In Review: IAAF World Championships Session Two

 By Daniel Mcinally

Sophie Hitchon made yet another final during these championships after qualifying for the women’s hammer throw. Hitchon had previously stated that the bronze medal she won at Rio was behind her, and that she wants to concentrate on London and winning gold.

Talking before the start of London 2017, she said “Everything is focused on these championships. Last year was great but I am one of those athletes who doesn’t like to look too much in the past. Every year is a new year and this one is about the World Championships”. Hitchon will now compete in the final of the women’s hammer throw on day four of the IAAF World Championships (Monday) at 7:00pm.

Daryll Neita proved to be one of the star attractions as she won heat six of the women’s 100m.

"I know I’m in the best shape of my life, it’s all about focus," she said. 

"My coach, my team have all got me to such an amazing place and I’m so grateful to them for this heat. I’m going to put my head down and rest up for the semi-final.

"I was facing some really fast girls, there was some amazing talent from America and I knew it was going to be tough."

In his first World Championships, twenty-two-year-old Matthew Hudson-Smith qualified from heat one of the men’s 400m. Fellow Brit, Dwayne Cowan qualified from the third heat for the men’s 400m with a time of 45.39. However, it wasn’t all good news for team GB. On the fifth heat, London’s own Martyn Rooney couldn’t qualify from his heat finishing sixth 0.53 second behind Spain’s Oscar Husillos, who claimed the final qualifying position.

​It ended in disappointment though for Katarina Johnson-Thompson during her high jump for the heptathalon, who failed to get past 1.86m. What followed was an astonishing display of athleticism - competitors reaching 1.98 metres as Olympic champion Nafi Thiam flexed her muscles.