Seven championship records were improved at the Asian U20 Championships in Dubai, which concluded after four days of action on Saturday (27).
Chinese sprinters erased two long-standing championship records en route to their 100m victories. Seventeen-year-old Zeng Keli stormed to a 10.15 (1.7m/s) clocking in the men&rsquo;s semifinal, breaking the championship record of 10.26 that had stood to Li Tao since 1986. He also took 0.03 off the Chinese U20 record.
Zeng&rsquo;s late reaction from the blocks in the final cost him a bit of time, but the Asian U18 200m silver medallist was still able to overtake two athletes from Hong Kong, China, Chan Yat Lok and Kwok Chun Ting, at the halfway mark to take the title in 10.19 (0.4m/s). Chan (10.41) and Kwok (10.46) took the other two spots on the podium.
In the women's race, 15-year-old Chen Yujie struck gold in 11.32, taking 0.10 off the championship record set 30 years ago by Sri Lanka&rsquo;s Damayanthi Dharsha, and setting a Chinese U18 best in the process. Like Zeng, Chen also had a late start but managed to beat Vietnam's Tran Thi (11.40) to the line, while Misaki Morimoto of Japan was a distant third in 11.79.
Wumaier Ailixier was another athlete to take down a Chinese age-group record en route to a championship record in Dubai. He won the 400m in a national U20 record of 45.53 &ndash; also elevating him to fourth on the senior Chinese all-time list &ndash; to break the championship record by 0.26. China's Li Yiqing (46.61) and India&rsquo;s Aman Choudhary (47.53) filled the next two places on the podium.
Japan&rsquo;s Orita Sota timed his finish well to win the men&rsquo;s 5000m in 14:08.71. He ran alongside compatriot Iida Kaito for most of the way, tucked behind Indian duo Vinod Singh and Gaurav Bhosale before unleashing his kick finish on the final lap. Singh (14:09.44) and Kaito (14:09.63) took silver and bronze with all three medallists bettering the previous championship record.
<h2>Abakar runs world U20 lead in sprint hurdles</h2>
One year after taking the silver medal, Qatar&rsquo;s Oumar Abakar claimed gold in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles. After a conservative start, he drew level China's Chen Yuanjiang after 60 metres and it was only coming off the final hurdle that Abakar was able to edge ahead into the lead.
The 19-year-old won in 13.24 (1.2m/s) with Chen finishing just 0.02 behind for the silver medal. Both athletes bettered the previous championship record (13.33) and the world U20 lead (13.27).
Pole vaulter Seifeldin Mohamed Abdelsalam was another Qatari athlete who excelled on the penultimate day of competition. He successfully defended his title with 5.51m, adding a centimetre to his own championship record. Japan's Yoshida Rikuya claimed silver with 5.25m and India&rsquo;s Dev Kumar Meena earned bronze with 5.10m.&nbsp;
Another championship record fell to Chinese athletes on Friday evening as their quartet claimed the mixed 4x400m title.
India and defending champions Sri Lanka were considered the pre-event favourites, but China came through to triumph in 3:22.46 from India (3:24.86), both teams finishing inside the previous record of 3:25.41.
China regained the top position in the medals table with 15 gold, 9 silver, and 3 bronze medals. Japan was second (8-5-8), just ahead of India (7-11-11).
Hong Kong will host the next edition of the Asian U20 Championships in 2026.
Ram. Murali Krishnan for World Athletics

