A record number of nations claimed medals at the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, with 53 countries making it onto the medal table. This surpassed the previous record of 46, set in Osaka in 2007 and equalled in Budapest two years ago.
This year saw Samoa, Saint Lucia and Uruguay earn their first ever World Championships medals, highlighting the growing global reach of the sport.
Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis provided the only world record of the championships, clearing 6.30 metres to break his own record for the 14th time.
In the sprints, American athlete Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed a stunning treble, winning gold in the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay. Kenyan distance runner Beatrice Chebet and Spanish race walker Maria Perez each secured double golds in their individual events.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe praised the event, saying, “What we have seen over the past nine days here in Tokyo is an indelible and compelling celebration of human sporting endeavour. Tokyo has set the stage for some of our sport’s most extraordinary performances.”
A total of 619,288 fans attended the championships across the nine days, marking a triumphant return to packed stadiums at the Olympic venue which, four years ago, hosted the Games without crowds due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
President of the Local Organising Committee Mitsugi Ogata added, “Over the past nine days, we have witnessed so many unforgettable moments. There was never a quiet moment in the stadium.”
