The World Athletics Championship is more than just a preview of the next Summer Olympics; it’s a chance for athletes to show off their best skills and set new standards on a global stage. This year’s event is in Tokyo from Sept. 13-21, and will showcase some of the planet’s top runners, jumpers and throwers competing in 49 events over nine days.
The last edition in Paris saw a number of unforgettable moments including Femke Bol’s dramatic fall within sight of the finish line of the final mixed 4x400m relay, the great showman Gianmarco Tambieri adding to his already-impressive set of high jump gold medals and US sprinters Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson grabbing five golds between them. Throughout the years, the competition has seen some of the world’s greatest athletes produce legendary performances including 18 men and 15 women’s world records.
A number of Irish athletes are currently on track to compete at the World Athletics Championship, with several named to Athletics Ireland’s provisional team. The likes of Fionnuala McCormack, Hiko Tonosa and Peter Lynch were preselected for the marathon, while Ciara Mageean, Efrem Gidey and Sophie Becker are inside the quota for the 1500m and 10,000m respectively.
The only notable absentee from the team is Lachlan Kennedy, who has decided to skip Worlds due to a back injury that he does not want to risk aggravating. The 21-year-old sprinter is the current Australian and Oceanian champion in both the 60m and the 4x100m and will be missed.