TOKYO: The night was Keshorn Walcott’s from the start. Right from the second throw, he had the lead in the men’s javelin final. The highly-anticipated clash of the South Asian titans — Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra — failed to gain momentum in the sold-out Japan National Stadium that turned its attention to Walcott on his way to winning his maiden world title. Walcott’s win, thanks to a season’s best 88.16m throw, was pleasantly surprising but not entirely unexpected given he was ranked four...

This is the official end of our live coverage for the men’s javelin final on Day 6. Four new world champions were crowned tonight in an unexpected turn of events. USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won gold in the women’s 400m that she ran for the first time contrary to her signature 400m hurdles event. Over on the men’s side, Botswana’s Buseng Collen Kebinatship picked up his maiden world title in the men’s 400m. Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba was crowned women’s triple jump champion to dethrone...

After his two failed attempts to make it to the final, doubts and audible murmurs of shock hung heavy in the air at the Japan National Stadium — that is, until Arshad Nadeem dispelled them all with a single throw of 85.28m to advance to tomorrow’s big league at the World Athletics Championships. The burden of expectation came from all sides. Arshad became an Olympic champion and record holder last year in a headline-grabbing moment few can forget. He won silver at the last World Championships to...

TOKYO: Arshad Nadeem’s formula for winning Olympic gold in Paris was simple. He set himself a goal, and God gave it. The response was typical for the 28-year-old Pakistani, who made himself comfortable on a lobby couch at the athletes’ hotel for the World Athletics Championships, kicking off a slipper and tucking one foot under his thigh as he spoke about his win a year on. Faith in God and a supernatural sense of being seemed to be the only explanation for Arshad’s monstrous throws, forged from...

TOKYO: Sporting excellence returned to Tokyo on Saturday as the opening day of the long-awaited World Athletics Championships delivered on every front. Records were smashed and world titles defended, with some surprise wins keeping the night exciting for a sold-out stadium that stood empty during the Covid-hit Olympics four years ago. The most predictable win of the night went to American Ryan Crouser, who won his third consecutive world title (22.34m) and became the only man to do so in the sho...

A sea of purple posters at the Narita Airport announces the World Athletics Championships — in both English and Japanese. Banners of Haruka Kitaguchi, Japan’s javelin star, are plastered on the walls of the mazy metro stations in the Japanese capital. On the buildings in Ginza, digital billboards have the Japanese athletics team on display. After a spectator-less Olympics four years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tokyo is geared up to host a global athletics extravaganza beginning on Saturday...