Steven Gardiner made it a world and Olympic double by winning the men's 400 metres at Tokyo 2020 on a day where Hansle Parchment shocked Grant Holloway to win the 110m hurdles.
Ryan Crouser defended his shot put title from Rio 2016, while Pedro Pablo Pichardo and Katie Nageotte were also among the gold medal winners at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
Here's a round-up of Thursday's best action in athletics.
GARDINER FOLLOWS UP DOHA TRIUMPH
Defending 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk, who suffered a horrific knee injury in 2017, was not in the final and Gardiner displaced the South African in the Tokyo humidity.
The man from the Bahamas won gold in Doha at the world championships two years ago and timed his race to perfection in the Japanese capital, storming ahead from the final bend and passing the line in a time of 43.85s.
Anthony Zambrano of Colombia was second, while 2012 champion Kirani James added Olympic bronze for Grenada.
Just a night on from Andre De Grasse becoming men's 200m champion, Canada had more reason to celebrate as Damian Warner earned an Olympic record 9,018 points to win the decathlon. Kevin Mayer of France took silver ahead of Australia's Ashley Moloney.
In the heptathlon, Nafissatou Thiam defended her gold from Rio 2016 – the Belgian accruing 6,791 points. Dutch pair Anouk Vetter and Emma Oosterwegel were second and third.
PARCHMENT BEATS HOLLOWAY IN HUGE SHOCK
Possibly the biggest shock on the track of Tokyo 2020 so far arrived in the men's 110m hurdles, where world champion and clear favourite for gold Holloway had to settle for silver.
Instead, first place was taken by Jamaica's Parchment, an outsider on paper who stormed through when Holloway's momentum appeared to stall at the last two hurdles to win in a time of 13.04 seconds.
There was further upset for Team USA in the men's 4x100m relay, where a shock sixth-placed finish in their heat meant they missed out on the final.
Massimo Stano was a surprise winner of the men's 20km walk race, a strong finish seeing him beat well-fancied Japanese duo Koki Ikeda and Toshikazu Yamanishi.
With his victory, Italy have won three athletics gold medals at the same Games for the first time.
CROUSER LIVES UP TO THE BILLING IN AN OLYMPICS QUIRK
Crouser lived up to his billing as favourite in the men's shot put and in some style to defend his title from Rio 2016.
The American equalled or bettered his previous Olympic record with each of his six throws, with the winning distance marked at 22.93m.
World Champion and countryman Joe Kovacs took silver, while New Zealand's Tom Walsh was third. Incredibly, this was the exact same podium as at Rio 2016 – the first time in Olympics athletics to have the exact same repeat of a podium.
Pichardo was equally brilliant in taking home the men's triple jump gold. His effort of 17.98m represents the second-best winning jump in Olympics history and was personal redemption for the Portuguese, who missed out in Rio five years ago.
China's Zhu Yaming earned silver with a lifetime-best jump of 17.57, with Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso in third.
Nageotte earned a nice piece of history in winning women's pole vault gold for the United States. No woman or man has ever missed with their opening two attempts and gone on to win Olympic gold.
But Nageotte cleared 4.90m, a height no one else in the competition could match. Anzhelika Sidorova – the 2019 world champion – claimed silver for the Russia Olympic Committee, with Holly Bradshaw of the United Kingdom taking bronze.
Jereem Richards takes 200m silver as Caribbean athletes struggle in Florence; Kipyegon shatters women's 1500m WR
It was not a good night for Caribbean athletes at the Florence Diamond League Meeting in Italy on Friday as only Jereem Richards managed to achieve a podium at the meet where Faith Kipyegon shattered the 1500m world record.
The Trinidadian ran 20.28 for second place in the 200m won by American teenager Erriyon Knighton, who clocked a season-best 19.89. Canada’s Aaron Brown who was third in 20.32.
World championship silver medallist, Femke Bol continues to demonstrate that she could present a challenge to world champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone this summer, when she shattered Lashina Demus’ 13-year-old meet record of 52.82 in the 400m hurdles.
The Dutch star clocked 52.43, which was also the fastest time in the world this year.
Shamier Little who won in Rabat last week was almost a second behind in 53.38 while heptathlete Anna Hall finished third in a personal best time of 53.42. Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton, who challenged early faded badly over the last 200m and finished sixth on 54.71. She was the only athlete in the race who didn’t achieve either a personal or season-best time.
Marie Josee Ta Lou ran out an easy winner in the 100m, winning in 10.97. Finishing second was European champion Gina Luckenkemper, who clocked 11.09. The in-form British athlete Imani Lansiquot was third in 11.16.
Her compatriot Dina Asher-Smith was a late withdrawal.
Yohan Blake was seventh in the 100m won by Fred Kerley, who clocked 9.93 to remain unbeaten in the blue-ribbon sprint this year. Ferdinand Omanyala was second in 10.05, the Kenyan edging Trayvon Brommel who was third in 10.09. Blake clocked 10.15.
Grant Holloway ran 13.04 to hold on for a close win in the 110m hurdles over a fast-finishing Jason Joseph of Switzerland, who set a new personal best and national record of 13.10. Devon Allen was third in 13.19.
Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek won the 400m in 50.41, a season best, beating Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands, who also achieved a season’s best time of 50.75. The USA’s Lynna Irby-Jackson was third in 50.84.
The best-placed Caribbean athlete was Cuba’s Roxana Gomez, who was fourth in 51.29 while Guyana’s Aliyah Abrahms in 51.31.
Kipyegon ended the meet on a high establishing new 1500m World Record of 3:49.11. Laura Muir was second in 3:57.09 while Australia's Jessica Hull was third in a new Area record of 3:57.29.
Carifta Under-20 discus champion Abigail Martin to attend Texas A&M University
Jamaican discus thrower Abigail Martin will get to display her skills on the NCAA circuit next season after committing to Texas A&M University, the school announced on Thursday.
“A good one for the throws squad,” the school posted on Instagram.
Martin, currently at St. Jago, has a personal best in the event of 55.87m done at the JAAA Budapest Quest meet at the National Stadium in Kingston on May 27.
The 19-year-old took discuss silver in the Class 1 Girls event at the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships in March before, a week later, winning Under-20 gold at the Carifta Games in the Bahamas.
Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake withdraw but still plenty to look forward to at Racers Grand Prix
Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake have been withdrawn from this weekend’s Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Fresh off his lifetime best 9.89 while defeating Coleman at last weekend’s LA Grand Prix there was much anticipation for the rematch between Blake and the American this coming Saturday.
Blake ran a personal best of 9.89 to defeat Coleman (9.91) but according to his coaches, the 22-year-old sprinter was a bit sore after that run and only managed to resume training on Wednesday. As a result, they have taken a decision to withdraw him from the meet as a precaution.
Seville, reliable sources have said, suffered a hamstring injury in training and won’t run on Saturday. Calls to his coach Glen Mills went unanswered but Seville’s name was not among the remaining names on the men’s 100m start list for Saturday’s meet.
Notwithstanding their absence, there is still plenty to look forward to at the meet that will feature World 200m champions Noah Lyles and Shericka Jackson, Zharnel Hughes and Wayde van Niekerk.
There is also a potential mouth-watering clash between the 2022 100m hurdles world champion and world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria and teenage sensation, World U20 Champion and U20 world record holder Kerrica Hill.
Commonwealth Games champion Rasheed Broadbell and Olympic Champion will go head-to-head in the men’s sprint hurdles.
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