The World Athletics Championship is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, second only to the Olympics. It is so big, in fact, that it has its own mascot, a tradition of past titles that’s been carried on by previous incarnations such as Legend the Sheep in Eugene 2022 and Hero the Hedgehog at London 2017. This year the championships take place in Budapest, Hungary with athletes from around the globe competing over nine days of thrilling competition.
Despite the cancellation of all outdoor events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a record number of entrants will be in action at this year’s meeting. Athletes will vie for a record-breaking 53 World records in the track and field arena, while fans can follow all the action on social media with #WeAreWorlds.
Athletes compete over a period of nine days at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary. There are two sessions each day – morning and afternoon – with finals in the evening.
Olympic champion Noah Lyles bucked pre-meet expectations by running the fastest 100 meters of his life to win gold in the event. The US sprinter, who will star in an NBC Sports docuseries as part of the Meet the Worlds series, broke his own world-leading mark with a time of 9.83 seconds to win the event ahead of Jamaica’s Richard Powell and Kenyan Faith Kipyegon.