Norwegian star joins Edris, Farah and Kirui as back-to-back 5,000 winner, Bol rallies Netherlands to first 4x400 gold medal and Mahuchikh achieves first women’s high jump title for Ukraine since 1999; U.S. men take 12th all-time 4x400 crown

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photo by Getty Images

PHOTOS by Kim Spir | INTERVIEWS

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Recap from Sunday’s Day 9 at the World Athletics Championships:

Star of the day

Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

It was vintage Jakob Ingebrigtsen, if not pinnacle Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

The 22-year-old Norwegian, after losing in his signature 1,500 meters, distributed his energy perfectly to beat Mohammed Katir in a side-by-side homestretch duel and win a gold medal in the 5,000.

Ingebrigtsen virtually outleaned the Spaniard, 13:11.30 to 13:11.44, joining Muktar Edris of Ethiopia, Mo Farah of Great Britain and Ismael Kirui of Kenya as repeat World champions in the 5,000.

Bronze went to Kenya’s Jacob Krop, the 2022 silver medalist, in 13:12.28. Guatemala’s Luis Grijalva, the 24-year-old Northern Arizona graduate, finished in 13:12.50 for fourth, one spot out of the medals for the second year in a row.

World leader Berihu Aregawa of Ethiopia, fourth in the 10,000, finished eighth in 13:12.99. Top American was Abdihamid Nur, also of Northern Arizona, 12th in 13:23.90.

Ingebrigtsen conceded the only way he could repeat as World champion was to do so with tactics. The field featured four of the eight fastest men in history, and six who had run sub-12:45 this year.

“My body is just getting over a virus, so it’s not been a very good situation to be in,” Ingebrigtsen said. “At the same time, I wanted to do my best. I had to try.

“I had to be very patient, but I really did not know what to expect from this race. This week was a bit bittersweet overall, but this was a good way to end.”

Ingebrigtsen came to Budapest having broken 3:29 in the 1,500 three times this year, in addition to a 2-mile world record of 7:54.70. However, the Olympic champion was overtaken by Josh Kerr, and, for the second year in a row, relegated to silver by a British miler.

After the 5,000 began slowly, Ishmael Kipkurui, an 18-year-old Kenyan, bolted ahead and built a 40-meter lead. The peloton eventually swallowed him.

Nine runners were separated by a half-second with a lap left, led by Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia. Katir seized the lead with 200 meters left, stalked by Ingebrigtsen. Ingebrigtsen, closing in 52.45 for 400 meters and 26.20 for 200, caught Katir just before the line.

Grijalva was close to a medal, as he was last year, but dissatisfied.

“No one wants to finish fourth for two years in a row. It’s me,” he said. “Maybe last year is whole different mind-set. Maybe I was on top of the world when I got fourth.

“Now, you’re so close, you’re right there. I guess I just let out a lot of emotion on the track.”

Magical moment

Great track and field meets, like great literature, need not finish with an exclamation point. Femke Bol used the punctuation anyway.

The 23-year-old Dutchwoman, seemingly too far behind to overtake Jamaica, powered down the closing 50 meters to deliver gold in the 4x400 relay. It was a redemptive moment, considering she fell before the finish of what would have been mixed relay gold on day 1.

“I wanted to stay patient, but in the last meters I said, ‘No, we have to take it,’” Bol said. “It was one of my most important runs ever, but it is the first time we became world champions, so it applies for all of us.”

European Athletics reported a 48.79 anchor split for Bol, who completed the race in 3:20.72. Jamaica was second in 3:20.88 and Great Britain third in 3:21.04.

It was a second gold for Bol, winner of the 400 hurdles and indoor world record-holder in the 400.

The United States had won the past three 4x400s and seven of eight, but a pass out of the exchange zone caused a disqualification Saturday. Coincidentally, the botched pass was to Alexis Holmes, who memorably overtook Bol in the mixed 4x400 relay.

Buzzworthy

Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, has been outspoken about opposition to Russian participation in international athletics while war in Ukraine is ongoing.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like to be an athlete in Ukraine, dealing with this landscape,” he said Sunday during a news conference.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh dealt with it by winning a gold medal.

The Ukrainian high jumper came from behind, clearing 6 feet, 7 inches (2.01m) on her second attempt to seize gold from defending champion Eleanor Patterson.

Patterson and Olympic silver medalist Nicola Olyslagers, both of Australia, took silver and bronze, both at 6-6.25 (1.99m).

Mahuchikh, 21, had earned silvers in 2022 and 2019, plus indoor gold in 2022. She is the first female athlete from Ukraine to secure the World title since Inha Babakova in 1999.

“I had to win this gold for my country and all Ukrainian people who are still fighting for peace in Ukraine and for our independence,” she said. “Thanks to them, we have this unique possibility to compete at the international arena and to raise our flag.”

India vs. Pakistan

Longtime adversaries India and Pakistan – which was carved out of India in 1947 – were pitted against each other in the javelin.

Neeraj Chopra of India won gold, becoming the first to have golds from Olympics, Worlds, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Asian Championships in the javelin.

Chopra’s distance was 289-3 (88.17m). Arshad Nadeem captured Pakistan’s first-ever medal, taking silver at 288-1 (87.82m).

American Outlook

With a gold from the men’s 4x400 relay and a bronze by Athing Mu at 800 meters, the United States topped the medals with 29. That did not match last year’s record 33 at Oregon, but in line with the 29 from Doha 2019 and 29 from London 2017.

Quincy Hall (44.54), Vernon Norwood (44.01), Justin Robinson (44.74) and Rai Benjamin (44.02) finished the 4x400 in 2:57.31. France, with its first medal of these championships, took silver in 2:58.45. Great Britain was third in 2:58.71.

Hall had earned bronze in the 400, Robinson gold in the mixed 4x400 relay and Benjamin bronze in the 400 hurdles.

“After the 400 hurdles, I wanted to come back and anchor this relay,” Benjamin said. “It means a lot that the guys have faith in me and trust me.”

It was the Americans’ 12th all-time gold in the 4x400. Norwood, 31, has won four 4x400 gold medals at Worlds.

Elsewhere for the women, Courtney Wayment was last out of 15 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:25.90, and Vashti Cunningham was 11th in the high jump at 6-2.75 (1.90m).

“In general, there are a lot of things that needed to be worked on,” Cunningham said.

Stat of the day

Winfred Mutile Yavi’s winning margin in the 3,000 steeplechase was 4.69 seconds, with the standout from Bahrain just 0.25 off the largest ever. Her time, 8:54.29, is second only to the championships record of 8:53.02 set by Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan last year. Jeruto has been suspended for a biological passport violation.

Two Kenyans, 2019 world champion Beatrice Chepkoech and Faith Cherotich, took silver and bronze in 8:58.98 and 9:00.69. Cherotich, 19, became the youngest World medalist in the 3,000 steeplechase in meet history. 

Quote of the day

“What do you guys expect from us? You know, most of the time, we want to enjoy what we’re doing. We want to enjoy where we’re at. But, to a certain extent, it makes us lose, kind of, heart for the sport. Are we ever going to be good enough?”

- Athing Mu, after a bronze medal in 800 meters

The most Hungary thing ever

Balazs Nemeth, CEO of the local organizing committee, touted success in tickets sold (400,000) and nations represented among ticket-buyers (120).

“And, of course, thank you, Youhuu,” he said.

Youhuu, a racka sheep native to Hungary, was a mascot that entertained audiences. Youhuu’s antics included one incident in which he hid behind a couch and startled an athlete in the “Q room,” a holding area for athletes waiting to see if they were time qualifiers.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007