Sprint athletes emulating Schmid's legacy – Lyles exults in his golden victory
World Championships in Tokyo: A Recap of Day Five
The fifth day of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo saw several thrilling performances and notable achievements.
In the women's 200m final, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden made history by securing her second gold medal of the championships, winning the race in a time of 21.68 seconds. Jefferson-Wooden had already claimed victory in the 100m earlier in the competition.
Emil Agyekum made headlines in the men's 400m final, becoming the second German, after Harald Schmid, to break the prestigious 48-second barrier with a time of 47.98 seconds. Agyekum's impressive performance earned him sixth place, achieving the best result for a German athlete in nearly four decades.
In the heptathlon, Anna Hall maintained her lead, while Vanessa Grimm had to withdraw due to Achilles tendon problems. Sandrina Sprengel currently finds herself in ninth place in the competition.
The 400m hurdles saw Femke Bol successfully defend her title, crossing the finish line in 51.54 seconds. However, the best-placed German female athlete in this event over the last 39 years did not reach the final, with Eileen Demes falling short.
Yemisi Ogunleye, the Olympic champion in shot put, will compete on Saturday, while Jakob Ingebrigtsen, a two-time Olympic champion, qualified for the final in the 1500m despite being hampered by an Achilles tendon injury this season.
Noah Lyles celebrated his role as World Championship protagonist with expressions and gestures before the starting gun in the 200m final. In a close race, Lyles narrowly beat his compatriot Kenneth Bednarek by six hundredths of a second, securing his fourth consecutive title in this event.
Leo Neugebauer and Niklas Kaul, Olympic silver medalist and former world champion respectively, missed out on a final ticket. Armand Duplantis, the world record holder in pole vault, watched as Noah Lyles won the 200m at the World Championships in Tokyo.
Pedro Pichardo clinched the triple jump title with a leap of 17.91 meters. Rai Benjamin, the Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles, was initially disqualified but was later awarded the gold medal.
As the competition enters its final weekend, the German Athletics Federation aims to improve their tally of medals. Mohamed Abdilaahi and Florian Bremm failed to qualify for the final in the 5000m heats. The races and events promised to be as exciting as ever, with many athletes vying for gold and setting new records.
