With joy and panache, Anthony Zambrano and event mascot Calidoso took to the athletics track of the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium, where Zambrano was named ambassador of the event and the medals for the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 were unveiled.
To the rhythm of the official World Championships song 'Hoy voy a bailar contigo' by Mauricio de la Rosa, Cali presented to the world the gold, silver and bronze medals that more than 1500 athletes will fight to win in August.
<img style="font-size: 16px; text-align: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b4ed2c7f1fac6b26625cd1.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="234" />
<img style="text-align: left;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b4f29cbb7b0346ccef45eb.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="233" />
In the presence of the mayor of Cali, Jorge Iv&aacute;n Ospina; the president of the local organising committee, Ramiro Varela; the secretary of sports and recreation, Carlos Diago; and Olympic 400m silver medalist Zambrano, the official launch of the medals took place. The international competition will take place in the 'Sultana del Valle' from 1-6 August.
During 11 days of entertainment, more than 1500 athletes from 175 countries will attempt to establish themselves as the best in the world. Cali, the 'Branch of Heaven', is rightfully embodied in the medals with its most iconic places: Cristo Rey, El Gato del R&iacute;o and the Hill of the Three Crosses. In addition, the medals show the silhouette of Zambrano, the best athlete in the history of Colombia.
<img style="text-align: justify; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b4ece37f1fac6b26625cd0.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="233" />
<img style="text-align: justify; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b4f19b484046b3514dd04f.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="233" />
&ldquo;For me it is a pride and a pleasure to be here in Cali, the city where Anthony Zambrano was built as an athlete in the 2015 World U18 Championships. Thanks to the mayor and the people who are supporting me because I believe and I know that good athletes will come out for the world, and because I know of the great reserve that Colombia has in the future,&rdquo; said Zambrano.
For his part, Valera stated that the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 "is the largest cultural, multilingual and sports platform that has ever been seen in Colombia, with 158 registered countries as of today."
This unprecedented event also solidifies Cali as a bonafide cultural and sports district. "Being a sports city commits us to continue consolidating the sports industry and to continue developing events of this magnitude. That makes our city gain space, locally, nationally and internationally, in these types of events of great prominence," said Ospina.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b5f8f97c7cc3633ad931be.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="233" />
The organising committee and Cali continue to work hard so that our city is the epicenter of an event of international stature typical of the identity, civility and culture of the 'Sultana del Valle'.
Communications - Local Organising Committee

World Athletics U20 Championships

To the rhythm of the official World Championship song 'Hoy voy a bailar contigo' by Mauricio de la Rosa, Cali presented to the world the gold, silver and bronze medals that more than 1,500 athletes will fight to win. We are ready!

Zambrano revealed as official ambassador for World U20 Championships Cali 22

The second Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) exhibition&nbsp;to be launched in Oregon this year was opened on Thursday (23) by world gold medallists Abdi Bile and Bernard Lagat.
To mark the occasion, the respective 1987 and 2007 world 1500m champions made generous donations of World Championships-winning singlets to MOWA.
The opening ceremony of the MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22, hosted&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon, was held on the first day of the USATF Championships at Hayward Field, the venue for the&nbsp;World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (15-24 July). It follows&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/mowa-heritage-exhibition-oregon22-portland" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/mowa-heritage-exhibition-oregon22-portland">this year&rsquo;s first Heritage display launched in Portland in April</a>.
The two world champions were joined for the MOWA opening in Oregon by Eugene City Council vice chair Matt Keating, University of Oregon president Michael Schill, USATF president Vin Lananna, WCH Oregon22 athlete experience director Sasha Spencer Atwood and senior director of sports at Travel Lane County, JB Carney.&nbsp;
Together, the seven guests declared the MOWA exhibit open by cutting the official ribbon and unveiling the showcases. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b63d3a0e40911cca430bc9.jpg" alt="The MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22 in Eugene" />
The MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22 in Eugene (&copy; World Athletics Championships Oregon22)
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<h2>Bile&rsquo;s brilliant finish</h2>
Bile, who won the world 1500m title in Rome in 1987 for Somalia, has lived in the USA ever since attending George Mason University, where he graduated in marketing. Bile, whose eldest son Ahmed was also a talented runner (3:37 for 1500m and a sub-4:00 miler), is now a USA citizen.&nbsp;
Bile set a championship record of 3:35.67 in his Rome semifinal, winning the final in 3:36.80. Two years later, he also won the World Cup title in Barcelona in 1989, beating World Athletics President Sebastian Coe in the process.
In a career troubled by injury, Bile never quite fulfilled his true talent (PBs 800m: 1:43.60; 1500m: 3:30.55; mile: 3:49.40). With injury keeping him out of the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, as well as the 1991 World Championships, he returned to the global stage in Stuttgart in 1993 to take world bronze at 1500m.
Clutching his gold medal, Bile recalled his brilliant finish in Rome,&nbsp;in which he ran the final 1000m in 2:16.6 and the last 800m in 1:46.6 to claim an emphatic victory. &ldquo;I expected the race to be fast,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was confident of winning after running such a quick semifinal.&rdquo;
<h2>Rome donation</h2>
Bile brought to Eugene a very special gift for MOWA, generously donating his Rome 1987 World Championships-winning singlet to the World Athletics Heritage Collection, which is displayed in the museum. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b63da6be28a83aaebd4a92.jpg" alt="Abdi Bile with his vest at the MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22 in Eugene" />
Abdi Bile with his vest at the MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22 in Eugene (&copy; World Athletics Championships Oregon22)
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&ldquo;I was so impressed when MOWA&rsquo;s 3D online platform was launched in March 2021 that I immediately promised to donate my Rome singlet to the collection,&rdquo; confirmed Bile. &ldquo;I am delighted to fulfil that pledge today and help mark the opening of this special exhibit in Eugene.&rdquo;
During his running career, Bile was an ASICS athlete, and to mark the forthcoming World Athletics Championships, <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/asics-display-mowa-wch-oregon22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ASICS has launched a temporary display in the Reception Hall of MOWA&rsquo;s virtual online platform</a>.
<h2>Lagat - no fewer than 13 global medals</h2>
In Osaka in 2007, Lagat became the first and so far only man to win the 1500m and 5000m double at the World Athletics Championships. One of the most successful ever middle- and long-distance runners, Lagat has no less than 13 medals at a global level to his name.
His other accolades include back-to-back 3000m victories at the 2010 and 2012 World Athletics Indoor Championships, along with a win at the same event in 2004 when he represented the country of his birth, Kenya.&nbsp;
During Thursday&rsquo;s ceremony, <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/bernard-lagat-doha-3000m-mowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lagat generously donated to MOWA the USA singlet and competition numbers from his triumph at the 2010 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Doha</a>.&nbsp; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b63d6c0e40911cca430bcc.jpg" alt="Bernard Lagat with his vest at the MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22 in Eugene" />
Bernard Lagat with his vest at the MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22 in Eugene (&copy; World Athletics Championships Oregon22)
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&ldquo;It is a great pleasure to donate my singlet to MOWA,&rdquo; said Lagat, &ldquo;knowing that it will be treasured in a collection that includes artefacts from middle-distance greats like Paavo Nurmi, Jim Beatty, Herb Elliott, Kip Keino, Eamonn Coghlan, Seb Coe and Hicham El Guerrouj.
&ldquo;I am very proud that my singlet is part of the exhibit in Eugene and will soon be displayed in MOWA&rsquo;s online 3D virtual displays.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The singlets from Lagat and Bile will be on public show for the next month in Eugene. The MOWA exhibit closes at the end of 24 July, the last day of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
<h2>60 athletes, 25 countries, six areas</h2>
The two MOWA exhibits in Portland and Eugene feature track and field artefacts from 1908 through to the present day. These artefacts are just a small fraction of the World Athletics Heritage Collection, which is on <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/mowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/mowa">permanent display via MOWA&rsquo;s online platform in glorious 360&deg; 3D</a>.
Singlets, running shoes, equipment and trophies from more than 60 all-time greats of track and field athletics, representing more than 25 countries across all six continental areas, are being exhibited in Oregon.
The world and Olympic champions and world record-breakers represented by artefacts include Paavo Nurmi, Jesse Owens, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Emil Zatopek, Adhemar da Silva, Herb Elliott, Irena Szewinska, Carl Lewis, Grete Waitz, Michael Johnson, Marie-Jose Perec, Gail Devers, Haile Gebrselassie, Cathy Freeman, Maria Mutola, Jan Zelezny, Robert Korzeniowski, Carolina Kluft, Allyson Felix, Usain Bolt, Valerie Adams, Ashton Eaton, Christian Taylor, Anita Wlodarczyk, Mutaz Barshim and Eliud Kipchoge.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/mowa-collectors-cards-improved-navigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a> to read how you can collect a free, limited-edition series of MOWA Collector&rsquo;s Cards, featuring many of those legends.
<h2>Heritage clothing collection launches</h2>
A Heritage clothing collection featuring iconic logos from the Helsinki 1983, Rome 1987 and Tokyo 1991 World Championships has been launched today in the&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.worldathletics.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://shop.worldathletics.org/">World Athletics online store</a>.
This latest merchandise offering follows the release of World Athletics Championships Belgrade 22 items earlier this year and includes t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies.
<a href="https://shop.worldathletics.org/collections/heritage" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://shop.worldathletics.org/collections/heritage">Click here</a>&nbsp;to discover the range. 
<div><a href="https://shop.worldathletics.org/collections/heritage" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b4a96e9d06686151bab999.jpg" alt="Heritage collection" /></a>
Heritage collection
</div>
Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage

