Relay gold, Crouser crowning top Team USATF highlights on day 1 of World Championships  

Relay gold, Crouser crowning top Team USATF highlights on day 1 of World Championships
 
TOKYO – Spectacular second and third legs carried Team USATF to gold in the mixed 4x400 relay Saturday night to cap off the first day of the World Athletics Championships at National Stadium as the Americans finished the day with two golds.
 
Defending the title they won at Budapest in 2023, the American foursome had Bryce Deadmon on the opening leg and he acquitted himself well to hand off in second after a 44.98 split that trailed only a sizzling 44.57 by South Africa's Gardeo Isaacs. Grabbing the baton from Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson took off like a jet and established a lead down the backstretch that the U.S. would never lose. Irby-Jackson blitzed an eye-opening 49.18, the fastest women's split of the final, and passed the stick to Jenoah Mckiver with a good lead.
 
Mckiver didn't settle for keeping the lead, extending it with a 43.91 that was the fastest split overall, and all Alexis Holmes had to do was keep the composure that guided her to gold as the U.S. anchor at Budapest. Holmes ran a steady 50.73 to cross the line in 3:08.80, equaling the meet record she helped set two years ago. The Netherlands earned silver in 3:09.96, and Belgium nabbed bronze in 3:10.61.
 
King of the ring Ryan Crouser added another chapter to the story of his legendary career, overcoming injury to capture his third straight world title in majestic fashion with a 22.34/73-3.5 blast in round five that put him a foot ahead of the runner-up and sealed his place as history's greatest male shot putter. Competing in his first meet of 2025 due to a lingering elbow issue, Crouser hit 21.41/70-3 on his opening salvo before uncorking a 21.99/72-1.75 in round two that would also have been good enough to win. He added a 21.79/71-6 effort in round four before his big toss, and then passed on his final attempt after being assured of victory.
 
Mexico's Uziel Munoz was a surprising silver medalist with a national record 21.97/72-1 on his last throw, relegating Italy's Leonardo Fabbri to bronze and leaving New Zealand's Tom Walsh off the podium as both men recorded bests of 21.94/71-11.75. Tripp Piperi was sixth at 21.50/70-6.5, and Josh Awotunde placed seventh at 21.14/69-4.25.
 
World record holder and Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya exploded off the final turn in the women's 10,000 and staved off a spirited challenge from Italy's Nadia Battocletti to come away with gold in 30:37.61 and repeat the finish order from the Games in Paris last summer. Battocletti set a national record with her 30:38.23 for silver, and Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay claimed the bronze in a season best 30:39.65. Kenya's Agnes Ngetich, a contender throughout, ended up fourth in 30:42.66.
 
Elise Cranny was the top U.S. finisher, placing 12th in 31:40.07, with Emily Infeld two spots behind her in 14th in 31:47.65. Taylor Roe was 18th, clocking 32:12.19.
 
Warm and very muggy conditions almost mandated a cautious pace through the first two kilometers, with Japan's Ririka Hironaka handling the pacing chores in 6:14.04. By 4K the field had started to split into discrete groups with Ngetich and Chebet exchanging the lead and six other women within two seconds. The next two kilos really separated the contenders from the rest of the field and a cluster of six women went clear by more than 10 seconds led by Chebet, Ngetich, Tsegay, Ejgayehu Taye of Ethiopia, and Battocletti.
 
After the lead group was reduced to five, the pace slowed down significantly and Ngetich was just in front at 8K in 24:46.82. Nobody was eager to venture out from the lead group through the next kilometer, but at 9K Tsegay burst to the lead ahead of Chebet, Ngetich and Battocletti as those four were fighting for three podium spots.
 
In the first event of the Championships, 39-year-old Maria Michta-Coffey tied the best finish ever by an American woman in the 35 kilometer race walk, taking 22nd in a season best 3:05:02 to match the placing she had at Eugene in 2022. Miranda Melville was 30th in 3:12:07, while Katie Burnett ended up 32nd in 3:14:13. Maria Perez of Spain took the gold in 2:39:01, the sixth-fastest time ever.
 
All four American women in the heats of the 100 secured berths in tomorrow's semifinal, paced by 2025 USATF champion and world leader Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Undefeated in the dash this season, Jefferson-Wooden made easy work of heat one to win in 10.99. Reigning world champion Sha'Carri Richardson and two-time silver medalist Shericka Jackson of Jamaica matched up in heat three, with Richardson edging her rival 11.03-11.04 to move on. TeeTee Terry was a clear runner-up in the fifth heat in 11.06, with Kayla White nabbing the third auto spot in the penultimate heat in 11.16.
 
Sailing out to 6.88/22-7 on her first attempt in the women's long jump, Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall led all qualifiers to the final. She will be joined by this year's World Indoors champion, Claire Bryant, who needed a 6.72/22-0.75 on her third and final attempt to make the top 12, and Quanesha Burks, who used a 6.63/21-9 in round two to make it through.
 