Seven championship records broken in Dubai

Chinese sprinters excel at Asian U20 Championships

Selemon Barega, Beatrice Chepkoech and Akani Simbine were among the athletes to make their mark at the Yangtze Delta Athletics Diamond Gala, the second Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season, in Suzhou on Saturday (27).
One week on from the opening Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, there were also back-to-back wins for Mondo Duplantis, who attempted another world record in the pole vault, plus Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Daniel Roberts, Marileidy Paulino and Valarie Allman.
The men&rsquo;s 5000m was the penultimate race of the evening and it saw the meeting record fall as Ethiopia&rsquo;s Olympic 10,000m champion Barega got his season started with a win. The 24-year-old, who closed his indoor campaign by gaining world 3000m bronze in Glasgow, held off the challenge posed by his 17-year-old compatriot Biniam Mehary, racing just his second ever 5000m.
After battling down the back straight, Barega led off the final bend and was able to respond to Mehary&rsquo;s strong finish to win, 12:55.68 to 12:56.37. Kenya&rsquo;s world cross country bronze medallist Benson Kiplangat was third in a PB of 12:58.78.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2DBOyaGbiA4?si=ufD2ZNba2ldATTgL" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
In the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, Kenya&rsquo;s world record-holder Chepkoech was dominant. Despite not feeling well, she followed her win in Xiamen with victory in 9:07.36 ahead of Uganda&rsquo;s Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai. In her first steeplechase race since the 2022 World Championships following the birth of her daughter in April 2023, Germany&rsquo;s two-time world bronze medallist Gesa Felicitas Krause was third in 9:16.24.
Over in the sprints, Britain's Olympic and world relay medallist Daryll Neita got a strong start in the women&rsquo;s 200m and she turned it into a powerful finish to win on her individual season debut. Clocking 22.62 (0.2m/s), she held off Anavia Battle (22.99) and her US compatriot Sha'Carri Richardson, the world 100m champion, who ran 23.11.
The focus in the men&rsquo;s 100m might have been on the head-to-head between USA&rsquo;s Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman, but South Africa&rsquo;s Simbine beat them both. He won in 10.01 (-0.1m/s), 0.03 ahead of Coleman, with Kerley third in 10.11.
World 400m champion Paulino made it two wins from two races, following her victory in Xiamen with success in Suzhou in 50.89. USA&rsquo;s Talitha Diggs was second in 51.77 and Sada Williams third in 52.00.
The same was the case for Camacho-Quinn and Roberts in the hurdles.
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Olympic champion Camacho-Quinn finished level with Tobi Amusan in the 100m hurdles but with Amusan running under protest following a false start, Camacho-Quinn secured the win in 12.63, just 0.01 ahead of world indoor 60m hurdles champion and world record-holder Charlton. In the 110m hurdles, world bronze medallist Roberts dipped for the win in 13.12 to deny Japan&rsquo;s Shunsuke Izumiya (13.23).
Slimane Moula secured top spot in the men&rsquo;s 800m, holding off Wyclife Kinyamal - 1:43.38 to 1:43.12.
Duplantis put on a show again in the men&rsquo;s pole vault. After adding a centimetre to his own world record in Xiamen by clearing 6.24m, he got close to doing the same in Suzhou.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PlgA4S_1KbE?si=2VwvVSWOqffSmsTs" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Sweden&rsquo;s Olympic and world champion had the competition won when he cleared 5.92m on his first attempt after also managing 5.62m and 5.82m first time. He had the bar raised to six metres and again soared clear to break the meeting record before it was moved up another 25cm.
While he failed his three tries at that height, his last attempt didn&rsquo;t look far off.
&ldquo;To jump six metres today and complete a very successful tour, I have a lot of good takeaways,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I felt a little bit flat today, but still really good. Conditions have to be perfect for me to jump a world record and I wasn't quite feeling it off the runway tonight. Now I go back home and train for a few weeks until my next competition in Ostrava.&rdquo;
World indoor champion Hamish Kerr rebounded after his third place in Xiamen to win the high jump in Suzhou, clearing 2.31m on his second attempt. Olympic and three-time world gold medallist Mutaz Barshim had skipped straight to 2.33m after two failed attempts at 2.31m but when that didn&rsquo;t work out, Kerr was confirmed the winner.
Two-time world champion Chase Jackson surpassed 20 metres for the first time this season to win the shot put. Launching the implement 20.03m in the second round, she went from third in Xiamen to first in Suzhou, finishing ahead of world indoor champion Sarah Mitton, Song Jiayuan and Xiamen winner Gong Lijiao.
A close men&rsquo;s long jump contest was won by Marquis Dendy as he leapt 8.05m to win by a single centimetre over 2022 world champion Wang Jianan. In the women&rsquo;s event, Marthe Koala jumped 6.68m in the first round and that ended up being the best of the competition by nine centimetres. Quanesha Burks claimed the runner-up spot.
World champion Haruka Kitaguchi saved her best for last in the women&rsquo;s javelin, throwing 62.97m to launch herself into first place and beat world bronze medallist Mackenzie Little with 62.12m.
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USA&rsquo;s Olympic champion Allman followed her victory in Xiamen with another win, topping the non-Diamond League women&rsquo;s discus with a 69.86m throw. Feng Bin was second with 67.11m and recent North American record-breaker Yaime Perez third with 65.59m from her only valid throw of the competition.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s 18-year-old Mekedes Alemeshete won the non-Diamond League women&rsquo;s 5000m in 14:36.70 ahead of her compatriot Ayal Dagnachew (14:36.86), the 2021 world U20 800m champion. The 2022 world 10,000m champion and world record-holder Letesenbet Gidey, in her first race since finishing second in the New York Marathon in November, was third in 14:37.13.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Athletes made their mark at the Yangtze Delta Athletics Diamond Gala, the second Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season

Statements and surprises in Suzhou

World 800m silver medallist <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/emmanuel-wanyonyi-14974928" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emmanuel Wanyonyi</a> stepped up to the mile in style, breaking the world road mile record with 3:54.56* at the adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany, on Saturday (27).
Deciding to make his mile debut rather than race his specialist distance, the Kenyan 19-year-old improved the previous world record of 3:56.13 set by USA&rsquo;s Hobbs Kessler at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 in October, despite celebrating on his way to the tape.
Kessler was second on this occasion, chasing Wanyonyi over the finish line in 3:56.18, while South Africa&rsquo;s Ryan Mphahlele was third in 3:56.45.
The pacemaker went off fast and Wanyonyi was at the front of a group that caught and then passed him, with 90 seconds on the clock. Kessler moved through the field and drew level with Wanyonyi through 1200m, but Wanyonyi responded to the challenge and when Kessler tried to pass him again, he glanced at his rival and kicked.&nbsp;
Surging away, Wanyonyi started his celebrations early and pointed at the finish line, before crossing it in world record time.
&ldquo;I feel so happy for today. It&rsquo;s not easy, but I tried to push myself,&rdquo; said Wanyonyi, the 2021 world U20 800m champion who claimed the Diamond League title last year and received the men&rsquo;s World Athletics Rising Star award for 2023. &ldquo;My coach told me it was possible to break the world record.&rdquo;
On a busy day of racing in Herzogenaurach, the men&rsquo;s mile followed a rare road 800m which was won in 1:44:30 by Canada&rsquo;s Marco Arop, who beat Wanyonyi to the world title in Budapest last year. Kenya&rsquo;s Nelly Chepchirchir topped the women&rsquo;s mile in 4:30.93.&nbsp;
Kenya's Agnes Ngetich almost added the women-only world record to the world 10km record of 28:46 she set in a mixed race in Valencia in January. This time the 23-year-old clocked 30:03 for a performance just two seconds off the women-only world record set by the late Agnes Tirop at this event in 2021. On Saturday, athletes wore limited-edition kit in honour of Tirop.&nbsp;
In a Kenyan top three, Margaret Chelimo was second in 30:39 and Jesca Chelangat was third in 30:46.
In the women&rsquo;s 5km, Ethiopia&rsquo;s world U20 5000m champion Medina Eisa clocked a winning 14:38 &ndash; the fastest ever women&rsquo;s road 5km by an U20 athlete. She was followed by her fellow 19-year-old compatriot Melknat Wudu, who finished just two seconds back. Fotyen Tesfay completed the Ethiopian top three in 14:41.
Also racing on the 1.3km loop course on Saturday were Ethiopia&rsquo;s two-time world indoor 3000m champion Yomif Kejelcha and Kenya&rsquo;s world 5km bronze medallist Nicholas Kipkorir.
Kejelcha won the men&rsquo;s 5km in 13:00, five seconds ahead of his compatriot Addisu Yihune, while Kipkorir took the 10km title in 27:05, pipping world half marathon champion Sabastian Sawe by a second.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7210599" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