World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022

The MOWA Track & Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22 has launched at the University of Oregon

Donations from world champions Bile and Lagat mark opening of MOWA exhibit in Eugene

New features have been launched today (23) inside the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA).
Most strikingly, World Athletics Official Partner ASICS has opened a display in the central area of MOWA&rsquo;s Reception Hall to mark the forthcoming World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (15-24 July).
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/asics-display-mowa-wch-oregon22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">News:&nbsp;ASICS display features in MOWA Reception Hall ahead of WCH Oregon22</a>
<h2>Collector&rsquo;s Cards</h2>
The first limited-edition series of MOWA Collector&rsquo;s Cards has been launched on the MOWA platform today.
The 40 individually designed and numbered cards each depict an artefact that has either been donated or loaned to the museum&rsquo;s collection.
Athletes whose artefacts are featured in the series include legends such as Jesse Owens, Fanny Blankers-Koen and Emil Zatopek, and modern greats like Valerie Adams, Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix.
The cards, which are a give-away item, can be ordered free of charge by <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/mowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anyone with a login to MOWA</a>&nbsp;or can be collected in person from the MOWA exhibition stands in Eugene or Portland during the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
<h2>Improved museum navigation</h2>
Visitors who enter the online virtual space of MOWA can now explore the museum&rsquo;s 3D platform through a new freeform movement system.
The new navigation lets visitors move through the environment by clicking on the floor and loads quicker than the previous navigation, giving an increased sense of momentum.&nbsp;
This will allow visitors to explore MOWA in a way that feels more natural and more relevant to where they want to go, while also helping users on slower connections.
Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage
<h2> MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition, Oregon22</h2>
EUGENE Erb Memorial Union, University of Oregon, 1395 University St, Eugene, OR 97403. Open: 7 days a week - 7am to 10pm (staffed 11am to 5pm).
PORTLAND Pioneer Place, 700 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204. Open: 7 days a week - 10am to 7pm (staffed 10am to 5pm).

