The World Athletics Championships in Tokyo continues after another thrilling day of action in Japan.
Tuesday provided another star-studded schedule, with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shattering the American record in the women’s 400m semi-finals to make a statement to fellow gold medal contenders Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser. Kenya's 1500m superstar Faith Kipyegon, meanwhile, claimed her fourth world title, leading home a Kenyan one-two in typically dominant fashion.
Great Britain’s Max Burgin successfully progressed in the men's 800m to kick off the evening session, with the Briton eyeing up gold against Kenyan favourite Emmanuel Wanyonyi - but there was disappointment for Matt Hudson-Smith in the men’s 400m as the Olympic silver medallist missed out on the final having been disrupted by a hip injury during these championships. Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman, GB’s pair of 1500m world champions, will hope for better when they go in a final that will not contain either Jakob Ingebritsen or Cole Hocker on Wednesday. Follow all the action, results and analysis from Tokyo below:
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World Athletics Championships - live updates
- Day 4 timetable, full schedule and results
- Matt Hudson-Smith misses out on men's 400m final
- American great Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shatters national record in 400m semi-finals
- Faith Kipyegon wins 1500m gold again in dominant fashion
- Max Burgin and Ben Pattison qualify for GB for 800m semis
Coming up tomorrow...
15:05
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Right, here’s what is on deck on Wednesday at the Worlds - including Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman’s bids for more 1500m success.
Day 5 - Wednesday 17 September
11:05Men’s Triple Jump - Qualification
11:10Men’s Javelin Throw- Qualification, Group A
11:30Women’s 200m - Heats
12:10Women’s Pole Vault - Final
12:15Men’s 200m - Heats
12:45Men’s Javelin ThrowQualification - Group B
12:50Men’s Long Jump - Final
13:00Women’s 400m Hurdles- Semi-Final
13:30Men’s 400m Hurdles - Semi-Final
13:57Women’s 3000m Steeplechase - Final
14:20Men’s 1500m - Final
Matt Hudson-Smith speaks to the BBC after missing out on the 400m final
14:56
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Matt Hudson-Smith missed out on the men’s 400m final a little earlier, fading in the home straight having been well placed through 300m despite running from an inside lane. Was the hip issue a bother? A clearly very disappointed Hudson-Smith doesn’t give much away speaking to the BBC.
“It’s one of those days, it happens,” he says. “I managed to run. It’s just a race. I executed to the best of my ability, and that’s all the race. I’m going to take some time out and re-evaluate a lot of things, and I’ll go from there.”
Hamish Kerr wins high jump gold
14:52
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Woo Sang Hyeok has to ask for the bar to be raised to 2.38m having failed once at 2.36m, and though he gives it a good old go, he can’t surpass Hamish Kerr. The New Zealander, already the Olympic champion, wins his first world title in his first final, correcting a curious past at the World Championships.
GOLD: Hamish Kerr, New Zealand
SILVER: Woo Sang Hyeok, South Korea
BRONZE: Jan Stefela, Czech Republic
Hamish Kerr clear again!
14:45
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Quite something from Hamish Kerr. Strapping on the left knee proves no impediment to the New Zealander, the bar wobbling but staying very much up to put the pressure on Woo Sang Hyeok with a new world leading mark of 2.36m. Kerr has never gone higher.
Woo Sang Hyeok and Hamish Kerr go clear at 2.34m!
14:39
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Woo Sang Hyeok pounds the floor in delight! Some jump from the South Korean, soaring over the bar as it perches 2.34m off the floor and down safely on t’other side.
But what about Hamish Kerr! The Olympic champion joins his rival in raising the bar, perhaps with even greater amplitude. A lengthy high jump final goes on.
Cordell Tinch wins gold!
14:27
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Gold again for the USA as Cordell Tinch powers to victory! The brace of Jamaicans pushed him hard, both Orlando Bennett (13.08) and Tyler Mason (13.12) running personal bests - but they could not crack the fastest man in the world this year. A 12.99 gets it done for the 25-year-old.
