.09 to take more than two seconds off the previous world indoor record of 3:55.17 set by her Ethiopian compatriot Genzebe Dibaba in Karlsruhe on 1 February 2014.
World bronze medallist Tsegay followed the swift early tempo at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin, France, as the pacemaker led the field through 400m (58.97) and exited just before 800m, which Tsegay passed in 2:05.94.
With three laps to go, Tsegay had a four-second lead but she showed no signs of slowing down, passing through 1000m in 2:37.36. The clock read 2:52.9 with two laps to go and Tsegay maintained her pace with another lap just outside 30 seconds, digging in for the final circuit.
&ldquo;I have been training really hard and I set myself a target to break the world indoor record,&rdquo; said Tsegay. &ldquo;I had this record in my mind for a long time &ndash; maybe six or seven years.&rdquo;
<h3>Chepkoech&rsquo;s success on the road</h3>
For Kenya&rsquo;s Chepkoech, world 5km record success came at the Monaco Run on 14 February. Racing on Valentine&rsquo;s Day, the world 3000m steeplechase champion further demonstrated her passion for the sport by running 14:43 for 5km on the roads, improving on the previous women&rsquo;s record in a mixed gender race of 14:48 set by her compatriot Caroline Kipkirui on 8 September 2018.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6028f4510d6c397fd0421cdc.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /> Beatrice Chepkoech breaks the world 5km record in Monaco&nbsp;(&copy;&nbsp;Global Sports Communication)
 It was also one second faster than Sifan Hassan's 14:44 record for a women-only race, which had previously been the fastest time ever produced over the distance since the 5km was introduced as a world record event in November 2017.
"I'm so happy because I didn't expect it," said Chepkoech, who broke the world 3000m steeplechase record with 8:44.32 also in Monaco in 2018. "It was cold and there was a lot of wind, but I tried to follow my pacemaker and everything was perfect."
<h3>Kandie set&nbsp;a new standard</h3>
Two months earlier, Kandie had also made road running history by clocking 57:32 at the Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP Half Marathon.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/5fcdfa3e056bd8378930a182.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="590" /> Kibiwott Kandie breaks the world record at the Valencia Half Marathon (&copy; Getty Images)
 Running in near-ideal conditions on December 6, Kenya&rsquo;s Kandie gained his&nbsp;&ldquo;revenge&rdquo; after missing out on World Athletics Half Marathon Championships gold in Gdynia seven weeks before.
There he was beaten by Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Kiplimo but in Valencia Kandie turned the tables in superb style, also shaving 29 seconds from the previous world half-marathon record of 58:01 which had been set by his compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in Copenhagen on 15 September 2019.
In a race of incredible depth, the next three finishers &ndash; Kiplimo (57:37), Rhonex Kipruto (57:49) and Alexander Mutiso (57:59) &ndash; also dipped under the previous record.
Splits of 8:05 at 3km and 13:37 at 5km &ndash; 11 seconds inside world record pace &ndash; had suggested that a historic run was in the making. The 10km point was reached in 27:25, while 15km was passed in 41:10. The closing kilometre was a thriller as Kiplimo took the lead with around 900 metres remaining, but Kandie responded and took control some 500 metres from the finish, going on to add his name to the record book.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it, I have beaten Kamworor&rsquo;s world record by half a minute,&rdquo; said Kandie. &ldquo;Today is a great day for me and also for Kenya.&rdquo;
World Athletics

Gudaf Tsegay, Beatrice Chepkoech and Kibiwott Kandie will go into the Olympic season with recent world records to their names, after their respective marks over 1500m, 5km and the half-marathon were ratified this week.

