4 key moments in track and field : NPR

Noah Lyles celebrates successful gold within the males’s 200m — and checks his document time — on the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Area in Eugene, Ore.

Steph Chambers/Getty Photographs

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Steph Chambers/Getty Photographs

Noah Lyles celebrates successful gold within the males’s 200m — and checks his document time — on the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Area in Eugene, Ore.

Steph Chambers/Getty Photographs

Information had been shattered and new monitor legacies had been solid on the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., the place elite athletes confronted off in entrance of 1000’s of followers. The U.S. staff completed with 33 medals, together with 13 gold, in its finest efficiency ever on the occasion.

It was the primary time the world championships had been ever held within the U.S., and the ambiance made it probably the most vibrant worldwide monitor occasion in years, coming after followers had been barred from final summer season’s Tokyo Olympics. Even earlier than the pandemic struck, the 2019 championships in Doha drew notably small crowds.

Many athletes fed off the followers’ pleasure, delivering record-breaking performances at Hayward Area, the monitor mecca in Eugene.

Here is a sampling of moments that stood out throughout 10 days of championships:

Sydney Mclaughlin, of the US, recovers after successful the ultimate of the ladies’s 400-meter hurdles on the World Athletics Championships on Friday.

Charlie Riedel/AP

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Charlie Riedel/AP

Sydney Mclaughlin, of the US, recovers after successful the ultimate of the ladies’s 400-meter hurdles on the World Athletics Championships on Friday.

Charlie Riedel/AP

Sydney McLaughlin obliterates (one other) world document

McLaughlin, 22, broke her personal world document — once more — dazzling along with her pace and technical perfection within the 400-meter hurdles. She received in 50.68 seconds on Friday, reducing her document by 0.73 seconds.

“The time is totally wonderful, and the game is getting quicker and quicker,” McLaughlin said.

“It was completely unreal to have my household within the stands,” she mentioned. “I’ve by no means had them collectively in a single place. So this was for me so massive. After Tokyo, not having anyone, this was like a redemption.”

McLaughlin crossed the end line nicely forward of the second-place finisher, Femke Bol of the Netherlands. In third was defending world champion Dalilah Muhammad, the U.S. silver medalist on the Tokyo Video games and a earlier world document holder on this occasion.

Noah Lyles breaks Michael Johnson’s U.S. document

Lyles, 25, won his highly anticipated showdown with 18-year-old phenom Erriyon Knighton within the 200 meters, however his actual opponent was within the commentary field: Michael Johnson, who set the U.S. document of 19.32 in 1996.

Lyles completed thus far forward of the pack within the ultimate that after crossing the end line, he turned to stare on the clock — which initially mentioned he had tied Johnson. When the official time of 19.31 was posted, Lyles, his household and the stadium celebrated deliriously.

A particular second then adopted, when Johnson — readily available as a part of the BBC’s protection — got here right down to personally congratulate Lyles. The document was set in the summertime earlier than Lyles was born.

Jake Wightman wins world gold, together with his father as race announcer

British middle-distance runner Jake Wightman pulled off an enormous upset within the males’s 1500 meters — a victory that was narrated by Wightman’s father, who occurred to be the stadium announcer for the occasion.

Wightman, intent on bettering upon his Tenth-place end on the Tokyo Olympics, bided his time earlier than shifting previous the reigning Olympic and world champions on the ultimate lap, driving the group right into a frenzy as he crossed the road forward of Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

“That is my son,” said Geoff Wightman, who additionally coaches Jake, “and he is the world champion!”

Allyson Felix ends her worlds profession with a document 20 medals

Felix, 36, was already the most decorated U.S. monitor and subject athlete when she introduced she would retire after the 2022 season. She’s additionally received extra world championships medals, and extra gold, than another athlete.

Her nineteenth medal, a bronze, got here within the blended 4×400-meter staff relay. And that appeared to be all for Felix, who left Eugene. However she later flew again, after her coaches known as Felix (who was by then having fun with hot wings and a root beer float) to ask if she might assist the ladies’s 4×400 staff get to the ultimate.

She turned in a powerful run within the preliminary spherical, placing the staff into Sunday’s ultimate — which a special lineup then dominated, incomes Felix her 14th gold and twentieth medal general.

Felix, who has additionally received 11 Olympic medals, has made it her mission to support female athletes who need assistance paying for youngster care to allow them to proceed their sporting careers.