Raising The Bar: Duplantis Leads The Stars Aiming To Break World Records In Tokyo

Men’s rod vault

Armand Duplantis is successful a people of his ain pinch a 17-foot rod successful his hands. The Swede has surgery nan world grounds 13 times, including 3 times this year. His clearance of 6.28m astatine June’s Diamond League on location ungraded successful Stockholm was peculiarly special: “This was 1 of my biggest goals and dreams, to group a world grounds present astatine Stadion. It’s magic.” In Budapest past month, he went to 6.29m. At nan 2021 Tokyo Olympics he won golden but grounded successful his 3 attempts astatine a world record. “I really thought I had it,” he said. This time?

Final Mon 15 Sep, 12.10pm BST

Women’s 1500m

The disappointment of her grounded effort to go nan first female to tally a four-minute mile successful June was short lived for Faith Kipyegon. The pursuing week, nan 31-year-old Kenyan ran 3min 48.68sec successful nan 1500m successful Eugene, Oregon, making it 3 years connected nan rotation that she has group a caller world grounds astatine that distance. Whether Kipyegon wins a 3rd successive world title successful Tokyo is almost beyond mobility – each eyes will astir apt beryllium connected nan timepiece arsenic she crosses nan line.

Final Mon 15 Sep 1.30pm BST

Women’s 3,000m steeplechase

Frustration ruled again for Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech astatine nan 2017 world championships arsenic she followed up her fourth-place decorativeness astatine nan 2016 Olympics pinch nan aforesaid position successful London. A twelvemonth later, though, she group nan existent world grounds pinch a clip of 8min 44.32sec earlier winning nan world title successful 2019. Eighth successful that 2017 last successful London was Winfred Yavi, past 17, who had precocious transferred her allegiance from Kenya to Bahrain. Now 25, Yavi – a backstage successful nan Bahrain service – is nan reigning world and Olympic champion, has clocked 8min 45.25sec this twelvemonth and took 4 seconds disconnected Chepkoech’s mile grounds successful nan steeplechase past month. Ominous.

Final Wed 17 Sep, 1.57pm BST

Men’s 400m hurdles

The Olympic last held successful 2021 successful Tokyo was an instant classic. Karsten Warholm and nan American Rai Benjamin smashed done Warholm’s erstwhile world record, pinch nan Norwegian taking triumph successful 45.94sec. Michael Johnson called it “one of nan astir awesome performances successful nan history of nan sport”. Warholm, who group nan third-fastest clip successful history successful Poland past month, and Benjamin, nan Paris 2024 champion, are backmost for much this year, while Brazil’s Alison dos Santos is successful contention arsenic good – and, dissimilar successful 2021, location will beryllium a crowd to witnesser nan drama.

Final Fri 19 Sep, 1.15pm BST

Javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi whitethorn correspond Japan’s champion chance of a badge astatine nan world championships successful Tokyo. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Men’s 20km title walk

Aside from Haruka Kitaguchi successful nan javelin, Japan’s champion badge hopes for their location championships whitethorn travel connected nan streets. Toshikazu Yamanishi is simply a two-time world champion complete 20km but vanished 24th successful Budapest 2 years ago. At nan Japanese title stepping championships successful February, he collapsed nan 2015 world grounds of his compatriot Yusuke Suzuki by 26 seconds, finishing successful 1hr 16min 10sec successful Kobe. Repeating that feat successful nan September power of Tokyo whitethorn beryllium a gangly bid but do not norm it out.

Race Sat 20 Sep, 1.50am BST

Men’s 800m

David Rudisha’s stunning performance successful nan 800m last astatine London 2012 is nan worldly of fable and his clip of 1min 40.91sec remains nan champion successful history. Yet location is plentifulness of talk that nan procreation of coming tin scope those standards, specified is nan value successful nan field. Last year’s Olympic last was won by Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi; nan past 20-year-old group his individual champion of 1:41.11 successful Lausanne 2 weeks later. Canada’s Marco Arop was pipped connected nan statement by Wanyonyi successful Paris erstwhile nan second ran 1:41.19, while Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati is besides a pretender to Arop’s world title. Some gung-ho strategies successful Tokyo could push them each towards Rudisha’s pace.

Final Sat 20 Sep, 2.22pm BST