World 800m silver medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi stepped up to the mile in style, breaking the world road mile record with 3:54.56* at the adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach

Wanyonyi runs world road mile record in Herzogenaurach

Ethiopia&rsquo;s 2022 world marathon champion Gotytom Gebreslase has multiple global accolades to her name, but the 29-year-old still has one big goal left to achieve: to etch her name in the history books with success at the Paris Olympics.&nbsp;
She allows <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/65ec6103f502b081c81aa163" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Inside Track</a> an exclusive look at her training, opens the doors to her home and provides insight into Ethiopian running culture.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/65ec6103f502b081c81aa163" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65ec5f12ba75fd2dbe5073b1.jpg" alt="GotytomThumb" /></a>
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</div>
&ldquo;Ethiopia and running are closely intertwined, as exemplified by Abebe Bikila, who ran barefoot to win and represent his country. I feel immense happiness knowing that I am also a runner,&rdquo; says Gebreslase, who went on to claim marathon silver at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest after her win in Oregon in 2022.
&ldquo;The Olympics is considered the ultimate goal for athletes. When I think about the Olympics, I remember the one where Tirunesh Dibaba became a two-time medallist. I have achieved success by becoming a world champion, which is considered one of the greatest accomplishments for an athlete. God has helped make me a world champion and becoming an Olympic medallist is my dream, I&rsquo;ll work hard for it.
&ldquo;Running is something we pass on from generation to generation.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If there&rsquo;s a particularly strong athlete in the group, we aspire to emulate them. There&rsquo;s no reason to consider oneself as less than them, especially when we&rsquo;re all training together and following the same programme. In a team with strong athletes, you will inevitably become stronger, too.
&ldquo;I believe that Ethiopia and running are inseparable.&rdquo;

The 2022 world marathon champion allows World Athletics Inside Track an exclusive look at her training, opens the doors to her home and provides insight into Ethiopian running culture

Gotytom Gebreslase: building a legacy

The Wanda Diamond League continues this weekend, with the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/diamond-league/news/suzhou-2024-duplantis-richardson-charlton-gong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second meeting of the season taking place in Suzhou</a>, China, on Saturday (27).
Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own world pole vault record during the opening Diamond League meeting in Xiamen last weekend, is among the athletes competing.
The action will start at 5:45pm local time (GMT+8) with the women's long jump and the main two-hour broadcast window will begin at 7:00pm local time with the women's 400m.
<a href="https://shanghai.diamondleague.com/programme-results/programme-results-shanghai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results, programme and entry lists</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/662bb9cc912fb20b60776847.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media information sheets and athlete biographies</a> 
<div class="bodytext">
<h2>Where to watch</h2>
The meeting will be streamed in a number of territories on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@diamondleague/streams" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wanda Diamond League YouTube page</a> from 7:00pm local time (GMT+8).
The livestream will&nbsp;NOT&nbsp;be available in all territories.
To find out the broadcast rights holder in your country, check the list below. If your country does not appear on the list, please check local listings. The list is subject to change, and some broadcasters may only show highlights coverage, while others will show the meeting live. Please check your local listings to find out more information.&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #333333; border-style: solid;" border="1" width="90%" cellpadding="2">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Territories</td>
<td>Broadcaster/ Rights Holder</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Africa (English language): Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, C&ocirc;te d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, S&atilde;o Tom&eacute; and Pr&iacute;ncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland</td>
<td>Supersport (English)&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Africa (French language): Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, S&atilde;o Tom&eacute; and Pr&iacute;ncipe, Mayotte</td>
<td>New World TV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Argentina</td>
<td>TeleRed, TyC Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Azerbaijan</td>
<td>Saran Group, CBC Sport</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland</td>
<td>SIA All Media, Viasat Baltics, TV3 Sport</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia</td>
<td>United Media - Sportklub</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Belarus</td>
<td>Saran Group</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Belgium</td>
<td>VRT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Brazil</td>
<td>COB, TVN Sports, Globo Sport Brazil, Newco - BandSports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bulgaria</td>
<td>Mobitel, A1 - Sport Max</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>CBC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Caucasus/Central Asia: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan</td>
<td>Saran</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Barth&eacute;lemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bonaire, Bermuda, Cura&ccedil;ao, Sint Maarten</td>
<td>Flow Sports, CWC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Central America: Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname</td>
<td>Sky Mexico</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>China</td>
<td>CCTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Chinese Taipei</td>
<td>Elta</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Czech Republic</td>
<td>Ceska Televize</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Denmark</td>
<td>TV3 Sport, Viasat Sport A/S Account</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Finland</td>
<td>MTV Katsomo</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Germany</td>
<td>Sky Deutschland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Greece</td>
<td>TAF/ERT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hong Kong</td>
<td>PCCW</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hungary</td>
<td>ASC1, MTVA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>India</td>
<td>Viacom 18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Israel</td>
<td>Charlton - Sport 1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Italy</td>
<td>Sky Italy / Rai</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Malaysia</td>
<td>Measat, Astro</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mongolia</td>
<td>SPS Mongolia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Morocco</td>
<td>SNRT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Netherlands</td>
<td>Liberty Global Content, Ziggo Sports, NOS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>New Zealand</td>
<td>TVNZ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Norway</td>
<td>NRK</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Philippines</td>
<td>TAP DMV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Poland</td>
<td>Polsat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Portugal</td>
<td>Sport TV Portugal</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Qatar</td>
<td>ALKASS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Slovakia</td>
<td>RTVS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Singapore</td>
<td>Singtel, Starhub</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>South America: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela</td>
<td>Panam Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>South Korea</td>
<td>KBS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Spain</td>
<td>Telefonica</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sweden</td>
<td>TV4, SVT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Switzerland</td>
<td>SRG</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Thailand</td>
<td>Cineplex / JKN</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Turkey</td>
<td>Saran Group, Ssport</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>United Kingdom</td>
<td>BBC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ukraine</td>
<td>Setanta</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>USA</td>
<td>NBC Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, France, Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, Monaco, Myanmar (Burma), Romania, Sri Lanka</td>
<td>Wanda Diamond League YouTube / Facebook</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Social media</h2>
- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> - Wanda Diamond League: <a href="https://twitter.com/diamond_league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DiamondLeague/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/diamondleagueathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>
&nbsp;
</div>

