The XXXII Olympic Games (Athletics)

Olympic Games

The XXXIII Olympic Games (Athletics)

Portugal's Olympic triple jump champion Pedro Pichardo on his way to gold in Tokyo

Double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan

Eliud Kipchoge wins the marathon at the Tokyo Olympic Games

On the opening night of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Tachlowini Gabriyesos served as a flag bearer for the&nbsp;Refugee Olympic Team. On the Games&rsquo; final day, he lined up on the front line at the start of men&rsquo;s marathon. Standing six runners to his left was the reigning champion and world record-holder, Eliud Kipchoge.
By any measure, the 23-year-old &ndash; who fled conflict and bloodshed in his native Eritrea at age 12, journeyed through Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt before crossing the Sinai desert on foot &ndash; had come a long way.
But his journey to that start line wasn&rsquo;t just about reaching it.
"I want do the best I can, not just to be in Tokyo but to do a really good competition,&rdquo; he said in mid-June, just a few hours after learning that he been selected for the team. &ldquo;I want to make history for refugees by making a very good competition in the marathon.&rdquo;
Last March, Gabriyesos became the first refugee athlete to meet an Olympic qualifying standard when clocking 2:10:55 at the Hahula Galilee Marathon, so expectations were high.
On Sunday (8) he admirably lived up to them, finishing 16th in the race through the streets of Sapporo where he beat many of the best marathon runners on the planet. He clocked 2:14:02, a solid performance given the balmy conditions and tactical nature of the race.
&ldquo;It was very windy and a little hot, so I'm happy with the time," said Gabriyesos, who raced the distance for just the third time. But he clearly had more in the tank as he finished. "Yes, I probably could have run faster. But it's okay, it's my first Olympics and I'm so, so excited to be here. I&rsquo;m really, really happy right now." 
<h3>Representing a community of 80 million</h3>
For the second consecutive Olympic Games, performances like those by Gabriyesos were a source of inspiration for tens of millions of displaced persons from around the world, and their stories resonated with millions more.
When the team was first introduced in Rio five years ago, that squad of ten &ndash; six competing in athletics &ndash; represented 65 million people around the world who had been forcibly displaced. That figure soared to more than 82 million in 2020 and, propelled by conflict, the climate crisis and skyrocketing inequality, continues to grow.
The team was established to bring attention to the plight of refugees, to share a message of hope for and solidarity with those faceless millions, and an opportunity for a handful of athletes to illustrate that they too belong on a stage with the finest athletes in the world while at the same representing a community that collectively, would be the 20th most populous planet in the world.
Dorian Keletela, the first refugee athlete to compete in a sprint event at the Olympic Games, relished the opportunity.
"To represent 80 million refugees is very important to me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It's almost indescribable." 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61129ea2a2540753d60a9041.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Dorian Keletela competes in Tokyo (&copy; Christel Saneh)
 He also competed well.
The 22-year-old Congolese native who is based in Portugal won his 100m heat in the preliminary round in 10.33, smashing his previous career best by 0.13.
"The most important thing for me was to advance to the next round and I've done it," said Keletela, who represented the Athlete Refugee Team at the European Indoor Championships earlier this year. "I wasn't nervous and I'm confident."
His heat victory was also a milestone symbolically, marking the first time a refugee athlete was first to cross a finish line at a global competition. Images of him winning that heat were transmitted, shared and published around the world.
"I'm very proud of that,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and I'm very proud of this team.&rdquo;
He clocked 10.41 in the next round and didn't reach the semifinals, but was still upbeat about the experience, praising his coach Francis Obikwelu, the 2004 Olympic silver medallist, for helping him get this far.
"I started training with Francis in March," he said. "It was complicated, everything changed, but I'm in shape and I'm going to (keep showing) the work that has been done. " 
<h3>Big PB for Mohammed</h3>
The IOC&rsquo;s Refugee Olympic Team competed in Tokyo under the French acronym EOR, which stands for Equipe Olympique des Refugies. In all other national, continental and international competitions, refugee athletes compete as part of the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team (ART), which illustrates the fundamental importance of the governing body&rsquo;s support for the refugee team project.
Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed, who has competed on several ART squads, also raced well in his Olympic debut, clocking 13:42.98 in his 5000m heat to smash his previous best of 13:55.74. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6112a091a2540753d60a9047.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed races in the 5000m heats&nbsp;(&copy; Dan Vernon) 
"It was a good experience but I hope next time it will be better," said Mohammed, a native of Sudan who has been based in Tel Aviv since 2010.
The notoriously physical nature of major championships heats forced him to race cautiously early on so he&rsquo;d stay out of trouble. If he'd been a little more aggressive, he said, he would have gone a lot faster. "In Israel, we don't ever race like this. So I fell a little behind and then had to catch up over the last few laps.&rdquo;
He'll now take a week off then return to training to focus on the upcoming cross country season.
Mohammed made his ART debut at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships where he finished 85th, beating many of the world's best runners. More recently he won the 5000m at the Israeli championships. 
<h3>PBs for Lokonyen and Lohalith</h3>
Rose Nathike Lokonyen, the flag bearer for the first Refugee Olympic Team in Rio five years ago, also achieved what she set out to do.
The 26-year-old clocked 2:11.87 in her heat of the 800m, a personal best eclipsing the 2:13.39 she clocked at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
"I feel great, I finished my race and I improved on my time," Lokonyen said, admitting that she was pleasantly surprised with the performance, given how much training she had missed due to pandemic restrictions.
Lokonyen, a native of South Sudan, said she hopes that her participation helped bring attention to the plight of the world's refugees.
"Sport has changed my life," she said. "I represent an entire community of refugees to show the world that being a refugee is just a status. We have the potential of doing something, especially in sport, that brings people together, that brings peace, love and unity."
Lokonyen had already left her mark on students at Takata Daiichi Middle School in Rikuzen-Takata when she visited in 2019 after competing at the World Athletics Relays in Yokohama, a visit that clearly left an impression. To wish her well in Tokyo, students from school folded and sent her 1000 origami cranes, a traditional Japanese symbol of hope and encouragement.
Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, another member of the original Rio team, also produced a lifetime best in her 1500m heat, clocking 4:31.65. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61129fc9a2540753d60a9044.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /> Anjelina Nadai Lohalith with the USA's Elle Purrier St. Pierre (&copy; Dan Vernon) 
"I'm happy about running my PB, but I'm not that happy because I wanted to run under 4:30," she said. "We had some challenges with Covid-19 - I missed nearly a whole year of training. But I never lost hope because I knew that the Olympics were coming."
Paulo Amotun Lokoro, another Rio team member, was even less pleased than Nathike after his 3:51.78 run in his 1500m heat, well short of the 3:47.03 personal best from 2019 he had set out to improve.
"It was very tough, but I ran and managed to finish," he said. "But I'm not happy. I performed poorly. My body was just not moving."
Lokoro is among the most experienced athletes in the ART programme, with appearances at the World Athletics Relays, the World Half Marathon Championships and two World Championships on the track. When Kenya was hit by lockdowns last year, Lokoro was forced to return to the Kakuma Refugee Camp, seriously impacting the training regimen that helped him improve by more than 20 seconds since his first Olympic appearance.
"We have been preparing for long time, but then Covid 19 disrupted our training," he said. "We were not relaxing, but we lost a lot of training."
Meanwhile, James Nyang Chiengjiek, another veteran of the Rio team who trains alongside Lokonyen, Lohalith and Lokoro at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation Training Centre near Nairobi, had a frustrating outing in his 800m heat. Chiengjiek, who has also competed in several competitions as a member of the ART squad, made a bold move for the lead after the break on the first lap, but was clipped in the traffic and tumbled to the track. After shaking off the disappointment, he got back up and finished the race. 
<h3>Opening new doors</h3>
Besides providing an opportunity for refugees to compete, there is also a wider mission at the core of the refugee team project: to illustrate how sport can also open other doors to help refugees integrate and eventually settle into new communities.
Opportunities have already arisen for Lokoro, Nathike and Chiengjiek, who will be moving to Canada later this month thanks to a new scholarship programme that offers a so-called "athletics pathway" for the first time to refugees seeking to resettle in third countries. Under the programme, created through a partnership between UNHCR and the World University Service Canada (WUSC), the three will be granted permanent residency and will continue their education at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. They will also continue training and competing.
&ldquo;This is an important moment,&rdquo; said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. &ldquo;It is the first time sporting potential and athletic capability have been recognised as a route for refugees to access tertiary education.
&ldquo;It is fantastic news for the three refugee Olympic athletes concerned, and we hope this Canadian pilot will serve as an example to relevant actors in Canada and in other countries to encourage them to also offer opportunities to admit refugees for educational, sports, artistic and cultural reasons among so many others.&rdquo;
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

For the second consecutive Olympic Games, performances by the Refugee Olympic Team were a source of inspiration for tens of millions of displaced persons from around the world, and their stories resonated with millions more.