Following the lead of Japan's Tomoka Kimura through the first 400 in 65.14 and 800 in 2:13.62, the pace in heat three of the women's 1500 was much quicker than the previous two sections. USATF champion Nikki Hiltz bided their time in the front half of the 14-woman field and covered the move by Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu, who led at the bell in 3:00.71. Hailu went clear around the final lap to win in 4:01.23, the fastest time out of all four sections, with Hiltz finishing very strongly to take second in 4:01.73. 
 
Sinclaire Johnson set an American outdoor record in the mile at London on July 19, and she had no trouble grabbing a semifinal berth in the first heat with a 4:04.59 to place second. Johnson paced the pack through the first three laps and only gave up the lead to Australia's Jess Hull down the final stretch. The second heat strolled through the first circuit in 72.65 to leave the field bunched up, and the pace only picked up a little on the second lap to by 800 in 2:21.84. An increase in tempo started to split the pack up and that left Emily Mackay with a lot to do to put herself in the top six. Mackay moved to the outside and took over fifth, keeping that spot off the final bend to finish in 4:08.19 and advance.
 
On the heels of a stunningly fast first heat in the men's 100, where South Africa's Gift Leotlela and Nigeria's Kayinsola Ajayi both dipped under 9.90, reigning Olympic and world champion Noah Lyles exhibited a much-improved start in heat three and powered to an easy-looking 9.95 to win and lead three of four U.S. men to the semifinal. This year's American leader at 9.79, Kenny Bednarek, also had time to check out his competition with a look to the left midway through the next heat and was never really challenged as he clocked 10.01 for the win.
 
The road to the next round wasn't so smooth for Courtney Lindsey, who was third in heat five in 10.19, hindered by the strongest headwind of all the heats at -1.2 meters per second, but it was enough to earn him another run. An apparent false start by T'Mars McCallum in the sixth section, when the reaction time showed as .099, was overruled by officials. McCallum had a good start the second time around, but it wasn't enough as he placed fourth in 10.25 and did not advance.
 
The gold and silver medalists from Budapest23 cruised through to the final of the women's discus after surpassing the automatic qualifying standard, with reigning champion Laulauga Tausaga throwing 64.99/213-2 in round three of Group A and Olympic champion Valarie Allman going even farther with a 66.07/216-9 on her first attempt in Group B. Gabi Jacobs had a best of 59.70/195-10 and Shelby Frank threw 58.90/193-3, missing out on advancing to the final.
 
NACAC champion Daniel Michalski was in the lead in the final heat of the men's 3000 steeplechase until the final water jump, when he yielded to two-time Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali, but he held on to place third and nab a spot in the final with a time of 8:28.76. Isaac Updike, eighth in the first heat at 8:33.46, and Olympic silver medalist Kenneth Rooks, 11th in heat two at 8:45.57, did not advance.
 
Two-time world champion Sam Kendricks was the sole advancer to the final for the U.S. in the men's pole vault, keeping a clean card through 5.75/18-10.25. USATF champion Austin Miller needed three tries to go over 5.55/18-2.5, but couldn't clear 5.70/18-8.25 and did not advance. Matt Ludwig had a first attempt clearance at that height before failing to navigate 5.75/18-10.25.
 
Facing a return to the track for the evening final, and only allowed to make one substitution between rounds, the U.S. foursome ensured their advancement with a 3:10.18 to win the first heat with the fastest time overall. Running the leadoff leg Deadmon clocked 45.07 and handed off in second to Irby-Jackson, who quickly moved to the lead around the bend. Irby-Jackson ran a very strong leg to split 49.41 and passed to Mckiver just ahead of South Africa. Staying in front of the South Africans around the oval Mckiver used a 44.20 to give the baton to Holmes with a half-stride edge. Holmes ran just fast enough to seal the heat win, using a 51.50 to hold off the British challenger at the line.
 
Also looking at a quick turnaround for the final in the men's shot put, Crouser sneaked past the automatic qualifying standard by two centimeters with his first throw of the year, hitting 21.37/70-1.5. Piperi had the best throw among the American contingent, also advancing automatically with his 21.47/70-5.25 opener, but USATF champion Awotunde had to wait it out and made the final in eighth overall with a best of 20.78/68-2.25 on his first attempt. Hampered by a heavily-wrapped throwing arm, Payton Otterdahl could only manage a 19.78/64-10.75 in round one before two fouls and did not advance.
 
TEAM USATF MEDALS (2)
 
GOLD (2)
Ryan Crouser, men's shot put (22.34/73-3.5)
Mixed 4x400 relay (Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah Mckiver, Alexis Holmes) (3:08.80, =meet record)
 
SILVER (0)
 
 
BRONZE (0)
 
 
 
RECORDS SET
 
World
 
American
 
World Championships
=3:08.80 – Mixed 4x400 relay  (Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah Mckiver, Alexis Holmes)