BUDAPEST – When the talking stopped and the gun fired in the final of the men's 100, Noah Lyles was all business as he completed the first leg of his predicted sprint double with a sizzling lifetime best of 9.83 for gold in the final event on day two of the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Center.
Making up ground on fast-starting teammate Christian Coleman, Lyles edged to the lead with 30 to go and maintained it through the line to become the fourth different Team USATF athlete to win the world title since 2017. Coleman finished fifth in 9.92 as the three men ahead of him all clocked 9.88 and were separated by only .004 seconds.
Botswana's Letsile Tebogo became the first-ever African medalist in the event with silver and Zharnel Hughes of Britain took bronze ahead of Jamaica's Oblique Seville, who matched his Oregon22 placing and finished one place off the podium. Defending champion Fred Kerley was third in the final semi and his 10.02 did not earn him a place in the final.
Two-time World Championships bronze medalist Ivana Vuleta of Serbia, who has also won two world indoor titles, flew out to a world-leading 7.14/23-5.25 in round five to take gold in the women's long jump over Tara Davis-Woodhall. Davis Woodhall, the USATF champion, hit her best jump of the day on her first attempt, a 6.91/22-8 that held up through the next five rounds to give her the silver. Vuleta took the lead from Davis-Woodhall in round two with a 7.05/23-1.75 and Davis-Woodhall gamely tried to respond, adding a 6.78/22-3 on her last attempt.
Jasmine Moore's best of 6.54/21-5.5 came in round three and placed her 10th.
What many combined events fans had forecast as a foregone conclusion became a compelling heptathlon battle between Oregon22 bronze medalist Anna Hall and 2019 world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain. Running with her left calf strapped after tweaking it during the high jump on day one, Hall needed to beat Johnson-Thompson by three seconds in the 800 to take the gold, but her 2:04.10 was not quite enough as the British athlete raced to a lifetime best 2:05.63 to take the title with 6,740 points. Hall earned silver with 6,720, and Anouk Vetter of the Netherlands took bronze at 6,501. Chari Hawkins had the best meet of her career to claim eighth with a PB 6,366.
Hall was the leader after day one, tallying 3,998 points to lead Johnson-Thompson by 93, but the lead changed hands after Hall had an uncharacteristically average 6.19/20-3.75 in the long jump while Johnson-Thompson sailed out to 6.54/21-5.5 to go ahead by 19. Johnson-Thompson also bettered Hall in the javelin, though the latter notched a season best of 44.88/147-3. That put the British athlete at 5,710 heading into the 800, with Vetter climbing into second after a huge 59.57/195-5 in the javelin, and Hall third at 5,667. Taliyah Brooks had three fouls in the long jump and did not continue.
Dethroning five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek of Poland, Canada's Ethan Katzberg stunned the stadium with a national record 81.25/266-7 in round five to win and claim his nation's first medal in the event. Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki of Poland came closest to Katzberg with an 81.02/265-10 in the fifth round, and the hometown fans were rewarded with a bronze from Bence Halasz, who had a best of 80.82/265-2. Daniel Haugh's season best 78.64/258-0 in the fourth round put him sixth, and USATF champion Rudy Winkler was eighth at 76.04/249-6, reversing their placings at last year's meet.
Very warm conditions slowed the early pace in the men's 10,000 before reigning world champion and world record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda pushed the accelerator to the floor with just over a lap to go and covered the final circuit in 53.45 to pick up his third straight gold in 27:51.42. Daniel Ebenyo of Kenya passed Olympic champion Selemon Barega of Ethiopia in the final 30m to earn silver in 27:52.60, giving Barega bronze in 27:52.72. Woody Kincaid was the top American in 11th at 28:08.71, with Sean McGorty 16th in 28:27.54 and Joe Klecker 20th in 29:03.41.
HEATS/QUALIFYING
Women's Discus
Olympic champion Valarie Allman looked just like a gold medal contender should look, needing only one throw to advance automatically with a 67.14/220-3 in Group A. Lagi Tausaga-Collins also had one of the better throws of her career in Group B, hitting 64.34/211-1 in round two to automatically advance. Veronica Fraley (59.36/194-9) and Elena Bruckner (55.94/183-6) did not move on.