Ratified: World records for Tsegay, Chepkoech and Kandie

World champions Grant Holloway and Beatrice Chepkoech will aim to continue their record-breaking form when they head to Torun for the Copernicus Stop on Wednesday (17), the next World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2021.
Every time Holloway lines up for a 60m hurdles race, the world record of 7.30 &ndash; set by Colin Jackson back in 1994, three years before Holloway was born &ndash; comes under threat. The world 110m hurdles champion owns the five fastest times in the world this year, topped by his 7.32 North American indoor record of 7.32 from Lievin which made him the second-fastest man ever for the distance.
Holloway, who owns three of the six fastest 60m hurdles performances in history, will take on&nbsp;France&rsquo;s Wilhem Belocian, who has set a PB of 7.45 this year and currently leads the World Indoor Tour standings. World indoor silver medallist Jarret Eaton and his US compatriot Aaron Mallet are also in the field.
The meeting record of 7.48 &ndash; a time Holloway has bettered in all six of his races this year &ndash; looks to be living on borrowed time.
Like Holloway, world steeplechase champion Chepkoech has also had a busy few weeks. The 29-year-old Kenyan won the 3000m at the first World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of the year in Karlsruhe, then set an indoor PB of 8:34.21 for that distance to place third in Lievin before heading to Monaco later that week where she set a world 5km record of 14:43. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/0acb66c0-d6c3-4d95-9b48-f42ee6bf96f8.jpeg?cachebuster=fa48b0b5-3be0-4229-b9f2-6a8c30cf2838" alt="" width="600" height="400" />
 Three days on from her exploits on the roads of Monaco, Chepkoech will return to the track in Torun where she&rsquo;ll be up against Genzebe Dibaba, the world indoor record-holder and three-time world indoor champion at the distance.
Dibaba&rsquo;s last indoor 3000m race was at the 2018 World Indoor Championships, where she went on to complete the distance double by also taking gold in the 1500m. The Ethiopian has raced sparingly in the past 12 months, but she&rsquo;ll be keen to maintain her indoor winning streak; not counting a disqualification in Dusseldorf in 2012, Dibaba&rsquo;s last loss in an indoor race came more than 11 years ago.
It won&rsquo;t simply be a two-way battle, though. Ethiopian teenager Lemlem Hailu, who stole a march on the field to win in Lievin in a PB of 8:32.55, is also in the line-up, as is compatriot Fantu Worku.
<h3>Barega takes on the milers</h3>
World 5000m silver medallist Selemon Barega has been using the indoor season to work on his speed by contesting shorter distances. So far he has been rewarded with PBs of 7:26.10 for 3000m and 3:34.62 for 1500m, becoming just the third man in history &ndash; after Haile Gebrselassie and Augustine Choge &ndash; to break 7:30 and 3:35 indoors.
The 21-year-old Ethiopian lines up over 1500m in Torun and will face world bronze medallist Marcin Lewandowski of Poland and Kenya&rsquo;s world indoor 3000m bronze medallist Bethwell Birgen. The meeting record of 3:35.57 looks to be a realistic target for the field. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/b6dd7d1f-a1d7-4637-90bc-f029df7e85c3.jpg?cachebuster=d6fdb296-c5ab-49bd-856b-df8dc3d5df5c" alt="" width="600" height="400" />
 World indoor champion Adam Kszczot may need to improve on his season&rsquo;s best of 1:47.65 if he is to win the 800m in Torun. Britain&rsquo;s Elliot Giles, who won in Karlsruhe and Lievin, will start as the favourite, but Kenya&rsquo;s Collins Kipruto &ndash; who won in Torun last year with a meeting record of 1:45.86 &ndash; will be a formidable opponent. European indoor silver medallist Jamie Webb and Swedish record-holder Andreas Kramer should also be in contention.
African bronze medallist Habitam Alemu will start as favourite for the women&rsquo;s 800m, a scoring event in this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Indoor Tour. Uganda&rsquo;s Winnie Nanyondo, Poland&rsquo;s Joanna Jozwik and Ireland&rsquo;s Nadia Power &ndash; all of whom hold their respective national indoor records &ndash; will ensure the race is a competitive one.
<h3>Double Dutch power in 400m</h3>
Dutch training partners Femke Bol and Lieke Klaver have enjoyed undefeated seasons so far this year, breaking national indoor sprint records in the process.
Klaver briefly held the Dutch indoor 400m record with her 51.48 run in Vienna in January and she followed it with a 23.17 national record for 200m, which she reduced one week later to 23.10. Hurdles specialist Bol, meanwhile, broke Klaver&rsquo;s 400m record with 50.96 and then clocked 50.81 in Metz earlier this month.
In Torun the duo will line up against one another for the first time this year and the distance, 400m, would appear to favour Bol. European champion Justyna Swiety and European indoor champion Lea Sprunger are also entered for the two-lap sprint.
USA&rsquo;s Javianne Oliver has been undefeated so far this year, impressing with 60m victories in Metz, Lievin and Val-de-Reuil. The 26-year-old, who has twice clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 7.10, currently shares first place in the World Indoor Tour standings, but a triumph in Torun will secure her overall victory as this is the last women&rsquo;s 60m race in the series. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/1df84f89-b92f-40cc-bdf7-4fcef5d852a0.jpg?cachebuster=f5ce558f-4eaf-4ed0-a657-08e630602005" alt="" width="600" height="400" />
 Switzerland&rsquo;s Ajla del Ponte and Poland&rsquo;s European indoor champion Ewa Swoboda look set to be Oliver&rsquo;s stiffest competition on Wednesday.
The women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles has provided some of the closest finishes on this year&rsquo;s World Indoor Tour and that trend looks as though it could continue in Torun. World indoor silver medallist Christina Clemons of the USA takes on Finnish record-holder Nooralotta Neziri. The duo tied for second place in Lievin last week, clocking 7.91.
African champion Tobi Amusan, meanwhile, will be looking for redemption after falling in Val-de-Reuil last weekend.
<h3>Tamberi v Culver, Kendricks v Lisek, Haratyk v Fabbri</h3>
Following a defeat in Nehvizdy last week, 2016 world indoor high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi will aim to get back to winning ways in Torun. The Italian started the year by leaping a season&rsquo;s best of 2.32m, but he may need to improve on that if he is to beat Trey Culver.
The US jumper won at last weekend's New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, equalling his lifetime best of 2.33m. Culver and Tamberi are now tied at the top of the World Indoor Tour standings, so it's all to play for in what will be the final scoring opportunity in the series. Ukraine&rsquo;s 2.40m jumper Andriy Protsenko and European silver medallist Maksim Nedasekau are also in the line-up.
Two-time world pole vault champion Sam Kendricks heads to Torun buoyed by his recent 5.86m season&rsquo;s best in Lodz. But the US vaulter may need to go even higher in Torun as he&rsquo;ll be up against Filipino record-holder Ernest John Obiena, who finished second on countback in Lodz after matching Kendricks&rsquo; 5.86m, world bronze medallist Piotr Lisek and Olympic champion Thiago Braz.
Sixteen-year-old Belarusian Matvey Volkov, who last week set a world U18 best of 5.60m, is also in the field.
The men&rsquo;s shot put features the three top-ranked European throwers in the world rankings. European champion Michal Haratyk, who last week set an indoor PB of 21.83m, will take on Czech record-holder Tomas Stanek, Polish indoor record-holder Konrad Bukowiecki and Italian indoor record-holder Leonardo Fabbri.
In the absence of world leader Liadagmis Povea, who won in Karlsruhe at the end of January, there will be valuable World Indoor Tour points up for grabs in the women&rsquo;s triple jump. Finland&rsquo;s Kristina Makela and Viyaleta Skvartsova of Belarus finished second and third respectively in Karlsruhe, but the latter has a superior season&rsquo;s best.
European champion Paraskevi Papahristou and US record-holder Tori Franklin are also set to compete. The relatively soft meeting record of 13.97m could be exceeded by several women on Wednesday.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

World champions Grant Holloway and Beatrice Chepkoech will aim to continue their record-breaking form when they head to Torun for the Copernicus Stop on Wednesday (17), the next World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2021.

Holloway and Chepkoech look to maintain momentum in Torun

Beatrice Chepkoech broke the world 5km record at the Monaco Run on Sunday (14), clocking 14:43*.
The performance by the 29-year-old Kenyan bettered the previous record in a mixed gender race of 14:48 set by Caroline Kipkirui in 2018, and is also one second faster than Sifan Hassan's 14:44 record for a women's-only race, until this morning the fastest time ever produced over the distance since the 5km was introduced as a world record event in November 2017.
Chepkoech battled strong winds during the early stages of the race along the Monaco coastline but fought on over the latter stages to claim a second world record, this one joining her 8:44.32 record in the 3000m steeplechase set in 2018, also in Monaco.
"I'm so happy because I didn't expect it," said Chepkoech, the 2019 world champion in the steeplechase. "It was cold and there was a lot of wind, but I tried to follow my pace maker and everything was perfect."
She may not have had the world record in mind initially, but Chepkoech did set her sights on victory from the outset.&nbsp;
Despite the winds, Chepkoech had already forged a six-second lead just 500 metres into the race, before reaching the first kilometre in 2:57, 15 seconds clear of Meraf Bahta, her nearest competitor. Splits of 2:59 for the second kilometre and 3:01 for the third followed before she and pacesetter Luuk Maas decided to up the tempo as they approached the Larvotto Tunnel portion of the course, at the northeastern edge of the Principality's main port, a second time.&nbsp;
Since the winds had died down, she said, "my pacemaker told me &lsquo;we can do it, let&rsquo;s push it&rsquo;."
She did.
After a 2:57 fourth kilometre, Chepkoech ended her morning's work with a 2:47 closing kilometre to take ownership of the world record.
Chepkoech had already illustrated her strong early 2021 form with an 8:34.21 career best over 3000m indoors in Lievin on 9 February. She'll race next at the Copernicus Cup leg of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting series in Torun, Poland, on 17 February before returning home to resume her training.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eX2rF7ldugE?feature=youtu" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Joshua Cheptegei, who set the men's world record of 12:51 at this race last year, successfully defended his title, clocking 13:13.
The 24-year-old Ugandan ran at or near the front from the gun but it was clear early on that the conditions would not be conducive for a serious assault on his year-old record.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60290b261e3bf102aa403a1b.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
"The wind was incredibly difficult," said Cheptegei, who covered the opening kilometre in 2:44, 13 seconds behind the pace that propelled him to the world record last year. Kilometre splits of 2:41, 2:37 and 2:38 followed before he closed with a 2:32, the fastest of the race.
Kenyans Bethwell Birgen and Davis Kiplangat clocked 13:17 and 13:19 to round out the top three with Morhad Amdouni of France fourth in 13:19, one second outside of the European record set by compatriot Jimmy Gressier at this race last year.
*pending the usual ratification procedures
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Beatrice Chepkoech broke the world 5km record at the Monaco Run on Sunday (14), clocking 14:43*.