New features have been launched

New to MOWA - Collector's Cards and improved navigation

When Bernard Lagat lined up in the Aspire Dome in Doha for the 2010 World Athletics Indoor Championships 3000m final, he was a 35-year-old veteran with a decade of global championships behind him.
The Peter Pan of the middle distances had been 25 when he made his debut on the international stage for his native Kenya at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Back then, at the dawning of the new millennium, he took the bronze medal in a thrilling 1500m tussle behind compatriot Noah Ngeny and Morocco&rsquo;s reigning 1500m world champion and world record-holder Hicham El Guerrouj.
Dramatic denouements became a familiar feature of life in the fast lane for Lagat as he proceeded to rack up a further eight global medals in the &lsquo;noughties,&rsquo; four more as a Kenyan and four as a star earning his stripes in the United States team.
In the Qatari capital on 14 March 2010, he was proudly sporting &ldquo;USA&rdquo; on the chest of the uniform of his adopted homeland &ndash; a singlet and competition numbers he has <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/bile-lagat-mowa-exhibit-eugene" target="_blank" rel="noopener">generously donated to the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) at today&rsquo;s opening ceremony of the MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22</a>, which is being hosted at the Erb Memorial Union, University of Oregon in Eugene. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b49f5dcb3c36f4a2fbce43.jpg" alt="Bernard Lagat with his singlet from the 2010 World Indoor Championships" />
Bernard Lagat with his singlet from the 2010 World Indoor Championships
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<h2>An age of experience</h2>
Winner of the title in his Kenyan days in Budapest in 2004, Lagat brought all of his experience, nous and pace judgement to Doha, sitting back when 2010 world leader Augustine Choge of Kenya cut out the early pace and then defending champion Tariku Bekele (brother of Kenenisa) hit the front with 1000m to go.
Lagat kicked at the bell, covering the final lap in 28.39 and finishing a clear winner in 7:37.97 &ndash; 1.58 ahead of runner-up Sergio Sanchez of Spain, with the Ethiopian Bekele down in fourth and Choge trailing home 11th.
In the process, Lagat became the first man to win world indoor titles representing two countries and, at 35 years 92 days, the oldest men's gold medallist in the history of the championships.
<h2>Champion again at 37</h2>
Not that the supremely consistent, supremely gifted graduate of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Washington State University was finished with the school of international track and field.
After making it 10 global medals in 10 years in Doha, he went on to claim three more.
At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Lagat had to veer into lane three to maintain his attempt to charge down Mo Farah. He finished 0.28 adrift in the silver medal position, matching the Briton&rsquo;s closing lap of 52.6.
At the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Lagat was too quick for Farah and the rest of the field, following in Haile Gebrselassie&rsquo;s hallowed footsteps as a three-time winner of the 3000m title. He finished three meters clear of Choge, with Farah back in fourth, becoming the oldest men's world indoor champion at the age of 37.
Lagat was 39 when he captured what was to be his final global medal: 3000m silver behind Kenya&rsquo;s Caleb Ndiku in Sopot in 2014. He was the oldest ever men's world indoor medallist, and indeed finalist.
There were near misses, too, in this prolonged twilight period of Lagat&rsquo;s lengthy, distinguished track career: fourth in the 5000m at the 2012 Olympics in London; sixth in the World Championships 5000m in Moscow in 2013; fifth in the 5000m at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Lagat was 41 when he contested his fifth Olympic campaign in Brazil, ending his track career a month later with a second-placed finish over 3000m at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin.
&ldquo;I have no regrets,&rdquo; he said, with absolute justification.
Six years on, one glance at the world all-time lists attests to that.
There, ranked second in history at 1500m, lies the 3:26.34 Lagat clocked in Brussels in 2001. Only El Guerrouj stands above, courtesy of his 3:26.00 world record in Rome in 1998.
<h2>First US global gold since 1908</h2>
Then, among Lagat&rsquo;s haul of 13 global medals, alongside his three world indoor 3000m gold medals, there are a priceless pair of golds from the 2007 World Championships in steamy Osaka.
Eleven years after moving to the United States to study business management at Washington State, Lagat represented the US for the first time in Japan&rsquo;s &lsquo;Third City,&rsquo; having served a three-year eligibility period following his last competition for Kenya at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
He proceeded to run his way into the record books in the oppressive heat and humidity of the Nagai Stadium.
In the 1500m final, Lagat struck with perfect timing, sweeping past Kenyans Asbel Kiprop and Shedrack Korir 60m from the line and winning by 0.23 from fast-finishing defending champion Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain. It was the first victory by a US athlete in a global men&rsquo;s 1500m final since Mel Sheppard won Olympic gold in London in 1908.
Sheppard, who had been rejected by the New York City Police department because he had a weak heart, went on to complete the 800m-1500m double - the third man in history to do so, after Australian Teddy Flack in Athens in 1896 and Jim Lightbody of the US in St Louis in 1904.
<h2>&ldquo;I ran a smart race&rdquo;</h2>
Lagat became the first man to achieve the 1500m-5000m double at the World Championships &ndash; emulating a feat accomplished in the Olympic Games of 1924 and 2004 by the great Finn Paavo Nurmi and by his own great rival El Guerrouj. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b4a3c09907c3d6eb1aa421.jpg" alt="Bernard Lagat on his way to the world 5000m title in 2007" />
Bernard Lagat on his way to the world 5000m title in 2007 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
In the 5000m final in Osaka, the newly-crowned 1500m champion could afford to engage in cruise control while his rivals were unable to challenge his finishing kick in sapping heat and humidity.
Farah led at the bell and Lagat was still in fifth when Kenya&rsquo;s 2003 champion Eliud Kipchoge (whatever happened to him?) made his move with 200m to go. Lagat bided his time, finally striking 60m out and holding off Kipchoge by a metre.
&ldquo;That was good for me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Everybody waited for the last lap. I think I ran a smart race. I waited until the last 100m.&rdquo;
He was timed at 52.3 for the final circuit.
Reflecting on his track career in an <a href="https://spikes.worldathletics.org/post/bernard-lagats-career-highlights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with Spikes in September 2016</a>, Lagat said: &ldquo;The two gold medals in 2007 was the best performance ever for me. I was able to represent the United States for the first time and I didn&rsquo;t come home with just one medal but two. Two gold medals.&rdquo;
In the outdoor world championship arena, he also earned three silver medals (behind El Guerrouj at 1500m in Edmonton in 2001, at 5000m behind Kenenisa Bekele in Berlin in 2009, and at the same distance behind Farah in Daegu in 2011) &ndash; plus a 1500m bronze in the wake of Yusuf Saad Kamel of Bahrain (son of Kenya&rsquo;s two-time 800m champion Billy Konchellah), and Ethiopian Deresse Mekonnen.
At the World Indoor Championships, in addition to his hattrick of 3000m titles, Lagat also claimed a 1500m silver behind Driss Maazouzi in Birmingham in 2003.
At the Olympic Games, gold remained tantalisingly out of reach. Bronze in that three-way tussle in Sydney in 2000 was followed by silver in a gripping head-to-head with El Guerrouj in Athens four years later.
Lagat stuck to El Guerrouj&rsquo;s heels when his long-time nemesis started to wind up the pace with 800m to go. A week before the Games, he had beaten El Guerrouj in Zurich but, after falling in Atlanta in 1996 and being thwarted by Ngeny in Sydney, the Moroccan was on a personal redemptive mission.
The pair covered the final 200m in 26.2, Lagat moving ahead by a stride 50m from the line &ndash; only for El Guerrouj to sweep past, collapsing in tears after crossing the line. The Moroccan master of the middle distances finally had Olympic gold, winning in 3:34.18. Lagat took silver in 3:34.30.
<h2>&ldquo;Danke!&rdquo;</h2>
After Olympic campaign No.5 in Rio twelve years later, it was perhaps fitting that Lagat chose to run his final track race in Germany. The country had become a third home to him, after Kenya and the United States, having made Tubingen his European summer base.
On the bright blue track at Berlin&rsquo;s Olympiastadion, the 41-year-old finished runner-up to Choge over 3000m in 7:43.63. He crossed the line with a huge smile wreathed across his face, mouthing &ldquo;Danke!&rdquo; to the crowd.
Not that it was the absolute finish line for Lagat as an athlete.
Switching to the roads, he finished 18th in the 2018 New York City Marathon, clocking 2:17:20.
In February 2020, two months past his 45th birthday, he ran in the US Olympic Marathon Trial race in Atlanta, placing 18th in 2:14:23.
The key to his exceptional longevity, Lagat maintained, was the stability provided by his coach James Li (his mentor since he arrived in the US in 1996) and his wife Gladys Tom, a conditioning trainer and dietician, whom he met at Washington State.
The couple have a son, Miika, and a daughter, Gianna. They have homes in Tuscon, Arizona and in Tubingen in south-west Germany.
They also have a glittering collection of global medals, and a vast array of golden memories upon which they can happily reflect.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage

