TOKYO – Cordell Tinch hurdled to gold and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone erased the American record in the women's 400 Tuesday night at National Stadium on the fourth day of the World Athletics Championships. Team USATF remained atop the medal table with six golds and eight total.
Cementing his status as the world's best in the 110 hurdles this year, Tinch took control of the final at the fourth barrier and steadily edged farther in front of his challengers to win the 13th U.S. gold in the event with a 12.99 that made him only the seventh man in meet history to break 13 seconds. Tinch, a semifinalist at Budapest in 2023, set the world-leading time of 12.87 to win the Shaoxing Diamond League meet on May 3 and won the Diamond League final at Zurich in 12.92. Today's mark was his fourth sub-13 outing of the season. USATF and NCAA champion Ja'Kobe Tharp was in contention early but fell back to sixth in 13.31.
Earlier in the evening Tinch looked more at ease than he did in Monday's first round to win the second semifinal in 13.16. Tharp was pushed to the max in the last section but squeaked into the final as a time qualifier with his 13.19 in third.
Dylan Beard was leading through nine hurdles in the first semi, but lost ground off the final barrier and on the run in, finishing fourth in 13.31 and missing out on the final. Olympic and world champion Grant Holloway looked nothing like his usual self in the third semi and saw his title defense come to an end as he faded in the last half of the race to end up sixth in 13.52.
McLaughlin-Levrone moved to No. 7 on the all-time world list with a 48.29 in the third semifinal to set up an epic final. The world record holder in the 400 hurdles and winner of the last two Olympic titles in that event took down Sanya Richards-Ross' American record of 48.70 that had stood since 2006. Her time was the third fastest ever run at the World Championships and she joined an elite club of seven women who have run sub-49 at the meet. Two of the other women in that crew will line up in the final with her in the shape of Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain and Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, the reigning Olympic and world champion.
With all eight qualifiers for the final breaking the 50-second barrier, it was the deepest quality semifinal in meet history and Chile's Martina Weil failed to advance in ninth at 49.88. Isabella Whittaker, the American indoor record holder and NCAA indoor champion, was third in the second semi in 50.20 and also missed out on the final. A lengthy season came to an end for NCAA outdoor champion Aaliyah Butler in the first semi as she finished fifth in 50.63.
One of the greatest hammer competitions in World Championships history produced a meet record and stellar series for Canada's Ethan Katzberg, the reigning Olympic champion and defending world champion, as well as the best ever throws for third and fourth place. Katzberg opened with an 82.66/271-2 to set the standard, but lost the lead to Germany's Merlin Hummel, who hit a lifetime best 82.77/271-6 on his first attempt.
Katzberg responded in the next round with a massive 84.70/277-11 that moved him to No. 5 on the world all-time list and broke the meet record by more than a meter. He finished his series with four more throws beyond 80 meters, the shortest of which was 81.86/268-7. Hummel settled for silver with his first round toss, and Hungary's Bence Halasz earned bronze with a best of 82.69/271-3. Ukraine's Mykhaylo Kokhan finished off the podium despite a lifetime best of 82.02/269-1.
American record holder Rudy Winkler tied the best finish ever by a U.S. man at this meet, taking fifth at 78.52/257-7 on a clutch third round effort after two fouls. Trey Knight was 10th in his first international championships, recording a best of 76.11/249-8.
Three-time world champion and world record holder Faith Kipyegon went to the lead right away in the women's 1500 and put on a master class in middle distance supremacy to win by more than two seconds in 3:52.15. Kipyegon, who lowered the world record to 3:48.68 earlier this summer, set a decent pace through 400 in 64.07 and 800 in 2:07.28 before turning up the heat. With Kenya's Nelly Chepchirchir and Australia's Jessica Hull on her heels at the bell in 2:53.43, Kipyegon laid down a 58.72 final 400 and ran away with her fourth World Championships gold.
Dorcas Ewoi of Kenya ran a superb final 100 to claim silver in a lifetime best of 3:54.92, with Hull earning bronze in 3:55.16. USATF champion Nikki Hiltz was fifth in 3:57.08, and Sinclaire Johnson took 13th in 4:00.92.
Adding a World Championships gold to the Olympic title he won at Paris last year, New Zealand's Hamish Kerr snaked over 2.36/7-8.75 on his first attempt to win the men's high jump over South Korea's Sanghyeok Woo, who went over 2.34/7-8 on his final attempt. Jan Stefela earned Czechia's first medal in the event with a 2.31/7-7 clearance for bronze. 2023 silver medalist JuVaughn Harrison equaled his season best with a 2.28/7-5.75 for fifth, with USATF champion Tyus Wilson also clearing that height on his final attempt to tie for sixth.
The fastest men's 400 semifinal in meet history blew up the advancement to the final, with Botswana's Busang Collen Kebinatshipi burning up the track in section two to move to No. 10 on the all-time world list at 43.61. Behind him in fourth in 44.19 was USATF champion Jacory Patterson, who ran the fastest first round time ever yesterday with a 43.90, and he had to sweat it out for the last time qualifier slot. Patterson did make it through, the only one of the four American contestants to do so.
Khaleb McRae was fourth in the final semi in 44.82, one place ahead of Vernon Norwood's 44.83, but neither would advance. World indoor champion Chris Bailey had to endure two faulty starts and a rather lengthy wait for technical issues to be sorted out in the first semi, and he never quite got on track as he finished seventh in 45.05.
Making a successful return to the World Championships after battling injuries for years, 2019 world champion Donavan Brazier had the fastest time of all the seven heats in the men's 800, clocking 1:44.66 to lead qualifiers for the semifinal. Brazier was fourth at 400 in 52.50 and stayed there through 600 in 1:18.85. On the final bend he had to fend off a drifting Abderrahman el Assal of Morocco but avoided disaster and used a 12.7 final 100 to take the win. His time was the second fastest ever in the first round at the World Championships.
American record holder Bryce Hoppel led heat four through the 400 mark in 52.34 and remained in front through 600. Coming into the stretch run Ireland's Cian McPhillips and Jamaica's Tyrice Taylor were challenging him for the win, and Hoppel crossed the line in second in 1:45.09 to move on to the next round.
The youngest man ever to represent the United States at the World Championships, 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus was at the rear of a slow pack in the third heat, going by the halfway point in 54.28, and ran very wide for much of the second lap. Lacking the blazing kick he displayed at the USATF championships, the youngster finished seventh in 1:47.68 and did not advance.
Double Olympic bronze medalist Jasmine Moore had a foul on her first attempt in the women's triple jump qualifying and then nailed a 14.22/46-8 on her next try to earn a berth in the final. She added a 14.12/46-4 in round three for insurance and placed sixth overall. Making her debut in senior international competition, NCAA indoor champion Agur Dwol went 13.30/43-7.75 and did not advance.
TEAM USATF MEDALS (8)
GOLD (6)
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) Cordell Tinch, men's 110 hurdles (12.99)
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
48.29 – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, women's 400
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