Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas races in a women's 400 meter heat at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Sept. 30, 2019.
AP Photo/Petr David Josek
There was no drama in the women’s 400-metre heats at the IAAF as favourite, the Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller-Uibo, trotted through the first round of heats to make the semi-final, while Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and Stephenie-Ann McPherson did just enough.
Sada Williams of Barbados, running in the first heat of the 400s this morning was second in a pedantic 52.14 seconds but was certain of qualification with the first three through as automatic qualifiers.
The United States’ Phyllis Francis won the heat in 50.77 seconds, while the Czech Republic’s Lada Vondrová was the third qualifier in 52.23 seconds.
The United States kept winning heats on Monday, as Wadeline Jonathas, 50.57, won heat 2 ahead of Jackson, 51.13.
Jackson never seemed to push herself very much but did enough to pull a personal best 51.21 from Australia’s Bendere Oboyo.
Sakima Wimbley was another winner for the United States but had to file an appeal to escape a disqualification that, on the face of it, looked pretty harsh.
McPherson clocked 51.21 seconds to finish behind the personal best of Botswana’s Galafele Moroko, 50.59. Guyana’s Aliyah Abrams with 51.73 qualified from a non-automatic spot, finishing fourth in the heat behind Nigeria’s Favour Ofili.
Miller-Uibo has not finished behind anybody this year and she seems keen on keeping things that way, but she still didn’t extend herself very far in stopping clock at 51.30 seconds, to better France’s Déborah Sananes and Kenya’s Mary Moraa.
Miller-Uibo’s major challenge is expected to come from Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, who won heat six on Monday and hardly looked bothered either.
Naser strolled to 50.74 seconds, slower than Miller-Uibo but also well ahead of the field headed by Poland’s Justyna Święty-Ersetic, 51.34, and mexico’s paola morán, 51.58.
Paul-Andre is the Managing Editor at SportsMax.tv. He comes to the role with almost 20 years of experience as journalist. That experience includes all facets of media. He began as a sports Journalist in 2001, quickly moving into radio, where he was an editor before becoming a news editor and then an entertainment editor with one of the biggest media houses in the Caribbean.
IAAF president dubs post-Bolt World Champs the best in history
IAAF President Sebastian Coe has described the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 as the best in history in terms of the quality and depth of performances produced by the athletes of more than 200 nations.
Speaking after the final evening session last Sunday, Coe noted that six championship records had been set, 43 countries had won medals, and athletes from 68 different nations had achieved at least one top-eight placing. There have been 21 area records – double the number from 2017 – and 86 national records have been broken, underlining the global reach of the sport.
“For those who follow our sport closely, you will know that we rank our championships on the performances of the athletes,” Coe said. “It is how we, the athletes and the coaches measure our success.
“The world’s athletes have put on the best show in the history of the IAAF World Athletics Championships, according to the competition performance rankings which are used as an objective measure of the quality of international competition.
“These performances are incredible but credit must also go to the facilities and conditions provided by the host country. Doha has created conditions on the field of play and in the warm up that are unsurpassed.
“We are proud of the fact we reach more countries than any other sport,” added Coe. “Just look at the breadth and depth – 43 countries on the medals table and 86 national records set. We want our athletes to experience different cultures and different conditions. It’s what makes our sport so accessible.”
Dahlan Al Hamad, Vice President of the local organising committee, was delighted to see Qatar’s dreams become reality.
“Our dream started in 1997 when we organised the first meeting in this stadium,” he said. “After that, we kept hosting many meets until 2000 when we organised the Grand Prix Final. We continued our journey in 2010 when we organised the World Indoor Championships in the nearby Aspire Dome. We also organised the Diamond League meeting here and it was really good.
“We are thrilled we have been able to expand. There are generations here who are hungry to have this kind of sporting event here. Qatar is a nation of more than 100 communities. They have been able to celebrate their athletes from all around the world.”
Top ranked World Championships
Based on the IAAF competition performance rankings, used to rank the quality of competitions, the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 tops the list of all World Championships to date.
Taking the best five results and athletes from the best 24 events, the top five editions are:
Based on the average scores of all track and field results, the top five editions are:
There have been many outstanding performances over the 10 days of competition with unprecedented depth in many of the finals. Based on the IAAF scoring tables, the top five men’s and women’s performances are:
MEN
22.91m Joe Kovacs (USA) shot put – 1295pts
22.90m Tom Walsh (NZL) shot put – 1294pts
22.90m Ryan Crouser (USA) shot put – 1294pts
9.76 Christian Coleman (USA) 100m – 1291pts
43.48 Steven Gardiner (BAH) 400m – 1289pts
WOMEN
7.30m Malaika Mihambo (GER) long jump – 1288pts
48.14 Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) 400m – 1281pts
48.37 Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) 400m – 1272pts
3:51.95 Sifan Hassan (NED) 1500m – 1271pts
6981 Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR) heptathlon – 1269pts
The championships have not just been about record-breaking performances, though. This edition will also be remembered for its close finishes, surprise winners, moments of fair play, and the arrival of the next generation of athletics stars.
USA’s 200m winner Noah Lyles and Germany’s decathlon victor Niklas Kaul became the youngest ever world champions in their respective events. Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh twice broke the world U20 record on her way to the silver medal in the high jump. She was one of several athletes born in or after the year 2000 who earned medals, along with Ethiopian duo Selemon Barega and Lemecha Girma and Bahrain’s Musa Isah.
The innovations – including light shows, new camera angles and increased engagement with athletes – have helped the sport reach a younger audience around the world.
Nike to close Oregon Project after Salazar ban
Nike has decided to close down the Oregon Project less than a fortnight after coach Alberto Salazar was banned from athletics for four years.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency sanctioned Salazar, former coach of long-distance great Mo Farah, at the start of this month after he was found guilty of multiple anti-doping violations.
Nike on Friday confirmed it will continue to back Salazar with his appeal, but the Oregon Project will be brought to an end.
A company spokesperson said: "Nike has always tried to put the athlete and their needs at the front of all of our decisions.
"While the panel found there was no orchestrated doping, no finding that performance enhancing drugs have ever been used on Oregon Project athletes and went out of its way to note Alberto's desire to follow all rules, ultimately Alberto can no longer coach while the appeal is pending.
"This situation including uninformed innuendo and unsubstantiated assertions has become an unfair burden for current OP athletes. That is exactly counter to the purpose of the team.
"We have therefore made the decision to wind down the Oregon Project to allow the athletes to focus on their training and competition needs.
"We will help all of our athletes in this transition as they choose the coaching set-up that is right for them. We will continue to support Alberto in his appeal."
Japanese athlete Suguru Osako, who joined the Oregon Project four years ago, expressed his disappointment over the decision.
He tweeted: "I am sad that the dear team that made me stronger will be gone. But I will keep exploring myself and I will continue being myself.
"As Nike has expressed their commitment to continuing support as they have, my activities will not be disrupted at all."
Is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce the greatest female track athlete of all time?
In looking back at what they describe as an amazing IAAF World Championships of Athletics, The Commentators have come up on a question. Is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, after adding two gold medals to her World Championships tally, the greatest female track athlete of all time?
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