The Wanda Diamond League continues this weekend, with the second meeting of the season taking place in Suzhou on Saturday

How to watch and follow the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Suzhou

Taliyah Brooks defends her heptathlon title, while Thomas Van der Plaetsen heads the decathlon field at Multistars &ndash; the first World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold event of 2024 &ndash; this weekend (27-28).
Nine decathletes with 8000-point-plus PBs and nine heptathletes who have surpassed 6200 points are entered for the event, which returns to Brescia &ndash; host of the first seven editions from 1988 to 1994 &ndash; for the first time in 30 years.
USA&rsquo;s Brooks set a PB of 6330 points to win the heptathlon in Desenzano del Garda last year and she went on to finish second at the USA Championships with a score just 11 points off that mark, but her campaign at the World Championships in Budapest came to an early end when she recorded three fouls in the long jump. She rebounded at the Decastar in Talence in September, finishing third on 6181, and has already shown PB form in 2024 as she clocked 7.97 for 60m hurdles in February.
One athlete sits above Brooks on the entry list when it comes to personal bests: Austria&rsquo;s Ivona Dadic. The 2018 world indoor pentathlon silver medallist, who set her best of 6552 in 2018, makes a heptathlon comeback in Brescia as she missed the whole of 2023 following knee surgery.&nbsp;
Dadic returned to action at the Swedish Indoor Combined Events Championships in January &ndash; her first competition since winning the Decastar with 6233 points in September 2022 &ndash; and finished second at the Austrian Indoor Combined Events Championships in February. Her aim in Brescia &ndash; as it is for a number of athletes in action &ndash; will be to qualify for the Olympic Games and European Championships.
China&rsquo;s Asian Games champion Zheng Ninali, who won the pentathlon at the Asian Indoor Championships in February, is also among the entries, just over a week on from her 6164-point performance at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Britain&rsquo;s Commonwealth bronze medallist Jade O&rsquo;Dowda was second at Multistars last year and went on to set a PB of 6255 points at the Gotzis Hypomeeting a month later.
Ireland&rsquo;s Kate O'Connor is also among the entries, as she prepares for her first competition since finishing 13th at the World Championships in Budapest.
Italy&rsquo;s world indoor fourth-place finisher Sveva Gerevini is entered but may not compete due to a hamstring problem.
Making the step up to the senior event is Hungary&rsquo;s 17-year-old Sarolta Kriszt, the 2022 European U18 silver medallist.
For Belgium&rsquo;s Van der Plaetsen, Brescia offers a first decathlon since the Decastar, where he placed sixth, and the chance to make a mark ahead of this year's major competitions.
The 2014 world indoor heptathlon bronze medallist competed in Desenzano del Garda last year but withdrew with a niggle. He then finished fourth in Ratingen before securing sixth in Talence. His PB of 8430 was set in Gotzis in 2021.
His competition this time includes Czechia&rsquo;s Adam Helcelet and Poland&rsquo;s Pawel Wiesiolek, both of whom have also surpassed 8300 in their careers so far. More recently, Helcelet scored 8034 to finish second at the Wieslaw Czapiewski Memorial in Bydgoszcz in July, while Wiesiolek won the Polish indoor heptathlon title in February.
They will go up against Italian record-holder Dario Dester, who achieved that 8218-point record at the European Championships in Munich in 2022. The Multistars will be his first decathlon since then.
Also looking to make an impact will be Estonia&rsquo;s European indoor heptathlon bronze medallist Risto Lillemets, Brazil&rsquo;s South American champion Jose Fernando Ferreira Santana and Belgium&rsquo;s Jente Hauttekeete, the world U20 heptathlon record-holder.
Lillemets was fifth at Decastar in September, while Ferreira Santana set his PB of 8058 last July.
Hauttekeete had a busy start to the year and he won the national indoor heptathlon title with 6131 in February before finishing eighth at the World Indoor Championships.
Like Kriszt, 19-year-old European U20 bronze medallist Andrin Huber steps up to senior competition in&nbsp;Brescia.