14:43! Chepkoech breaks world 5km record in Monaco

World champions and world record-holders feature heavily on the entry lists for the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in the northern French city of Lievin on Tuesday (9), the second World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2021.
The women's 3000m features a titanic clash between world 1500m and 10,000m champion Sifan Hassan and Beatrice Chepkoech, the steeplechase world champion and world-record holder.&nbsp;
The pair have squared off four times thus far - twice at 1500m and twice at 5000m - with Hassan carrying a 3-1 edge. The Dutchwoman hasn't raced indoors since the 2018 World Indoor Championships where she took 3000m silver and 1500m bronze while Chepkoech arrives 11 days after her 3000m victory in Karlsruhe.
Pacemakers have been asked to go through half way in 4:15, which would set up the race for a finishing time in the region of 8:30. If they manage to go a few seconds quicker, they would enter the world indoor all-time top 10. Ethiopians Fantu Worku, who finished a close second to Chepkoech in Karlsruhe, and Lemlem Hailu, who set a world U20 indoor 1500m record in Lievin last year, will attempt to keep up the chase.
The men&rsquo;s pole vault, featuring five members of the event&rsquo;s six-metre club, looks set to be one of the main highlights of the meeting.
World record-holder Mondo Duplantis will take on 2012 Olympic champion and former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie as well as two-time world champion Sam Kendricks, Olympic champion Thiago Braz and world bronze medallist Piotr Lisek. Duplantis has cleared 6.01m and 6.03m in his two competitions this season and Lavillenie has already topped 6.02m, his highest vault since 2016.
Back on the track, Samuel Tefera, who set a world indoor record of 3:31.04 in 2019, will contest his specialist event. The 21-year-old Ethiopian will take on double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, 2017 world bronze medallist Filip Ingebrigtsen, world bronze medallist Marcin Lewandowski and five-time European U23 champion Jimmy Gressier. Tefera and the Ingebrigtsen brothers will be making their 2021 debuts.
The women&rsquo;s race features world bronze medallist Gudaf Tsegay and world indoor silver medallist Laura Muir. Both will also be racing for the first time indoors this year.
Meanwhile, Selemon Barega returns to action in the men's 3000m just three days after his 3:34.62 1500m career best and world-leading run in Metz. He'll face Ethiopian compatriots and steeplechase standouts Lamecha Girma and Getnet Wale, who finished second and fourth at the 2019 World Championships. A 3:45 pace at halfway, on target for 7:30, has been requested.
<h3>Holloway returns to action</h3>
World champion Grant Holloway, who opened his 2021 campaign by equalling his own North American indoor record of 7.35, will star in the 60m hurdles. The US sprint hurdler takes on Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega, world indoor bronze medallist Aurel Manga, recent Karlsruhe winner Wilhem Belocian and decathlon world record-holder Kevin Mayer.&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles features world indoor silver medallist Christina Clemons of the USA, African champion Tobi Amusan, European indoor champion Nadine Visser and two-time European indoor champion Alina Talay. Clemons clocked a world-leading 7.83 in Berlin on Friday while Visser lowered her season's best to 7.90.
With world leader Dina Asher-Smith pulling out with a slight injury, the focus falls on Javianne Oliver of the US, who clocked 7.10 in Metz. She'll face Ajla Del Ponte, who lowered her career best to 7.14 behind Oliver on Saturday.
The men's contest pits Arthur Cisse, who equalled his 6.53 Ivorian record in Berlin on Friday against Devin Quinn of the US, the winner in Metz with a 6.54 lifetime best.
The men&rsquo;s 800m will bring together world indoor champion Adam Kszczot, recent Karlsruhe winner Elliot Giles, 2017 world champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, world silver medallist Amel Tuka and European indoor champion Alvaro de Arriba.
The women's contest features Ethiopian outdoor record-holder Habitam Alemu, who clocked a 2:00.85 in Metz on Saturday (6), rising star Jemma Reekie, Norwegian record-holder Hedda Hynne and freshly-minted world U20 record-holder Keely Hodgkinson, who clocked 1:59.03 in Vienna the weekend before last.&nbsp;
<h3>Third 2021 outing for Zango</h3>
Hugues Fabrice Zango, who broke the world indoor triple jump record 23 days ago with 18.07m, will also be in action. The world bronze medallist has won in Lievin the past two years, so will be gunning for his third consecutive victory. He'll take on Donald Scott, the 2019 US outdoor champion, and veteran Alexis Copello.
The long jump field is headed by Cuba&rsquo;s world indoor champion Juan Miguel Echevarria, who leaped 8.18m for the win in Karlsruhe. He'll face European indoor and outdoor champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, Cuban teenager Lester Lescay, the 2017 world U18 champion, and Thobias Montler, the European indoor silver medallist two years ago.
Holly Bradshaw returns to action in the women's pole vault after her victory in Rouen, France, on Saturday where she topped 4.85m, the second-best clearance of her career. She'll face Slovenian record-holder Tina Sutej, who has topped 4.70m this season, Canadian Alysha Newman and Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi who'll be looking to bounce back from a sub-par 4.43m performance in Rouen.
In the shot put, Portugal&rsquo;s Auriol Dongmo, who threw a world-leading 19.65m in Karlsruhe, will be the woman to beat. On paper, Germany's Christina Schwanitz is her closest rival at the moment in 2021, with a 19.11m season's best.
The programme also includes a rare look at the women&rsquo;s 2000m steeplechase, which features Marusa Mismas-Zrimsek of Slovenia, who won this event here last year with an 5:47.79 world best taking, on Winfred Yavi of Bahrain, who finished behind the Slovenian in that 2020 contest.
Jon Mulkeen and Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

World champions and world record-holders feature heavily on the entry lists for the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in the northern French city of Lievin on Tuesday (9), the second World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2021.