The multiple world gold medallist has donated his 2010 World Indoor Championships singlet and competition numbers to MOWA

Lagat, 13 global medals and "no regrets"

The Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) is delighted to announce that World Athletics Official Partner ASICS has today (23) opened a display in the central area of MOWA&rsquo;s Reception Hall.
The ASICS display has taken over the temporary exhibition area at the entrance to the online virtual museum. The display, which opens to mark the forthcoming World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (15-24 July), will remain in situ until later this year, when many new artefacts donated this year will be added to MOWA&rsquo;s displays across the museum&rsquo;s four galleries.
Five exceptional ASICS artefacts have gone on display. Three were worn by victorious athletes in the World Athletics Championships and are permanently part of the World Athletics Heritage Collection, which is displayed in MOWA. The other two artefacts are Olympic gold medal-winning running shoes, which are currently on loan to the collection from ASICS.
The new display launches a few weeks ahead of the opening of an entire new wing to MOWA, which will feature a permanent ASICS room.
Log in or register <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/mowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> to enter MOWA.
<h2>Five featured athletes and artefacts</h2>
Liz McColgan (GBR) &ndash; 10,000m, pair of running spikes from Tokyo 1991
In Tokyo, McColgan&rsquo;s relentless early pace had shaken off all her rivals by 7000m and she went on to finish in 30:41.31, 20 seconds clear of her nearest challenger.
The autographed shoes on display are McColgan&rsquo;s training spikes from the championships. They were permanently donated to the World Athletics Heritage Collection at the end of 2019 in replacement of her actual race shoes. Those had been on temporary loan from the ASICS museum in Kobe, Japan, for the duration of the 2019 Heritage World Championships Exhibition in Doha.&nbsp;
Christian Olsson (SWE) &ndash; triple jump, pair of running spikes from Paris 2003
Olsson, the 2002 European champion and silver medallist at the 2001 World Athletics Championships, had won all 10 of his outdoor competitions prior to arriving in Paris and accompanied these victories with a series of superlative performances.
Opening in the final with 17.72m, he laid down the gauntlet for the rest of the field and no one could pick it up. It proved to be the gold medal-winning effort, 44cm better than anyone else could manage. In fact, Olsson was so dominant that his jumps in the next four rounds would also have won.
Dani Samuels (AUS) &ndash; discus throw, Australian team singlet and numbers from Berlin 2009 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b4957ee0618c713f3a8739.jpg" alt="Dani Samuels' singlet and bib number on display in MOWA" />
Dani Samuels' singlet and bib number on display in MOWA (&copy; MOWA)
</div>
In the competition of her life, Samuels (now Stevens) threw 62.71m in the third round &ndash; just 23cm short of her personal best &ndash; then made a huge improvement to 64.76m with her fourth effort to move up to second. She then took the lead with 65.44m in the fifth round.
One by one, her rivals entered the circle for their final throws, but no one could match her, although Cuba&rsquo;s Yarelis Barrios went very close with an effort of 65.31m to go from third to second.
Naoko Takahashi (JPN) &ndash; marathon, single road running shoe from Sydney 2000
This right shoe was worn when Takahashi won the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games marathon. In Sydney, Takahashi attacked and went away from the leading group at 17km with just Romania&rsquo;s Lidia Simon for company, but the latter couldn&rsquo;t stay with her rival from 35km onwards.
Takahashi crossed the line in an Olympic record of 2:23:14 to win by eight seconds from Simon, who had recovered and started to close the gap on the Japanese athlete over the final two kilometres.
Lasse Viren (FIN) &ndash; 5000m/10,000m, single running spike from Montreal 1976
Viren was the winner of four gold medals at the&nbsp;1972&nbsp;and&nbsp;1976 Olympics Games, where he had back-to-back double triumphs in the 5000m and 10,000m.
The left track spike on show is the one Viren wore in Montreal, firstly winning the 10,000m on 26 July 1976 and then four days later taking the fourth Olympic gold medal of his career &ndash; and arguably the most difficult &ndash; after a hectic sprint finish at the climax of the 5000m.
Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage

Five exceptional ASICS artefacts are featured

ASICS display features in MOWA Reception Hall ahead of WCH Oregon22

A Heritage clothing collection featuring iconic logos from the Helsinki 1983, Rome 1987 and Tokyo 1991 World Championships has been launched today (23) in the <a href="https://shop.worldathletics.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics online store</a>.
This latest merchandise offering follows the release of World Athletics Championships Belgrade 22 items earlier this year and includes t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies.
Heritage items featuring other editions of the World Championships will be rolled out over the coming year.
There will also be a collection for next month&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships Oregon22, and a World Athletics leisure collection to be released in the future.
<a href="https://shop.worldathletics.org/collections/heritage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a> to discover the Heritage range. 
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 As announced in March, an agreement appointing Cube as Official Master Licensee of World Athletics and the World Athletics Series events now gives the sport&rsquo;s fans access to year-round merchandise.
As part of the agreement, Cube is working closely with World Athletics and its official partner, ASICS, to showcase its premium athletic apparel, while Cube&rsquo;s internal design team is working on additional event and lifestyle collections.