Taliyah Brooks defends her heptathlon title, while Thomas Van der Plaetsen heads the decathlon field at Multistars

Multistars kicks off Combined Events Tour Gold

One week on from his world record-breaking performance at the opening Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season in Xiamen, Mondo Duplantis will be among the athletes in action when competition continues in Suzhou on Saturday (27).
The Yangtze Delta Athletics Diamond Gala is the second Diamond League event of the year and it will see Duplantis joined by fellow global gold medallists such as Gong Lijiao, Mutaz Barshim, Sha'Carri Richardson, Devynne Charlton and Selemon Barega.
In Xiamen last Saturday, world and Olympic champion Duplantis started his Diamond League season in the same way he ended it in Eugene in September: by adding a centimetre to his own world pole vault record.
After clearing 6.23m in Eugene, the Swedish star soared 6.24m in Xiamen for the eighth world record of his career so far. He achieved it on his first attempt, too. Can he go even higher in Suzhou?
Joining him on the runway will be USA&rsquo;s world and Olympic medallist Chris Nilsen and his compatriot Sam Kendricks, the two-time world gold medallist. Kendricks was second in Xiamen, clearing 5.82m, while Nilsen will be looking to rebound after only making it over his opening height of 5.42m.
China&rsquo;s world sixth-place finisher Huang Bokai was third in Xiamen with a 5.72m clearance and will also want to make an impact in Suzhou.
Gong was another of the winners in Xiamen and the Olympic champion will seek more shot put success on home soil when she again competes against two-time world champion Chase Jackson, world indoor champion Sarah Mitton and Maddison-Lee Wesche, the runner-up in Xiamen.
Another rematch comes in the men&rsquo;s high jump, where Olympic and three-time world gold medallist Barshim continues his comeback against world indoor champion Hamish Kerr and world indoor silver medallist Shelby McEwen. Those three athletes took the top three spots in Xiamen and it was McEwen who got the win, pipping Barshim on countback as they both cleared 2.27m.
The Budapest world medallists battle again in the women&rsquo;s javelin, with Japan&rsquo;s champion Kitaguchi &ndash; who went on to win the Diamond League crown &ndash; taking on Colombia&rsquo;s Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado and Australia&rsquo;s Mackenzie Little. Kitaguchi opens her season and they will be joined by China&rsquo;s Dai Qianqian, who won the non-Diamond League event in Xiamen.
The men&rsquo;s long jump stars China&rsquo;s 2022 world champion Wang Jianan plus the world indoor silver and bronze medallists from Glasgow, Mattia Furlani and Carey McLeod. In the women&rsquo;s event, another Glasgow medallist, Fatima Diame, goes up against world bronze medallist Alina Rotaru-Kottmann and Olympic bronze medallist Ese Brume.
In the non-Diamond League women&rsquo;s discus, Olympic champion Valarie Allman will look to maintain her momentum after winning in Xiamen ahead of Yaime Perez &ndash; who threw a North American record of 73.09m two weeks ago &ndash; and Feng Bin. The strong field also features world champion Laulauga Tausaga and two-time world fourth-place finisher Jorinde van Klinken.
<h2>Richardson ready to rebound</h2>
USA&rsquo;s world 100m champion Richardson, who claimed 200m bronze in Budapest, was pipped by just 0.03 when making her season debut in the longer event in Xiamen and she&rsquo;ll be back on the track in Suzhou.&nbsp;
Australian teenager Torrie Lewis got the win in Xiamen and while she is not in Diamond League action this weekend, the line-up does star world 4x100m champion Tamara Clark, 2019 world bronze medallist Mujinga Kambundji and Britain's Olympic and world relay medallist Daryll Neita.
In the men&rsquo;s 100m, USA&rsquo;s Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman go head-to-head again. Coleman dipped for the win in Xiamen, clocking 10.13 to Kerley&rsquo;s 10.17, and they race against Jamaica&rsquo;s Ackeem Blake, who was third behind them on Saturday.
The women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles features an array of global gold medallists. World indoor 60m hurdles champion and world record-holder Charlton lines up alongside Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, world champion Danielle Williams and 2022 world champion Tobi Amusan, plus Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper. Just 0.04 separated winner Camacho-Quinn (12.45) from runner-up Charlton in Xiamen.
World bronze medallist Daniel Roberts won the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles in Xiamen and he also continues his season in China as he again goes up against Olympic and Diamond League champion Hansle Parchment and Cordell Tinch.
World 400m champion Marileidy Paulino was another to get her season off to a winning start in Xiamen and her competition again includes Britton Wilson and Sada Williams.
<h2>Olympic champions Barega and Chemutai in action</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Olympic 10,000m champion Barega ended his indoor season with world indoor 3000m bronze. Now he opens his outdoor campaign in the 5000m, where his competition includes his compatriot Nibret Melak and Kenya&rsquo;s world cross country bronze medallist Benson Kiplangat.
Uganda&rsquo;s Peruth Chemutai is another Olympic champion in action and she goes up against world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech, world bronze medallist Jackline Chepkoech and world U20 silver medallist Sembo Almayew in the 3000m steeplechase.
The men&rsquo;s 800m features two-time Commonwealth Games winner Wyclife Kinyamal and Tshepiso Masalela, who were second and third in Xiamen, plus 2022 world silver medallist Djamel Sedjati.
The women&rsquo;s 5000m is not a Diamond League event this time but it still features a formidable field, with 2022 world 10,000m champion and world record-holder Letesenbet Gidey racing World Athletics Rising Star Faith Cherotich, the world 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

One week on from his world record-breaking performance at the opening Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season in Xiamen, Mondo Duplantis will be among the athletes in action when competition continues in Suzhou

