Dos Santos, Wightman wow worlds as champions stunned

Underdogs spring surprises while Kerley's sprint double bid ends

EUGENE, Oregon－Alison Dos Santos ended Karsten Warholm's reign as hurdles king at the World Athletics Championships on Tuesday while Britain's Jake Wightman won his country's first 1,500m gold in 39 years on a day of upsets.

Warholm may have been behind one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history when he smashed a 29-year-old world record to win the 400m hurdles at the Tokyo Games in a time of 45.94 sec.

But the 26-year-old came to Eugene on the back of a hamstring injury which ultimately put paid to his medal hopes.

Instead, Brazilian Dos Santos ran the third fastest time of all time and a championship record of 46.29 to win gold ahead of Americans Rai Benjamin and Trevor Bassitt.

"It's pretty awesome to win the world title on this track. I didn't care about the time because this is the first time I've won a world title," said Dos Santos.

Warholm led coming into the home straight but seized up badly and eventually came in seventh (48.42), breaking a winning streak of 22 races, including 18 finals, dating back to September 2018.

"It was a very tough race," Warholm said. "I had an injury but to me it's always your fight and giving your all and leaving it all on the track.

"I felt I did that. I hope looking back I'll feel proud of that even though I prefer to take a medal."

While everyone knew Warholm was coming back from injury, serious hopes were pinned on Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men's 1,500m.

But Wightman had not read the script, playing the Norwegian at his own game by kicking with 200 meters to run and holding his form through to the line.

Wightman sealed victory in 3 min 29.23 sec, with Ingebrigtsen taking silver in 3:29.47 and Spaniard Mohamed Katir claiming bronze (3:29.90).

Family affair

In a bizarre twist, Wightman's father Geoff is in Eugene doing the in-stadium commentary.

Geoff, also his son's coach, was reduced to a cracked voice as he announced to Hayward Field: "That's my son and he's world champion."

"For him to be part of my journey to get to this point, and actually part of the actual race itself is so unique," Wightman said of his father.

"I talked to him and he's very happy. I'm glad he showed some emotion."

Following on from Norway's Olympic gold medalists in failing to nail a world title was 2019 champion Daniel Stahl. The Swede eventually finished fourth in the discus.

Australian Eleanor Patterson won high-jump gold in the fourth final of the night with 2.02 meters on countback from Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Italy's Elena Vallortigara took bronze.

Fred flops

Day five of action at the worlds also saw newly crowned 100m champion Fred Kerley fail to advance from the semifinals of the 200m.

The American set off smoothly from the blocks but was left grimacing as he hit the home straight, eventually winding up sixth in 20.68 seconds.

The 27-year-old later said he cramped up in the latter stages of the race, but insisted he would be fit to race in the relays.

"Bit of cramp, but it's all good," Kerley said. "I'm not in pain, I'll be good."

While Kerley was left digesting a disappointing early exit, there were no such worries for defending 200m world champion Noah Lyles, who romped home in his semifinal with a blistering 19.62.

The main threat to Lyles' hopes of retaining his 200m title may well come from teenage teammate and emerging rival Erriyon Knighton, and Kenneth Bednarek.

There was no such drama for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who kept her bid for a sprint double on track as she sailed into the final of the women's 200m.

Fresh from winning a record fifth world 100m title, Fraser-Pryce timed a season's best of 21.83 in the third of three semifinals.

Joining the 35-year-old, a world 200m champion in 2013, in Thursday's final will be her teammates Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah, who helped snatch an unprecedented clean sweep of the 100m podium for Jamaica on Sunday.

Alongside the trio of Jamaicans in the final will be Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning world 200m champion who was fourth in the 100m, Americans Abby Steiner and Tamara Clark, Niger's Aminatou Seyni and Switzerland's Mujinga Kambundji.

AFP