For years, the only time the world’s top athletes got to compete against one another was when they gathered for the Olympics. But there were growing calls for a tournament that brought all the top athletes together and really decided who was the best in the sport.
In 1976, the IAAF held a council meeting and agreed to establish the World Athletics Championship as a standalone event that took place a month and a half after the Olympic Games. It is now the oldest of all the major global track and field competitions.
This year, the world-famous Tokyo Stadium echoed with the roar of crowds cheering on a slew of athletes who pushed themselves to new limits. Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis soared to his 14th world record, US sprinters Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Noah Lyles each won a double, and Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon won her fourth world 1500m title.
But the most buzz was about a kid from Australia named Goutane-Gabriel Gittens, who won his first-ever world championships gold in the 200m. The 17-year-old was compared to Bolt, and he didn’t disappoint. He had a great race, ran his best splits and finished off the competition with a blazing finish. That’s what the crowd wanted to see, and that’s what the sport needs. For a sport that has been plagued by a lack of gender equality in the finals, this was an encouraging sign.