After world record-breaking start, stars head to Suzhou

In the latest episode of the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/662a2005724dc9e57062b505" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/662a2005724dc9e57062b505">World Athletics Inside Track Podcast</a>, released today (25), 2013 world 110m hurdles gold medallist David Oliver shares insight into his journey as an athlete and coach.
As well as being the 2013 world champion, USA&rsquo;s Oliver claimed Olympic 110m hurdles bronze in Beijing in 2008 and world indoor 60m hurdles bronze in Doha in 2010. His PB of 12.89 set in 2010 places him sixth on the world 110m hurdles all-time list.
Since his retirement from competition, he has gone on to become the Director of Track &amp; Field at Howard University.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/662a2005724dc9e57062b505" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/662a1ede724dc9e57062b502.jpg" alt="DavidOlvier" /></a>
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<h3> On his highlights from when he was competing:</h3>
&ldquo;I feel like my favourite part was the hanging out part. Going to these meets and just hanging out. The camaraderie with the athletes, no matter what their country was. And of course, competing. The only part I miss now is standing on the start line and they say &lsquo;on your marks&rsquo;. You just get that feeling. I love that feeling.&rdquo; 
<h3>On his experience on the circuit as an athlete compared to being a coach:</h3>
&ldquo;Being a team coach is very different and I have even more respect than I had already for our staff with Team USA and USA Track &amp; Field because this is non-stop. When you&rsquo;re competing, you get a sheet saying &lsquo;the bus leaves at this time, the call room is this time&rsquo; and then I&rsquo;d go back to the hotel and do whatever I wanted to do. But for the staff, it&rsquo;s never ending. Now I&rsquo;m a part of that, it&rsquo;s like &lsquo;wow&rsquo;.&rdquo; 
<h3>On his transition from athlete to coach:</h3>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been fun. I never thought I would be doing that at all. We&rsquo;re all medallists and we&rsquo;ve been around the world, so we can impart that knowledge. I always believe the athletes make the coach. Who&rsquo;s the best coach in the world? Who knows. Probably whoever has access to the better talent. Everybody can be great, if you&rsquo;re willing to put your heart into it. I was good as an athlete, I figured I&rsquo;d be good as a coach or whatever I&rsquo;m doing because I&rsquo;m going to put everything I have into it. You get the right athletes &ndash; the ones that listen, that want to. We can always teach people what to do, when to do and how to do something, but the want to do has to come from the athlete.&rdquo; 
This latest series of the Inside Track Podcast launched earlier this year and features a host of track and field&rsquo;s biggest names and much-loved personalities. In this episode, Oliver is in conversation with multiple Olympic and world gold medallist Sanya Richards-Ross and two-time Olympic heptathlon bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton.
Episodes are available via all the usual podcast platforms &ndash; including on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inside-track-the-official-podcast-of-world-athletics/id1733061742" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inside-track-the-official-podcast-of-world-athletics/id1733061742">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6OGo4XNfgZ3GSiXes6OO8u?si=c976714bf56b4d18" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6OGo4XNfgZ3GSiXes6OO8u?si=c976714bf56b4d18">Spotify</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;the <a href="https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/">Sport Social Podcast Network</a> &ndash; while fans can also watch the show on the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos">World Athletics website</a>.
With an evolving presenter line-up for each event, the podcast will be in attendance when the World Athletics Relays returns to The Bahamas in May. Later in the year, an all-star cast will provide reaction to the events at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Find it all on <a href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track">Inside Track</a>.

2013 world 110m hurdles gold medallist David Oliver shares insight into his journey as an athlete and coach

Oliver stars in latest Inside Track podcast

World Athletics Inside Track visits the newly opened ASICS Chojo Camp in Kaptagat, Kenya.&nbsp;
The term &lsquo;Chojo&rsquo; has a long history at ASICS. The word translates from Japanese to &lsquo;striving for the peak&rsquo;, which is reflected in the approach of ASICS to product innovations and services.&nbsp;
With the introduction of the camp, ASICS is supporting its athletes as they strive for their peak performances &ndash; physically, emotionally and mentally.&nbsp;
Here Inside Track meets some of the up-and-coming talent at the camp and during a long run to learn about the benefits of a team environment and how the camp fosters a sound mind in a sound body.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/6628f0caa7452950bbb12146" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6628cba9e023c99d1b3792e3.jpg" alt="CHOJO" /></a>
&nbsp;
</div>
&ldquo;The reason why I choose to run is to change life. I came from a humble background, so I choose running just to make my life better,&rdquo; explains Barnaba Kipkoech, a Chojo Camp athlete who won last year&rsquo;s Kobe Marathon.
&ldquo;After running, maybe in the evening, I go through some books, because I need to inspire someone also to change his life through a career, not only in running, but in different things.
&ldquo;If you want to succeed, you need a team,&rdquo; he adds. &ldquo;We as Chojo team, we really appreciate being in one group. It&rsquo;s very important to work as a team.
&ldquo;The motto for ASICS, &lsquo;sound mind, sound body&rsquo;, it really means a lot to me. It has changed my life, from the lower levels to higher levels.&rdquo;

World Athletics Inside Track visits the newly opened ASICS Chojo Camp in Kaptagat, Kenya