Jason Joseph failed to figure after crashing into one of the first couple of barriers, while home hope Rachid Muratake also clipped a hurdle and finished fifth.
Men's 110m hurdles final
14:24
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Back to the track - and an open 110m hurdles. American Cordell Tinch is a strong contender after compatriot Vernon Holloway’s exit, while could Jason Joseph complete a Swiss sprint hurdles double after Ditaji Kambundji’s win earlier in the Worlds programme?
Men's high jump continues
14:22
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
There are two men clear at 2.31m in the men’s high jump, South Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo joined by Jan Stefela of the Czech Republic - in fact, make that three, with Olympic champion Hamish Kerr answering when he needed to as he soars over at the third attempt.
Ethan Katzberg defends hammer title
14:20
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Another successful retention of a world title - Canada’s Ethan Katzberg holds his celebration until after he’s hurled the hammer for the final time, safe in the knowledge that the gold is his.
He falls just shy of his 84.70m throw. Germany’s Merlin Hummel edges out Bence Halasz for second spot.
Faith Kipyegon wins 1500m gold!
14:11
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A steady first 800m but from there, the rest were barely in the picture! Faith Kipyegon is 1500m world champion for a fourth time, leading home a Kenyan one-two with Dorcus Ewoi second in a new personal best of 3:54:92.
Australia’s Jessica Hull breaks up the Kenyan podium party, somehow hanging on to prevent Nelly Chepchirchir taking third. But there was never any doubt about the winner.
Off they go!
14:06
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Three full laps and one three-quarter lap of the track to go - how quick can Faith Kipyegon go? Can anyone get close to her? The Kenyan goes straight to the front.
Faith Kipyegon goes for gold
14:04
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Disappointing for Matt Hudson-Smith - we will hopefully hear from him a little later.
But there’s no rest in a busy track programme. Faith Kipyegon and the rest of the women’s 1500m finalists are just about ready to run.
Matt Hudson-Smith misses out on 400m final
14:00
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A predictably brutal semi-final and Matt Hudson-Smith misses out on the final! The British Olympic silver medallist just didn’t have any kind of finishing kick, running out of steam having been in a strong position rounding the bend to fade into seventh.
Bayapo Ndori showcases his strength with a 44.21, while the Tokyo crowd erupt as Yuki Joseph Nakajima seals second and a surprise automatic qualifying spot. Kirani James, Muzala Samukonga and the two Americans (Vernon Norwood & Khaleb McRae) all miss out with Jereem Richards and Jacory Patterson quick enough in the second semi to hold on to their two spots in the final.
Olympic silver medallist Matt Hudson-Smith goes next
13:55
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
There’s another very good Botswanan in Bayapo Ndori in the third semi-final, which also features veteran 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James, Zambia’s fast-finisher Muzala Samukonga, America’s Vernon Norwood and Matt Hudson-Smith - this could be carnage. How is Hudson-Smith’s hip?
Men's 400m semi-finals
13:53
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
How do Botswana do it? That is a stunning run from Collen Kebinatshipi, just 21 and atypical in being short in stature and slim in build but taking .6 off a second off his personal best with a new world-leading time of 43.61 - exceptional.
Rusheen MacDonald of Jamaica just about holds on to second, with neither Jereem Richards nor Jacory Patterson through automatically in a bit of a surprise. They do currently occupy the fastest losers’ spots, while it didn’t quite happen for Charlie Dobson (44.85), down in seventh.
Men's 400m semi-finals
13:48
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Right, on to the second semi - Jereem Richards is a familiar face in this one, the Trinidadian looking to bounce back from being so narrowly squeezed out of the medals at Paris 2024. Great Britain’s Charlie Dobson, a winner at the London Diamond League in July, probably needs to produce something similar to progress.
Men's 400m semi-finals
13:45
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Neat, tidy and smooth from Zakithi Nene, accelerating down the home straight with eyes scanning left and right to see if anyone can come with him. They can’t - 44.20 for the South African.
