EUGENE, Oregon — Valarie Allman won the first women's discus medal for Team USATF in meet history and all four U.S. athletes qualified for the final of the women's 400m hurdles on day six of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field. Allman's medal brings the U.S. total to 19, 11 more than the next highest nation, and Team USATF leads the points standings by 103 over Ethiopia with 185.
A shocking first round throw by China's Bin Feng threw the form charts into disarray as she added almost 10 feet to her lifetime best with a massive 69.12m/226-9. What had promised to be a duel for gold between Olympic champion and American record holder Valarie Allman (Austin, Texas/USATF New York) and Croatia's two-time world champion Sandra Perkovic instead turned into a desperate chase after the early leader. Allman took the early lead with a 67.62m/221-10 on her opening throw and then Perkovic surpassed that with a 67.74m/222-3. Two throws later, Feng hit the jackpot and took a lead that she would never lose. Perkovic improved to 68.45m/224-7 in round two, and then in the next round Allman hit her best of 68.30m/224-1. Allman had one more throw past 68-meters but couldn't hit the one big throw she has been known for of late, while Perkovic remained in silver medal position. Allman's bronze was the first discus medal ever for an American woman at the World Championships. Laulauga Tausaga-Collins (Spring Valley, California/USATF San Diego-Imperial) threw 56.47m/185-3 on her first attempt and finished 12th.
Going up against one of the strongest fields ever assembled in the event, 2017 world champion Emma Coburn (Boulder, Colorado/USATF Colorado) was in third after the first kilometer, going by in 2:57.96 and on sub-9:00 pace. With four to go, she was in fourth but she started to struggle as the tempo quickened and fell back to sixth. Coburn was at 6:02.28 through 2km and had eased back into fifth, but had too much to make up on the medal contenders, who were 10 seconds ahead. Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan smashed the World Championships record with an 8:53.02 for gold, and Ethiopia's Werkuha Getachew claimed silver in a national record 8:54.61. Her teammate, Mekides Abebe took the bronze in 8:56.08. The second place and third place times were the fastest ever for those finish positions, as was the fourth-place 9:01.31 for Winfred Yavi of Bahrain. American record holder and Olympic silver medalist Courtney Frerichs (Beaverton, Oregon/USATF Oregon) went past Coburn in the final stages and placed sixth in a season best 9:10.59, two places ahead of Coburn, who was eighth in 9:16.49. NCAA champion Courtney Wayment (Layton, Utah/USATF Utah) was 12th in 9:22.37. Frerichs recorded the fastest sixth-place time in meet history.
World record holder and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin (Playa Vista, California/USATF Southern California) was as dominant as expected in the final section, running away from a good field to win in 52.17, .01 off the meet record set in 2019 by Dalilah Muhammad. McLaughlin was in lane six and went through the opening 200m in 24.61 and past 300m in 38.00, more than a second up on her nearest challenger as she recorded the eighth-fastest time ever. In the first semi, Dalilah Muhammad (Fort Worth, Texas/USATF Southern California) was out like a rocket, making up the stagger on the athlete to her outside by the first hurdle. Keeping up her torrid early pace through the 200m mark in 25.20, the reigning world champion was never seriously challenged on the way to a 53.28 season best that put her into the final. Shamier Little (Louisville, Kentucky/USATF Arkansas) and Britton Wilson (Henrico, Virginia/USATF Virginia) were drawn in the second semi with Olympic bronze medalist Femke Bol of the Netherlands, setting up a situation where one very good hurdler would have to advance as a time qualifier. Little was out quickly along with Bol and Rushell Clayton of Jamaica, with Wilson well off the early pace. Through the final curve Wilson started to make up some real estate but she vaulted over the final barrier and lost her stride. Bol won in 52.84, the fastest semi time in meet history, ahead of Little's 53.61 in second. Clayton secured third in 53.63, and a fourth-place Wilson also made it through to the final with her 53.72.
The world's fastest man this year at 43.56, USATF champion Michael Norman (Sherman Oaks, California/USATF Southern California) was passed at the 250m mark on the inside by British record holder Matthew Hudson-Smith, who led at 300m before Norman produced an unbeatable final straight to win in 44.30, .08 ahead of the Briton. Champion Allison (Houston, Texas/USATF Florida) made up several acres of real estate over the final 100m of the last semi, coming back from a half-second deficit at 300m to win in 44.71. World record holder Wayde van Niekerk went out very quickly and hit the halfway point in 20.97, more than a half-second in front of his nearest challenger. He paid the price for that early pace, though and ended up second in 44.75. All eight finalists broke 45 seconds. Diamond League champion Michael Cherry (Inglewood, California/USATF Southern California) was third entering the final 100m but fell back to fourth in 45.28 and did not advance.