A sound mind: inside the ASICS Chojo Camp

Finishing third at the opening Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season in Xiamen was not quite the start that world indoor high jump champion Hamish Kerr had in mind in the wake of his Glasgow gold medal and world-leading leap of 2.36m.
Nevertheless, the New Zealander is nothing but a realist.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's early in the season and there are a lot of changes being made. There was probably more height there, but I just didn't quite get it,&rdquo; reflected Kerr.
&ldquo;I didn't find my rhythm, that was the hardest part &ndash; that my rhythm wasn't quite there and there was not very much consistency,&rdquo; he added, after clearing a modest 2.24m, albeit in rainy conditions.
Kerr now has a few days to reflect, and he will be looking to recapture rather more of his Glasgow form when the Diamond League moves on to its second Chinese stop in Suzhou on Saturday (27).
Despite his performance in Xiamen, it certainly doesn&rsquo;t diminish what he achieved in his only indoor outing of the year seven weeks ago.
In addition to his winning 2.36m being a world lead, Kerr also equalled the Oceanian record previously jointly held by the Australian duo of Tim Forsyth and Brandon Starc, who cleared that height in 1997 and 2018, respectively.
&ldquo;This is a special medal for me and my country. We had some big goals and big dreams coming here (to Glasgow) but the focus is on the outdoor season. Although you can only compete against who turns up, and I wanted to capitalise on that, some of the top guys like Mutaz Barshim weren&rsquo;t here,&rdquo; said Kerr at the time.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66290bdf73740cc07327e4ad.jpg" alt="Hamish Kerr competes at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow" />
Hamish Kerr competes at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Barshim, the three-time World Athletics Championships gold medallist and Olympic champion, originally had a trip to Glasgow in his diary, and a bid to regain the world indoor title he won in 2014.&nbsp;
Sadly, an ill-timed back injury in mid-February put an end to his plans for a brief indoor campaign.
Fortunately, the charismatic Qatari is now close to being fully recovered &ndash; finishing once place ahead of Kerr in Xiamen with 2.27m with victory going to USA&rsquo;s Shelby McEwen, who also navigated 2.27m but on his first attempt to Barshim&rsquo;s third &ndash; and Kerr is scheduled to face his friendly rival on two more occasions in the coming weeks, including in Suzhou.
After Suzhou, there is a 10-week Diamond League hiatus in the men&rsquo;s high jump before the event returns on the programme of Monaco on 12 July and then London on 20 July.
However, many of the world&rsquo;s top jumpers including Kerr will gather in Qatar on 9 May, the day before the Doha Diamond League, for Barshim&rsquo;s What Gravity Challenge meeting (a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting).
Joining Barshim and Kerr will be world champion Gianmarco Tamberi, world silver medallist JuVaughn Harrison and Kerr&rsquo;s predecessor as world indoor champion Woo Sanghyeok, among others in a star-studded field.
&ldquo;I'll go back to New Zealand after Doha, and I&rsquo;ll also be off to the US to be with (close friend and 2017 world shot put champion) Tom Walsh in Athens, Georgia, where he&rsquo;s based before coming to Monaco,&rdquo; said Kerr, outlining his pre-Olympic schedule.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66290b8873740cc07327e4aa.jpg" alt="Hamish Kerr and Tom Walsh in Glasgow" />
Hamish Kerr and Tom Walsh in Glasgow (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
<h2>&ldquo;The jump of my life&rdquo;</h2>
&ldquo;I think the thing I was most proud about (in Glasgow) was jumping 2.36m. It was the jump of my life so far,&rdquo; added Kerr, noting that he cleared the bar with daylight to spare before calling it a day and eschewing any attempts at a higher bar.
&ldquo;I wanted to make the most of my peak and the good condition my legs were in. When I had the competition won, that&rsquo;s what I wanted to do, although you can never plan for it. But knowing that I&rsquo;d only jumped 2.31m to win gold, I wanted to jump higher than that because I think that winning at 2.31m is a little bit less than impressive&hellip; and 2.28m was definitely pretty low for a medal.
&ldquo;It crossed my mind to have a jump at 2.38m but with all the adrenalin and motivation I&rsquo;d need to get over 2.36m, as soon as I hit the mat, I also said to myself: &lsquo;I&rsquo;m done&rsquo;.
&ldquo;But jumping so well when the others are not shows that what we are doing back home (in his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand) is working.&rdquo;
<h2>Coaching change</h2>
Kerr made the decision to change his coach at the end of last season, with 2023 seeing him clear an outdoor best of 2.33m when finishing second at the Zurich Diamond League meeting but also crashing out of the World Athletics Championships in the qualifying rounds 11 days earlier when he could go no higher than 2.22m.
He is now working with James Sandilands, a former flatmate of Kerr&rsquo;s and teenage rival who competed for New Zealand as a hurdler at the 2013 World Athletics U18 Championships.&nbsp;
His previous coach Terry Lomax was looking to wind down his coaching commitments prior to retiring but is also still on hand in an advisory role.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66290b2b73740cc07327e4a7.jpg" alt="Hamish Kerr in action in Zurich" />
Hamish Kerr in action in Zurich (&copy; Chiara Montesano / Diamond League AG)
</div>
When Kerr&rsquo;s decision to work with Sandilands was first announced last November, the phrase used by some New Zealand sports media to describe the switch was that it was &ldquo;a bold move&rdquo;.
With just 10 months until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, many were sceptical about the benefits of having a new coaching environment, as a &lsquo;settling in period&rsquo; often occurs with such changes.&nbsp;
However, with Kerr and Sandilands already familiar with each other, and the latter having accompanied Kerr on previous expeditions to Europe as the eyes and ears of Lomax, including his successful 2023 indoor campaign when he jumped what was then an Oceanian indoor record of 2.34m at the famed Banska Bystrica high jump meeting in Slovakia, there has clearly been none of the adaption issues many other technical events exponents have faced in similar circumstances.
<h2>High jump history</h2>
If Kerr continues to rise to the occasion in the coming months and gets on the podium in Paris, he will be the first Kiwi high jumper of either gender ever to get a medal at the Olympics.&nbsp;
After Glasgow, Kerr has certainly elevated himself into Paris medal consideration among athletics pundits.&nbsp;
As he was quick to point out in the Scottish city, none of the Budapest world medallists &ndash; Tamberi, Harrison or Barshim &ndash; competed indoors, so he is taking nothing for granted.
Nevertheless, prompted by Kerr&rsquo;s gold medal-winning feat at the World Indoor Championships, there is anticipation that 2024 could turn out to be a halcyon year for the high jump.&nbsp;
Maybe the world will even see a man &ndash; and who would bet against it being Kerr, judging from the height he had with his final jump in Glasgow &ndash; going over 2.40m or more for the first time in six years.
Phil Minshull for World Athletics

Hamish Kerr will be looking to recapture his Glasgow form when the Diamond League moves on to its second Chinese stop in Suzhou on Saturday