Global champions take on world record-holders in Lievin

Organisers of the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Troph&eacute;e EDF have announced a host of global stars who will compete at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting on 9 February in Li&eacute;vin.
The men&rsquo;s pole vault, featuring five members of the event&rsquo;s six-metre club, looks set to be one of the main highlights of the meeting. World record-holder Mondo Duplantis will take on 2012 Olympic champion and former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie as well as two-time world champion Sam Kendricks, Olympic champion Thiago Braz and world bronze medallist Piotr Lisek.
Hugues Fabrice Zango, who broke the world indoor triple jump record earlier this year with 18.07m, will also be in action. The world bronze medallist has won in Lievin for the past two years, so will be looking for his third consecutive victory.
Steeplechase world record-holder and world champion Beatrice Chepkoech will line up for the 3000m flat. The Kenyan, who triumphed at that distance at the opening World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe, will take on Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lemlem Hailu, who set a world U20 indoor record in Lievin last year.
World indoor 1500m record-holder Samuel Tefera, who set a world indoor record of 3:31.04 in 2019, will contest his specialist event. The 21-year-old Ethiopian will take on double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, 2017 world bronze medallist Filip Ingebrigtsen, world bronze medallist Marcin Lewandowski and five-time European U23 champion Jimmy Gressier.
World champion Grant Holloway, who opened his 2021 campaign by equalling his own North American indoor record of 7.35, will star in the 60m hurdles. The US sprint hurdler takes on world indoor champion Andre Pozzi, Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega, world indoor bronze medallist Aurel Manga, Olympic bronze medallist Dimitri Bascou, and recent Karlsruhe winner Wilhem Belocian.
The women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles features world indoor silver medallist Christina Clemons of the USA, European indoor champion Nadine Visser and two-time European indoor champion Alina Talay.
The men&rsquo;s 800m will bring together world indoor champion Adam Kszczot, 2017 world champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, world silver medallist Amel Tuka and European indoor champion Alvaro de Arriba.
Organisers for World Athletics

Organisers of the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF have announced a host of global stars who will compete at the World Athletics Indoor Tour gold meeting on 9 February in Liévin.

World record-holders Duplantis, Zango, Chepkoech and Tefera confirmed for Lievin

Dozens of the world&rsquo;s best athletes will be in action at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on Friday (29) for the first World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2021.
World champions Beatrice Chepkoech and Dina Asher-Smith lead an all-star cast that also features several other winners of major titles, including 2012 Olympic pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie, 2015 world shot put champion Christina Schwanitz, three-time world indoor 400m champion Pavel Maslak, world indoor long jump champion Juan Miguel Echevarria, and 2017 world 800m champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse.
Given the ongoing restrictions brought on by the global Covid-19 pandemic, meeting organisers continue to face near unprecedented challenges as they work to ensure their meetings take place in the safest possible settings and circumstances.
&ldquo;I have been in a process of constant idea sharing with international colleagues to collect as much experience for the Indoor Meeting as possible,&rdquo; said Alain Blondel, the athletes' liaison for Karlsruhe. &ldquo;We have a major responsibility towards our fans, the athletes as well as the numerous helpers, to carry out the meeting as best we can."
A meeting &lsquo;bubble&rsquo; has been formed for Karlsruhe &ndash; as will be the case for all other World Athletics Indoor Tour meetings &ndash; and the total number of people allowed access to Karlsruhe&rsquo;s Europahalle has been capped at 200, 120 of those athletes, and no spectators.
Such arrangements have, of course, become the norm over the past nine months, and it hasn&rsquo;t prevented the world&rsquo;s best athletes from producing stunning performances.
World steeplechase champion Chepkoech, who was able to piece together a respectable string of performances throughout 2020, will be making her 2021 debut in Karlsruhe and leads a strong 3000m line-up.
The 29-year-old Kenyan has raced in the German city twice before, both times over 1500m, finishing third in 2018 and fourth in 2020. She holds the Kenyan indoor record for 1500m (4:02.09) and has the fastest outdoor 3000m PB of the entire field (8:22.92, set last year).
Compatriot Gloria Kite and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fantu Worku will provide stiff opposition. Kite has an outdoor PB of 8:29.91, while Worku has notched up sixth-place finishes in her two most recent global championship appearances.
European indoor bronze medallist Melissa Courtney-Bryant, steeplechase specialist Mirusa Mismas and Germany&rsquo;s Elena Burkard should all be in contention too.
World 200m champion Asher-Smith is another standout athlete set to race in Karlsruhe.
The 25-year-old, who hasn&rsquo;t competed indoor for three years, has raced in Karlsruhe on three previous occasions, winning in 2015, placing third in 2016 and finishing second in 2017. She set her lifetime best of 7.08 when finishing second at the 2015 European Indoor Championships in Prague, and she matched that time in Glasgow in 2018 in what was her most recent indoor appearance. 
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 Asher-Smith&rsquo;s opponents in Karlsruhe will include Ajla del Ponte of Switzerland, 2017 European indoor champion Asha Philip and world indoor finalist Carolle Zahi.
Philip, the British record-holder, is the fastest in the field with a PB of 7.06. Del Ponte will be looking to revise her indoor PB of 7.17 after enjoying a breakthrough during the 2020 outdoor season. Zahi, meanwhile, recently clocked 7.19, her fastest time for three years.
Schwanitz last weekend returned from a 15-month break &ndash; during which she had knee surgery &ndash; and went straight to the top of the shot put world list with a 19.11m victory in Chemnitz.
The 35-year-old, who won in Karlsruhe in 2017, will face her first big test of the year as she takes on a field that includes 2020 world leader Auriol Dongmo of Portugal, three-time US champion Chase Ealey and 2016 Olympic fifth-place finisher Raven Saunders of the US. 
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 Cuba&rsquo;s Juan Miguel Echevarria will return to the scene of his first ever indoor long jump competition. Three years ago, still aged just 19, Echevarria won in Karlsruhe with 7.97m, then one month later went on to win the world indoor title with 8.46m. His momentum continued outdoors and he flew to a wind-assisted 8.83m and a wind-legal PB of 8.68m.
After a shortened season in 2020, the 22-year-old hopes to return to winning ways in Karlsruhe when he lines up against European champion Mitliadis Tentoglou of Greece, European indoor silver medallist Thobias Montler of Sweden and European silver medallist Fabian Heinle of Germany.
<h3>Eaton and Mallett take on top French trio</h3>
Two men&rsquo;s sprint events are among the 11 scoring disciplines on this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Indoor Tour, and both will be contested in Karlsruhe. 
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 The 60m hurdles features world indoor silver medallist Jarret Eaton and his US compatriot Aaron Mallett, who enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2020. But they face a formidable French trio in the form of European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, world indoor bronze medallist Aurel Manga and 2016 European bronze medallist Wilhem Belocian.
In the 400m, world indoor champion Pavel Maslak takes on Spain&rsquo;s Oscar Husillos. It will be just the second time they&rsquo;ve faced each other indoors since the fateful 2018 World Indoor Championships final, where Husillos was first to cross the line but was later disqualified for a lane violation, promoting Maslak to gold.
Asian champion Yousef Karam of Kuwait and Spain&rsquo;s Samuel Garcia, winner in Madrid last year, should also be in contention. Germany&rsquo;s Marvin Schlegel, who set a PB of 46.66 last weekend, is the fastest in the field based on times this year. 
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 The women&rsquo;s triple jump, another World Indoor Tour scoring discipline in Karlsruhe, has a similarly strong line-up featuring North American record-holder Tori Franklin, European champion Paraskevi Papachristou, European indoor champion Ana Peleteiro and Cuba&rsquo;s Liadagmis Povea.
<h3>Strong fields for pole vault, hurdles and middle-distances</h3>
Along with the seven scoring disciplines, there will be five non-scoring disciplines taking place in Karlsruhe.
Former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie, world bronze medallist Piotr Lisek and 2013 world champion Raphael Holzdeppe headline a strong men&rsquo;s pole vault field. Lavillenie got his season off to a flying start earlier this month, vaulting 5.92m in Bordeaux.
The women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles will feature African champion Tobi Amusan, 2015 world bronze medallist Alina Talay, European indoor champion Nadine Visser and European champion Elvira Herman.
France&rsquo;s 2017 world 800m champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse doesn&rsquo;t often race indoors, but he has fond memories of Karlsruhe as it is where he set his indoor PB of 1:46.25 in 2016. On Friday the 28-year-old will line up against 2016 European bronze medallist Elliot Giles, Swedish record-holder Andreas Kramer and two-time European indoor medallist Kevin Lopez.
Elsewhere on the track, Kenya&rsquo;s Bethwell Birgen takes on French steeplechaser Djilali Bedrani and Morocco&rsquo;s Abdelaati Iguider in the 3000m, while Uganda&rsquo;s Winnie Nanyondo will clash with Ireland&rsquo;s Ciara Mageean and world steeplechase medallist Gesa Felicitas Krause in the 1500m.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Dozens of the world’s best athletes will be in action at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on Friday (29) for the first World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2021.