Women's 400
Two of three Team USATF entrants made it through to the semifinal, with both Lynna Irby-Jackson and Talitha Diggs taking third in their heats. Irby-Jackson clocked 50.81 in heat two, and Diggs went 50.87 in the sixth and final heat. Britton Wilson ran 53.87 and did not advance.
Men's 400
Vernon Norwood was second in the third heat in 44.87 and Quincy Hall took second in the fifth heat in 44.86 to make their way to the semifinal, but Bryce Deadmon ran 46.20 in the final section and did not advance.
Men's High Jump
USATF champion JuVaughn Harrison had no misses on his card on the way to clearing 2.28/7-5.75 and grabbing a berth in the final, but Shelby McEwen's path to advancement was a bit more circuitous. McEwen missed once at the opening height of 2.14/7-0.25 and needed three attempts at 2.22/7-3.25 and 2.28 to secure a place in the final. Vernon Turner made it over the opening height on his first try and then missed thrice at 2.22 and did not advance.
Men's 400H
Winning his heat easily in 48.35, Oregon22 silver medalist Rai Benjamin moved through to the semifinal along with last year's bronze medalist, Trevor Bassitt, and CJ Allen. Bassitt was third in heat two at 48.73 and Allen took the runner-up position in the fifth heat in 48.36.
Women's 100
This year's fastest American woman, Sha'Carri Richardson, dashed to a convincing win in heat five in 10.92, the fastest of all the heats, and Brittany Brown was also victorious in the second heat as the 2019 World Championships 200 silver medalist clocked 11.01. Making it three-for-three in advancement to the semifinal, Tamari Davis ran 11.06 in heat three for second.
Women's 1500 semifinal
Executing her race plan perfectly in the first semi, Cory McGee safely advanced to the final by placing fourth in 4:02.71 in a blanket finish. Sinclaire Johnson was in contention midway through the race but fell back to 11th in 4:06.39. McGee was near the front through 400 in 66.54, with Johnson less than a half-second behind her. Passing 800 in 2:15.41 in fourth, McGee jockeyed for a safe position in the tightly-grouped pack and she was fifth at 1200 in 3:18.28, .05 behind Johnson. A 44.43 final 300 saw McGee through as Kenya's Nelly Chepchirchir won in 4:02.14.
The second semi featured world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and the pace was much faster than the first section, producing an amazing depth of high quality times. Nine of the 11 finishers broke 4:00, led by Kipyegon's 3:55.14, and the top three were faster than 3:56. USATF champion Nikki Hiltz couldn't gain any traction and finished 11th in spite of a very quick 4:00.84 that would have won the first semi.
Men's 1500 semifinal
Looking supremely confident and in control as he moved to the front at the bell, USATF champion Yared Nuguse won the first semi in 3:32.69, the fastest time ever by an American at the World Championships and the fastest semi ever at the meet. Nuguse was second at 800m in 1:54.99, running on the shoulder of Kenya's Abel Kipsang, and he turned in a 57.68 for the next 400 before a steady 40.02 final 300 gave him the win by .03 over Kipsang. Seven men ran faster than 3:33, leaving one of them on the outside looking in as only six from each semi advanced.
A much slower pace in the second semi had Cole Hocker in second at 2:00.53 as the pack passed 800. As the tempo heated up on the next 400, Hocker stayed near the front in third, rolling to a 55.77 lap and then turning in a 39.23 final 300 to grab third in 3:35.23 and make the final.
A full list of results along with a schedule of events can be found here.
*records subject to usual ratification procedures
TEAM USATF MEDAL TOTAL (6)
Gold (3)
Ryan Crouser, men's shot put (23.51/77-1.75, championships record)
Mixed 4x400, Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling, Alexis Holmes (3:08.80, world record)
Noah Lyles, men's 100 (9.83)
Silver (2)
Anna Hall, women's heptathlon (6,720 points)
Tara Davis-Woodhall, women's long jump (6.91/22-8)
Bronze (1)
Joe Kovacs, men's shot put (22.12/72-7)