Kiwi runner Geordie Beamish has claimed a stunning win in the 3000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this morning.
The Hastings runner pipped Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali - twice Olympic and world champion - by just .07 seconds.
Beamish, 28, made up more than 10m in the final stages of the race to beat the defending champion to the finish line.
The Hastings runner pipped Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali - twice Olympic and world champion - by just .07 seconds. (Source: Other)
Beamish celebrated a gold medal some 48 hours after another memorable scene. He tripped during qualifying and an oncoming runner stepped on his face. But Beamish got up and made the final.
"It might have been a blessing in disguise," Beamish said. "That gave me a lot of confidence, just being able to get back up off the ground and qualify pretty easily still. It gave me confidence that my shape was better than what I thought it is."
Despite his heartbreak, El Bakkali took a traditional steeplechase dip in the water pit with Beamish.
The win was New Zealand's first ever men's track gold at the World Championships.
Pole vaulter sets another world record
Meanwhile, Armand "Mondo" Duplantis traded handshakes and hugs with the pole vaulters he'd just beaten to capture his third world championship.
He took a leisurely walk toward the stands to talk to his parents, his brother, his fiancee.
Then, like any great performer in a jam-packed stadium, he turned around, walked back onstage and delivered the encore the people had been waiting for.
It was another world record — the 14th time he's set it — by clearing the bar at 6.30 meters.
Duplantis cleared it on his third and final attempt. It came more than a half hour after the racing on Day 3 of the championships was wrapped up for the evening. But nobody in the crowd of 53,000 would dare walk out on Mondo. And Mondo made a point of wringing every drop of drama out of an experience few in that crowd will soon forget.
A Swiss surprise in the hurdles
Another twist came in the form of Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland, who held off the world record-holder and reigning Olympic champion to win a surprise gold in the 100 hurdles.
After crossing the finish line, Kambundji stared up at the scoreboard waiting to see where her name would wind up. When she saw she was in first, her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth in shock.
Kambundji finished in a personal-best 12.24 seconds to hold off world record-holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria by .05 seconds. American Grace Stark took bronze while Masai Russell, who won gold at the Paris Olympics last summer, was fourth.
“You could see on my face how happy I was when I realised I won,” Kambundji said.
- Additonal reporting by the Associated Press
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a record run for Geordie Beamish at the world champs, the most expensive place to rent isn’t Auckland or Wellington, and Trump might save TikTok. (Source: Breakfast)
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