Global champions set to converge in Karlsruhe

Three of Kenya&rsquo;s world champions &ndash; Timothy Cheruiyot, Hellen Obiri and Beatrice Chepkoech &ndash; were triumphant at the Kip Keino Classic World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting on Saturday (3) as Nairobi hosted its first ever global one-day meet at the newly-refurbished Nyayo National Stadium.
Despite struggling with a hamstring strain, Cheruiyot maintained his 1500m winning streak and held off a strong challenge from young compatriot Kumari Taki.
With his front-leaning running style and long strides, Cheruiyot held second place throughout most of the race with Taki and his training partner Timothy Sein dictating the tempo.
But at the bell, Cheruiyot darted to the lead. Taki tried to close in on the world champion down the home straight, but Cheruiyot&rsquo;s experience proved vital as he guarded his lead to win in 3:34.53. Taki, the 2016 world U20 champion, was second in 3:35.00 &ndash; just 0.86 shy of his PB. Abel Kipsang was third in 3:35.43.
&ldquo;It was tough because before the race, I had a small hamstring strain and I wasn&rsquo;t sure I would do well,&rdquo; said Cheruiyot, who was cheered on by a sizeable crowd at the Nyayo National Stadium. &ldquo;But I managed to hold it for a while to run and win. The field was very competitive and I had to do my best.&rdquo;
Obiri, meanwhile, used her imperious finishing kick to win the 5000m ahead of world 10,000m bronze medallist Agnes Tirop. 
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Hellen Obiri (004) on her way to winning the 5000m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi</div>
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Obiri kicked hard in the final 300m and went on to win in 15:06.36, crossing the finish line with a smile as she wrapped up a successful 2020 track campaign that included world-leading performances over 3000m and 5000m. Tirop finished second in 15:06.71.
&ldquo;I really wanted to give the home fans something to smile about and I am happy with the race today,&rdquo; said Obiri. &ldquo;I just wanted to finish the season well with a win and now I can look at what&rsquo;s ahead and plan for next season.&rdquo;
World record-holder Chepkoech brought the curtains down on the hugely successful event, leading from the outset to win the steeplechase in 9:29.05.
&ldquo;It was a very good race and I am pleased to win at home,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I wanted to run below 9:10 but unfortunately it was not possible because of the conditions. But all the same I am happy with the performance and the victory.&rdquo;
Only Hyvin Kiyeng, the 2015 world champion, tried to keep up with Chepkoech&rsquo;s pace &ndash; which, given Nairobi&rsquo;s altitude, was pretty swift. Kiyeng finished second in 9:34.07 while Roseline Chepngetich was third in 9:46.14.
In contrast to the women&rsquo;s race, the men&rsquo;s steeplechase was extremely close with Commonwealth silver medallist Abraham Kibiwot just getting the better of Leonard Bett with a lunge at the finish line.
Kibiwot ran behind Bett throughout the race, but he used his momentum off the final barrier to great effect to kick to victory in 8:17.60, finishing 0.03 ahead of Bett, the 2017 world U18 champion and 2019 African U20 champion.
&ldquo;I honestly didn&rsquo;t think I would win today because this was my first competition of the season,&rdquo; said Kibiwot, who finished seventh at last year&rsquo;s World Championships. &ldquo;It has been very tough training during the Covid-19 pandemic period and I just wanted to come here and try to get a good performance. I managed a win and I am so happy with myself.&rdquo;
<h3>Kimeli clocks Kenyan all-comers&rsquo; record</h3>
Following PB performances over 5000m (12:51.78) and 10,000m (26:58.97) in recent months, Nicolas Kimeli impressed again in Nairobi, winning the 5000m with the fastest time ever recorded in Kenya &ndash; or indeed at any venue at altitude. 
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Nicolas Kimeli on his way to winning the 5000m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi</div>
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Ethiopia&rsquo;s Berihu Aregawi proved to be a formidable opponent and the world U20 bronze medallist edged ahead of Kimeli with 200 metres to go. Kimeli battled back to the front, though, and responded to Aregawi&rsquo;s challenge, striding ahead to win in 13:08.32. Aregawi was second in a PB of 13:08.91.
World bronze medallist Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich won his sixth successive 800m race. Once the pacemaker had done their job, Rotich dictated the race and won comfortably in 1:44.78 with Australia&rsquo;s Joseph Deng taking second place in 1:45.21. 
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Paul Tanui on his way to winning the 10,000m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi</div>
&nbsp;
Elsewhere in a programme that was unsurprisingly packed with endurance events, Olympic silver medallist Paul Tanui won the men&rsquo;s 10,000m by 16 seconds in 28:06.90 after kicking away from the rest of the field with 800 metres to go. Lemlem Hailu won the women&rsquo;s 1500m in 4:06.42, holding off a strong challenge from Kenyan duo Winny Chebet (4:06.78) and Mercy Cherono (4:06.79).
<h3>Young sprint stars emerge</h3>
One of the most surprising performances of the day came in the women&rsquo;s 400m.
Namibian 17-year-old Beatrice Masilingi produced a strong final run down the home straight to win in an African U18 best of 50.99 &ndash; the fastest time in the world by an U18 athlete for 18 years. Kenya&rsquo;s Mary Moraa was second in 51.99.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Namibia's Beatrice Masilingi dominates the 400m. 50.99 for the win and an African U18 best. It is the fourth fastest time by any woman this year 💫<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ContinentalTourGold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ContinentalTourGold</a> <a href="https://t.co/GO6buTmr3N">pic.twitter.com/GO6buTmr3N</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1312385456319934465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2020</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script>

