Seville and Jefferson-Wooden win century dash races

Jamaica’s Oblique Seville ran the race of his life to lead a Jamaican 1-2 in the men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo.

Storming away his rivals, he was chased by Kishane Thompson but couldn’t be caught – dipping over the line in a PB of 9.77 to get gold ahead of his compatriot who clocked 9.82.

Defending champion Noah Lyles got bronze in 9.89 and they avoided the challenge of Letsile Tebogo as the Olympic 200m champion was disqualified for a false start.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden produced a dominant run to win the women’s 100m, breaking the championship record with 10.61.

The Olympic bronze medallist produced a flawless run, powering away from Olympic champion Julien Alfred and Jamaica’s Tina Clayton to win by 0.15, the second-biggest winning margin in World Championships history. Her performance also equals the fastest ever time at a global championships, tied with Elaine Thompson-Herah’s Olympic record from the Tokyo Games in the same stadium in 2021.

Clayton came through to take silver in a PB of 10.76 while Alfred took bronze in 10.84.

Meanwhile, Tara Davis-Woodhall added the world title to her Olympic gold as she bettered the field with her very first leap of the long jump competition.

Germany’s Malaika Mihambo briefly threatened to turn it into a classic duel but could not quite match her US rival.

With the longest jump of the field this year of 7.12m, Davis-Woodhall began the competition as the favourite for gold. And opening the competition, she laid down a marker of 7.08m.

Her closest competitor was always anticipated to be Mihambo, herself a two-time world champion and with a best this year of 7.07m indoors and 7.01m outdoors.

She recorded a notable 6.92m in round two and then three centimetres farther in the subsequent round before a best of 6.99m. She subsequently went past the seven-metre marker in the next two rounds, only for both to be red flagged.

After Mihambo’s fourth and farthest legal effort, Davis-Woodhall merely responded by extending her best jump to 7.13m, just two centimetres shy of her effort in winning Olympic gold in Paris. This time she raised her hands in celebration.

In so doing, it also extended her winning run past two years – the last time she tasted long jump defeat was to Ivana Spanovic at the last World Championships in Budapest back in 2023.

The bronze medal went to 2022 world U20 silver medallist Natalia Linares of Colombia, for her first senior medal at a major championships, after a fourth-round PB of 6.92m.

Jimmy Gressier produced one of the biggest shock wins of the World Athletics Championships so far, winning the men’s 10,000m in 28:55.77.

In a tactical race where many were reluctant to lead, it came down to a last-lap burn-up with many men still in contention. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha kicked into the lead with 100 metres to go, but Gressier emerged from the pack in the final stages and caught Kejelcha just before the line to take gold.

Kejelcha held on for silver in 28:55.83 while Sweden’s Andreas Almgren claimed bronze in 28:56.02.

History repeated itself for Peres Jepchirchir and Tigist Assefa in what was a thrilling finish to the women’s marathon to highlight the morning session.

They were locked in battle for several kilometres in the closing stages and were still inseparable as they entered the stadium. Jepchirchir, who won Olympic gold in her last outing in Japan four years ago, kicked hard with 100 metres to go and strode to victory in 2:24:43. Assefa, who lost out on Olympic gold last year in a sprint finish, once again had to settle for silver in 2:24:45.

But perhaps the biggest surprise came from Julia Paternain, who came through to take bronze in 2:27:23, earning Uruguay’s first ever medal at a senior global championships.

Valarie Allman, winner of the past two Olympic titles, finally won a long-awaited world title in the women’s discus, throwing 69.48m.

The US thrower took an early lead with 67.63m, which was followed by Jorinde van Klinken’s 67.50m. They remained the best two marks of the competition until Allman created some distance with her fifth-round throw of 69.48m.

Cuba’s Silinda Morales took bronze with 67.25m.

In Sunday morning’s qualifying rounds, the men’s 1500m provided some of the biggest talking points.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, winner of the Olympic title in this stadium in 2021, made his outdoor season debut after battling injury all year, but the Norwegian didn’t have the fitness to advance to the next round, placing eighth in his heat. World leader Azeddine Habz also didn’t make it through, nor did world U20 record-holder Phanuel Koech, who fell in his heat.

The first round of the men’s and women’s 400m was particularly swift with 10 men breaking 44.50 and seven women breaking 50.00. US champion Jacory Patterson led the men’s qualifiers with 43.90, easing down, while 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser was quickest in the women’s event, running 49.13.

World and Olympic champion Camryn Rogers led the qualifying in the women’s hammer, throwing 77.52m. The biggest shock of the event came from 2022 world champion Brooke Andersen, who failed to register a valid throw.

Olympic champion Hamish Kerr was one of 13 men to qualify for the high jump final, but defending champion Gianmarco Tamberi and Olympic silver medallist Shelby McEwen missed out.