T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies feature iconic logos from the Helsinki 1983, Rome 1987 and Tokyo 1991 World Championships

Heritage clothing collection launches

Experts in endurance performance and medical care will meet in Eugene when the World Athletics Health &amp; Science Department hosts its Endurance Medicine Conference on 19 July.
The conference, held at the University of Oregon during the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, is intended for physicians, coaches, physical therapists, sport scientists and other health care providers who have an interest in endurance performance and quality medical care at endurance events.
Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required &ndash; <a href="https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/48f9d79631ba42d1a64ab4471260f3b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a> to register.
Four main aspects of endurance races will be discussed:
&bull; the evolution of running and injury risk &bull; physiological determinants in endurance performance &bull; medical care organisation at international mass running events &bull; prevention and treatment of heat-related illnesses
The conference will also feature the launch of the World Academy for Endurance Medicine, powered by World Athletics. 
Speakers include:
&bull;&nbsp;Chris Troyanos, ATC&nbsp;&ndash; Executive Director, International Institute for Race Medicine
Chris Troyanos has an extensive record providing medical leadership and logistical support at road races. He oversees the medical care of the Boston Marathon, serving as the event&rsquo;s Medical Coordinator. Throughout his career, Troyanos has liaised with numerous stakeholders to establish benchmark medical protocols, pre-event training and communication procedures in endurance medical care. He also shares his expertise through his leadership as Executive Director of the IIRM. 
&bull; William O. Roberts, MD, MS, FACSM&nbsp;&ndash; Professor and Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School
Dr. William Roberts is an experienced Medical Director at the Twin Cities Marathon, Minnesota. As an academic, Dr. Roberts has authored numerous high relevance research publications in the field of sports medicine and is a fellow, past president, and current foundation president of the American College of Sports Medicine. He is a founding member and past president of the IIRM and currently serves on the executive board. 
&bull; Irene S. Davis, PhD, PT, FACSM, FAPTA, FASB&nbsp;&ndash; Professor, School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa
Former founding director of the Spaulding National Running Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Professor Emeritus in Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark. Dr. Davis&rsquo; research focuses on the relationship between lower extremity structure, mechanics and injury, and extends to the development of interventions to alter faulty mechanics through gait retraining. She has also been studying the use of wearable sensors in both the evaluation and treatment of injured runners. Dr. Davis has given over 350 lectures both nationally and internationally and authored 160 publications on the topic of lower extremity mechanics during walking and running gait and was named one of the &ldquo;50 Most Influential People in Running.&rdquo; She is a Fellow and Past President of the American Society of Biomechanics and the 2019 ASB Borelli award winner. She is also a Fellow, past Vice President, and current President-Elect of the American College of Sports Medicine. 
&bull; Trent Stellingwerff, PhD &ndash; Director of Innovation and Research, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific
Dr. Trent Stellingwerff is a leading scholar in exercise physiology. His primary research focuses are in the field of nutrition and physiology interactions, as well as in environmental (heat and altitude) physiology. Dr. Stellingwerff provides physiology expertise for the Canadian National rowing and track and field high performance programmes. 
&bull; Stephane Bermon, MD, PhD&nbsp;&ndash; Medical Director of the Health and Science Department at World Athletics
A leading expert in his field, Dr. Stephane Bermon&rsquo;s research is mostly focused on exercise physiology and sports medicine. His research work relating to endocrinology and physical performance is deemed benchmark in academia. Dr. Bermon holds vast experience in both leading and informing the development and implementation of medical care protocols of international elite sport competitions. 
&bull; John Cianca, MD&nbsp;&ndash; Adjunct Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. John Cianca has overseen the medical care of the Houston Marathon for over 23 years as the race medical director. His extensive record providing medical leadership in marathon events has made him a specialist in the fields of hydration and hyponatremia. He is a founding member and past president of the International Institute for Race Medicine, and currently serves as Executive Board Chair. 
&bull; George T. Chiampas, DO&nbsp;&ndash; Assistant Professor and Attending Physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Dr. George Chiampas is an experienced Medical Director at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and Shamrock Shuffle. He is an expert in operational safety and emergency preparedness and response in mass event incidents. Dr. Chiampas provides consultancy on numerous high profile sporting entities in medical guidance and operational plans. A member of several medical societies, Dr. Chiampas is a founding member of the IIRM and currently serves on the executive board. 
&bull; Yuri Hosokawa, PhD&nbsp;&ndash; Assistant Professor at Waseda University in Tokyo and Science Advisor for Sport Safety Japan
Dr. Yuri Hosokawa is a former president of Communication and Education at the Korey Stringer Institute, where she is currently a member of the advisory board. Dr. Hosokawa&rsquo;s research interests include prevention and education of sudden death in sport, establishing best practices in road race medicine, development of heat guidelines, and prevention and treatment of exertional heat stroke. 
During the conference, participants will improve their knowledge on medical care organisation procedures in endurance events, including how to prevent and treat heat-related illnesses and injuries occurring during endurance events.
The conference, organised together with&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="http://racemedicine.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Institute for Race Medicine</a>&nbsp;(IIRM), will also offer recipients of the World Athletics American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) grants the opportunity to present and discuss their work.
The conference schedule and further information can be&nbsp;<a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/62b4ab3f5c26a00bc88d45f5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found here</a> or by contacting <a href="mailto:healthscienceevents@worldathletics.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">healthscienceevents@worldathletics.org</a>

Experts in endurance performance and medical care will meet on 19 July

Eugene to host Endurance Medicine Conference

Ukraine&rsquo;s world indoor high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh continued her preparations for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 by leaping a world lead of 2.03m* in Brno, Czech Republic, on Wednesday (22).
It is the 20-year-old&rsquo;s second world-leading performance within a week, adding two centimetres to the 2.01m she achieved to win at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris.
On Wednesday she went on to attempt 2.05m and won the competition, which was held in a car park setting at the Olympia Brno shopping centre, ahead of her compatriot Iryna Gerashchenko with 1.97m and Uzbekistan&rsquo;s Safina Sadullayeva with 1.91m.
Mahuchikh has now jumped two metres or higher in four competitions this year, including the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March, where she cleared 2.02m to claim her first senior global title. Her win in&nbsp;Brno continues her unbeaten season, following success in Eugene, Rabat and Paris.
After her win in Paris, Mahuchikh explained how she continues to train in Germany due to the conflict in her home country.
She will now be targeting her first senior global gold in Oregon, having secured world silver in Doha in 2019 before claiming Olympic bronze in Tokyo last year.
Over at the Swedish Team Championships in Uppsala on Tuesday (21), Olympic and world discus champion Daniel Stahl threw a world-leading 71.47m for the second-furthest throw of his career. 
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 The 71.27m recorded by Slovenia&rsquo;s Kristjan Ceh at last month&rsquo;s Diamond League meeting in Birmingham had been the previous world lead, setting up a highly-anticipated head-to-head for the world discus title in Oregon next month.
Stahl&rsquo;s best is the 71.86m Swedish record he set in Bottnaryd in 2019.
*pending certification

