SUMMARY OF THE IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MOSCOW

The 14^th edition of the IAAF world championships came to an end at the Luzhniki stadium, with the Jamaicans showing their class in the sprints, while the Russians dominated the field events. At the end, Russia dethroned the USA from the top of the medal table with a total of seven gold medals, a result the Russians have not had since the world championships,12 years back in Edmonton, Canada. 

The Moscow competitions will be remembered not only for the medal count, but for many other highlights and emotions -pain, frustration, tears, and intense joy.

                                 THE SPRINTS AND LONG DISTANCES

 Lightning Bolt as he is fondly called once again in Moscow, confirmed his dominance over the men's sprints, particularly with the suspended Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay absent. The Jamaican sprinter did not disappoint the Russian crowd when he coasted home to a leading time of 9.77seconds and also the second fastest time at a world championship .A feat behind the world record he set at the Berlin games in 2009.Even with lightning and sheets of rain, Bolt did not give the other competitors a chance. The Jamaican runner won his favorite 200-meter event and gave Muscovites a Russian-style farewell dance afterwards. Bolt left Moscow an eight time world champion and his plans for the future are no less grandiose:  “I don't count medals, just try to do something that no one has ever done before". That is why I want to go to Rio. I had a dream to become a legend. I fulfilled my dream at the Olympic Games in London. I want to be undefeated!”

He was joined in sprint supremacy by Jamaican compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who completed her own sprint double as 200m queen Alyson Felix had to be carried from the track. It was indeed a wonderful tournament as they went home with six gold medals.

Before all this, Mo Farah had already continued his dominance in the long distance races when he reclaimed the 10000m title he lost to Ibrahim Jeilan in 2011 before capping it all by winning the 5000m.A dominant Farah did just that, became only the second man in history to achieve the ‘’double-double’’ to win both long-distance crowns at the Olympics and the World Championships.

 The 800m race also produced new champions in both the male and female angle with Mohammed Aman becoming the first man to win a medal for Ethiopia outside the 5000m and the 10000m, while Eunice sum won in a personal best time of 1:57.38. that  In the marathon, Edga Kiplagat became the first ever woman to win two consecutive title by reprising her Daegu victory in a time of (2:25.44).Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich also won for the male angle.

The 400m race brought some sought of surprise as the duo of Leshawn Meritt and Kirani James had been tipped to go head to head due to their performances in the Diamond League. Most people prediction came to pass but in the final, the young Grenadian and defending champion, James fizzled out as Leshawn merit set a new personal best of 43.74 seconds to win the title, his first since 2009.It was the same scenario in the female angle as great Britain’s Christine Ohourogu won her first world title since 2007 as she came from behind to peep the defending champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana by 4,000^th of a second.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

THE HURDLES

One of the most anticipated showdown lots of athletics fans couldn’t wait to see was the head to head between the trio of Brianna Rollins, Sally Pearson and Dawn Harper-Nelson in the 100m hurdles. The young American who just turned professional this year and set the third fastest time at the American trials was a revelation of some sought as she peeped the defending champion from Australia Pearson with a winning time of 12.44 seconds after a slow start.  The male 110 hurdles was won by DavidOliver after missing last year’s Olympics due to injury. In the 400m hurdles, Czech republic’s Zuzanne Hejnova won her first world title as male favorites Felix Sanchez failed to make it to the podium as the duo of Jehue Gordon and MichaelTinsley were locked in a battle but the 21 year old Trinidadian  won the race in 47.69 seconds.                                               

        In the decathlon there were fantastic memories for Ashton Eaton as he won his first world title. The female heptathlon, Ukraine’s Ganna meloicherko took the gold medal as favorites Jessica Ennis-Hill Tatyana Chernova had pulled out due to injury.                                                                                                  

 THE FIELD EVENTS                                                                                          

   In the long jump American Britney Reese peeped Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare by 2cm to win her third straight world title meanwhile, home favorites Alexandra Menkov treated the home fans to a delight as he won the men’s long jump. In the high jump , diamond league leader, Borhan Bondarenko shoved off competitions from Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim to win his first ever world title. In the female angle, the duo of Svetlana Skholina and Anna Chicherova took gold and silver for the Russians as young American Brigeda Barette settled for third place.

Yelena Isinbayeva did not set 28 world records, but she nevertheless left the Moscow audience wild with excitement after her 4-m-89-cm. Her victory in Moscow was a perfect finish to the Russian pole-vaulter's outstanding career.

TEARS AND ANTHEMS

The Russian women's team victory in the 4x400 meter relay has been a very long time coming: Therefore, after the finish, the athletes did not hide their emotions.  

Antonina Krivoshapka, the final leg of the Russian four, did not hold back her tears in front of reporters: "For the past few years, we have come in third, second, and I really wanted finally to win. Until today, I ran in so many relays, stood on the pedestal and heard someone else's anthem. And today I heard ours, on the home field, when there was such wild support from the crowd. And I started to cry." 

TWO FINISHES

London's Olympic champion Yelena Lashmanova was almost deprived of Moscow gold in the 20-kilometer race-walk because of an unfortunate misunderstanding.After she entered the stadium, she ran 100 meters and stopped — but there was still a full lap to go before the finish.

Fortunately, someone told the athlete that the race had not yet ended, and the drama did not become a tragedy.

DANCES AND NAKED TORSORS

Many athletes in Moscow did not hide their feelings. Robert Harting of Germany, winner in the discus throw, tore off his shirt immediately after his victory, as he has been known to do before. After winning the steeplechase, Ezekiel Kemboi tied the Kenyan flag to himself and did a national dance.

The World Championships were largely contested in a sparsely populated Luzhniki Stadium, the silence a world away from the carnival atmosphere of the London 2012 Olympics. A view Bolt, says were "a seven out of 10", with athletics' biggest star going on to say that a lack of capacity crowds led him to believe that the event had "not been the best". 

AUTHOR:  Deji Ogenyigbo.