TOKYO – History was made Wednesday night at National Stadium when Katie Moon became the first woman to win three straight golds in the pole vault at the World Athletics Championships. Moon, the 2021 Olympic champion here, grazed the crossbar with her torso on her second attempt at 4.90/16-0.75 and could only watch in anticipation as the bar bounced a half dozen times without falling. She took one aborted attempt at 5.01/16-5.25 before retiring.
Sandi Morris, seeking her first gold after three silvers at the World Championships, had the lead over Moon after a clearance at 4.85/15-11, but couldn't negotiate the next height and picked up her fourth silver. The 1-2 U.S. finish matched the placing at Eugene in 2022. Twins Hana Moll and Amanda Moll tied for sixth at 4.65/15-3.
Team USATF maintained control of the medals table after five days of competition with 10 total medals, seven of them gold.
Kenya's Faith Cherotich leaped over the final water jump in the women's 3000 steeplechase to pass leader Winfred Yavi of Bahrain and pulled away down the homestretch to win in a meet record 8:51.59, the seventh fastest time ever. Yavi, the Olympic champion in Paris last summer and defending world champion, held on for silver in 8:56.46 and Ethiopia's Sembo Almayew earned bronze in a lifetime best of 8:58.86. Medal hopes for the American trio were a difficult proposition by any calculation and collegian Angelina Napoleon was the top U.S. finisher in ninth in 9:17.44, one place ahead of Kaylee Mitchell, who was 10th in 9:18.66. Lexy Halladay-Lowry was 14th in 9:34.03.
In the evening's other field event final, Italy's Mattia Furlani added world outdoor men's long jump gold to the World Indoor title he won earlier this year, soaring a lifetime best of 8.39/27-6.5 on his fifth attempt. 2019 world champion Tajay Gayle of Jamaica earned silver with a best of 8.34/27-4.5, and China's Yuhao Shi took bronze at 8.33/27-4. Isaac Grimes had a best of 7.85/25-9.25 and placed 10th.
A tactical start to the men's 1500 final saw Niels Laros of the Netherlands leading through 400 in 59.45 with 12 men within a second. Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot, the 2019 champion, took over at the front through 800 in 1:59.88 and USATF champion Jonah Koech was hovering mid-pack in sixth. Cheruiyot still led at the bell, but only by a hair, going through in 2:48.69 with Laros right on him and 2022 champion Jake Wightman of Britain another hair back.
Reynold Cheruiyot started to creep up with 300 to go and was in fourth with Isaac Nader of Portugal a stride behind him. Heading into the final turn Wightman took the lead with a strong surge and he had five men breathing down his neck into the final 100. Wightman held the lead until the 1499-meter mark as a fast-closing Nader lunged at the finish line to steal gold in 3:34.10, .02 ahead of a stunned Wightman. Reynold Cheruiyot got the bronze in 3:34.25, while Koech faded to 13th in 3:37.00.
Powerful and poised in the third semifinal of the women's 400 hurdles, last summer's Olympic silver medalist Anna Cockrell was never in danger and led virtually from the gun to win in 53.28 to join her two U.S. teammates in the final. Paris fourth place finisher Jasmine Jones had Panama's Gianna Woodruff to her inside in the first semi, and Woodruff produced the best effort of her career to win in 52.66, a Central American record. Jones didn't look like she expended an extra ounce of energy on the way to a season best 53.01, her third fastest time ever, to secure a lane in the final.
Hoping to close out a hall of fame career in her sixth and final World Championships, former world record holder and Olympic and world champion Dalilah Muhammad also moved on very smoothly to the final with a runner-up finish in the second semi in 53.14 behind reigning champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who won in 52.31.
Olympic champion and American record holder Rai Benjamin, who set that AR on this track at the 2021 Olympics, ran a very aggressive first 300 in the last semifinal of the men's 400 hurdles and then cruised through the final 50 to win in 47.95. Benjamin sprinted to the lead with an 11.24 first 100 as his archrival Alison dos Santos of Brazil clattered a barrier early, and went through 200 in 22.14 and 300 in 34.10 before taking his foot off the gas.
NCAA champion Nathaniel Ezekiel of Nigeria pushed the pace in the second semi to win in 47.47 and that put great pressure on USATF runner-up Caleb Dean. Dean gritted it out off the final barrier and crossed the line in 47.85 to place third and earn one of the two time qualifier slots in the final. Chris Robinson never looked very comfortable in the first semi and pulled up in the middle of the final turn.
Four for four was the order of the day for the U.S. women in the heats of the 200 where Anavia Battle had the fastest time of all 47 entrants with a 22.07 to win heat one. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, winner of the 100 earlier this week, made quick work of heat two in 22.24 to finish more than a half second ahead of her nearest challenger. A late addition to the team, McKenzie Long was victorious in the third heat in 22.57, and Diamond League winner Brittany Brown took the fourth section in 22.50 to round out a perfect day of advancement to the semis for the Americans.
Blazing fast times in the men's 200 heats included a trio of sub-20 clockings for U.S. runners. Jamaica's Bryan Levell had the fastest first round time ever at the World Championships with a 19.84 to take heat five, beating the 19.98 by Noah Lyles at Eugene three years ago. Speaking of Lyles, the reigning world champion looked smooth and easy in taking top honors in heat four in 19.99. Courtney Lindsey was the fastest of the Americans with a 19.95 to take second in the second section, and Kenny Bednarek supremely navigated the tighter confines of lane three to win in 19.98. Robert Gregory eased up a bit too much at the finish of the first heat and his 20.43 in fifth did not earn him advancement to the semifinal.
Last year's Olympic Trials and NCAA winner Salif Mane was the lone U.S. advancer to the final in the men's triple jump, bounding 16.86/55-3.75 to place 10th in the qualifying round. Mane, who was sixth at the Olympics in Paris, hit that distance on his first try and took two more jumps without improvement. Will Claye was making his eighth career World Championships appearance, the most by any American man, and the four-time medalist had a best of 16.45 /53-11.75 on his final attempt to end up 19th overall. USATF champion Russell Robinson had three fouls, including a very narrow one on his third jump.
Five-time USATF champion Curtis Thompson was 11th in the men's javelin at Eugene in 2022, and he will have a chance to improve on that placing after launching an automatic qualifying mark of 84.72/277-11 on his second attempt. Thompson, the 2023 Pan American Games gold medalist, is enjoying the best year of his career and that was his farthest throw ever in five global championships. Marc Anthony Minichello improved to 80.47/264-0 on his final attempt but did not advance in 20th place.
TEAM USATF MEDALS (10)
GOLD (7)
Ryan Crouser, men's shot put (22.34/73-3.5) Mixed 4x400 relay (Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah Mckiver, Alexis Holmes) (3:08.80, =meet record) Valarie Allman, women's discus (69.48/227-11) Tara Davis-Woodhall, women's long jump (7.13/23-4.75) Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, women's 100 (10.61, meet record) Cordell Tinch, men's 110 hurdles (12.99) Katie Moon, women's pole vault (4.90/16-0.75)
SILVER (1)
Sandi Morris, women's pole vault (4.85/15-11)
BRONZE (2)
Noah Lyles, men's 100 (9.89) Grace Stark, women's 100 hurdles (12.34)
RECORDS SET BY TEAM USATF
World
American
48.29 – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, women's 400
World Championships
=3:08.80 – Mixed 4x400 relay (Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah Mckiver, Alexis Holmes) 10.61 – Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, women's 100