In Uppsala, Daniel Stahl throws a world-leading 71.47m

Mahuchikh clears 2.03m in Brno

Despite all she has already achieved in the sport, Nia Ali feels that in a way, she is just getting started.
&ldquo;It sounds crazy, but I feel like I am having a late development, if that makes sense,&rdquo; says the three-time world sprint hurdles gold medallist.
&ldquo;I was NCAA champion back in 2011, but I have learned so much since then. I&rsquo;m still learning a lot now.
&ldquo;It has been my best year so far in terms of how I&rsquo;ve approached training and how I have been able to stay the course with everything. It&rsquo;s been falling into place.&rdquo;
In a season that offers her the chance to defend her world 100m hurdles title on home soil at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, that certainly bodes well. After winning back-to-back world indoor 60m hurdles titles in 2014 and 2016, Ali glided to her first global outdoor gold in Doha in 2019. Following that race she was joined on the track by her then four-year-old son Titus and one-year-old daughter Yuri, and later hailed the performances of her fellow mothers, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Allyson Felix, as providing her with inspiration. 
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 Ali and her partner Andre De Grasse &ndash; Canada&rsquo;s Olympic 200m champion &ndash; have since welcomed their son Kenzo into the world, and being a source of inspiration herself is among the 33-year-old&rsquo;s main motivators.
&ldquo;I know it means so much more now, because I see people who reach out to me about being inspired and motivated &ndash; moms from all walks of life,&rdquo; she explains. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s really what motivates me the most &ndash; that&rsquo;s why I do it. Not just for the athlete who is trying to come back, but the everyday mom who is just trying to get herself through postpartum and get to work.
&ldquo;I am just trying to come back stronger than ever, so everyone around me can be motivated.&rdquo;
She is succeeding in that respect.
In 2016, following her second world indoor title win, <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/iaaf-world-indoor-championships-7093741/news/feature/portland-2016-nia-ali-60m-hurdles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ali explained how pregnancy had previously been considered as marking the end of an elite career</a>. But she has shown that is far from the case. Rather than it being detrimental, Ali believes motherhood has helped her to become a better athlete. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/2156da13-e52d-4308-b69f-b6bd31840790.png" alt="Nia Ali after winning the 60m hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016" />
Nia Ali after winning the 60m hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
 &ldquo;As I am growing as a parent, it helps me grow as an athlete,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Being able to manage a household, it just gives me a whole new perspective at training and the way I go there &ndash; I&rsquo;m able to compartmentalise now so much better, I am able to build on the lessons I learned as a parent and bring them to the track. It has been an amazing journey and I&rsquo;m blessed to still be out there.&rdquo;
On those lessons learned, she adds: &ldquo;It's a lot to do with perseverance and patience. The range (in her children&rsquo;s ages) &ndash; seven years to newborn, and how newborn always changes. New toys, new activities, the way you raise a child, the way you parent. The methods that people use, they change, so I&rsquo;m always learning and finding something new.
&ldquo;I take that over to training &ndash; constantly asking questions, constantly being a student and studying the sport and myself: how can I grow? Also with patience &ndash; having to be able to take that deep breath so often, every day! I am able to dial back in immediately after I make a mistake in training and figure out what needs to be done right there at the time. Focus on that and let it go.&rdquo;
The innocence of children also helps to remind her of her passion for the sport.
&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t look at it as work, because they do it for fun!&rdquo; she laughs. &ldquo;So, they are like &lsquo;oh, you&rsquo;re going to work? No, you&rsquo;re going to track practice!&rsquo; And I&rsquo;m like &lsquo;yes, but it&rsquo;s work!&rsquo; So when we come home they&rsquo;re jumping on us and we&rsquo;re like, we&rsquo;ve got to try to recover, please get off my legs!
&ldquo;Seeing how natural it is just reminds you that innately, this is you &ndash; you have all of this. All this fearlessness. My daughter will jump from the top of the slide in the playground and I&rsquo;m like, at one point, I used to do that! Now I think about everything. It reminds you to be fearless &ndash; this is still you. This is your DNA &ndash; you have this courage, you have this strength to attack it. From that mindset, sometimes it really does help.&rdquo; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/0107e80c-791c-4b79-ba06-104a78344fb1.png" alt="Nia Ali and son Titus Maximus celebrate in Rio" />
Nia Ali and son Titus Maximus celebrate in Rio
</div>
 She has taken that attitude into this year. Ali&rsquo;s wind-aided 12.59 (3.7m/s) in Florida in March is her fastest ever 100m hurdles season opener in any conditions, while in her next meeting &ndash; the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in April &ndash; she clocked a wind-legal 12.59. Never before had she run so fast at that stage of her season. She went on to claim top three spots in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold events in Ostrava and Hengelo, as well as at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome.
Next up is the USATF Championships, taking place 23-26 June at Hayward Field. Demonstrative of the strides being made, USATF has announced that through a partnership with &amp;Mother &ndash; a non-profit organisation co-founded by multiple world 800m medallist Alysia Montano &ndash; an onsite childcare pilot for athletes and coaches will be on offer at the event.
For Ali, the national event is another step towards next month&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships at the same venue. As she has a wild card entry as a defending champion, USA can send four athletes in her event &ndash; an exciting prospect, particularly for a championships on home soil. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b34aee2f13aa21558d2e0c.jpg" alt="Nia Ali in action at the 2016 US Trials in Eugene" />
Nia Ali in action at the 2016 US Trials in Eugene (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
 &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve only ever been (at a major championships) on home soil once before and that was World Indoors in Portland. So, to be back in Eugene and have that same energy, have my family there &ndash; they travel all the time for me but now they can come directly,&rdquo; says multiple national medallist Ali, who secured Olympic silver as part of a US top three at the 2016 Games in Rio.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited, I&rsquo;m anxious &ndash; everything. I want to just be able to channel all that energy into something positive and put on a great show for everybody.&rdquo;
And that won&rsquo;t stop in Oregon.
&ldquo;Watching my competitors run last year and run spectacular times and have a great season, that is always motivating and it excites me to get back out there,&rdquo; she adds.
&ldquo;I know I&rsquo;m older but I don&rsquo;t feel it, so I want to continue to build on that and god willing I&rsquo;m around through Paris (2024 Olympics) and trying to reach some more goals.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Nia Ali is just getting started

