.png)
1 hour ago
1
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
World Athletics has underscored its commitment to the “athlete experience” after some competitors at the world championships in Tokyo - including Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson - criticised warm-up logistics.
Yoyogi Park, where the main warm-up facility is located, is a two-and-half-kilometre drive from Japan National Stadium, a bus journey the PA news agency understands takes about 15 minutes.
The final call for competitors to board the bus is reportedly scheduled for 50 minutes to an hour before the start of each event. Athletes can also use an indoor straight at the stadium, including on days when they have more than one race in a session.
A World Athletics statement read: “The athlete experience is of utmost importance for World Athletics and the Local Organising Committee at these World Athletics Championships, and we have put a lot of consideration into their preparations within the constraints of locations and venues.
“This type of configuration is not unique - as we have seen from previous Olympic Games and other major athletics championships.
“For Tokyo 25, we ensured that team leaders were fully briefed at a site visit in March in order for teams to have ample time to prepare - and the rules regarding warm up, call room, and transport apply to every team and every athlete without exception.
“The brilliant performances we have seen so far from the athletes speak for themselves.”
On Friday, after qualifying for Sunday’s 800m final, Hodgkinson said: “I think the whole warm-up situation, you’re warming up for almost two hours. It can be quite draining, so maybe we will have to look at doing something better come Sunday.
“Other than that I’m happy to be in my fifth world final in a row. That’s an achievement in itself. I’m really happy to do that and be in the picture for another medal, hopefully.”
Only athletes are allowed to board the bus for the stadium, turning it into a kind of call room on wheels. Last Saturday, speaking after their 1500m heats, American middle-distance runner Nikki Hiltz told Citius Mag: “It’s a solid 10-minute bus ride of just sitting. It’s just weird. It’s definitely not usual, but we’re all in the same boat.”
The Jamaica coach Stephen Francis was more critical. In an interview with TVJ news on Saturday, Francis described what he felt were a number of logistical issues, including the “distance from the stadium to the warm-up track”.
He added: “Those areas of a meet are not befitting the top meet of the year for World Athletics.”
According to the website of the manufacturer Mondo, the warm-up track for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (located next to the stadium) was dismantled and reinstalled at Aichi University in 2022. (PA Media)
The official schedule informs us that Day 8 (Evening Session) starts in 40mins.
So we’ve got time to recap Hunt’s sensational silver from yesterday.
Read Sean Ingle’s report here:
Sean Ingle
Amy Hunt is just collecting her silver medal. She is looking a little tired, which is not surprising given she got to bed at 5am this morning, and will not be running in the heats of the women’s 4x100m relay later today.
Thiam withdraws from heptathlon
Nafi Thiam – one of the defending champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s key rivals – withdrew on Saturday withdrew from the heptathlon on Saturday after an underwhelming long jump left Belgium’s triple Olympic champion with little chance of a medal.
The 31-year-old, who won world titles in 2017 and 2022, failed to get over the six-metre mark with her two legal jumps on Saturday morning to stand in eighth place in the overall standings, 377 points behind the competition-leader Anna Hall.
Thiam, who last lost in competition at the 2019 worlds, had been withdrawn by her coach before the javelin and 800m in the evening session. “I’ve struggled with this heptathlon from the start. I tried to fight it and persevere, but it clearly didn’t work,” a tearful Thiam told Het Nieuwsblad after Saturday morning’s session. “I started this morning thinking I would fight until the end and not leave empty-handed because I’ve worked hard this year ... “I knew I could do something good here and fight for my place in the standings but that didn’t happen. So I’m disappointed, yes. This championship is a real black cloud.“
Thiam competed sparingly in 2025 and had a disrupted run up to the championships after a row with her national federation. She accused the Belgian athletics body of excluding her from their pre-championships camp in a row over image rights. The federation denied the allegation. Thiam was asked whether the row had impacted her performances in Tokyo.
“It’s hard to quantify that,” she told the newspaper. “Regardless of the reasons why I feel the way I do, the reality remains that I feel the way I do. So that doesn’t make a difference.” (Reuters)
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the penultimate day of action in Tokyo. Breaking news in the heptathlon: Belgium’s title contender Nafi Thiam has pulled out after underperforming in the long jump.
