We waited three years for the World Championships in Athletics and it was worth the wait.
The championship that came to the soil of the United States for the first time, provided us in the last ten days, one of the best championships of all time, certainly of the last years.
The World Championships in Oregon provided ideal conditions for the world's best track and field athletes to shine on the world stage, with exciting and record-breaking performances from individual athletes and national teams alike.
In the 18th edition of the biggest event of the industry, three world records were broken (just like in Doha 2019) by Sydney McLaughlin in the 400 meter hurdles (50.68 seconds), Armand Duplantis in the pole vault (6.21 meters) and Tobi Amosen who achieved in the semi-final 100 Hurdles 12.12 seconds.
In addition, 13 championship records, 19 continental records were broken in Oregon, the results were set 30 times this year, a record number of 92 new national records, with the mostly flat course causing the fastest marathon in history for men and women at the World Championships and setting one world record under the age of 20.
If all that wasn't enough, the record for the number of countries winning gold medals at a single championship was broken, with 29 countries alternating on the top step of the podium, compared to 26 in 2017.
More countries than ever had athletes reach the finals - 81 of the 76 nations in Doha in 2019, with Liberia, Niger, Pakistan, Samoa, the Philippines and Guatemala reaching the finals for the first time in the history of the World Championships.
Duplantis celebrates.
The sky is not the limit, photo: IPA
Team USA broke the record for most medals in a single championship, earning 33 in total, 13 of them gold. 45 countries entered the medal table, including Israel with Luna Chamtai Salpeter's historic bronze medal in the marathon.
Perhaps the biggest star of the championship and the one who worked the hardest, is a lesser known name in the world of athletics, the Peruvian Kimberly Garcia, who won gold in the 20 kilometer walking competition and became her country's first medalist at the World Championships.
The 28-year-old walker, who failed to finish the competition at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and was only ranked 14th in Rio 2016, was not satisfied with a single gold, and within a few days she returned to the road, to also pick up the gold medal at a distance of 35 kilometers, to become a national hero.
As far-fetched as it is, the World Athletics Federation should already be thinking of increasing the height of the poles in the pole vault.
Duplantis achieved a new world record with 6.21 meters and took another bonus of 100 thousand dollars along the way, and he has "only" 19 more centimeters to reach the maximum and then what will happen?
Allyson Felix, the most decorated athlete of all time, said goodbye to the track, increasing her total medals to 20, after the gold in the women's 4x400 meters and the bronze in the 4x400 meters medley and we will still miss her.
McLaughlin, photo: AFP
It is also impossible without scandals, when even before the start of the championship, about 100 athletes remained outside the United States after not receiving a visa, which somewhat ruined the celebration and how could it be that in the final of the 100 hurdles for women, the letters WR flashed on the screens for the 12.06 seconds , the broadcasters and commentators are celebrating a new record and Amosen is also roaring with joy, and no one notices, because it is a spirit above the limit?
"We had a spectacular end to a ground-breaking championships - with two world records and incredible races in an enthusiastic, sold-out stadium that witnessed the first outdoor world championships held in the USA," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. "We had more countries win gold than ever before and more countries They reached the finals like never before.
This would not have been possible without the hard work of the local organizing committee, the commitment of the state of Oregon and local governments, and the dedication of our federations, officials and volunteers.
I thank everyone for making this an unforgettable world championship, but most of all I thank the athletes, who once again put on the greatest show on earth."
Goodbye World.
Love, Oregon.
pic.twitter.com/DPkboHyQZr
— World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (@WChoregon22) July 25, 2022
The happy news, when in a rare way, due to the schedules that have gone wrong in the sport in the last two years, we will not have to wait long until the next championship, since in less than a year, it will arrive in Budapest, Hungary, and the even more happy news for all fans of the sport, when in less than a month, the best athletes on the continent, will take Part of the European Championship in Munich, so there is something to look forward to!
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