Refugee Olympic Team athletes step up and inspire in Tokyo

With three world records, 12 Olympic records and dozens of area and national records, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was officially the highest quality major event in athletics history.
But beyond the record-breaking performances, what made the Games truly memorable were the other moments that happened on and off the field of play.
From heart-breaking post-race interviews to mid-race fist-bumps, the 10 days of athletics action were one long emotional rollercoaster. Here are just 10 of the moments that will long live in the memory.
&nbsp;
<h2>1. &ldquo;Can we have two golds?&rdquo;</h2>
Anyone who has followed the high jump in recent years would have been aware of what Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim have been through in the lead-up to the Tokyo Games.
Tamberi picked up a career-threatening injury just before the Rio Olympics, while Barshim suffered a similar fate back in 2018. Both <a href="https://spikes.worldathletics.org/post/gianmarco-tamberi-my-friend-mutaz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the two friends</a> rehabbed their way back to competitive form in recent years and headed to Tokyo in pursuit of their first Olympic title.
They each produced a flawless series up to and including 2.37m and then recorded three failures at 2.39m. For his final attempt at that height, Tamberi even used his old plastercast as a marker for his run-up, a reminder of all he&rsquo;d been through to get to that point.
As the last athletes in the competition, as per the rules for ties in vertical jumps, they were given a decision to make from the official. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61126fe4b833f2e026063368.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 &ldquo;We can continue with the jump-off,&rdquo; the official started explaining, before Barshim pre-empted his next line.
&ldquo;Can we have two golds?&rdquo; asked the Qatari high jumper.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s possible,&rdquo; the official replied after a brief pause. &ldquo;It depends if you&hellip;&rdquo; he continued trying to explain the full scenario, but by that point, Barshim and Tamberi had turned to one another and had started celebrating their joint triumph.
Cue the tears&hellip;
&nbsp;
<h2>2. Winning bonus</h2>
Before Tokyo, Timothy Cheruiyot and Jakob Ingebrigtsen were the key protagonists in one of the most enthralling one-sided head-to-heads in recent years.
Cheruiyot had won all 12 of their clashes and headed to the Olympics as the world leader and world champion. But young Norwegian Ingebrigtsen had consistently been the closest finisher to Cheruiyot in the past 12 months and was regarded as the Kenyan&rsquo;s biggest rival at the Games. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6112713e6b17f92ae036478b.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 In a race for the ages, Ingebrigtsen defeated Cheruiyot in Tokyo, breaking the Olympic and European records in the process.
Gracious in defeat, Cheruiyot gifted Ingebrigtsen a bracelet after the race.
&ldquo;When I left my room earlier, I told myself that if someone beats me today, I will give him my bracelet,&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;Jakob beat me, so I give it to him.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h2>3. Taking notes</h2>
You can imagine that Nicola McDermott was a grade-A student at school.
The studious Australian high jumper makes notes after each jump in every competition &ndash; even in an Olympic final. She breaks down her jumps and gives a mark out of 10 for each aspect.
&ldquo;I never get 10 out of 10,&rdquo; she explained in an interview before the Games. &ldquo;There is always something to work on.&rdquo;
In Tokyo, though, she had the competition of her life and secured the silver medal with an Oceanian record of 2.02m. For good measure, she made a copy of her notes on her team t-shirt.
&ldquo;There were a few nines, but overall I rounded up,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I gave it a 10!&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6112716e6b17f92ae036478e.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Her note-taking began in her early years. As a nine-year-old just starting out in the sport, she wrote a poem about her dream of competing in the Olympics.
&ldquo;We all feel like cookies and cream,&rdquo; it said. &ldquo;Going to the Olympics is my greatest dream.&rdquo;
It seems dreams do come true after all.
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&nbsp;
<h2>4. We did it</h2>
Ryan Crouser describes his grandfather as his &ldquo;biggest fan&rdquo;.
Sadly for the record-breaking US shot putter, his grandfather passed away just a week before the Olympics began. Crouser managed to maintain his composure during the competition and produced the greatest series in shot put history, topped by an Olympic record of 23.30m.
But after being confirmed champion, Crouser held up a note that read: &ldquo;Grandpa, We did it. 2020 Olympic champion!&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610b89be276efab8ad5f0b8d.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Before his passing, Crouser&rsquo;s grandfather had lost his hearing, so the family would communicate with him by writing notes.
&ldquo;He would tell me to stop and smell the roses for sure,&rdquo; Crouser said when asked what his grandfather would write in response. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what he would always tell me. I know he would be proud if he was here and I felt like he was here watching me. It was definitely a special day.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h2>5. Good as gold</h2>
Shot put legend Valerie Adams values her bronze medal from Tokyo as much as she does any of her 10 global gold medals.
Since the Rio Olympics, the New Zealander has given birth to two children and has bounced back from persistent elbow and shoulder injuries. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61061e5d746a7308a55df5ef.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 &ldquo;The feeling of winning a bronze medal today was just as good as when I won the gold medal,&rdquo; she said.
&ldquo;Since the last Games, I've had these two humans come out of me.
&ldquo;They're in my training diary and I have one on the wall in the (Olympic) Village,&rdquo; she added, holding up a photo of her daughter, Kimoana, and her son, Kepaleli. &ldquo;They go everywhere with me on my journey. They are my family.
&ldquo;It just goes to show the strength of a woman. You can be a mom and come back and be a mother as well.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h2>6. Deserved recognition</h2>
Most keen followers of the sport had heard of Neeraj Chopra before the Olympic Games.
But after winning the javelin in Tokyo, and in the process becoming India&rsquo;s first athletics gold medallist in Olympic history, Chopra&rsquo;s profile sky-rocketed. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610e7f8c455c4a1d10ace1cb.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 He had 143,000 followers before the Olympics, but now has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/neeraj____chopra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a staggering 3.2million</a>, making him the most followed track and field athlete in the world.
&ldquo;Still processing this feeling,&rdquo; he recently posted. &ldquo;To all of India and beyond, thank you so much for your support and blessings that have helped me reach this stage. This moment will live with me forever.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h2>7. Checking in with the fam</h2>
With fans, friends and family unable to attend the Olympics, organisers provided innovative ways to connect medallists with their loved ones.
After each final, the top performers were able to communicate with people back at home via video link-up. And there was a right house full for one athlete in particular.
Andre De Grasse, the 200m gold medallist, was greeted by partner Nia Ali &ndash; the world 100m hurdles champion &ndash; their two children, and other extended family members. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/611271da6b17f92ae0364791.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll see you soon, I love you guys. I&rsquo;ll Facetime you later,&rdquo; said De Grasse. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it. Oh my God, I did it.&rdquo;
And, like a true Canadian, he signed off with: &ldquo;Have a good day.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h2>8. Following in the footsteps of the greats</h2>
In the immediate aftermath of their competition, several medallists paid tribute to the athletes who have paved the way in their respective events.
Decathlon winner Damian Warner explained how he was inspired by the past two world record-holders in his event.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if you can say that I&rsquo;m the best athlete in the world when you have someone like Kevin, who has scored 9126,&rdquo; said the Canadian. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a shame that me, Kevin and Ashton weren&rsquo;t at our best at the same time. I think we could have really propelled each other. I think Ashton would have been able to score much higher than he did, I think Kevin&rsquo;s able to score much higher.
&ldquo;Ashton has meant so much to be throughout my career. I remember when he retired, I wrote a message to him to explain that he meant a lot to me. When I first started in the decathlon, my coach and I would go on YouTube and watch videos of Ashton and all the other greats. It&rsquo;s all those guys who created me.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610bf800c15071e6583a4262.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 And Laura Muir, silver medallist in the 1500m, explained how she was delighted to finish second to an all-time great in her event.
&ldquo;She's the greatest of all time,&rdquo; Muir said of two-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon. &ldquo;She doesn't get enough credit. She's won everything there is. I've got a lot of respect for her and I'm very, very happy to see her winning gold and I'm honoured to be behind her in that race.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
<h2>9. Appreciation behind the scenes</h2>
Volunteers are the unsung heroes of any major event, but this was especially true at the Tokyo Olympic Games. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/611271f56b17f92ae0364794.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 When athletes made their way from the field of play and headed into the mixed zone in the bowels of the stadium to speak to reporters, <a href="https://twitter.com/seaningle/status/1420950292007370757" target="_blank" rel="noopener">volunteers would greet each competitor with a round of applause</a>.
They were also there at the airport, still smiling and waving, on the final few days of the Games to wave off athletes as they headed home.
&nbsp;
<h2>10. The Inside Track</h2>
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/611272066b17f92ae0364797.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
Throughout the Games, the World Athletics website provided a second-screen experience so that people could enjoy the action alongside sporting legends, athletes&rsquo; families and super fans.
One of the best reactions came from Jody and Bayo from the Backstraight Boys (&amp; Girl) Podcast as they watched the men&rsquo;s 4x100m final.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"Oh, Italy won" 😯😅 🇬🇧 <a href="https://twitter.com/BackstraightB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BackstraightB</a>, u ok hun? That men's 4x100 was a 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙮 emotional rollercoaster 🎢<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WAInsideTrack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WAInsideTrack</a> <a href="https://t.co/JsJoaU0nOr">pic.twitter.com/JsJoaU0nOr</a>
&mdash; World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics/status/1423651288760262665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
Earlier in the Games, they had <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics/status/1421855964739694595" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a similarly memorable reaction to Tamberi and Barshim sharing the gold medal</a> in the high jump.
In the words of Bayo: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s so Olympic.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Beyond the record-breaking performances, what made the Tokyo Olympics truly memorable were the other moments that happened on and off the field of play

