Poland’s Pawel Fajdek produced the best throw of the year to secure an astonishing fifth successive World Championships hammer title on Saturday but said his success had left him hungry for more.
Olympic champion and compatriot Wojciech Nowicki briefly held the lead after his third attempt but could only move one place up the podium from his three previous world bronze medals, while Norwegian Eivind Henriksen took bronze this time.
A stoney-faced Fajdek had a disappointing first throw but ran away with the competition on the third try, letting out a roar as he hit a mark of 81.98 metres.
Peaking when it counted, he had not produced a throw further than 81 metres this year before coming to Hayward Field.
“This was the competition which matters the most this year so I am glad that the major gold is in my hand for the fifth time,” Fajdek said.
He is only the second athlete to win five back-to-back world golds, after pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, who ultimately went on to win six successive titles.
The Pole said his mission was to attack Bubka’s mark.
“I want more! My goal is seven titles, I like to be the first, and no one has ever accomplished that yet,” he said.
Henriksen, who wilted on a last-gasp attempt to match the Polish power, said he was suffering “jelly legs” during the contest and was unable to live up to his usual form.
“To compete with these Polish guys is always a big challenge,” he said.
“Now I’m looking forward to our next meeting at the European Championships. I hope I’ll be doing much better than today and, who knows maybe I’ll manage to be inside this “Polish sandwich” or even beat them both.”
The victory underscored the 33-year-old Fajdek’s dominance despite frustrating finishes on the Olympic stage. He picked up bronze in Tokyo after failing to reach the final at the 2012 and 2016 Games.
Fajdek told reporters on Saturday that it also proved Poland was the true powerhouse in the event – a year after Anita Wlodarczyk collected her third Olympic gold on the women’s side.
Gidey holds off Kenyans to win another 10,000m for Ethiopia
Ethiopian World record holder Letesenbet Gidey held off a twin Kenyan challenge and also finally overcame her nemesis Sifan Hassan in a terrific finish to win the women’s 10,000 metres gold.
Gidey had been towards the front for the majority of the race but forged clear on the final lap.
Hellen Obiri and Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi looked as if they might overhaul her in the final 30 metres but Gidey, glancing desperately to her right as Obiri closed, held on to win in 30:09.94 – the fastest time of the year.
Obiri took silver in 30:10.02 with Kipkemboi third in 30:10.07 – both personal best times – in cool conditions perfect for distance running.
Olympic and defending world champion Hassan of the Netherlands, who has barely been seen on the track this year as she took time off to recover from her stupendous but draining 2021, ran out of gas in the final straight to finish fourth.
“The dream came true, this victory is even more important to me than a world record,” Gidey said.
“I was thinking about winning this gold since 2019 but Hassan was always there. I was also watching Obiri. This time, I was really watching them and I knew I had to be very fast in the last 300m.”
Hassan’s fallow year and the absence of several other leading contenders meant this race was one of the most difficult of the Eugene programme to predict.
In perfect conditions for distance running, the field remained largely in one bunch, with an Ethiopian trio setting the pace and Hassan taking her usual approach of sitting towards the back
Britain’s Eilish McColgan, whose mother Liz won the title 1991 and who came in with the second-fastest time of the year, set much of the early pace but drifted once the Africans upped the ante in the latter stages.
Gidey had been easily out-kicked by Hassan as she finished third last year’s Olympic final and also when taking silver in the 2019 worlds and tried to stretch it out from the bell, opening some daylight and dropping compatriot Ejgayehu Taye.
The Kenyan pair remained in range and double world 5,000 champion Obiri, who said last year she was retiring from the track to focus on road running, looked to be closing the gap.
Gidey evidently thought so too as she covered the last 25 metres almost entirely with her head turned to the right in desperate fear that she would be overhauled.
She had enough though to hold on and go one better than in 2019 when she also lost out to Hassan and make it eight wins from the last 12 world 10,000 finals for Ethiopia.
“I have the next dream now – to win the gold at 5000m,” Gidey said. “With the God’s help, I can get the double, I am very confident now.”
Dominican Republic win 4×400 mixed relay, no golden goodbye for Felix
Allyson Felix was denied a golden goodbye at the World Championships after the United States took bronze behind Dominican Republic and Netherlands in a spectacular 4x400m mixed relay on Friday.
The home crowd had roared with delight as seven-times Olympic gold medallist Felix took the baton for the second leg though the 36-year-old, running in her final major championship race, appeared to tire down the stretch after a strong start.
The United States still managed to open a massive gap at the final changeover and looked well set for victory before Dominican anchor Fiordaliza Cofil reeled in Kennedy Simon down the home stretch to win gold and improve on their Tokyo silver.
“We have been training hard for this moment so I knew I could catch her,” Cofil said of her battle with Simon.
“Allyson Felix is a legend and I am happy to be in the final with her.”
Netherlands anchor Femke Bol produced an extraordinary effort down the home straight to come from 30m back and overtake Simon for silver, as the 2019 champions were forced to settle for bronze.
Felix embraced her team mates at the finish, 18 years after she picked up her first Olympic medal at the 2004 Athens Games, as the home crowd gave the most decorated woman in the sport a warm send-off into retirement.
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