South Africa&rsquo;s Dambile Sinesipho, the African U18 champion, won the men&rsquo;s 200m in 20.44 (1.2m/s) ahead of Ivorian Arthur Cisse, who clocked 20.53. Denmark&rsquo;s Tazana Kamanga-Dyrbak, another promising talent, finished third in 20.61 to break his own national U20 record.
Britain&rsquo;s 2018 world U20 bronze medallist Kristal Awuah set a PB of 23.05 (-0.7m/s) to win the women&rsquo;s 200m, holding off Egypt&rsquo;s Bassant Hemida (23.13) and Zambia&rsquo;s Rhodah Njobvu (23.18).
&ldquo;I am so delighted because my main target was to run a PB and I achieved it,&rdquo; said 21-year-old Awuah. &ldquo;It was tough, though, because the altitude was really punishing and that&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m still gasping for breath. But it is an honour to come to Kenya and win.&rdquo;
Elsewhere, Venezuela&rsquo;s Rosa Rodriguez produced the farthest ever hammer throw on Kenyan soil, winning the women&rsquo;s event with 69.55m. Italian veteran Marco Lingua took the men&rsquo;s event with 70.20m.
In the absence of 2015 world champion Julius Yego, his protege Alexander Kiprotich won the javelin with a best throw of 76.71m.
&ldquo;Being the first one to win this inaugural event is historic and I hope to defend the title in May next year as I aim to qualify for Tokyo Olympics,&rdquo; said Kiprotich. &ldquo;What we lack in Kenya is exposure to quality competition that can improve our techniques. We need to venture out.&rdquo;
Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga led dignitaries at the meeting. 1500m winner Cheruiyot was named the meet&rsquo;s best athlete.
Alex Isaboke (organisers) for World Athletics

Three of Kenya’s world champions – Timothy Cheruiyot, Hellen Obiri and Beatrice Chepkoech – were triumphant at the Kip Keino Classic World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting on Saturday (3) as Nairobi hosted its first ever global one-day meet at the newly-refurbished Nyayo National Stadium.

World champions shine as Kip Keino Classic delivers the magic in Nairobi

Organisers of the Herculis meeting have confirmed the participation of four more global champions for the Wanda Diamond League fixture in Monaco on 14 August.
World 800m champion and 2019 Diamond League winner Donavan Brazier will make his Herculis debut. The 23-year-old US middle-distance runner set a North American record of 1:42.34 to win the world title in Doha last year. His form this year is promising too, having clocked a North American indoor 800m record of 1:44.22 back in February and a 1500m PB of 3:35.85 in Portland earlier this month.
World steeplechase champion Beatrice Chepkoech will return to the scene of her world record clocking of 8:44.32 from two years ago. The Kenyan&rsquo;s last race was a victory at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Dusseldorf in February, where she clocked a Kenyan indoor 1500m record of 4:02.09.
Like Brazier, world 110m hurdles champion Grant Holloway will be competing in Monaco for the first time. Following a string of record-breaking feats on the US collegiate scene, the 22-year-old turned professional last year and went on to win the world title in Doha.
Double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah has also been confirmed for Monaco. Having finished third over 100m in 2018 and second in the 200m last year, the Jamaican sprinter will move back down to the shorter distance and she&rsquo;ll be keen to achieve her first victory at the Stade Louis II.
European 400m champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic of Poland is another addition to the Herculis line-up. Along with her four continental titles, the 27-year-old owns four global medals in the 4x400m.

Organisers of the Herculis meeting have confirmed the participation of four more global champions for the Wanda Diamond League fixture in Monaco on 14 August.

World champions Brazier, Chepkoech and Holloway confirmed for Monaco

World steeplechase record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech will face fellow Kenyan Winny Chebet and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Axumawit Embaye in the 1500m at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on 31 January, the second stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour.
Chepkoech, the steeplechase world champion, has limited racing experience indoors, but she made an impression during her one indoor campaign to date. She finished third in Karlsruhe in 2018 but then went on to win in Dusseldorf and Glasgow, breaking the Kenyan record on both occasions with 4:04.21 and 4:02.21 respectively. She ended the 2018 indoor season by winning the women&rsquo;s 1500m in that year&rsquo;s World Indoor Tour.
When Chepkoech has the fastest indoor PB of the 1500m entrants for Karlsruhe, she line up against two women with superior outdoor bests.
Chebet, who finished two places ahead of Chepkoech at the 2018 World Indoor Championships, reduced her best to 3:58.20 in 2019 when finishing seventh at the World Athletics Championships in Doha.
Embaye, meanwhile, earned world indoor silver back in 2014 at the age of 19 and clocked an outdoor 1500m PB of 3:59.02 last year. The 25-year-old, who won in Karlsruhe in 2016, will be making her sixth appearance in the German city.
Organisers for World Athletics

World steeplechase record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech will face fellow Kenyan Winny Chebet and Ethiopia’s Axumawit Embaye in the 1500m at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on 31 January, the second stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour.

