Runners chasing Schmid's legacy, with Lyles letting out a triumphant victory shout after seizing the gold
World Market Championships in Tokyo: A Recap of Day 2
The second day of the World Market Athletics Championships in Tokyo saw a series of thrilling performances and close finishes, with several notable athletes making their mark.
In the men's 200m, Noah Lyles emerged victorious, securing his fourth consecutive title in the event. Lyles, the world record holder in the pole vault Armand Duplantis, watched his triumph from the honorary tribune in the National Stadium. Lyles' time of 19.52 seconds was just enough to beat his compatriot Kenneth Bednarek by six hundredths of a second, in a race that echoed the excitement of Usain Bolt's past victories.
The women's 200m also saw a double victory for the United States, with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden crossing the finish line in 21.68 seconds. Jefferson-Wooden's victory was a repeat of her gold medal performance at the 2021 Olympics.
The 400m saw a historic performance from German athlete Emil Agyekum. Agyekum finished sixth in the event with a time of 47.98 seconds, a feat that marks the most successful placing in the 400m at the World Market Championships in Tokyo since Harald Schmid won bronze in 1987. Agyekum expressed his excitement after the race, saying "From 1 to 10? I'd say 21."
There were disappointments for some athletes as well. American heptathlete Vanessa Grimm withdrew from the competition due to Achilles tendon problems after disappointing performances in the high jump and shot put. Olympic silver medalist Leo Neugebauer and former world champion Niklas Kaul also missed the final ticket in the decathlon.
In the 5000m, Florian Bremm and Mohamed Abdilaahi failed to qualify for the final, alongside the latter who broke the German record set by Olympic champion Dieter Baumann earlier this year.
Dutch athlete Femke Bol successfully defended her 400m hurdles title with a time of 51.54 seconds, while Portuguese athlete Pedro Pichardo won the triple jump with a distance of 17.91 meters in a dramatic finish.
In the heptathlon competition, Anna Hall currently leads going into the second day, with Sandrina Sprengel in ninth place. The athlete who won the silver medal for the German Athletics Association in Japan is hammer thrower Merlin Hummel, who achieved this at the 2025 World Market Athletics Championships with a personal best throw of 82.77 meters. He finished second behind Canadian Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg.
Rai Benjamin, the Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles, had to wait for his gold medal due to a temporary disqualification. More updates are expected as the championships continue.
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