Hurdles champion Ali, more motivated than ever

Thousands of visitors will flock to the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at the University of Oregon&rsquo;s Hayward Field this July. For many, it may be their first experience visiting the Pacific Northwest, where forest fires and other factors can sometimes affect air quality.
How does the public view exposure to wildfire smoke? If air quality forces changes to planned events, how would visitors want to be informed of those changes? A team of UO researchers monitoring air quality at Hayward Field is launching a survey to find out, and their efforts will help championship organisers while improving our understanding of how to navigate outdoor events when air quality is poor for any reason.
The interdisciplinary team &ndash; made up of researchers from the <a href="elley%20Christensen,%20Office%20of%20the%20Vice%20President%20for%20Research%20and%20Innovation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Institute for Sustainable Environment, Center for Science Communication Research, and Institute for Policy Research and Engagement</a> &ndash; developed the survey as baseline assessment for making outdoor events more resilient to the&nbsp; potential hazards, not only in Oregon but internationally. World Athletics is working with the UO to carefully monitor air quality at the event.
&ldquo;Measuring the air quality impact of athletics events is an extremely interesting field of research that will allow us to ensure the long-term sustainability of our sport,&rdquo; said World Athletics medical manager Paolo Emilio Adami.
<h2>Data-driven approach to planning</h2>
<a href="https://oregon.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3ws56DehSxQoHS6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The survey</a>, which is open to anyone who is planning to attend events at Hayward Field this summer, asks respondents about whether they would seek air quality information prior to attending an event, how they would like to receive information about air quality, whether such information would help them feel more prepared and other questions related to concerns and experiences with wildfire smoke.
&ldquo;Broadly, what we&rsquo;re doing with our efforts under [WCH Oregon22] is trying to improve individual- and community-level responses to dealing with wildfire smoke,&rdquo; said Heidi Huber-Stearns, director of the Ecosystem Workforce Program at the UO&rsquo;s Institute for a Sustainable Environment (ISE). &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to better prepare for the future, and the future is likely to contain wildfire smoke. We are learning how to improve communication with people before and during events so we can better align our resources and efforts.&rdquo;
Hollie Smith, associate director for the Center for Science Communication Research, hopes this study will improve important communication processes during all types of hazard events.
&ldquo;To effectively communicate with volunteers, attendees and community members, you have to get a baseline understanding of where people go for information, what they already know and how they want to receive information,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It is particularly important for events where so many people will be traveling in and have no familiarity with the communication channels in the area.&rdquo;
<h2>Sensors complement survey results</h2>
Gauging public awareness is one of the ways the UO is collecting data about air quality and its impacts on human health. <a href="https://around.uoregon.edu/content/hayward-field-sensors-advance-uo-wildfire-smoke-initiative" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sensors installed at Hayward Field</a> not only detect wildfire smoke, but also other particulate matter, like pollen and pollution from vehicles and other sources.
Benjamin Clark, co-director of the UO&rsquo;s Institute for Policy Research and Engagement, noted that &ldquo;the monitors and data they produce can help people from around the state in all roles, from coaches, trainers, event planners and others to better understand the risks they might face when putting on an outdoor event.&rdquo;
Through these efforts, the UO team and World Athletics are working together to collectively advance understanding in air quality preparation and planning.
&ldquo;We are excited to work with the University of Oregon team on air quality, as their interest in wildfire integrates with our interest in air pollution,&rdquo; Adami said. &ldquo;We have never faced the situation of staging an event in an area where wildfires are common, so there is a lot to learn from their expertise. We are trying to set up a joint platform to share information on air pollution and pollen that could help us during [this summer&rsquo;s event] but also provide the local community with further information through the device that we have installed at Hayward Field.&rdquo;
Adami said the organisation is planning to install another device during the competition that will allow for air quality comparison in different parts of Eugene.
<h2>Transdisciplinary approaches to environmental change</h2>
There&rsquo;s a convergence of scientific awareness of the harms of smoke pollution, and a growing awareness of respiratory-based health issues, said Mike Coughlan, a faculty research associate at ISE.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a novel harm or hazard, but in terms of what the public is used to, it&rsquo;s a novel idea to think that the smoke in the air is harmful,&rdquo; Coughlan said. &ldquo;This kind of work builds community and individual resilience toward a problem that is getting worse. We&rsquo;re still at an early level of public understanding even though the science is clear that wildfire smoke is a serious public health issue.&rdquo;
Coughlan and Huber-Stearns noted that while the air quality research is important for the sports events this summer, this work can be applied more broadly to understanding how communities, including universities, plan and work through unpredictable and difficult issues like natural hazards.
&ldquo;The work of this interdisciplinary UO research team better positions the university to respond to air quality concerns not only to protect athletes and fans, but also to contribute to a growing body of research about the effects of wildfire,&rdquo; said Cass Moseley, interim vice president for research and innovation. &ldquo;This is another example of how the UO is a leader in creating new approaches to how we address environmental concerns as our climate changes.&rdquo;
Kelley Christensen (Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation)

Measuring the air quality impact of athletics events will help ensure the long-term sustainability of our sport

University of Oregon researchers seek to understand public tolerance for poor air quality