Kerr: realistic, but records could beckon

For the past seven years, Mondo Duplantis and Renaud Lavillenie have been adversaries on the pole vault runway.
Back when their rivalry started, Lavillenie was the world record-holder and had multiple global medals to his name. Duplantis, meanwhile, was a vaulter on the rise but, at age 17, had limited international experience.
In fact, the young Swede was still so new to the sport, it was just five years prior to his first clash with the great French vaulter that Duplantis recalls watching the Olympic Games for the first time. And his standout memory from those 2012 Games? Lavillenie&rsquo;s pole vault victory.
Having failed at his opening attempt at 5.91m, which Germany&rsquo;s Bjorn Otto and Raphael Holzdeppe cleared first time, Lavillenie passed to an Olympic record height of 5.97m and went over on his second and final attempt for what proved to be the winning jump.
&ldquo;I grew up in the Usain Bolt era, of Beijing 2008 and London 2012,&rdquo; recalled Duplantis. &ldquo;I remember watching the Games in London in 2012 when Renaud took the title. And I think he was at 5.97m on his last attempt, and that lifted him from third place to first, with an Olympic record.
&ldquo;Basically he needed to make it to win, and if he didn&rsquo;t make it, he&rsquo;d get third place.
&ldquo;Seeing that performance was the big one for me. Because in 2012 I was 12, 13 and at the peak of my fandom for Renaud. So I was rooting for him more than I would cheer for anybody. Just to see him close the deal and win the biggest title that you can win &ndash; that was super-inspiring.
&ldquo;It was definitely like an &lsquo;at that moment&rsquo; kind of feeling.&rdquo;
Less than eight years after Lavillenie's 2012 Olympic victory, Duplantis broke the Frenchman's world record with a 6.17m vault in Torun. Last weekend in Xiamen, Duplantis set the eighth world record of his career, vaulting 6.24m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen.
Asked about any other Olympic memories that stood out, the 24-year-old Olympic champion added: &ldquo;Bolt for sure. And David Rudisha running his 1.41 800m in London. I remember watching that and not having a full grasp of how fast it was until it was like in middle school watching how people ran the 400m and thinking of him doing that two times in a row.
&ldquo;That would be one of the more crazy things that I&rsquo;ve seen. And I remember it being hard for me to wrap my head around that one, because I never really tried any track events when I was younger. I really was just mostly a pole vaulter, because the US doesn&rsquo;t have the same club system that they do in Sweden where you try out a bunch of events.
&ldquo;I pole-vaulted mostly in my back yard until I was around 15 years old before I started jumping at the high school and being on the track and stuff. I would always make sure to watch the pole vault competitions (during televised major championships) because I think pole vaulting is kind of its own thing in a way.&rdquo;
With 100 days to go until athletics starts at the Paris 2024 Games, Duplantis &ndash; and, indeed, 37-year-old Lavillenie, who is aiming to represent the host nation in what will be his fourth Olympics &ndash; hope to create some more Olympic memories of their own. And there&rsquo;s every chance that their performance in the French capital could inspire the next great pole vaulter.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

The XXXIII Olympic Games

Former world record-holder Lavillenie inspired pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis

Duplantis recalls his first Olympic memory, Lavillenie’s 2012 triumph

Entry lists for the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 confirm that 893 athletes from 54 countries will descend on Nassau for the global event on 4-5 May.
<a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/662655e2724a353830a20cb2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries by event and country</a> <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/662655fa724a353830a20cb5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries by country and event</a>
A total of 32 teams are entered for the men&rsquo;s 4x100m and 30 are entered for the women&rsquo;s 4x100m. There&rsquo;ll also be 32 teams for the men&rsquo;s 4x400m, 27 for the women&rsquo;s 4x400m and 30 in the mixed 4x400m.
Noah Lyles, who anchored the USA to victory at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, features on his country&rsquo;s squad in the 4x100m alongside world 200m leader Courtney Lindsey and Olympic silver medallist Kenny Bednarek.
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, who featured on Italy&rsquo;s victorious teams at the Tokyo Olympic Games and at the last World Relays earlier in 2021, is also entered for the 4x100m.
In the women&rsquo;s 4x100m, four of the six women who featured on USA&rsquo;s triumphant squad at last year&rsquo;s World Championships &ndash; including world 200m silver medallist Gabby Thomas &ndash; have been named for the World Relays.
Jamaica and Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland &ndash; who joined USA on the podium at the last World Championships and Olympic Games &ndash; have also fielded strong teams for the women&rsquo;s 4x100m.
The same is true of the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, but the Netherlands &ndash; who struck gold in Budapest last year and at the World Indoor Championships last month &ndash; will have the star power of Femke Bol in their squad.
The men&rsquo;s 4x400m could be one of the most open races of the entire event. World and Olympic champions USA have a strong team, but Olympic 400m champion Steven Gardiner will represent the host nation&rsquo;s team. Belgium, featuring world indoor champion Alexander Doom, will be coming off the back of their victory at the World Indoor Championships, while the likes of France, Netherlands, Botswana and Great Britain could also contend for victory.
The mixed 4x400m is also expected to be highly competitive. Gardiner and his fellow Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo feature on the host nation squad, but world record-holders USA and Olympic champions Poland both have formidable teams, as do the Netherlands, Olympic silver medallists Dominican Republic and world silver medallists Great Britain.
Olympic qualifying places will be up for grabs on both days of action in The Bahamas. On the first day, the top two teams in each heat will advance to the final on day two, while also securing their qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In the finals on day two, teams will compete for prize money and obtain Olympic lane seeding positions.
All other teams will compete on day two in the additional round where the top two teams in each heat will also qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Start lists will be published on Friday 3 May, while team line-ups will be confirmed nearer to the time of each race.
World Athletics

World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

893 athletes from 54 countries will descend on Nassau from 4-5 May

WRE Bahamas 24 preview: clash of global title-winning teams in men's 4x100m

WRE Bahamas 24 preview: rivalries renewed in women's 4x100m

Key info for World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

Athlete respiratory health in the spotlight thanks to new sensor in Nice

Brooks and Hauttekeete victorious at Multistars