Chepkoech takes on Embaye and Chebet in Karlsruhe

Our end-of-year reviews continue with renowned statisticians A. Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava taking a look back at 2019&rsquo;s key action on the middle and long distance track events.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 800m</h3>
During the Diamond League summer Nijel Amos made the strongest impression after winning in Doha, Rabat and Monaco and losing narrowly in Rome and Zurich. In Monaco and Zurich he really went all-in passing halfway in 48.9 and 48.4 respectively.
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In Monaco Amos &rdquo;survived&rdquo; winning in 1:41.89 &ndash; the first sub-1:42 in the world since the 2012 Olympic final. But in Zurich he crumbled in the last fifty meters and was caught on the line &ndash; 1:42.98 to 1:42.70 &ndash; by Donavan Brazier who had been two full seconds behind with just 100 metres to go.
Unfortunately the injury problems that have haunted Amos since his sensational Olympic silver at age 18 in 2012 persisted and he ended up a DNS in the World Championship heats. But losing the aggressive Amos didn&rsquo;t mean that the Doha final became a slow race. Instead Wesley V&aacute;zquez stepped in to still make it a &rdquo;survival of the fittest&rdquo; test.
V&aacute;zquez passed halfway at 49.0 with the field strung out behind him. But one athlete was still keeping contact &ndash; Brazier &ndash; and on the second backstrech he even passed V&aacute;zquez. Brazier kept going strong to win by more than a full second in a new championship (and US national) record of 1:42.34.
Silver and bronze went to Amel Tuka and Ferguson Rotich but V&aacute;zquez still held on well to finish fifth. The big surprise of the final was Bryce Hoppel of the US &ndash; a complete newcomer to the global scene off the back of a long collegiate season &ndash; who in his 24th 800m race of the year ran wisely to move up in the final 200 metres to finish fourth in a 1:44.25 PB.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 1500m</h3>
With the current intensity in top level competition it is almost impossible in an event like the 1500m to get a perfect seasonal record of just wins. But Timothy Cheruiyot came really close in 2019 as his only loss was a narrow one to reigning world champion Elijah Manangoi in the Diamond League season opener in Doha in early May.
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While Manangoi had a summer of injury problems - eventuall he had to give up on a world title defence - Cheruiyot was &rdquo;simply the best&rdquo;. In his following seven 1500m/mile competitions &ndash; five Diamond Leagues, the Kenyan Trials and World Championships &ndash; his smallest winning margin was 0.50.
His widest margin of over two seconds actually came in the Doha final where he &ndash; in a brilliant display of truly tactical running &ndash; without hesitation immediately took the lead and went on to simply run the opposition into the ground. However, the others should be excused by the fact that only once before (1999) has there ever been a faster winning time in a championship setting than Cheruiyot&rsquo;s 3:29.26.
Generally this was a year of fast running in the Diamond League with not only Monaco (as always) but also Lausanne, Paris and Brussels producing a great mass of sub-3:32 performances. The best seasonal record besides Cheruiyot&rsquo;s belonged to teenager Jakob Ingebrigtsen who compiled five 3:30/3:31 marks. The last of these came in Doha where he, however, still found himself outsprinted in the medal rush by championship specialists Taoufik Makhloufi and Marcin Lewandowski.
The surprise of the year was the emergence of Ronald Musagala who came into 2019 with a 3:33.65 PB, his only sub-3:35 performance ever. But he ran three 3:30/3:31 races this season which included a win at the Paris Diamond League. In Doha, however, he was eliminated in a 3:36-ish semifinal. And he was not alone to fail: Out of the eight fastest on season&rsquo;s bests coming into Doha, six did not reach the final.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 5000m</h3>
One of the most surprising trends in recent years is the diminishing Kenyan impact in this event. During the first half of the last decade Kenyans made up approximately half of the top-15 in the annual world lists, but in the last five years the number of Kenyans in top-15 has been 3, 3, 2, 1 and 1. This year Nicholas Kimeli, the seventh fastest, was their sole representative.
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At the same time arch rivals Ethiopia have strengthened their presence so that they now make up approximately half of the top-15. Even more conspicuous: in the last two years Ethiopians have claimed nine out of ten top-5 places.
So it was just logical that the Doha final ended in an exciting sprint decision for the gold between Ethiopians Muktar Edris and Selemon Barega. Edris had that little bit of extra speed needed to successfully defend, his title from London, when he became famous for defeating Mo Farah in the final sprint. Best of the Kenyans now is teenager Jacob Kiprop who finished sixth just behind another 18 year old, Norway&rsquo;s Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
The foremost race of the year time-wise was the Rome Diamond League which produced the top-5 times of the year lead by Telahun Haile&rsquo;s 12:52.98. He thereby signalled a big improvement since last year when he was fifth at the World U20s - he would go on to finish fourth in Doha.
The only significant break into the Ethiopian dominance of the event came at the Diamond League final in Zurich where their runners were content to stay at the back of the field for much too long. So when Joshua Cheptegei took off when he found himself alone when the pacemaker stepped off after 3000m, his challengers were too far back.
With one lap to go the Ethiopian chasers were still four seconds adrift, a gap they couldn&rsquo;t make up in just 400 metres on a runner of Cheptegei&rsquo;s calibre. So the Diamond League title went to Uganda.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 10,000m</h3>
Two years ago in London Mo Farah won his fifth straight global gold at this distance but this year he had left the 10,000m throne vacant. Who would take advantage of this opportunity?
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The top end of the 2019 world list going into Doha was almost exclusively Ethiopian thanks to their World Championships trials race in Hengelo where Hagos Gebrhiwet won in 26:48.95 and where the eighth place finisher ran 27:02.26. The only non-Ethiopian with a comparable time was Kenya&rsquo;s 2018 world U20 champion Rhonex Kipruto who had run 26:50.16 when winning a tough encounter with Gebrhiwet at the Stockholm Diamond League in late May.
Thanks to the special air conditioning system the conditions in the Khalifa Stadium were quite suitable for long distance running. So the runners kept the pace honest from the get go and the splits all along the way were almost identical to those in London two years ago with the kilometers being ticked off at a 2:40 to 2:44 clip.
With 1000 metres to go there were still eight in the hunt for the medals. But then Joshua Cheptegei &ndash; who two years ago had lost by just 0.43 to Farah &ndash; shifted gears and started reeling off sub-31 second half laps. By the bell only Yomif Kejelcha and Kipruto were still in contention. Kejelcha tried an attack going into the last bend but Cheptegei responded and in the final straight he pulled away.
The winning time of 26:48.36 was the second best ever in a global championship behind only Kenenisa Bekele&rsquo;s 26:46.36 ten years ago in Berlin. It is also worth noting that Cheptegei&rsquo;s last kilometre was even faster (2:27.6 to 2:28.8) than that of Farah when the Briton won off of a similar pace two years ago.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase</h3>
For many years this event was almost an internal Kenyan affair - only four years ago Kenya swept the top-4 places at the World Championships. But since then things have changed rapidly due both to &rdquo;the rest of the World&rdquo; raising its game and to Kenyan standards regressing somewhat.
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In 2016 six out of eight (75%) running sub-8:10 were Kenyans but this year the corresponding numbers were four out of 12 (33%). Kenya still won the gold in Doha due to Conseslus Kipruto&rsquo;s determination when he just staved off the challenge from Ethiopian teenager Lemecha Girma, winning a true photo-finish decision by just 0.01.
Also, overall as a nation Ethiopia in 2019 was just about on par with Kenya: 8:01-8:05-8:05-8:08 for Kenya&rsquo;s top-4 vs 8:01-8:05-8:06-8:09 for Ethiopia&rsquo;s. And the four Ethiopians were on average three years younger than their Kenyans counterparts.
