IAAF World Championships: Moments We Loved

By Daniel McInally The IAAF World Championships held at London Stadium was quite the spectacle. Athletes and familiar faces from around the world competed through 14 sessions in ten days in London, and it was to be the last time superstars Usain Bolt and Mo Farah competed at the Stadium in which they are near-synonymous with.

Team GB ultimately finished sixth in the medal table, thanks to a late flurry in the relay events which crownd their achievements. That final weekend crowned a tournament full of once-in-a-lifetime moments, and here are five that we loved…

 

Mo wins 10,000m gold to open the World Championships in style.

This was always going to be an emotional tournament for Sir Mo Farah, his final track world championships. His status as a legend well established, it is worth remembering that it was here, in London Stadium that Farah became the icon he is by wining gold at London 2012.

Farah came into the 10,000 meters as the favourite after winning his 10th consecutive track distance title, but this race would push Farah’s resolve, stamina and determination to the limit. Farah was coming up against younger men, looking to dethrone the king of long distance track running. It proved a difficult race for the Brit as Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei pushed him all the way, on the final bend Farah almost slipped, but after regaining his footing he was able to power home and win gold. The atmosphere, the noise generated by his home crowd at London Stadium, was something really special, a fitting end to a glittering career and certainly one of the most memorable moments of the Championships. 

 

Brits conquer 4x100 relay as Bolt crashes out

This was bittersweet for everyone involved, delight at the unexpected victory of Team GB, winning with a stunning effort from quartet, CJ Ujah, Adam Gemili, Danny Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, holding off the USA and Japan who finished second and third respectively. However, Bolt’s injury which saw him unable to finish the race proved that not everyone, even the best, can have that fairy-tale ending to their career. This success gave Team GB their second gold medal of the Championships on the penultimate night of the tournament. 

 

Bolt bids farewell

There are few words to describe what Usain Bolt has done for the athletics, Ali to boxing, Pele to Football, Jordan for basketball. He deserves the term ‘greatest of all time’. London 2017, however, was not the farewell he would have hoped for. After a heat, he labelled as “disappointing” he lost in the 100m sprint to Justin Gatlin, to many people’s dismay and disappointment. On his final race ever he pulled up with injury on the home-straight of the men’s 400m relay. Obviously, Bolt was disappointed to have finished a glittering career in this manner but to witness Bolt running in person was evidently a true highlight for those in attendance.

 

GB’s women seal relay silver 

Britain’s main medal success came in the group events, as Sir Mo Farah was the only individual to win a medal. British quartet Zoey Clark, Laivia Nielsen, captain Eilidh Doyle and Emily Diamond fought a hard race to finish second. The USA claimed gold, but the British ladies put in a valiant performance on the final night of the Championships. This really represented a change in the guard for British Athletics, with a number of younger athletes taking over the reins, and this performance showed that there is more real hope for the future.

 

Wayde Van Niekerk: a phenomenon

The South African came into these Championships chasing history. Wayde Van Nierkek was looking to become only the second man to win a 200m and 400m gold, after Michael Johnson in 1995. Van Niekerk won the 400m gold before coming agonisingly close to winning the gold in the 200m, clinching a consolation silver medal at London Stadium. The South Africa’s aim was left agonisingly beyond his grasp, he’s still in the infancy of his career and there’s every chance that we’ll be seeing his name in lights for many years to come.