TOKYO – Grace Stark took bronze in the women's 100 hurdles to earn Team USATF's only medal Monday night on day three of the World Athletics Championships at National Stadium.
Stark and Olympic champion Masai Russell lined up against world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria and reigning champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica in one of the strongest finals fields of the Championships, but it was Switzerland's Ditaji Kambundji who upset the apple cart with a scintillating national record of 12.24 to grab the gold. Amusan earned silver in 12.29, with Stark taking bronze in 12.34 and Russell a frustrating fourth in 12.44. The third American entrant in the event, Alaysha Johnson, was fourth in her semi in 12.66 and did not advance.
The deepest quality men's pole vault competition in meet history yielded seven athletes who cleared at least 5.90/19-4.25, but it was again Sweden's überstar Mondo Duplantis who was the star of the show. Duplantis captured his fifth straight global championship gold and extended an unbeaten streak that dates back to August of 2023 with another world record clearance, this time a bar-rattling make at 6.30/20-8. Two-time world champion Sam Kendricks was oh-so-close to a medal again, placing fourth at 5.95/19-6.25 and missing bronze only because of an extra miss earlier on his card that gave the medal to Australia's Kurtis Marschall.
Canada's Camryn Rogers, the reigning Olympic and world champion, became the second best women's hammer thrower ever with a massive lifetime best of 80.51/264-1 to retain her title in impressive fashion. Nobody else in the field could come within nine feet of Rogers as China's Jie Zhao and Jiale Zhang took silver and bronze. Six years after capturing world gold in Doha, American record holder DeAnna Price finished fifth with a best of 75.10/246-5. Janee' Kassanavoid, the silver medalist at Budapest and bronze medalist at Eugene, had trouble on her first two attempts and ended up tenth at 70.35/230-9.
What could be more fitting a conclusion to a men's marathon that began with a false start than a photofinish with one athlete diving across the line after 42,194 meters in a futile effort to win his country's first men's track gold medal ever at the World Championships?
Torturously moist conditions in spite of an early morning start kept the times in the respectable but not spectacular range, but the competition was compelling. Similar to the women's marathon yesterday that ended in an all-out dash for gold between Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir and Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, the two protagonists in today's drama also waited to enter National Stadium before putting the pedal fully to the rubber.
Germany's Amanal Petros had a stride lead over Tanzania's Alphonce Felix Simbu, the 2017 bronze medalist and seventh at the 2021 Olympics, with 300 meters remaining, and the Tanzanian looked poised to pounce coming around the oval. Pounce Simbu did coming down the homestretch to the tape, and in the final stride he edged past a diving Petros to win in 2:09:48. Petros was given the same time in the closest marathon finish ever at the World Championships, earning silver. The two were separated by only .03 seconds on the photo, making the finish closer than either of last night's 100 meter finals.
Italy's Iliass Aouani nabbed the bronze in 2:09:53. Clayton Young gamely ran with the leaders through much of the race and placed ninth in 2:10:43, with Reed Fischer 28th in 2:15:17 and CJ Albertson 40th in 2:19:25.
After a recall to begin the race, the pack took off again and sauntered through 5K in 15:22 led by two-time Tokyo Marathon third-placer Vincent Ngetich of Kenya. Germany's Richard Ringer briefly assumed the lead through 10K in 30:48, and then reigning champion Victor Kiplangat of Uganda moved to the front at 15K in 46:26. Just after the 43-minute mark Young got clipped from behind and hit the pavement hard. Young popped back up and checked all his bits and pieces before getting back in the flow, and didn't lose much ground.
Kiplangat continued to make the pace at the halfway point, going through in 65:19 with a cast of thousands right behind him. By 25K there were 29 men within eight seconds of the leaders, and there was still a large gathering of contenders when the field went by 30K in 1:32:27. Kiplangat was back at the front at 35K in 1:47:47, with Young 11th and only a second back.
Aouani led a breakaway bunch at 40K as six men started to pull away from the rest, with Young fighting to keep contact in ninth, 13 seconds adrift. Fischer had steadily moved up through the field as runners dropped out in exhaustion or frustration, and he was 28th going into the final kilometers. As the leaders neared the stadium entrance, Israel's Haimro Alame was dropped, leaving only three men in medal contention.
Very conservative pacing in the final of the men's 3000 steeplechase kept all 16 men in contention through the first two kilometers in just over six minutes as only two seconds separated the leader and the back marker. That back marker was Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali, the two-time defending Olympic and world champion. Daniel Michalski made a very bold move at that point, surging to the lead and pushing himself to the limits in search of a medal.
Michalski, the USATF runner-up who only achieved the Worlds qualifying standard at the NACAC Championships, kept the lead until he was passed with one lap to go. El Bakkali had moved up from the back of the pack and was quickly stalking the leaders, and he overtook Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma with just over 100 to go. Steaming through on the outside, New Zealand's Geordie Beamish stunned the champion with a superb finish to snatch gold in 8:33.88, .07 ahead of El Bakkali. Teenager Edmund Serem of Kenya earned bronze in 8:34.56 and Michalski was an admirable ninth in 8:37.12.
