The World Athletics Championships in Budapest opened with a morning that yielded the first three medals, crowning Álvaro Martín of Extremadura as the event’s inaugural champion in the 20km walk after wet weather forced a two-hour delay to start. Afternoon brought even stronger emotions inside the stadium, with triumph and a touch of misfortune marking the session.
Relating to
- Álvaro Martín, from doubts and fears to full maturity
- Full Spanish with masculine ‘milqui’
The afternoon’s brightest star appeared to be Ryan Crouser. The American prepared to defend his shot put title, two months after again breaking the world record with a blistering 23.56. If he delivered his best form, no champion from the last two Olympic Games would have claimed gold ahead of him.
And so it unfolded. Crouser’s second attempt reached 22.98 meters, while the Italian Leonardo Fabbri claimed silver with a personal best of 22.34 and American Joe Kovacs earned bronze with 22.12.
Yet Crouser vaulted into the record books by launching a 7.26-pound ball to 22.51 meters, securing a universal record and earning one of the loudest worldwide round of applause of the day.
The afternoon carried a different tone as Sifan Hassan pursued a historic treble in the 10,000 meters final after a shaky Eugene outing last year. The race started slowly but heated up in the final two laps, yielding a dramatic conclusion that showcased Hassan’s focus and precision alongside the strengths of rival athletes.
In the discus of drama, Hassan maneuvered on the track to secure victory ahead of Letensebet Gidey from Ethiopia and Gudaf Tsegay, who kept pace and finished close behind. The Ethiopian trio impressed, with Tsegay claiming gold in 31:27.18, Gidey silver in 31:28.16, and Ejgayehu Taye bronze in 31:28.31. Hassan finished eleventh with a time of 31:53.35.
The 4x400m medley final delivered even more surprises, underscoring the unpredictable magic of athletics. Bol was among the day’s highlights, competing in both the 400m hurdles and the mixed relay, with Sidney McLaughlin absent but the field still buzzing with talent.
The anchor leg belonged to Isaya Klein Ikkink, who handed Bol the baton in first place after the preceding legs from Liemarvin Bonevacia and Lieke Klaver. Bol faced fierce competition from Alexis Holmes, who closed the gap and briefly challenged the lead. The 4×400 events have shown great depth, with European champions from recent seasons sensing opportunities to climb the podium again.
In the relay drama, Femke Bol’s performance drew attention for its high stakes and intense competition. Holmes pushed hard, closing much of the gap and forcing Bol to respond on the straight, where the finish line came with a burst of excitement and the result reflected a relentless American sprinting standard. The outcome featured a rapid sequence of results across the events, highlighting the breadth of talent on display throughout the championships.