World Athletics Championships: Karsten Warholm wins gold as Mariya Lasitskene continues high jump dominance

Norway’s Karsten Warholm produced a fantastic display to defend his 400m hurdles title as the World Championships finally came alive on an enthralling evening in Doha.

A much-hyped final saw three of the four fastest men in history going head-to-head, and though talk of Kevin Young’s world record being in danger proved overly optimistic, the trio still delivered a phenomenal race as Warholm took gold in 47.42 ahead of the USA’s Rai Benjamin and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba.

With Samba having had an injury-hit season, the gold medal always looked likely to go to either Warholm or Benjamin, and in a repeat of their recent Diamond League final meeting – where both men went sub 47-seconds – it was the Norwegian who got out hardest and held off the challenge.

Elsewhere, Mariya Lasitskene secured back-to-back high jump world titles, but was pushed all the way by a sensational performance from Ukrainian teenager Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

The 18-year-old twice broke the world junior record with clearances at 2.02m and 2.04m, before deciding to retire from the competition without attempting the next height of 2.06m.

Lasitskene, competing as an authorised neutral athlete, was already ahead on countback at that point, having cleared every height at the first time of asking, and so with the gold medal already secured attempted to set a new PB of 2.08m but was unsuccessful. The USA’s Vashti Cunnigham took bronze.

These championships had been tainted by complaints of a lack of atmosphere and attendance, but a huge Ethiopian contingent at the Khalifa International Stadium changed that as their countryman, Muktar Edris, led a one-two to successfully defended his title in 12:58.85.

In a thrilling race, Norwegian teenager Jakob Ingebrigsten went for home in a gutsy move on the final lap but could not hold on as Edris and teammate Selemon Barega kicked past turning for home, with Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed coming through for bronze.

World record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech made amends for blowing her chance of gold in London two years ago by winning the women’s 3000m steeplechase with a dominant front-running display.

At the last world championships, Chepkoech all-but ended herhopes of victory by forgetting to take the water jump on one lap, as Emma Coburn won a historic gold for the USA. Here, Coburn had to settle for silver, with Germany’s Gesa Krause nabbing bronze with a new national record.

There was an upset in the women’s 800m as Halimah Nakaayi took the win to bring Uganda their first ever medal in the event. In the absence of Caster Semenya, American Ajee Wilson was the heavy favourite for gold, and attempted to run a gun-to-tape victory, but blew up down the home straight and had to settle for bronze, behind Nakaayi and fast-finishing US teammate Raevyn Rodgers.

In the field, Sweden’s Daniel Stahl capped a season of dominance in the discus by taking gold with a throw of 67.59m. Jamaica’s Fedrick Dacres took silver, with Latvia’s Lukas Weisshaidinger picking up bronze.

Dina Asher-Smith showed no signs of fatigue from her 100m escapades the previous day as she cruised to victory in her heat of the 200m, while Andy Pozzi also safely navigated qualifying in the men’s 110m hurdles.

Adam Gemili was an impressive winner of his semi-final in the 200m, but it is American Noah Lyles who will go into tomorrow’s final as the big favourite as he qualified fastest with a run of 19.88.