American women's 3000 steeplechasers went 3-for-3 in advancing to the final with a trio of fifth-place finishes in the heats. USATF champion Lexy Halladay-Lowry was very cautious in the first heat, running quite a few extra meters by staying wide to avoid collisions, and it almost cost her as she had to dig deep in the final 80 meters to hold off Germany's Olivia Gürth for the fifth and final qualifying spot in 9:15.06. Olympic and World Championships bronze medalist Faith Cherotich of Kenya won in 9:13.95 over 2022 world champion Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan.
Another fifth place effort in heat two gave NCAA bronze medalist Angelina Napoleon her ticket to the final with Halladay-Lowry, who took silver at the collegiate championships. Napoleon ran 9:18.03 in the section won by reigning Olympic and world champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain in 9:15.63. Returning to the track where she won the 2021 Olympic title, Uganda's Peruth Chemutai was an easy winner in the final heat, running 9:07.68 for the fastest time overall, more than a second in front of NCAA champion Doris Lemngole of Kenya. Kaylee Mitchell was well clear in fifth to guarantee her another outing, clocking 9:15.52.
Women's pole vault officials determined that with 14 women clear at 4.60/15-1 the qualifying round could be ended, and that left the U.S. with all four athletes moving on to the final. Sandi Morris and Amanda Moll had no misses on their scorecards, while reigning champion Katie Moon needed two tries at 4.45/14-7.25 and Hana Moll required additional attempts to go over each of the three heights she went at.
Olympic champion Cole Hocker pushed and pulled his way through the crowd on the sprint to the finish in the second semifinal of the men's 1500 and grabbed second in 3:36.67, but officials subsequently disqualified him for jostling Germany's Robert Farken (Technical Rule 17.1.2). USATF champion Jonah Koech sped through the scrum of bodies to take fifth in 3:36.89 and earn a spot in the final after having to leap over a falling runner early in the race. Koech was elevated to fourth by Hocker's DQ.
Needing to finish in the top six to make the final, Ethan Strand left himself too much to do off the final turn in semifinal one and ended up eighth in 3:36.15. Strand was 11th through 400 in 61.14 and moved up three places to go by 800 in 2:00.57. At the bell he was back to 10th but still within a second of the lead, and in spite of a 53.2 last lap he couldn't catch the group ahead of him down the final stretch.
Very familiar with the oval at National Stadium after earning silver in the 400 hurdles and gold on the U.S. 4x400 at the 2021 Olympic Games, Dalilah Muhammad was one of three Americans to win their heats in the women's 400 hurdles, looking controlled and confident as she took the fourth section in 53.80. Paris silver medalist Anna Cockrell was never really challenged in heat two, winning in 53.63, and Jasmine Jones, who was just off the podium at the Games last summer, had the fastest time of all five heats with a 53.18 to equal her season best in the third section.
Kicking off the evening session on the track, Olympic champion Rai Benjamin casually ran to a win in heat four of the men's 400 hurdles, taking it easy through the first seven barriers before accelerating over the final three hurdles on the way to a 48.15 that looked very comfortable. Benjamin set the American record of 46.17 on this track at the Olympic Games in 2021. In heat one Chris Robinson didn't have it quite so easy, having to bear down to ensure his spot in the semifinal with a 48.27 for third. Caleb Dean was the runner-up in the final heat, clocking 48.67 behind NCAA champion Nathaniel Ezekiel of Nigeria.
All four U.S. men survived to race again in the 110 hurdles. A relatively slow start in heat one gave Dylan Beard some ground to make up, which he did without issue on the way to a 13.28 win. USATF champion Ja'Kobe Tharp didn't look troubled in another 13.28 effort that got him third in the second heat and put him through to the semifinal, and Cordell Tinch pushed through the final two barriers to take third in heat four at 13.31 to advance. Defending world champion Grant Holloway again had a clear lead over the first seven hurdles but had to work hard through the finish to place fourth in the final heat in 13.27, the fastest among the American contingent.
American record holder Rudy Winkler nailed the automatic qualifying distance on his first attempt in the men's hammer, throwing 77.46/254-1 to advance to the final, and Trey Knight's 76.40/250-8 also earned him a berth in the next round as the 10th best overall. Daniel Haugh fell short of moving on with a top mark of 74.87/245-7.
Isaac Grimes was the only American to make it through to the final of the men's long jump, spanning 8.04/26-4.5 in round two to place 10th overall. Jeremiah Davis had two fouls before a 7.81/25-7.5 on his final attempt put him in 23rd, and Will Williams suffered a similar fate, leaping 7.63/25-0.5 on his only legal jump to end up 29th.
TEAM USATF MEDALS (7)
GOLD (5)
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) Valarie Allman, women's discus (69.48/227-11) Tara Davis-Woodhall, women's long jump (7.13/23-4.75) Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, women's 100 (10.61, meet record)
SILVER (0)
BRONZE (2)
Noah Lyles, men's 100 (9.89) Grace Stark, women's 100 hurdles (12.34)
RECORDS SET BY TEAM USATF
World
American
World Championships
=3:08.80 – Mixed 4x400 relay (Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah Mckiver, Alexis Holmes) 10.61 – Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, women's 100