Botswana’s Lee Eppie joins him in the final, with Great Britain’s Sam Reardon eighth, a place behind a disappointed Christopher Bailey.
Men's 400m semi-finals
13:42
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
That high jumper is Olympic champion Hamish Kerr - who is clear at the first attempt at 2.28m. The New Zealander looks in strong, springy form, and can now have a gander at this 400m semi-final, which appears set to finally begin.
Men's 400m semi-finals
13:40
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Hmm. A bit of disruption for the octet, first commanded out of the blocks and then halted when barely into their running in a second attempt to get going with one of the starters waving a paddle. Jamaica’s Bovel McPherson is given some instructions - a green card is waved, though, so nothing serious.
Another delay: one of the high jumpers is hoping to squeeze in an attempt, so the 400m runners are being held at a red signal for now.
Over to the men...
13:36
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
That women’s final will not take place until Thursday - but there is more 400m action to come with the eight entrants into the first men’s semi-final on track. Sam Reardon of Great Britain goes in this one - uber-talented American Christopher Bailey could well be a contender if he puts a race together.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also has a (very quick) word with the BBC
13:33
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
“It’s definitely a confidence booster, makes me feel good going into the final,” McLaughlin-Levrone says. “I’ve just got to go out and execute.”
Amber Anning reacts to making the final
13:30
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
“I’ve been waiting for a race like that all year,” the British 400m runner tells the BBC. “I believed in myself, ran my own race and finished really strong. I’m really pleased with my performance.
“That semi was stacked. I knew I had to go out there and trust myself, my talent and my strength. I did that.
“I definitely had to fight to get that indoors win. I’m looking forward to going again in the final.”
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shatters national record!
13:28
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Ooh, that’s a real statement performance from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, shattering the national record with a time of 48.29 seemingly achieved with effortless ease. My word - she really is some athlete. Sanya Richards-Ross’s record goes after 16 years.
Huge credit, too, to Amber Anning (49.38) who squeezed out training partner Nickisha Pryce for second, though the Jamaican is through with a time of 49.46. Henriette Jaeger holds on to the second fastest loser’s spot.
Women's 400m semi-finals
13:22
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Henriette Jaeger is still recovering after that late surge that threatened to take an automatic qualifying spot - you’d suggest the Norwegian is probably safe with a 49.87 but there are four runners in the final semi who have gone quicker than that this year, including Great Britain’s Amber Anning.
She’ll have Martina Weil on her inside and Nickisha Pryce to her right - assuming Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is oon full form, one would expect those three to vie for the second certain spot in the final.
Salwa Eid Naser in impressive form
13:19
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A brief hiccup before semi-final two as the athletes are instructed to stand up, though there are no issues - out comes the green card and to the blocks they return.
A long wait for the gun to go tests the patience of a few, but Salwa Eid Naser is away at speed, shorter in stature than some but always with impressive form. Away she strides to victory in a very, very comfortable 49.49 - and it’s Cuba’s Roxana Gomez who snatches second in a season’s best!
Isabella Whittaker comes home for third, and takes the second fastest loser’s spot so far - Lieke Klaver and Stacey Ann Williams are out of the running.
Women's 400m semi-finals
13:14
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Blimey. The times for the top three are all sub-50 seconds, so there is every chance all progress, but you do not want to be taking those sort of chances in an event with so many quality entrants.
Yemi Mary John was down in eighth. Not to be for the Brit - can teammate Victoria Ohouruogu, also on the inside, force her way into the mix? Salwa Eid Naser will be expected to win semi-final two, and the USA’s Isabella Whitaker has enjoyed a breakthrough season - though look out for Stacey Ann Williams of Jamaica, incredibly quick in the heats.
Marileidy Paulino given a fright!
13:11
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Nearly a disaster from Marileidy Paulino! That is almost a horrific error from the Dominican, shutting down with plenty of metres to go and almost finding herself pipped by Henriette Jaeger on the line - the Norwegian is edged out by five one-hundreths of a second!