USATF and NCAA champion Talitha Diggs (Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania/USATF Mid-Atlantic) gave it all she had over the final 150m of the last semi, but her 50.84 in third wasn't enough to qualify for the final, missing by .2 seconds. Lynna Irby (Indianapolis, Indiana/USATF Indiana) had Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo one lane to her inside in semi one and the Bahamian sped past her through the first 100m, going on to win in a season best 49.55, the second-fastest time in the world this year. Irby finished sixth in 51.00 and did not advance to the final.
Coming off a lifetime best and ninth-place finish in the 10,000m four days ago, Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa/USATF Oregon) settled into second after the 600m mark in the first heat, with Emily Infeld (University Heights, Ohio/USATF Oregon) midway back in the pack. Early pace pointed to a sub-15:00 finish as the leaders passed 1km in 2:57.16. There wasn't much change in the order over the next kilometer as Japan's Ririka Hironaka continued to make the pace, with 1,500m silver medalist Gudaf Tsegay hanging tight in fifth. Hironaka and Schweizer went past 3,000m in under 9:00, and with four laps remaining there were eight women still in contention for the five automatic qualifying spots. Schweizer went to the lead with three to go and Infeld was still in touch in seventh, with Schweizer passing 4km in 12:06.78. Tsegay was perched on Schweizer's shoulder with two to go and then passed her on that backstretch as a group of five started to pull away from the field. Tsegay sped down the final straight to win in 14:52.64, just ahead of Ethiopian teammate Dawit Seyaum. Schweizer was comfortably fifth after easing up in the last 100m, clocking a season best of 14:53.69. Infeld finished well to take sixth in 15:00.98, earning the final time qualifier spot. USATF champion Elise Cranny (Beaverton, Oregon/USATF Oregon) tucked into the middle of the pack that strung out fairly quickly behind leader Eilish McColgan of Britain in heat two, passing through 2km in 5:58.96 with 10,000m gold medalist Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia a few places behind her. Nine women dipped under 9:00 through 3km, including Cranny in fifth at 8:58.73. With those nine athletes pulling clear of the remainder of the field, McColgan continued to make the running at the front. Cranny was sixth at 4km in 12:20.86 and in very good shape to secure a finals berth. Jessica Judd of Britain took over lead chores with 600m remaining and then Karoline Grovdal of Norway pushed to the fore. Off the final bend Gidey stretched out her stride and ran on to win in 14:52.27, while Cranny was fifth in 14:53.20.
Battling a pesky headwind in Group A, Kara Winger (Colorado Springs, Colorado/USATF New York) read it right in round two and hit 61.30m/201-1 to move into second in her flight. Her mark held up to advance her to the final as the only American representative, placing her fourth overall. Ariana Ince (Chula Vista, California/USATF San Diego-Imperial) threw 57.17m/187-6 in the first round and improved to 57.24m/187-9 on her final throw in the Group A, putting her 18th overall, but she and Maggie Malone (Phoenix, Arizona/USATF Arizona) did not qualify for the final. Malone's best was 54.19m/177-9 in Group B to place her 22nd overall.
None of the four Americans were able to move on to the semifinal of the men's 800m. Defending champion Donavan Brazier (Grand Rapids, Michigan/USATF Oregon), who has been battling bursitis in his foot, was third going past the bell in the second heat, but after getting his stride cut with 200m to go he couldn't regain his rhythm and finished seventh in 1:46.72. USATF champion Bryce Hoppel (Midland, Texas/USATF Missouri Valley) got tangled up on the first backstretch in heat three and had to expend a lot of energy to get back in contention. He passed 400m in 52.60 and appeared to be in good position to advance, but over the final half-lap he yielded ground and finished fifth in 1:46.98. A slow early tempo in the fourth heat put USATF bronze medalist Brandon Miller (St. Louis, Missouri/USATF Ozark) in a precarious position, needing to finish in the top three to ensure advancement. Miller was set with 200m to go but had to swing wide on the home straight and placed fifth in 1:47.29. The fastest heat by far to that point had Jonah Koech (Falls Church, Virginia/USATF Potomac Valley) in third at the bell in section five in 51.59. The USATF runner-up had to push past a stumbling Swedish runner heading into the final bend, but he recovered his composure well and made a strong run over the final 150m to place second in a lifetime best 1:44.62. He was subsequently disqualified. Click here to find out how to watch. A full list of results and schedule of events can be found here. Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #JourneyToGold.