During the Diamond League season Moroccan Soufiane EL Bakkali was the most successful with three wins and one second place. The loss came at the final in Brussels where he lost by just 0.17 to teenager Getnet Wale. But in Doha the Moroccan got his revenge taking the bronze just ahead of the Ethiopian. The Diamond League podiums were in general dominated by Ethiopia (2-2-4 at top-3) and Kenya (1-2-2).
The eight minute barrier was first surpassed in 1995 &ndash; almost a quarter of a century ago &ndash; but has remained exclusive. Only 12 runners have ever managed to venture into sub-8-territory and in the last four years only El Bakkali (7:58.15 in 2018) has managed the feat. However, with 2019 having eight runners at 8:05 or better things can change soon.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 800m</h3>
The Diamond League season produced several winners, with nobody grabbing the favourite&rsquo;s status in the lead-in to the World Championships. American Ajee&rsquo; Wilson began strong, winning the Herculis meeting in Monaco in 1:57.73 and then cutting one hundredth of a second off that time on her way to the US title in Des Moines a couple of weeks later (1:57.72). Fellow American Hanna Green won in Paris in 1:58.39 and Briton Lynsey Sharp in London in 1:58.61.
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In Doha Ugandan Halimah Nakaayi emerged as a notable name in the heats and semifinals. In addition to running fast, her tactics were in the spotlight. In the final the 25-year-old was the strongest runner winning with a 1:58.04 national record, quite a surprise considering she only won two of her 10 international races in 2019 prior to the World Championships.
American Raevyn Rodgers won the silver, her first major medal, in a 1:58.18 season&rsquo;s best while Wilson took a second straight bronze. Green and Sharp, two Diamond League winners in 2019, did not even make it to the semifinals.
Caster Semenya, the 2017 world champion, was the fastest runner in the early season clocking a world lead 1:54.98 in Doha&rsquo;s Diamond League meeting then winning the Prefontaine Classic in June at Stanford in 1:55.70, but didn&rsquo;t contest the event since.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 1500m</h3>
The world record holder and 2015 world champion Genzebe Dibaba was the fastest athlete of the early season. The 28-year-old dipped under four minutes in Sabadell in February in 3:59.08, the fastest of the indoor season. The Ethiopian then started her outdoor campaign well, winning with world leads at the Rome and Rabat Diamond League meetings in June in 3:56.28 and 3:55.47, respectively. She was then away from competition for two months before returning to Z&uuml;rich in August where she finished fourth in 4:00.86. But she suffered a heel injury there and could not continue her season and missed the World Championships.
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The reigning world champion Faith Kipyegon only ran one international meeting before Doha, a win in Stanford in June in 3:59.04. The 25-year-old Kenyan won in London 2017 in 4:02.59, but the final in Doha was different after Sifan Hassan began taking over the reins in the event from June.
Although she suffered a narrow loss to Dibaba in Rabat clocking a 3:55.93 national record, Hassan returned to break the 23-year-old world record in the mile in Monaco with a 4:12.33 run, clocking a national 1500m record of 3:55.30 en route. She then took the 1500m in Z&uuml;rich in 3:57.08.
In Doha Hassan made her own race by simply running away from the field early on. She won the gold in 3:51.95, a European and championships record and moved to No. 6 on the all-time world list.
Despite running just two finals before Doha, Kipyegon won the silver with a 3:54.22 national record with Gudaf Tsegay third in 3:54.38, a huge personal best cutting more than four seconds off her previous best. This was easily the best race in the history of the World Championships with nine athletes going under four minutes. Only once, at the 1987 championships, has a sub-four minute performance not been good enough for a medal. In this race, six sub-four runners would leave empty-handed. Shelby Houlihan was fourth in 3:54.99, a US record, Laura Muir of Great Britain fifth in 3:55.76 and Gabriela DeBues-Stafford of Canada sixth in 3:56.12, also a national record.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 5000m</h3>
With Hassan opting for a unique 1500m/10,000m double, the role of favourite in the 5000m fell upon reigning champion Hellen Obiri. The Kenyan won the fastest race of the season clocking 14:20.36 in London, her second fastest of her career. The race was a close one, with Agnes Tirop clocking a 14:20.68 personal best right behind her compatriot and Hassan setting a 14:22.12 European record for third. The results for positions two and three are the fastest ever for those placings.
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Tirop opted for the 10,000m in Doha, leaving Germany&rsquo;s Konstanze Klosterhalfen as one of the top challengers in Doha. The 22-year-old produced an impressive solo effort at the German Championships in August setting a 14:26.76 national record. The Doha final was a quick one, but it wasn&rsquo;t decided until the final lap. Like so many times before, Obiri emerged as the winner in 14:26.72, a competition record. Kenyan Margaret Kipkemboi was second with a 14:27.49 personal best, her first podium finish at a major championships. Klosterhalfen grabbed the bronze in 14:28.43 with Ethiopian Tsehay Gemechu fourth in 14:29.60, the fastest non-medal winning performance at a World Championships.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 10,000m</h3>
AS usual, there were only a handful of notable 10,000m races before Doha. The fastest was the Ethiopian Trials in Hengelo where Letesenbet Gidey won in 30:37.89 setting a personal best. Earlier, Emily Sisson of the US won the Stanford Invitational in March clocking 30:49.57. Kenyans did not run in the fast races and with the reigning champion, Ethiopia&rsquo;s world record holder Almaz Ayana not running, it was a bit of a mystery what would happen. In London 2017 Ayana won by more than 45 seconds, but in Doha it was a different story.&nbsp;
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Sifan Hassan had only one 10,000m race under her belt, a 31:18.12 victory in Stanford in May. But given her 1500m speed, she was always going to be a contender should she be able to stand the pace. Agnes Tirop lead the runners to 5000m in a slow 15:32.70 and it was clear there was going to be a big negative split for the second half. Hassan waited long enough before making her move and the race was decided in the last lap with the Dutchwoman winning in a fast 30:17.62 personal best and world lead, only one second slower than Ayana&rsquo;s 30:16.32 from London 2017. Hassan covered the second 5000m in 14:44.92.
Gidey won the silver for Ethiopia in 30:21.23, another personal best, her first major medal on track following a bronze at the World Cross Country Championships in March. Tirop was third in 30:25.20 to repeat her bronze position from London 2017. Kenya also took places four and five with Rosemary Wanjiru clocking 30:35.75 and Hellen Obiri 30:35.82, personal bests for both.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase</h3>
Beatrice Chepkoech continued her reign of the 3000m steeplechase in 2019. The Kenyan was in good form already in 2017, but a critical error in the London final - she missed one of the water jumps and had to retrace her steps - costs her a medal, perhaps even gold.
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But she bounced back well, producing a huge 8:44.32 world record in Monaco in 2018, and was clearly the number one runner this season too. Chepkoech raced nine times winning eight. Her only loss was to compatriot Norah Tanui in Oslo, who didn&rsquo;t even make the Kenyan squad for Doha. The primary challenger in Doha was the reigning world champion Emma Coburn. The 29-year-old didn&rsquo;t win any big races, but had clocked a solid 9:04.90 prior to the World Championships.
But in the final, Chepkoech was simply too strong, easily dropping the field en route to an 8:57.84 championships record, the first sub-nine minute run at a World Championships. This was also her first major medal after fourth place finishes at the 2016 Olympics and 2017 World Championships.
Coburn won silver in a 9:02.35 personal best while Gesa-Felicitas Krause emerged as the surprise bronze medallist, setting a German record of 9:03.30 in the process. Bahrain&rsquo;s Winfred Yavi was fourth in 9:05.68, also a personal best, her best ever placing in a major championships.
Mirko Jalava (women&rsquo;s events) and A Lennart Julin (men&rsquo;s events) for World Athletics

Our end-of-year reviews continue with renowned statisticians A. Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava taking a look back at 2019’s key action on the middle and long distance track events.