Natalia Bukowiecka finishes strongly to take top spot - Paulino is a very, very lucky woman as the second automatic qualifier.
Women's 400m semi-finals
13:08
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Marileidy Paulino leads this first semi from lane six, the Olympic champion looking to lay down a marker in an event with outstanding strength in depth. Great Britain’s Yemi Mary John has the tall ask of running in the inside lane - can she sneak through? Two through automatically, with two fastest losers come the close of the semis also progressing...
Women's 400m semi-finals
13:06
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Three Brits to keep track of, too, in these semi-finals: Yemi Mary John, Victoria Ohuruogu and Amber Anning, helpfully spread through the three races.
Anning has had an outstanding 13 months since impressing in finishing fifth individually and winning two Olympic relay bronzes at Paris 2024, snaring World Indoor gold in March. She will test herself against McLaughlin-Levrone in the third of the three semi-finals.
On to the 400m...
13:02
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Right, the hurdles have been cleared from the track - and from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s schedule, with the outstanding American one-lapper focusing on the 400m flat at these championships. She goes in the semi-finals next.
Men's 110m hurdles semi-finals
12:57
,
Flo Clifford
Tyler Mason of Jamaica gets a fine start and sets a personal best of 13:12 to win! Muratake is given second in 13:17 and the home crowd like that a lot.
Tharp is third in 13:19, into the next-best two, and Kwaou-Mathey beats Demario Prince by thousandths of a second, both on 13:22! Prince vacates the hot seat. That’s our final line-up sorted.
Holloway’s title defence ends here. He finished down in sixth, in 13:52.
Men's 110m hurdles semi-finals
12:54
,
Flo Clifford
Last of the semi-finals. Rachid Muratake, second-quickest in the world this year behind Cordell Tinch, gets a huge cheer from the home crowd. Grant Holloway is in this one but he’s looked far from his best this year and was fourth in his heat.
Men's 110m hurdles semi-finals
12:51
,
Flo Clifford
American world-leader Cordell Tinch leads from the gun in heat two, winning in a rapid 13:16. Jason Joseph takes second. Jamaican Demario Prince, third in 13:22, is into the next best spot alongside Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli on the same time. It’s curtains for Nomoto and Beard, sadly.
Men's 110m hurdles semi-finals
12:44
,
Flo Clifford
Izumiya starts well but oh no, he trips over I think the third hurdle and he’s down! It’s a close finish among the rest but Bennett of Jamaica wins in 13:27.
There’s a long wait for the rest of the results, a real photo finish required. Llopis of Spain is next in 13:29 and Nomoto faces a waiting game after finishing third in 13:30, ahead of American Beard in 13:31. Will Beard make it from the lucky losers? Comms seem to think he’s in trouble.
Men's 110m hurdles semi-finals
12:42
,
Flo Clifford
Onto the next event, starting with the men’s 110m hurdles semi-finals. Three races, first two in each qualify for the final, plus the two next fastest times.
Two Japanese hurdlers in this heat get a rousing reception: Shunsuke Izumiya and Shusei Nomoto.
Men's 800m semi-finalists set
12:33
,
Flo Clifford
Brazier, Moula and Bloudek qualify from the next heat, and it’s a very quick one, Brazier first in a zippy 1:44.66 with Kebenei making it through as next best in 1:44.91. Crestan and Meziane are the others to qualify for the semis.
Australia’s Peter Bol loses out.
'There's no reason I shouldn't get through the semis' - Max Burgin
12:31
,
Flo Clifford
Burgin tells BBC Sport: “I'm happy with the way it went. Ran it nice and safely and finished in the automatic spot.
“It's always stressful these heats. You never know how fast they're going to run. I'm happy with that. I went in knowing what I needed to do and I was happy moving up around 600m.
“I am hoping to challenge for a medal. I've shown throughout the season I'm capable of being in that conversation. In my mind there's no reason why I shouldn't be getting through that semi.” Confident and with every reason to be.