10 magical moments from the Tokyo Olympic Games

There is something of the Usain Bolt about Soufiane El Bakkali.
Standing on the start line, or clipping around the track in that smooth, upright style of his, the 1.88m (6ft 2in) tall steeplechaser appears to be, if not quite fully head and shoulders above the opposition, then somewhere approaching it.
The 25-year-old Moroccan proved to be so in metaphorical terms when it came to the crunch in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase final on the sodden Tokyo Olympic Stadium track.&nbsp;
After the storm, El Bakkali was a picture of calm as he bided his time, gathering himself for the burst round the final bend that took him clear of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma for his country&rsquo;s first Olympic track and field gold since Hicham El Guerrouj&rsquo;s memorable 1500m-5000m double in Athens 17 long years ago.
Girma took Ethiopia&rsquo;s first Olympic men&rsquo;s steeplechase medal and Benjamin Kigen claimed bronze for Kenya. It was Kenya&rsquo;s 22nd&nbsp;medal in the event but scant consolation for the nation that has monopolised male steeplechasing at the Games. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61114e300b50f0d9adf58a78.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Indeed, you have to track all of the way back to the last Olympics held in Japan&rsquo;s capital city &ndash; back to 1964 &ndash; to find the last time that Kenya failed to bring a Midas touch to bear in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase.
Yes, the brilliant, half-Scottish Bronislaw Malinowski won gold for Poland ahead of the great Tanzanian middle distance man Filbert Bayi in Moscow in 1980, and Sweden&rsquo;s&nbsp;Anders Garderud&nbsp;did likewise ahead of Malinowski in Montreal in 1976. But those were both Games that were boycotted by Kenya.
Kenya made their debut in the 3000m steeplechase in Tokyo in 1964. Their sole representative, Benjamin Kogo, finished fifth in his heat and failed to advance. Gaston Roelants of Belgium won the final, ahead of Britain&rsquo;s Maurice Herriott.
Since then, boycotts apart, it has &ndash; or had &ndash; been gold all the way for Kenya: Amos Biwott (1968), Kip Keino (1972), Julius Korir (1984), Julius Kariuki (1984), Matthew Birir (1992), Joseph Keter (1996), Reuben Kosgei (2000), Ezekiel Kemboi (2004), Brimin Kipruto (2008), Kemboi again (2012) and Conselsus Kipruto (2016). 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/611188dedf02a67dc9cfab7c.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 The Rio final five years ago made it nine successive Olympic golds and yet the result was greeted as a disappointment back home, being the first since 1984 from which Kenya had taken just the one medal. There would have been bronze as well as gold had Kemboi not been disqualified for stepping off the track at a water jump.
That decision upgraded the colourful Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad to third place, and a 20-year-old El Bakkali to fourth, 2.43 seconds shy of a podium spot. It was familiar territory for the young Moroccan. At the 2014 World U20 Championships in Eugene, Bakkali had placed fourth behind Kenyans Barnabas Kipyego and Titus Kibiego and Burundi&rsquo;s Evans Chematot.
And yet El Bakkali&rsquo;s ascent to Olympic gold medal winner was no bolt from the blue. Far from it.
Save for the 2019 World Championships final in Doha, when Conselsus Kipruto rose Lazarus-like to retain his global crown five months after a stress fracture (and El Bakkali took bronze behind the emerging Girma), the man from Fez has been the dominant force in his specialist event.
El Bakkali has won five out of six Diamond League steeplechases he has contested in the past three seasons. And his 3:31.95 for third place in the Doha Diamond League 1500m in May this year (a PB by 2.43), behind Timothy Cheruiyot and Stewart McSweyn, showed a glint of golden sharpness.
With Kipruto having failed to finish at the Kenyan trials, El Bakkali arrived in Tokyo as the pedigree contender. Since finishing fourth in Rio in 2016, he has now claimed a medal in three successive global finals, with a silver from the 2017 World Championships in London (behind Kipruto) and bronze in Doha in 2019 (behind Kipruto and Girma).
He has also joined a hallowed list from Moroccan Olympic track and field: Nawal El Moutawakel (400m hurdles, 1984), Said Aouita (5000m, 1984), Brahim Boutayeb (10,000m, 1988), Khalid Skah (10,000m, 1992) and El Guerrouj (1500m and 5000m, 2004). 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6107e7f0f5668a58772985bf.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 "I have been aiming for this for years,&rdquo; El Bakkali reflected. &ldquo;This was my opportunity to show that Morocco is capable of winning this prize.
"It is a big accomplishment for me. I am so used to seeing Kenyans win.
"It was not easy for me to be in front of the Kenyans and Ethiopians. I know how hard it is to be first in front of them."
At 25, El Bakkali has time to consolidate his hard-earned position as the planet&rsquo;s pre-eminent male steeplechaser. With a PB of 7:58.15 from the Monaco Diamond League meeting in 2018, he stands 10th on the world all-time list. Saif Saaeed Shaheen&rsquo;s 17-year-old world record is 7:53.63.&nbsp;
The global mark before that was held by a Moroccan. Brahim Boulami clocked 7:55.28 in Brussels in 2001, ending 23 years of ownership by a succession of Kenyans, stretching back to Henry Rono in 1978. It remains the Moroccan record.
Then, of course, there is a world title up for grabs in Eugene next year. The Kenyan fist has not been quite so tight on World Championships gold but they have won 13 of 17 men&rsquo;s golds in the 3000m steeplechase - including the last seven in a row, courtesy of Brimin Kipruto (2007), Kemboi (2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015) and Conselsus Kipruto (2017 and 2019).
The challenge now for Morocco&rsquo;s Olympic champion is to follow in the footsteps of (West) Germany&rsquo;s Patriz Ilg (1983), Italy&rsquo;s Francesco Panetta (1987) and Qatar&rsquo;s Shaheen (2003 and 2005) by finishing a cut above the Kenyans and the rest again on the Oregon trail in 2022.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics

There is something of the Usain Bolt about Soufiane El Bakkali.