The World Athletics Council has approved the following decisions on future qualification systems for championship events and for the future rotation of the World Athletics Relays.
<h2>Entry standards and world rankings</h2>
The Council has approved the continuation of the current qualification system structure for World Athletics Championships and Olympic Games.
Therefore, the target 50/50 split of athletes qualified through entry standards and the world rankings, which was used for the Olympic Games in Tokyo and is in use for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, will remain in use for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The Council plans to review the world rankings system later this year, and subsequently approve the scoring system for 2023.
<h2>Marathon qualification system for Paris</h2>
To enable early selection, as well as national trials, for the Olympic Games marathon in Paris, the Council has approved a two-step procedure for the Olympic marathon qualification system.
On 6 February 2024, any athlete
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; having achieved the entry standard (to be confirmed at a later Council session)
or
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ranked higher than the 65th athlete on the filtered (three athletes per national Olympic committee) &lsquo;Road to Paris&rsquo; list
will be considered qualified and eligible for immediate selection.
In addition, the Council also approved a quota reallocation option in the marathon only. Any national Olympic committee may choose to reallocate a quota place to an unqualified athlete, provided the athlete has achieved at least a 2:11:30 (men) or 2:29:30 (women) eligibility performance within the qualification window.
The entry standards for the marathon will be approved by the Council at a later meeting.
<h2>Future rotation of World Athletics Relays</h2>
Since 2015, the World Athletics Relays has been a biennial event, taking place in odd years to serve as a World Athletics Championships qualifying event in the championship disciplines as well as offering race opportunities in the less traditional events such as the shuttle hurdles relays and the 2x2x400m mixed team relay.
Having evaluated recent editions, the Council has decided to change the future scheduling of this event to an even-year rotation, starting in 2024. The event will serve as the trials in Olympic years, with the Council to approve a detailed format of the event at the next Council meeting in July.&nbsp;
<h2>Inclusion of 5km/10km in 5000m/10,000m qualification systems for Budapest and Paris</h2>
Acknowledging the popularity and performance level of the 5km and 10km road events, the Council has decided that both disciplines will be included in the qualification system for the 5000m and 10,000m respectively at future championships.
Therefore, it will be possible to qualify for the 5000m and the 10,000m at eligible road events, and results achieved in the road events will count towards the world rankings in the 5000m and 10,000m.
<h2>Inclusion of cross country rankings in qualification systems for Budapest and Paris</h2>
Following the launch of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour as well as the cross country rankings, the Council has decided to modify the cross country qualification pathway for the 10,000m at future championships.
The top 15 men and women in the World Cross Country Championships 2019 were automatically qualified in the 10,000m for the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha. Following the latest decision made by the Council, this will be replaced by a new pathway.
Starting with the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, the top eight men and top eight women in the cross country rankings, who are not already qualified via entry standard or world 10,000m ranking, will be automatically qualified.
Entry standards in the 10,000m for Budapest will be approved by the Council in July this year.
World Athletics

The World Athletics Council has approved decisions on future qualification systems for championship events and for the future rotation of the World Athletics Relays

Competition decisions on qualification for future championship events

Tokyo Olympian Tachlowini Gabriyesos will lead a six-member Athlete Refugee Team (ART) to next month's World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
Gabriyesos, 24, made waves one year ago when he finished 16th in the Olympic marathon in Sapporo, beating some of the world's best marathoners.
&ldquo;It makes me so proud to once again wear the Athlete Refugee Team vest at the World Championships,&rdquo; said Gabriyesos, a native of Eritrea who made his Athlete Refugee Team debut at the 2019 World Championships in Doha where he competed in the 5000m. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t represent a country, but millions of people without one. I want to be a role model for refugee youth around the world and wish to show the world once again that refugees can be strong, that we are hungry for success and that we deserve equal opportunities.&rdquo;
Gabriyesos fled conflict and bloodshed in Eritrea at age 12 and journeyed through Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt before crossing the Sinai desert on foot to Israel where he's been living since 2010. He began running soon after and eventually found that he was best suited for athletics' longest running event.
At the Hahula Galilee Marathon in Israel in March 2021, Gabriyesos clocked 2:10:55 to become the first refugee athlete to meet an Olympic qualifying standard. He later served as the co-flag bearer for the Olympic Refugee Team at Tokyo&rsquo;s Opening Ceremonies. After his solid performance in Sapporo's hot and muggy conditions, Gabriyesos improved to 2:10:09 at the Seville Marathon in February.
After its involvement with the inaugural Refugee Olympic Team that competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, World Athletics established the Athlete Refugee Team in 2017 to provide refugees with high level training and competitive opportunities. It is the world&rsquo;s only year-round team composed solely of refugee athletes. The team has been represented at almost every World Championship event since, in addition to a growing number of continental and regional events, most recently the European 10,000m Cup in May and the African Championships earlier this month.
"On this World Refugee Day, our Athlete Refugee Team brings a powerful and inspirational message of hope and solidarity to the world, at a time when it's truly needed," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. "They're also showing, through their rapid development and world class performances, that they do belong among the world's best athletes."
<h2>Representing a community of 89 million</h2>
When the refugee team was introduced at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, that squad of 10 &ndash; six competing in athletics &ndash; represented 65 million people around the world who had been forcibly displaced from their homes. That figure soared to more than 82 million by 2020 and, propelled by conflict, the climate crisis and skyrocketing inequality, has grown to 89.3 million at the end of 2021. The six athletes who are set to compete in Eugene next month will represent a community that collectively would be the 17th most populous country on the planet.
Similarly, the number of athletes involved in the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team project continues to grow. More than 40 athletes are now involved in the programme, training at their respective bases in Kenya, Israel, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Canada and Portugal.
Gabriyesos will be joined by Jamal Abdalmajid Eisa-Mohammed, a native of Sudan, who will make his second consecutive World Championships appearance in the 5000m. The 28-year-old improved his lifetime best over the distance to 13:42.98 at the Olympic Games last year.
Dorian Keletela, 23, will be making his third ART appearance after outings at the 2021 European Indoor Championships and last summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the Japanese capital, he clocked 10.33 to win his 100m heat in the preliminary round, smashing his previous career best by 0.13. He improved to 10.27 last year and at the moment has a 10.47 season's best.
Fouad Idbafdil, a refugee from Morocco who is based in France, rounds out the men's squad. The 34-year-old steeplechase specialist improved his lifetime best to 8:37.94 nine days ago. He too competed on the ART squad in Doha in 2019.
The women&rsquo;s team is led by Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, who will bring plenty of experience to the start line of the 1500m. The 27-year-old native of South Sudan, who is based at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation training camp in Ngong, Kenya, will be making her second World Championships appearance after her debut in 2017. Nadai is a two-time Olympian and most recently competed at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March and the African Championships in Mauritius 11 days ago. She set her 4:31.65 lifetime best in Tokyo last year.
She'll be joined by Atalena Napule Gaspore, another South Sudanese athlete from the Loroupe camp, who will be making her Athlete Refugee Team debut competing in the 800m.
World Athletics
<h3>Athlete refugee team for WCH Oregon22</h3>
Women 800m: Atalena Napule Gaspore 1500m: Anjelina Nadai Lohalith
Men 100m: Dorian Keletela 5000m: Jamal Abdalmajid Eisa-Mohammed marathon: Tachlowini Gabriyesos 3000m steeplechase: Fouad Idbafdil

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