Men's 800m heats
12:24
,
Flo Clifford
Meziane and Crestan from that heat, in fourth and fifth, move into the top two spots of the next-best three. Australia’s Peter Bol has been nudged down to third and faces a nervy wait for this last heat.
Max Burgin qualifies for men's 800m heats
12:23
,
Flo Clifford
Max Burgin is one for running from the front and he makes his way forward speedily, latching onto the shoulder of Botswana’s Masalela, with Crestan just behind him. This is by far the quickest heat so far.
Burgin looks pretty cool, has a glance up to the screen and moves forward with around 650m to go... he holds on to win from Masalela, with Anderson of Jamaica putting in a good charge down the final straight for third.
Men's 800m heats
12:20
,
Flo Clifford
Max Burgin, the third-fastest man in British history, is in this next heat. He was an outstanding junior, a former under-18 European champion among other accolades, before a bad couple of years with injury and now at 23 he’s a strong contender.
Men's 800m heats
12:17
,
Flo Clifford
Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi is the hot favourite in heat five. Japanese teenager Ko Ochiai will no doubt get the crowd cheering; he looks very nervous, bless him.
Canada’s Hassan gets a yellow card for a bit of a wobble on the start line. Only a caution for improper behaviour, but it feels a bit harsh. If you get two in one tournament, you get the axe.
Wanyonyi hits the front but coming into the final lap Tobias Gronstad of Norway cuts across him, there’s a lot of movement here and now Gouaned pushes through to the front and now they’re all strung out at a very speedy pace! Wanyonyi cruises to the win from Italy’s Francesco Pernici and Ireland’s Mark English.
Men's 800m heats
12:06
,
Flo Clifford
Ireland’s McPhillips wins heat four from Hoppel (the sixth-fastest man in the world this year) and Taylor, with the winning time 1:44.91.
Ben Pattison: 'Confidence is high'
12:04
,
Flo Clifford
BBC Sport has a chat with Pattison and asks whether he planned to lead that heat from the front.
“No, not at all, [the plan] was kind of get into a good position, my coaches said 300 in you need to stay alert. I got to the front and felt great, gradually slowed it down, made sure I wasn’t going to get boxed in. The Polish guy came across in front of me and I thought I’ve got to go. Warming up was the best I’ve felt in a long time. Confidence is high after that race.
“I feel like a lot of people who’ve had the year I’ve had would just be happy to be here, but I’ve got a job to do, I’ve got a medal to defend, that’s the goal.” Pattison picked up bronze in Budapest.
He had a word with Lutkenhaus at the end there and is asked what he said. “I said to him I saw 2008 [Lutkenhaus’ birth year] on the start list and was almost sick! I’m just glad I didn’t get smoked by a 16-year-old, he’s had a great season. Fair play to him.”
Cram on Hocker: 'I think they were going to get Trump involved'
12:00
,
Flo Clifford
Steve Cram, speaking on BBC TV commentary, has this to say about the debacle over Hocker’s disqualification in the men’s 1500m.
“There was a counter-appeal and a petition. I think they were going to get Donald Trump involved, it was straight forward, you can't do that. In the home straight, if you try to jostle, the referee will disqualify you. It's a bit of panic from the Olympic champion, you could argue it's not much, but going at speed, it’s momentum, using your arms like that, sadly for him, it was always going to happen. There will be 14 in the final. It's going to be a bit rough out there.”
I’m not sure the US federation were going to get Trump involved, to be honest. I think he’s got bigger fish to fry.
Pattison qualifies for 800m semis
11:56
,
Flo Clifford
Pattison plants himself at the front to lead this one from the start. Lutkenhaus is way wide in lane three on the track.... Wyderka of Poland takes the lead on this final lap and wins comfortably, with Pattison holding on for second ahead of France’s Tual.
16-year-old Lutkenhaus finishes seventh of nine, that’s quite a surprise, just left himself with too much to do.
Men's 800m heats
11:54
,
Flo Clifford
Defending champion Arop was lucky to get away with that, under pressure from Chapple, because his time wouldn’t have been enough for one of the next-best three slots.