A changing of the men's Olympic steeplechase guard

More than 50 athletes from the sport of athletics will carry the flags for their nation at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Sunday (8).
Ten days of competition, which included three world records, 12 Olympic records and 28 area records, came to a close with the men&rsquo;s marathon on Sunday morning, with Kenya&rsquo;s marathon great Eliud Kipchoge retaining his title.
Now his fellow Olympic gold medallists Sifan Hassan, Damian Warner, Pedro Pichardo and Peruth Chemutai will be among the flag bearers returning to Tokyo's Olympic Stadium as the 2020 Games come to a close.
For Hassan, the moment will cap an incredible performance in Tokyo, with the Dutch star having claimed an unprecedented medal treble of 5000m and 10,000m golds plus 1500m bronze over nine days.
&ldquo;I am so happy and I cried during the medal ceremony,&rdquo; the 28-year-old said after her 10,000m triumph on Saturday. &ldquo;I actually realised that I am done, the Games are&nbsp;over.&rdquo;
Warner&rsquo;s victory had been secured on Thursday, when he became just the fourth man in history to break the 9000-point barrier to win the decathlon title. The Canadian&rsquo;s 9018-point tally was one of the 12 Olympic records set at the Tokyo Games.
Portugal&rsquo;s Pichardo, meanwhile, leapt to the triple jump title, setting one of the 151 national records achieved at these Olympics with his winning mark of 17.98m. In that same competition, the bronze medallist was world indoor record-holder Hugues Fabrice Zango and as a result, Burkina Faso became the 100th country to have won an Olympic medal in athletics.
For Chemutai, victory came in the 3000m steeplechase. Other medallists in Tokyo carrying their nation&rsquo;s flag will be Ethiopia&rsquo;s Selemon Barega, Grenada&rsquo;s Kirani James, Kenya&rsquo;s Timothy Cheruiyot and New Zealand&rsquo;s Valerie Adams.&nbsp;
With the 2020 Games delayed a year due to the pandemic, athletes and fans now have only three years to wait until Olympic action returns in Paris in 2024. 
<h3>Athletics flag bearers at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony</h3>
Listed in&nbsp;the order in which they will march. List correct at time of publication and may be subject to change.
Antigua and Barbuda (ANT) - Cejhae Greene (men&rsquo;s 100m) Andorra (AND) - Pol Moya (men&rsquo;s 800m) Italy (ITA) - Lamont Marcell Jacobs (men&rsquo;s 100m and 4x100m) Uganda (UGA) - Peruth Chemutai (women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase) Uruguay (URU) - Maria Pia Fernandez (women&rsquo;s 1500m) Ecuador (ECU) - Glenda Morej&oacute;n (women&rsquo;s 20km race walk) Estonia (EST) - Maicel Uibo (decathlon) Eswatini (SWZ) - Sibusiso Matsenjwa (men&rsquo;s 200m) Ethiopia (ETH) - Selemon Barega (10,000m) Eritrea (ERI) - Nazret Weldu (women&rsquo;s marathon) Netherlands (NED) - Sifan Hassan (1500m, 5000m and 10,000m) Guyana (GUY) - Emanuel Archibald (men&rsquo;s 100m) Canada (CAN) - Damian Warner (decathlon) Gambia (GAM) - Ebrima Camara (men&rsquo;s 100m) Cuba (CUB) - Zurian Hechavarr&iacute;a (women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles and 4x400m) Grenada (GRN) - Kirani James (men&rsquo;s 400m) Kenya (KEN) - Timothy Cheruiyot (men&rsquo;s 1500m) Cote d'Ivoire (CIV) - Marie-Josee Ta Lou (women&rsquo;s 100m and 200m) Costa Rica (CRC) - Noelia Vargas (women&rsquo;s 20km race walk) Comoros (COM) - Fadane Hamadi (men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles) Congo (CGO) - Gilles Anthony Afoumba (men&rsquo;s 400m) Zambia (ZAM) - Sydney Siame (men&rsquo;s 200m) Djibouti (DJI) - Souhra Ali Mohamed (women&rsquo;s 1500m) Jamaica (JAM) - Demish Gaye (men&rsquo;s 400m and 4x400m) Sri Lanka (SRI) - Yupun Abeykoon Mudiyanselage (men&rsquo;s 100m) Saint Lucia (LCA) - Levern Spencer (women&rsquo;s high jump) Chinese Taipei (TPE) - Chen Chieh (men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles) United Republic of Tanzania (TAN) - Male Alphonce Felix Simbu (men&rsquo;s marathon) Czech Republic (CZE) Jakub Vadlejch (men&rsquo;s javelin) People's Republic of China (CHN) - Su Bingtian (men&rsquo;s 100m and 4x100m) Tuvalu (TUV) - Karalo Hepoiteloto Maibuca (men&rsquo;s 100m) Dominica (DMA) - Thea Lafond (women&rsquo;s triple jump) Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) - Andwuelle Wright (men&rsquo;s long jump) Namibia (NAM) - Beatrice Masilingi (women&rsquo;s 200m) New Zealand (NZL) - Valerie Adams (shot put) Haiti (HAI) - Mulern Jean (women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles) Pakistan (PAK) - Arshad Nadeem (men&rsquo;s javelin) Panama (PAN) - Jorge Castelblanco (men&rsquo;s marathon) Bahamas (BAH) - Megan Moss (women&rsquo;s 4x400m) Paraguay (PAR) - Derlys Ayala (men&rsquo;s marathon) Barbados (BAR) - Tia-Adana Belle (women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles) American Samoa (ASA) - Nathan Crumpton (men&rsquo;s 100m) Virgin Islands, US (ISV) - Eddie Vovett (men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) - Amel Tuka (men&rsquo;s 800m) Botswana (BOT) - Anthony Pasela (men&rsquo;s 4x400m) Bolivia (BOL) - Angela Castro (women&rsquo;s 20km race walk) Portugal (POR) - Pedro Pichardo (men&rsquo;s triple jump) Honduras (HON) - Ivan Zarco Alvarez&nbsp;(men&rsquo;s marathon) South Africa (RSA) - Anaso Jobodwana (men&rsquo;s 200m) South Sudan (SSD) - Abraham Guem (men&rsquo;s 1500m) Republic of Moldova (MDA) - Andrian Mardare (men&rsquo;s javelin) Luxembourg (LUX) - Bob Bertemes (men&rsquo;s shot put) Rwanda (RWA) - John Hakizimana (men&rsquo;s marathon) Lesotho (LES) - Neheng Khatala (women&rsquo;s marathon) United States of America (USA) - Kara Winger (women&rsquo;s javelin)

More than 50 athletes from the sport of athletics will carry the flags for their nation at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Sunday.

