Athletics is rarely more poetic than it was in Tokyo on Sunday night, when Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi agreed to share the Olympic high jump gold medal.

The women’s 100m final saw the introduction of a projection mapping light show to set the stage for one of the highlights of the Tokyo Olympic Games on Saturday night (31).

Athletes like setting the bar high. Nijel Amos raised his impossibly high nine years ago when he finished second behind David Rudisha’s epic world record-breaking run.

After a thrilling global senior debut at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, the mixed 4x400m relay made its eagerly anticipated inaugural Olympic appearance on Friday night.

As we count down the final moments until the first athletics session at the Tokyo Olympic Games, here are 10 key figures to keep an eye on throughout the next 10 days.

Klaus Wolfermann, the 1972 Olympic javelin champion who one year later became a world record-breaker, recently made the generous donation of his long sleeve jersey from Munich.

Moh Ahmed and Justyn Knight will be looking to pack a 1-2 punch at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Joao Vieira knows what time discos close – but it’s doubtful the Portuguese champion has been in one recently.

“I want to jump the world record,” says Yaroslava Mahuchikh as she prepares to make her Olympic debut in Tokyo. Given the 19-year-old’s performances so far, that doesn’t seem to be an unrealistic ambition.

Being a world record-holder, Olympic silver medallist and European champion, Liese Prokop is one of the greatest Austrian athletes of all time.

The wait is almost over and with all eyes on Tokyo's Olympic Stadium, 69 athletes from the sport of athletics will be among the flag bearers when the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 gets under way on Friday (23).

It was at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, back in 1964, that Basil Heatley followed in the footsteps of Sam Ferris (1932), Ernie Harper (1936) and Tom Richards (1948) with a silver medal-winning run.