The third heat is underway: Ben Pattison is in here for GB, with Cooper Lutkenhaus of the USA the one to watch.
GB's Crorken out of 800m heats
11:48
,
Flo Clifford
Spains’ Attaoui and Arop of Canada are the ones to watch in this heat.
GB’s Crorken only squeaked into qualifying but he sets off well before settling into the middle of the pack. Arop nudges into the back before smoothly working his way up to the front with around 300m to go, he’s alongside Loti, and Crorken is falling back now.
Attaoui powers down the final straight and wins with ease, from Loti, and Arop, from looking so strong, just about makes it into the final qualifying spot! Crorken fifth in the end and sadly that won’t be enough to make it into the three next best.
Men's 800m heats
11:40
,
Flo Clifford
We’re underway in Tokyo! Spain’s Barroso takes the first 800m heat in 1:44.94 from Sedjati, Paris Olympic silver medallist, with Haingura taking the last automatic qualifying spot.
Tiarnan Crorken is up for GB in this second heat.
Brits to watch on day four
11:36
,
Flo Clifford
Up first we have Tiarnan Crorken, Ben Pattison, and Max Burgin in the men’s 800m heats, running in heats two, three and six respectively. The first of each heat qualify for the semis, plus the three fastest non-automatic qualifying times.
In the women’s 400m semi-finals Yemi Mary John, Victoria Ohuruogu and Amber Anning will all be running, one Brit in each of the heat. Anning has the tough task of running alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Lavrone, who it seems can do just about everything, but the Briton will be one of the favourites to make the final.
The men’s 400m semi-finals also feature one Brit in each heat: Sam Reardon, Charlie Dobson, and Matt Hudson-Smith. Dobson is the British champion while Hudson-Smith is the Olympic and world silver medallist, but he felt something in his hip during the heats and hasn’t looked his best in Tokyo.
Men's 800m heats
11:33
,
Flo Clifford
Time for the night session to begin, with the men’s 800m heats the first item on the bill for this evening.
Cole Hocker’s agent takes swipe at ‘amateur officials’ after Olympic 1500m champion disqualified
11:30
,
Flo Clifford
More on this particular drama... Cole Hocker’s agents have taken a swipe at what they have described as “amateur officials” after the Olympic champion was disqualified from the 1500m final at the World Athletics Championships.
“We want to be a professional sport but are directed by amateur officials who can’t see the value of the world seeing the best 1500m race in the world,” Flynn Sports wrote under an Instagram post from Hocker’s training group Team Sova.
Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker disqualified from World Athletics Championships
11:20
,
Flo Clifford
Cole Hocker has been disqualified from the 1500m final at the World Athletics Championships after the Olympic champion was ruled to have illegally pushed past Germany’s Robert Farken during the semi-finals on Monday.
Hocker, who triumphed over Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen in last year’s highly anticipated Olympic 1500m final in Paris, was found to have broken World Athletics’ “jostling” rules (TR17.1.2[J]) as the American overtook Farken to finish within the top-six and claim an automatic qualifying spot for Wednesday’s final.
It came following an appeal from Germany, with Farken initially missing out on qualification.
Team USA re-appealed Hocker’s disqualification, but it was quickly denied.
Mondo Duplantis world record lights up Tokyo to underline Swede’s new status
11:10
,
Flo Clifford
The best show in athletics is also its strangest event courtesy of a Swedish alien from Louisiana.
Mondo Duplantis broke the world record for the 14th time on his way to World Championships pole vault gold in Tokyo, back in the stadium where he claimed his first major title – Olympic gold – at just 21.
There is something captivating about the man from Lafayette, who had every one of the 55,000 people in attendance holding their breath as he stepped up for his third and final attempt at clearing 6m 30cm.
They need not have worried. Just like Usain Bolt, athletics’ greatest superstar who has been in Tokyo this week, Duplantis has a flair for the dramatic.
What happened on day 3?
10:59