Hassan and Warner among Tokyo 2020 Closing Ceremony flag bearers

Five years ago, marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge was the last athletics champion crowned at the Olympic Games in Rio. He replicated that performance this morning in Sapporo with another commanding run to become only the third man to successfully defend an Olympic marathon title.
In Rio, he waited until the 36th kilometre to break away. Today, his decisive move came in the 31st. By the 38th, the Kenyan more closely resembled a solitary figure out on a morning training run than a man leading the Olympic marathon. He'd built a lead of more than one minute by that point, with no other runner within view.&nbsp;
Such was Kipchoge's dominance this morning en route to his 2:08:38 triumph. His winning margin of 1:20 was the widest in an Olympic marathon since Frank Shorter's win in 1972.
"I think I have fulfilled the legacy by winning the marathon for the second time, back-to-back. I hope now to help inspire the next generation," said Kipchoge, who joined 1960 and 1964 champion Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia and East German Waldemar Cierpinski, the winner in Montreal in 1976 and Moscow in 1980, as a back-to-back winner.
"It means a lot for me, especially at this time. It was really hard last year, with the Olympic Games postponed. I am happy for the local organising committee who made this race happen. It is a sign that shows the world we are heading in the right direction - we are on the right transition to a normal life."
Like yesterday's women's race, the pace was conservative and cautious throughout, with a large group of nearly 50 runners going through the opening five kilometres in 15:17 and ten in 30:53, on pace for a modest 2:10:19 finish. Kipchoge was at or near the front throughout, taking turns in the lead with Colombian Jeison Alexander Suarez and Daniel do Nascimento of Brazil who seemed to enjoy the opportunity of leading a pack that included the greatest marathoner of all-time.
Little changed at 15 kilometres (46:03) where 2016 bronze medallist Galen Rupp of the US and Kipchoge's teammate Lawrence Cherono were also chipping in with the pacing duties.
The field was beginning to spread out by the time Stephen Mokoka of South Africa reached the halfway point in 1:05:13, with 23 runners still within three seconds of the lead. At the head of the pack, Kipchoge was the picture of calm and cool, and was playful too, as he exchanged a fist bump with Brazil's Daniel do Nascimento as they continued to take turns at the front.
The first big break came in the 27th kilometre when the lead pack was reduced to 12, but with Kipchoge still firmly dictating the proceedings. Rupp was still there, along with Belgian Bashir Abdi and Dutchman Abdi Nageeye, Kipchoge's teammates Cherono and Kipruto, and Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania.
By 30km (1:32:31) the pack further dwindled to eight, but that apparently wasn't to Kipchoge's liking. Less than a kilometre later, he injected a surge that quickly created considerable daylight between him and the remaining chase pack. He then began to pour it on, building a 27-second lead through 35 kilometres (1:46:59). He extended it to more than a minute five kilometres later. The only company he had in the waning moments were the substantial crowds that turned out to watch the race.&nbsp;
Behind him, Cherono, Ayad Lamdassem of Spain, and training partners Abdi and Nageeye battled it out for the remaining two podium spots. Nageeye won that battle, crossing the line in 2:09:58, two seconds clear of Abdi.
&ldquo;I said so many times I wanted a top three, but I never made it. So today I was just focusing. Focus, focus, focus,&rdquo; said Nageeye, who finished 11th in Rio. &ldquo;When I reached 39km I just knew (I would win a medal). I was feeling really easy with three kilometres to go. I knew I had just nine minutes to run. It is unbelievable.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I always believed in myself,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;I was a nomad, I packed my bags and trained in France, America, Ethiopia, Kenya. To stand on the podium with Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest of all time &ndash; It is amazing.&rdquo;
Abdi too was a believer. Without Nageeye, he said, it would be unlikely that he&rsquo;d finish on the podium.
"The last three kilometres was very hard because I had cramp,&rdquo; Abdi said. &ldquo;But my training partner motivated me. I am really happy he finished in second place, and I'm really happy with the bronze. He said, 'you must go.' If he was not there today, it would have been a difficult last three kilometres."
Cherono was next, two seconds back in 2:10:02 with Lamdassem clocking 2:10:16 for fifth. Suguro Osako closed well to finish sixth and the first Japanese in 2:10:41. Further back, Rupp was eighth in 2:11:41.
Tachlowini Gabriyesos, the first refugee team member to achieve an Olympic qualifying standard, performed well, clocking 2:14:02 to finish 16th.
Of the 106 runners who started, 76 finished.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; width: 100%;" colspan="3">MEN'S MARATHON MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Eliud Kipchoge 🇰🇪 KEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">2:08:38</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Abdi Nageeye 🇳🇱 NED</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">2:09:58 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Bashir Abdi 🇧🇪 BEL</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">2:10:00 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; width: 100%;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/results/men/marathon/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Kipchoge cements legendary status by retaining Olympic marathon crown

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has hailed the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the people of Japan for allowing the dreams of the world&rsquo;s athletes to come to life at what has proven to be the most globally successful edition of the Games for athletics.
A record 83 teams reached finals in Tokyo, highlighting the global reach of the sport, with 43 teams featuring on the medal podium and 23 of those winning gold.
Some 70 per cent of athletes only get one chance to compete at the Olympic Games and in Tokyo athletes made the most of the opportunity under the most challenging circumstances.
Coe thanked Japan and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee for providing the best possible platform on which the sport&rsquo;s stars could shine. Over ten days of competition, three world records, 12 Olympic records, 28 area records and 151 national records were set in these history-making Games.
&ldquo;To the people of Japan, we know the hardship you have endured and continue to endure in the face of this global pandemic," Coe said.
&ldquo;We owe you a massive debt of gratitude for your gracious hospitality, your professionalism and your friendship. You really have been simply the best and we thank you unreservedly.&rdquo;
The tally of 43 countries on the medal table is the biggest in athletics for more than 20 years, underlining the diversity and depth of talent in the sport. Across all Olympic sports at the Tokyo Games, 93 teams earned medals, so almost 50 percent of those achieved their dreams in athletics.
For 12 teams &ndash; Bahamas, Bahrain, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Grenada, Jamaica, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Puerto Rico and Uganda &ndash; athletics was their pathway to the Olympic podium.
In total, athletes at the Games covered a combined distance of 2,045,750 metres in track events and 10,737km in road events. Field eventers threw a combined distance of 1508 metres and jumped a combined distance of 2490 metres.
The Tokyo Olympic Games was also the highest quality major event in history, as per the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/competition-performance-rankings?type=1&amp;sortBy=score&amp;page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">competition performance rankings</a>:
SCORE - EVENT 197115 - Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games 196457 - World Championships Doha 2019 195953 - Rio 2016 Olympic Games 194547 - World Championships Beijing 2015 193426 - World Championships London 2017
<h2>Burkina Faso and India make history</h2>
More than 100 countries have now won Olympic medals in athletics, after India and Burkina Faso won their first medals in the Tokyo stadium, courtesy of superb performances by javelin star Neeraj Chopra and triple jump ace Hugues Fabrice Zango.
With a throw of 87.58m, Chopra became the first Indian to win an Olympic gold in athletics.
Zango, meanwhile, soared 17.47m to claim bronze in the triple jump, making his nation the 100th to join the Olympic athletics medal list. 
<h2>US women play starring role</h2>
With 26 medals, the US team topped the medals table, and of the seven gold medals won by the team, five were claimed by women.
Sydney McLaughlin was one of the three athletes who set world records in Tokyo, winning the 400m hurdles in 51.46. Norway&rsquo;s Karsten Warholm also set a new world standard in the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles (45.94) as did Venezuela&rsquo;s Yulimar Rojas in the triple jump (15.67m).
Meanwhile Allyson Felix became the most decorated female track and field athlete in Olympic history with 11 medals, after winning gold in the 4x400m relay and bronze in the individual 400m. The 35-year-old American, who has attended five consecutive Olympic Games, has seven gold medals to her name.
The strength in women&rsquo;s events was also apparent across the board, with 55 per cent of the national records at the Tokyo 2020 Games being set in women&rsquo;s disciplines. 
<h2>Engaging and inspiring</h2>
While the platform was set for many record-breaking performances, the Tokyo 2020 Games will also be remembered for its surprise results, close contests, next generation breakthroughs and moments of fair play.
Among the new stars who shone on the global stage were teenagers Athing Mu and Keely Hodgkinson, who claimed respective gold and silver in the women&rsquo;s 800m at the age of just 19.
Fourteen athletes under the age of 23 won medals, six of them gold, to underline the exceptional talent coming through the sport.
Meanwhile, one of the most heart-warming moments of the Games came in the men&rsquo;s high jump when Qatar&rsquo;s Mutaz Barshim and Italy&rsquo;s Gianmarco Tamberi &ndash; friends and rivals who battled the same career-threatening injury to make it to Tokyo &ndash; decided to share the gold.
All of these moments helped to engage and inspire fans around the globe. World Athletics&rsquo; social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok) received 14 million engagements during the duration of the Games, and content on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube receiving 155 million impressions.
For the first time, World Athletics also provided a second screen experience &ndash; Inside Track Tokyo 2020 &ndash; which enabled fans to join celebrities, experts and families online as they shared their reactions live while following the excitement of the Games.
World Athletics

