Kenya's Lilian Odira produced a storming finish to win an astonishing women's 800 metres world gold on Sunday, smashing her personal best by almost two seconds and erasing the 42-year-old championship record.
Odira looked out of it with 30 metres to go but surged past two Britons leading the race to win in one minute, 54.62 seconds, beating the mark set by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova at the first World Championships in 1983.
Georgia Hunter-Bell squeezed past her compatriot Keely Hodgkinson to take silver in a personal best 1:54.90, with the Olympic champion adding bronze to two previous world silvers in 1:54.91.
Kenya's Lilian Odira times her surge perfectly to win gold in the women's 800m World Athletics Championships #RTEsport pic.twitter.com/RGMO8qgmTt
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 21, 2025
Cole Hocker timed his run to the line to perfection to win a tactical 5000m and claim his first world title on, six days after he was disqualified from the 1500 metres.
The 24-year-old American, who is Olympic champion at 1500m, crossed the line in 12 minutes 58.30 seconds to make amends for being disqualified from the shorter race for barging through his rivals at the finish of his semi-final.
Belgian Isaac Kimeli took silver in 12:58.78, and Frenchman Jimmy Gressier claimed bronze to add to his stunning gold in the 10,000m in Tokyo.
Even if Kimeli was born in Kenya, it was the first time since the inaugural world championships in 1993 that there were no medallists representing African nations in the event.
Norway's double defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who has been struggling with an Achilles injury and barely qualified for the final, briefly led but finished 10th in 13:02.00.
Botswana produced a brilliant performance to win the men's world 4x400 metres relay in atrocious conditions, edging out the United States and South Africa in a blanket finish to become the first African winners of the event.
As rain hammered down, the US - who had scraped into the final after beating Kenya in a run-off on Sunday morning - led the way at the final changeover.
However, Collen Kebinatshipi, the 21-year-old winner of the individual title, ran a fantastic leg to snatch gold in two minutes, 57.76 seconds.
The US, winners of nine of the last 10 world titles, changed all four athletes for the final from their morning runoff, and took silver from South Africa by two thousandths of a second after both being timed at 2:57.83.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden helped the USA to victory in a rain-drenched 4x100 metres relay to become the second woman to sweep all three sprint titles at one World Championships.
The 24-year-old, who won the 100-200m double in Tokyo, helped the States to a lead at the last exchange and Sha'Carri Richardson brought the baton home in 41.75 seconds.
Jamaica finished second in 41.79 to send sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, whose 2013 sweep Jefferson-Wooden emulated, into retirement with a 17th world championship medal.
Germany came third in 41.87 for bronze on the back of a blistering final leg from Gina Lueckenkemper to see off Britain, who finished fourth in 42.07.
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