EUGENE, Oregon — The third-best performer in U.S. heptathlon history and a historic women's triple jump medalist on day four of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field extended Team USATF's medal count to 16, including six golds, and put the U.S. 90 points ahead in the team points race with 158. Ethiopia is the next highest scoring nation with 68.
USATF champion Anna Hall (Gainesville, Florida/USATF Florida) polished off an inspired performance in the heptathlon with a 2:06.67 to win the 800m, totaling 6,755 points to earn bronze and become the first U.S. medalist since 2001. Hall's score also vaulted her to the No. 3 all-time American performer position, surpassing Hyleas Fountain's 6,735 from 2010. Hall opened the second day with a near-personal best long jump, spanning 6.39m/20-11.75, and then threw a big lifetime best of 45.75m/150-1 in the javelin to put her in control of the bronze heading into the 800m, an event she set an all-time heptathlon best in earlier this year. Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam took gold with 6,947 and Anouk Vetter of the Netherlands was the silver medalist at 6,867. Ashtin Zamzow-Mahler (Temple, Texas/USATF Texas Southern) was 11th with 5,974, and Michelle Atherley (Coral Gables, Florida/USATF Florida) placed 12th with 5,959. Competing with a hybrid tear of her plantar fascia that she suffered at the Götzis meet at the end of May, Kendell Williams (Kennesaw, Georgia/USATF Georgia) knew coming into the World Championships that she might not be able to finish but was determined to put in the best effort she could. Williams, the World Athletics Combined Events Tour winner in 2021, long jumped and then had a very respectable 43.80m/143-8 in the javelin before withdrawing prior to the 800m.
For the first time in World Championships history, an American woman mounted the triple jump medal stand. Tori Franklin (East Lansing, Michigan/USATF New York) started off with a 14.53m/47-8 that boded well for what was yet to come. She added a 14.45m/47-5 in round two before a pair of fouls, and then bounded into the bronze medal position with a 14.72m/48-3.5 season best. That jump elevated her past Leyanis Hernandez of Cuba, who had gone out to 14.70m/48-2.75 in round two. Hernandez couldn't respond on her final attempt and Franklin joined Tiombe Hurd, the 2001 World Indoors bronze medalist, as the only U.S. women to have medaled at a global championship. Before this meet, no American woman had placed higher than seventh at the outdoor World Championships, but in round two American record holder and USTAF champion Keturah Orji (Atlanta, Georgia/USATF Georgia) notched her best of the day with a 14.49m/47-6.5 that placed her sixth and gave Team USATF two in the top six.
Jumping on the same facility that saw him win the USATF title in June, Shelby McEwen (Abbeville, Mississippi/USATF Southern) looked primed for a medal challenge through the first four heights, clearing 2.19m/7-2.25, 2.24m/7-4.25, 2.27m/7-5.25 and 2.30m/7-6.5 on his first attempts. McEwen missed twice at 2.33m/7-7.75 and then took one jump at 2.35m/7-8.5, but to no avail as he ended up fifth. Last year's Olympic Trials high jump and long jump champion JuVaughn Harrison (Baton Rouge, Louisiana/USATF Southern) cleared 2.27m/7-5.25 second time but couldn't go any higher and was ninth.
USATF champion Hillary Bor (Colorado Springs, Colorado/USATF Colorado) and Evan Jager (Portland, Oregon/USATF Oregon) ran with the leaders as the pack was content to stay at a comfortable and not particularly quick pace on the first three laps. After a 2:57 first kilometer, Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia and Kenya's Conseslus Kipruto, the defending champion, took over the lead, but Bor inserted himself between that duo with three and a half laps left. Kipruto turned slightly and pushed Bor in the chest but without interrupting anyone's rhythm. With two to go, Getnet Wale of Ethiopia pushed into contention and Yemane Haileselassie of Eritrea turned up the tempo through the bell. Soufiane El Bakkali sprinted over the final water jump and became the first non-Kenyan to win since 2005, claiming gold in 8:25.13. Jager pushed down the final straight and placed sixth in 8:29.08, with Bor eighth in 8:29.77.
There was never much doubt that the fight for gold would be between Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, the two fastest women in the world this year, and that duo put the ultimate prize out of reach early. Hurtling past 400m in under 59 seconds, the duo passed 800m in an unthinkable 2:03.18 with Britain's Laura Muir hanging on bravely in their wake. That trio were shoulder to shoulder at the bell, going through 1,100m in 2:51 and change, but Kipyegon started to ease away coming into the final 100m and came away victorious in 3:52.96. Tsegay earned silver in 3:54.52, with Muir snagging bronze in a season best 3:55.28. American champion Sinclaire Johnson (Portland, Oregon/USATF Oregon) was sixth in 4:01.63 and Cory McGee (Boulder, Colorado/USATF New England) placed 10th in 4:03.70.
Led by the 2019 world champion, all four Team USATF men easily advanced to the semifinal, with three of them winning their heats. Reigning world champion and 25th birthday celebrant Noah Lyles (Clermont, Florida/USATF Potomac Valley) was in the final heat and scorched the turn to set himself up for the fastest time overall, clocking 19.98 as the only runner to break 20 seconds. The world's fastest man this year at 19.49, Erriyon Knighton (Riverview, Florida/USATF Florida) was quickly into the lead around the bend despite being in lane three, and he relaxed down the straight to win heat 3 in 20.01w with a just-illegal +2.1 wind. Saturday night's 100m champion Fred Kerley (Taylor, Texas/USATF Gulf) casually strided around the bend in heat 5 and then pushed on the gas a bit to ease to the front and win in 20.17. Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek (Minneola, Florida/USATF Florida) had a tight curve to run in lane 2 and he came off the turn behind Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic, cruising in for a 20.35 in second to automatically advance to the semifinal.
USATF and NCAA outdoor champion Abby Steiner (Dublin, Ohio/USATF Kentucky) ran past 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland off the turn and won heat five in 22.26 to lead all the U.S. women to the semifinal. Ranked fourth on the world list this year, Tamara Clark (High Point, North Carolina/USATF Texas Southern) sped through the curve to establish a solid lead and was able to let up a bit late in the fourth heat to win in 22.27. Jenna Prandini (Pflugerville, Texas/USATF Central California) ran a very quick bend in the final heat and ended up second in 22.38 to advance to the semifinal.
A heavy favorite coming into the meet, Valarie Allman (Austin, Texas/USATF New York) put a lot of fans and others on the edge of their seats by fouling her first two attempts, but as befits the Olympic champion and American record holder she came through on her final attempt with a big 68.36m/224-3 to automatically advance to the final. She will be joined there by Laulauga Tausaga-Collins (El Cajon, California/USATF San Diego-Imperial), who threw 62.85m/206-2 and had the fourth farthest mark in Group A and the ninth overall. Veronica Fraley (Clemson, South Carolina/USATF North Carolina) recorded a best of 58.32m/191-4 and Rachel Dincoff (Tallahassee, Florida/USATF Inland Northwest) went out to 57.62m/189-0, neither woman advancing to the final. Click here to find out how to watch. A full list of results and schedule of events can be found here. Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #JourneyToGold.