The most globally successful edition of the Games for athletics

Record figures at Tokyo Olympics highlights global reach of athletics

On a breathtaking night of athletics, a distance runner established herself as an all-time great, a legend further polished her legacy, a triple world champion stepped on to the Olympic podium for the first time, a prodigy became a bonafide champion and almost a fifth of the world&rsquo;s population was celebrating India&rsquo;s first Olympic gold medal in athletics.
What was most difficult to believe was that all this could be packed into one stellar session to finish the stadium programme of the Tokyo Olympic Games on the highest of notes.
Coming into the Olympics, Sifan Hassan said it was a &ldquo;crazy&rdquo; idea to compete in the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m at one Games but who better than someone as crazy and brave as her to achieve such a challenge.
The 27-year-old Dutchwoman was rewarded for her audacious approach tonight as she became the first athlete to win a medal in the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m at the same Olympic Games, one of the greatest achievements in the 125-year history of the Games.
Across nine days, 24,500 metres and&nbsp; 61.25 laps of the track, Hassan claimed two gold medals (5000m and 10,000m) and a bronze medal (1500m), despite a fall in her 1500m heat that could have brought the whole dream undone.
Conscious of the amount of running already in her legs, Hassan took the conservative strategy into tonight&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympic-games-women-10000m-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10,000m final</a>.
By half-way, only four women were still in the race &ndash; Hassan, world record-holder Letesenbet Gidey, world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri and Bahrain&rsquo;s Kalkidan Gezahegne.
Gidey took up the pace with the others in single file, leading through 7000m, ahead of Obiri and Hassan. When Obiri began to falter on the next lap, Hassan moved smoothly past her and on to the shoulder of her Ethiopian rival.
With four laps to go (1600m), Gidey gestured for someone else to take the pace but Hassan declined to relieve her, sticking to her shadow until just 150m to go when she burst free and sprinted for the finish line to win in 29:55.32.
Gezahegne also had more left in her legs and followed Hassan home for the silver medal in 29:56.18. The tiring Gidey held on to the bronze medal (30:01.72).&nbsp;
Hassan said she had been fueled by her third place in the 1500m and that had driven her to victory today.
"Today I'm grateful for that," she said. &ldquo;That was not what I wanted, but what I needed. I was thinking about yesterday the whole race, and I've never gone deep like I did today."
She revealed that she had been waking up with nightmares every night at the Olympic village because of the size of the challenge she faced. She said she would celebrate the end of her astonishing Games by going to sleep.
Meanwhile, Norwegian prodigy Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the youngest man to win the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympic-games-men-1500m-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1500m</a> and did it with the fastest time in Olympic history.
The 20-year-old Ingebrigtsen, the youngest of three brothers who are all elite runners coached by their father, has seemed destined for this moment since he won the European championship as a 17-year-old.
Standing in his way was the Kenyan world champion Timothy Cheruiyot who had defeated his younger rivals 12 times in succession coming into this race.
But the Norwegian has never lost faith that his time would come and it arrived tonight. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610e8039455c4a1d10ace1ce.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been able to do it on my first try and I feel like I am just getting started," he said, in what should serve as a warning to the world&rsquo;s best middle distance men. &ldquo;But at the same time, I have been dreaming of this for my whole life. It&rsquo;s crazy.
&ldquo;It's not only my gold medal, it's my whole family. If it wasn't for everybody around me, I wouldn't be able to be here and I definitely wouldn't be a runner. So I'm really happy and proud to win.&rdquo;
After the race, Cheruiyot revealed that the two fastest men in the field had made an unusual deal, agreeing to share the pace in the first two laps to ensure this was a fast championship race.
It worked perfectly. Ingebrigtsen took the first turn, Cheruiyot the second at sub-3:30 pace and by the third lap the rest of the field was hurting and the race was between them.
With 120m to go, Ingebrigtsen turned on the afterburners and raced to the lead, gapping Cheruiyot by five metres to take the tape in a personal best time of 3:28.32. Cheruiyot took the silver in 3:29.01 with fast-finishing Briton Josh Kerr snatching the bronze in a huge personal best of 3:29.05.
"He's a good racer, he's a good athlete, a disciplined athlete. I'm happy about him," the gracious Cheruiyot said of his conqueror.
The field events were equally riveting.
Neeraj Chopra became a hero in India as he claimed his country&rsquo;s first Olympic medal in athletics and a gold at that.
Chopra led the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympic-games-men-javelin-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">javelin final</a> from start to finish.
With his first throw, he hurled the spear 87.03m, a distance that would prove good enough for the gold medal.
However he found even more power on his second attempt (87.58m) and no-one could match him.
Czech thrower Jakub Vadlejch secured the silver medal with a fifth round throw of 86.67m, overtaking his compatriot Vitezslav Vesely, who claimed the bronze (85.44m).
However, the pre-event favourite Johannes Vetter of Germany, who has launched a series of 90m-plus throws this year, never looked comfortable on the runway and bowed out in ninth place.
Chopra was very aware of what his triumph will mean at home in the sub-continent.
&ldquo;This is our first Olympic medal for a very long time, and in athletics it is the first time we have gold, so it&rsquo;s a proud moment for me and my country," he said. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610e7f8c455c4a1d10ace1cb.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 The <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympic-games-women-high-jump-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women&rsquo;s high jump</a> turned into a shootout between the long-standing queen of the event, triple world champion Mariya Lasitskene, and a new challenger to the throne, Australia&rsquo;s Nicola McDermott.
Denied the opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal in Rio five years ago due to her country&rsquo;s suspension, 28-year-old&nbsp;Lasitskene&nbsp;was determined to take this chance.
However, the authorised neutral athlete was untidy early, taking three attempts to clear 1.96m and two to clear 1.98m. By contrast McDermott kept a neat sheet and hit the lead when she was the first to clear two metres.
But Lasitskene finally clicked into high gear and jumped 2.02m straight up. McDermott matched that height (a personal best, national record and area record) on the second attempt but remained behind on the count.
Lasitskene then went over 2.04m which proved to be a bridge too far for the Australian.
Teenaged Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh cleared two metres to take the bronze medal.
The usually dominant American team has had plenty of woes this week but produced two powerful displays to claim the last two gold medals on the track in the 4x400m relays.
The All-Star team of Olympic 400m hurdles champion and world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin, the most decorated female athlete in history Allyson Felix, the world 400m hurdles champion Dalilah Muhammad and the Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu was inevitably too hot for the other contenders in the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympic-games-women-4x400m-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women's 4x400m final</a>, clinching the gold medal in 3:16.85.
Almost four seconds behind, silver medallist Poland capped an excellent Olympic athletics campaign in 3:20.53, with Jamaica claiming the bronze (3:21.24).
The US men matched their female counterparts, winning their <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympic-games-men-4x400m-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4x400m</a> title handily (2:55.70) after a monster anchor leg from 400m hurdles silver medallist Rai Benjamin (43.40).
The Netherlands won the silver medal (2:57.18) and Botswana the bronze (2:57.27).
Earlier on, the first gold medal of the day had been won by Kenya's&nbsp;two-time world half marathon champion&nbsp;Peres Jepchirchir. Racing on the roads of Sapporo, she ran&nbsp;2:27:20 to claim the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/report/tokyo-olympic-games-women-marathon-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women's marathon</a> title ahead of her compatriot Brigid Kosgei and the USA's&nbsp;Molly Seidel.
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics

It was a breathtaking night of athletics.

Stellar session sees Olympic stadium action end on a high

All four men on USA&rsquo;s 4x400m team went into the final feeling as though they had something to prove.
Their first two runners, Michael Cherry and Michael Norman, had finished just outside the medals in the individual 400m. Third-leg runner Bryce Deadmon had finished seventh at the US Trials and probably felt his chances of Olympic selection in the relay were pretty slim. And anchor leg runner Rai Benjamin had claimed silver in the 400m hurdles, despite running well inside the previous world record.
But in the last track event on the final night of action inside Tokyo&rsquo;s Olympic Stadium, the four men became Olympic gold medallists, winning in 2:55.70 &ndash; the fourth-fastest time in history.
They were under pressure for the first few legs, though, as Isaac Makwala produced a superb 43.89 lead-off leg for Botswana &ndash; just the second sub-44 first leg in history &ndash; with Cherry a stride behind (44.26).
Norman took up the running from Cherry and overtook Botswana&rsquo;s Baboloki Thebe to give the USA the lead. But Norman&rsquo;s 44.03 split was just the fourth fastest of that stage as Poland&rsquo;s Karol Zalewski (43.68), Netherlands&rsquo; Terrence Agard (43.76) and Jamaica&rsquo;s Christopher Taylor (43.93) all produced phenomenal efforts.
Less than a second still separated the top seven teams as Norman handed over to Deadmon with Botswana&rsquo;s Zibane Ngozi, Poland&rsquo;s Mateusz Rzezniczak and Tony van Diepen of the Netherlands not far behind. Deadmon managed to extend USA&rsquo;s lead on the third leg, while Van Diepen drew level with Ngozi at the hand-off. Dylan Borlee, meanwhile, had moved Belgium from sixth to fourth.
It was then the turn of hurdles specialist Benjamin to take the baton for USA and it he extended his team&rsquo;s lead with every stride. Having covered the final lap in a sizzling 43.40, he crossed the line in 2:55.70, the fastest time in the world for 13 years.
Angela Ramsey held on to second place for the Netherlands, crossing the line in a national record of 2:57.18 for the silver medal. Botswana broke their own African record from the semifinals with 2:57.27 for bronze. It was the first ever 4x400m medals won by Netherlands and Botswana at the Olympic Games.
Belgium placed fourth in 2:57.88, also a national record, with Poland (2:58.46), Jamaica (2:58.76) and Italy (2:58.81 national record) all finishing inside three minutes.
With four teams finishing inside 2:58, seven teams inside 2:59 and all eight teams inside 3:01, it was the deepest men&rsquo;s 4x400m race in history.
&ldquo;All the sacrifices we put in in 2019, 2020 and 2021 have finally paid off,&rdquo; said Norman. &ldquo;And being able to do it in Japan, my mother&rsquo;s home country, was the cherry on top.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It's been a long championship, and a very emotional one for all of us here in all honesty,&rdquo; added Benjamin, Norman&rsquo;s training partner and housemate. &ldquo;Track and field can be really unforgiving, so it&rsquo;s amazing to come out here and win a gold medal considering some of the banter back home. They&rsquo;re used to seeing USA winning gold, but they don&rsquo;t understand that our team is young and in a transition period. I&rsquo;m just happy we put the right people out there and we were able to come out with a gold medal.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
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<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; width: 100%;" colspan="3">MEN'S 4x400m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">United States 🇺🇸 USA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">2:55.70 WL</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Netherlands 🇳🇱 NED</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">2:57.18 NR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Botswana 🇧🇼 BOT</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">2:57.27 AR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; width: 100%;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/results/men/4x400-metres-relay/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
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</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

All four men on USA’s 4x400m team went into the final feeling as though they had something to prove.

Tokyo Olympics end on a high for US men with victory in 4x400m

With three world titles already to her credit, Mariya Lasitskene needed an Olympic gold medal to complete her resume.
The authorised neutral athlete achieved that goal on Saturday (7), clearing 2.04m to become champion in the women&rsquo;s high jump at the Tokyo Games on the final night of competition at the National Stadium.
Australia&rsquo;s Nicola McDermott won the silver with a best jump of 2.02m and Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine claimed bronze at 2.00m.
McDermott became the second Australian to win a medal in the event, matching the silver that Michele Brown won in Tokyo in 1964.
&ldquo;To see Mariya get an Olympic gold medal after all these years, I just feel so honoured to be in the same competition,&rdquo; McDermott said.
The 19-year-old Mahuchikh added to the silver medal she won at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. She&rsquo;s the youngest Olympic medallist in the event since 1980, when Poland&rsquo;s Urszula Kielan won bronze, also at the age of 19.
Lasitskene moved into first place when she cleared 2.02m on her first attempt. She had missed early attempts before clearing 1.96m, 1.98m and 2.00m.
"I don't remember anything at all. There is a fog on my mind," said&nbsp;Lasitskene. "You are making mistakes, you are telling yourself you don't have the right to be here. But then you go on and continue jumping. You tell yourself: 'I won't give it up, I don't want to. I can, I must.'"&nbsp;
McDermott was leading until she missed her first attempt at 2.02m. She cleared the height on her next attempt but missed three times at 2.04m.
&ldquo;I started today&rsquo;s warm-up jumps and thought: &lsquo;Oh, I&rsquo;m going to get a PB today',&rdquo; McDermott said. &ldquo;I knew I could sing out there and just have fun with all these women that I am so inspired by. I don&rsquo;t think this is really going to hit until I get back to my room tonight.&rdquo;
Ukraine's&nbsp;Iryna Gerashchenko finished fourth with a&nbsp;1.98m clearance, while Australia's Eleanor Patterson was fifth with 1.96m.
US champion Vashti Cunningham finished sixth, also with a best jump of 1.96m. She missed twice at 1.98m and passed on her third attempt before failing to clear 2.00m.
Placing equal sixth was Safina Sadullayeva of&nbsp;Uzbekistan.
Steve Wilson for World Athletics
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
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<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S HIGH JUMP MEDALLISTS</td>
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<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Mariya Lasitskene ANA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">2.04m</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Nicola McDermott 🇦🇺 AUS</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">2.02m AR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Yaroslava Mahuchikh 🇺🇦 UKR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">2.00m</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/results/women/high-jump/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
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</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

With three world titles already to her credit, Mariya Lasitskene needed an Olympic gold medal to complete her resume.

Lasitskene adds Olympic high jump title to global gold collection

Neeraj Chopra made history in the javelin by becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold in athletics.
But the biggest surprise of the competition was not so much that Chopra won; it was that world leader Johannes Vetter finished down in ninth and didn&rsquo;t make the cut to compete in the last three rounds.
Not to take anything away from Chopra&rsquo;s victory, though, as he produced the two best throws of the competition.
He opened with 87.03m to take an early lead, while Germany&rsquo;s Julian Weber went into second with 85.30m. Vetter, meanwhile, opened with 82.52m &ndash; a solid enough mark by anyone&rsquo;s standards other than his own.
Chopra continued to apply the pressure on the rest of the field, improving to 87.58m in the second round.
The third round brought some of the biggest marks of the competition as 2013 world champion Vitezslav Vesely of the Czech Republic produced his best throw for six years, sending his spear out to 85.44m to move into second place.
In the same round, Pakistan&rsquo;s Arshad Nadeem landed an 84.62m throw, Aliaksei Katkavets of Belarus threw 83.71m and Finland&rsquo;s Lassi Etelatalo managed 83.28m. Vetter, however, recorded another foul, and after the efforts of all the other finalists, the German was in ninth and would play no further part in the final.
Following a relatively uneventful fourth round, 2017 world silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch produced his best throw for three years to move into the silver medal position with 86.67m, pushing Weber out of the medals. The German tried to respond, but his 85.15m wasn&rsquo;t quite enough to improve his position.
Neither Weber nor the two Czech throwers improved in the final round, as Chopra&rsquo;s victory was confirmed. He ended his series with an 84.24m effort before heading off to celebrate his gold medal, shaking his head in disbelief as he made his way off the track.
&ldquo;This feels awesome,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My training leading into this competition was good. We were very ready for the Olympics. After the qualifying round, I felt very good.
&ldquo;I feel a bit bad about Vetter, he&rsquo;s a great thrower,&rdquo; added Chopra. &ldquo;But I also had to focus on my throws. I can&rsquo;t explain it, it&rsquo;s an awesome feeling.&rdquo;
For just the second time in history, 10 men threw beyond 82 metres.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
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<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">MEN'S JAVELIN MEDALLISTS</td>
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<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Neeraj Chopra 🇮🇳 IND</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">87.58m</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Jakub Vadlejch 🇨🇿 CZE</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">86.67m SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Vitezslav Vesely 🇨🇿 CZE</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">85.44m SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/results/men/javelin-throw/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Neeraj Chopra made history in the javelin by becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold in athletics.

Javelin champion Chopra wins India’s first Olympic gold in athletics

Allyson Felix bowed out in style &ndash; and with another gold medal around her neck.
One of the greatest careers in athletics history came to a close on Saturday (7), with Felix winning a record 11th Olympic medal and helping the United States claim a seventh consecutive title in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m relay.
&ldquo;I just came out really at peace, and wanting to soak it all in,&rdquo; Felix said after joining &nbsp;Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu in a &lsquo;dream team&rsquo; quartet that blew away the rest of the field at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Americans clocked 3:16.85 &ndash; the fastest time in 28 years &ndash; to win by more than four seconds and extend the USA&rsquo;s long dominance in the event, a gold-medal-winning streak that dates all the way back to the 1996 Atlanta Games.
&ldquo;I think all of us in the team have achieved a lot in the individual events and I wanted to be able to run with these women and to win gold with them,&rdquo; the 35-year-old Felix said after completing her fifth and final Olympics, and first as a mother.
Poland claimed silver in a national record 3:20.53 for their first ever medal in the event, adding to the gold they won in the mixed 4x400m relay. Jamaica took bronze in 3:21.24, earning a medal in the event for the sixth consecutive Olympics but dropping down a place after winning silver behind the USA at the past three Games.
Canada finished fourth in 3:21.84, just 0.63 shy of their national mark set in 1984.
One day after winning bronze in the women&rsquo;s 400m to become the most decorated woman in Olympic athletics history, Felix surpassed Carl Lewis for the most medals won by a US track and field athlete.
Felix finishes her Olympic career just one short of the all-time record of 12 medals held by Finnish distance great Paavo Nurmi. She added a seventh gold to go with her collection of three silver and one bronze.
&ldquo;This is a really special team because we're not 400m runners,&rdquo; Felix said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see myself as a 400m specialist. We all do different things and it was really cool to come together, to get to close out the Olympic Games and, for me, my Olympic career.&rdquo;
It was Felix&rsquo;s fourth gold in the relay, equalling Al Oerter (discus) and Carl Lewis (long jump) with four Olympic golds in the same event. &nbsp;
The US team featured one of the most star-studded quartets ever formed. The four came into the final with a Tokyo medal haul that included two gold, a silver and a bronze, along with a world record.
Besides Felix and her 400m bronze, the line-up included: McLaughlin, gold and world record in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles; Muhammad, silver behind McLaughlin in the hurdles; and the 19-year-old Mu, gold in the women&rsquo;s 800m.
&nbsp;&ldquo;We were excited,&rdquo; McLaughlin said. &ldquo;An amazing group of women right here, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so I think we all just knew going in it&rsquo;s going to be fast and just have fun.&rdquo;
By the end of the night, McLaughlin and Mu came away with their second golds of the Games, and Felix and Muhammad took home their second medals.
For McLaughlin, it was an honour to hand the baton to Felix in her last Olympic race.
"Being able to go out there and be able to physically hand the baton off &ndash;&nbsp;it was a really special moment that I'm grateful for,&rdquo; she said.
With such an all-star group, it was no surprise that the US team ran away with the title in dominant fashion. They won by the largest ever margin for the Olympic 4x400m relay, and their time was fifth-fastest of all-time and the quickest since 1993.
McLaughlin sprinted out to the lead on the first leg and the US athletes never looked back. When Mu took the baton for the anchor leg, they led by a margin of 1.5 seconds.
&ldquo;I saw how big the gap was and then when I got there I was just like, 'Let's just make it bigger, let's just take it home'," said Mu, who further extended the lead by more than 2 seconds.
The splits: McLaughlin 50.21, Felix 49.38, Muhammad 49.94 and Mu 48.32.
The victory capped a legendary career for Felix, which began when she won silver in the 200m as an 18-year-old at the 2004 Athens Olympics. It ended in triumph less than three years after she gave birth to her daughter, Camryn, via an emergency procedure that threatened the life of both mother and child.
Felix&rsquo;s success on the track, as well as her activism off of it, has been an inspiration to her teammates and female athletes all over the world.
&ldquo;I'm really just honoured to have been a part of this team with her on her last Olympics,&rdquo; Muhammad said. &ldquo;I think we're going to look back at this and just think about how special this moment really was.&rdquo;
Steve Wilson for World Athletics
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
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<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; width: 100%;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S 4x400m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">United States 🇺🇸 USA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">3:16.85</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Poland 🇵🇱 POL</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">3:20.53 NR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">3:21.24</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; width: 100%;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/results/women/4x400-metres-relay/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
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</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

A 'dream team' quartet gave the United States a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay.

Another Olympic 4x400m gold for USA's women

Jakob Ingebrigtsen capped his stunning rise from precocious talent to global middle distance superstar with a powerful victory in the 1500m in Tokyo on Saturday (7).
Yet again, the 20-year-old Norwegian illustrated poise, speed and confidence beyond his years with a virtuoso performance in the highest quality 1500m championship race in history that culminated in a 3:28.32 Olympic record which also smashed his own European record.
And in the end, it wasn't even close.
Ingebrigtsen took command just 200 metres into the race to bring the field through the first lap in 56.4. That forced Timothy Cheruiyot's hand, whose penchant for fast front-running has electrified the event in recent years, leaving his opponents gasping in his wake. But Ingebrigtsen didn't seem to mind when Cheruiyot took the lead just over one lap into the race, ably giving chase as the Kenyan upped the pace from the front for the next 800 or so metres.
Stewart McSweyn was best at trying to keep within striking distance, but drifted back as he entered the back straight for the final time, turning the contest into a two-man race.
Cheruiyot poured it on but Ingebrigtsen was never farther than a metre back, simply waiting for his time to pounce. That came just beyond the midway point of the final turn, when Ingebrigtsen shifted into a gear Cheruiyot had never witnessed on the final lap of a race. Unable to summon a response, he simply watched the young Norwegian's back move further and further away. Ingebrigsten glanced to his side briefly as he powered down the homestretch. With victory secure, he raised his arms into the air just before he reached the line.
Cheruiyot felt some pressure in the waning stages and held on to take silver in 3:29.01, holding off Briton Josh Kerr, who powered to a 3:29.05 run, to smash his lifetime best by two-and-a-half seconds.
This was the first time Ingebrigtsen defeated Cheruiyot in their 13 meetings. It likely won't be the last.
"This is what you want as a professional runner," Ingebrigtsen said. "I&rsquo;ve been able to do it on my first try and I feel like I am just getting started. But at the same time, I have been dreaming of this for my whole life." 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610e8039455c4a1d10ace1ce.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s star began to rise half a decade ago when his assault on age group records in the 1500m and mile began. The 2018 European Championships, where he raced to 1500m and 5000m gold, served as his coming out party. Tokyo may serve as the starting point of a new 1500m era.
Notable too is that Ingebrigtsen handed Cheruiyot a rare defeat when the Kenyan was arguably at his best. Just one month ago, Cheruiyot clocked 3:28.28 in the Monaco leg of the Wanda Diamond League, a personal best.
"He's a good racer, he's a good athlete, a disciplined athlete. I'm happy about him," Cheruiyot said. But he added, "In the last 100 metres, I was feeling tired.&nbsp;I was feeling my right hamstring so I didn't manage to run to the finish line fast."
"It&rsquo;s pretty surreal," said Kerr, a finalist at the 2019 World Championships. "It&rsquo;s something you dream about for so long. It&rsquo;s surreal when you are finally living that moment that you&rsquo;ve dreamed about for so long. It hasn&rsquo;t sunk in yet."
Kerr had a scare in the opening round heats where he finished seventh to barely advance to the semifinals.
"It&rsquo;s just testament to the team around me to get me into this position. From a small q into the semifinal to the bronze medal, I&rsquo;ve just got to be pleased with that."
Cheruiyot's teammate Abel Kipsang, who ran in third for much of the final lap, faded down the homestretch, clocking 3:29.56, also a lifetime best, to finish fourth. Behind him, Spain's Adel Mechaal and Cole Hocker of the US stopped the clock in 3:30.77 and 3:31.40, personal bests for both.
McSweyn paid for his early efforts over the last lap, eventually fading to seventh in 3:31.91. Further back, Michal Rozmys of Poland finished eighth in 3:32.67, also a career best.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
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<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">MEN'S 1500m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Jakob Ingebrigtsen 🇳🇴 NOR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">3:28.32 OR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Timothy Cheruiyot 🇰🇪 KEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">3:29.01</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Josh Kerr 🇬🇧 GBR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">3:29.05 PB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/results/men/1500-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
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Jakob Ingebrigtsen capped his stunning rise from precocious talent to global middle distance superstar with a powerful victory in the 1500m in Tokyo on Saturday.

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