Track & Field 2023

OP here. That would be Kevin Mayer!

Very nice, OP.

I confess that I'd like to bend Thibaut Colllet's pole...

Bump for the World Athletics Championships starting today in Budapest.

Good call, OP. Nice in slow motion running also.

R5 The Decathletes all seem to have a God-like build. This is Estonia's Janek Oiglane.

Thick shot putters, please.

R7 Italy's Zane Weir. Possibly you want thicc-er?

Just googled who is LGBT at the Worlds in Budapest. I had no idea world record holder in the triple jump Yulimar Rojas is out & proud. Nikki Hiltz (they/them) beat Athing Mu to win the US Champs in the 1500m this year. Both of them are so amazing and fun to watch.

And champion wig-tosser/tattoo aficionado/airplane flight delayer DL fave Sha’Carri Richardson is bisexual!

Drama-filled end to the first day of the championships. 2 Dutch female athletes falling yards from the finishing line in the lead, in 2 separate finals.

Here's Femke Bol going down in the 4X400 relay as she dipped too early for the line with USA coming up on her shoulder. She got up and carried on, was pipped on the line by GB for second, but was disqualified anyway for dropping the baton.

Utter carnage!

This -- along with swimming -- is a sport I'd like to follow more regularly than the four years I see it on the Olympics, but dunno where I'd even begin.

R11 I did track and field as a teen in the 80s - long and triple jump - so I'm steeped in it.

Just start watching it, and you'll pick it up. I think NBC Sports televise the Diamond League (the annual elite international series) in the US. You'll pick up who the stars are going in to the major championships.

The great thing about track and field is its simplicity and purity - it's whoever runs fastest, throws furthest, jumps longest or highest. Very few hard to pick up rules or jargon.

The way the Dutch woman fell before the finish line yesterday was quite upsetting. Watching her face hit the track in slow motion. OUCH. But on the plus side she threw her baton across the line.

R13 - The baton had fallen out her hand before she crossed the line, so the team were disqualified. Not even a bronze. Heartbreaking.

Showman, Noah Lyles, wins the Battle Of The Bulge - 100 metre World Champion.

Sets him us to do the double in the 200.

I'm not ashamed to admit I was Diana Screaming when Sifan Hassan and Femke Bol dropped on the track!

R15 The same trio could take the 200 too. Lyles is #1 in the world, Tebogo #2 and Hughes #4.

Handsome Hugues Fabrice Zango wins Burkina Faso's first ever gold medal in the Triple Jump.

R18 He also recently graduated with a PhD in Electrical Engineering.

Gianmarco Tamberi in a dollface moment with his mama after winning gold in the high jump.

One of my big crushes, Thibaut Collet, celebrates making the Pole Vault final earlier this morning

Jake >>> Jakob

Not so cocky now eh?

Duh, I meant Josh >>> Jakob

Jake was last year

R22 That was AWESOME. That's 2 Edinburgh AC athletes that have beaten Jakob in a WC Final. Too funny!

Serves Jakob right for showboating in the semi final.

Maybe now he will finally learn to respect his rivals. I was whooping when Josh took him coming into the final 100.

The BBC highlights show repeated the race and had Steve Cram commentating and as soon as he said Kerr should copy Wightman and take on Ingebrigtsen Kerr did just that! Wightman was in the studio with Michael Johnson, Jessica Ennis and Denise Lewis, all cheering him on.

Maybe it's an age thing but Ingebrigtsen is so unlikeable.

Also why are the athletes being given the medals as soon as they finish the race? Is that new?

R25 the medals they get after the races are fake. They're doing the official ceremonies the following day at a 'Medals Plaza' outside the stadium.

And yeah, Ingebristen is unlikeable. A showboater, with no respect for his rivals. So pleased it's bitten him on ass twice.

Thank you R26

The BBC interviewed Karsten and he was so friendly and warm and articulate and has such lovely hair and eyes and skin. He knows he is best in the world and can respect his rivals.

For those of us who appreciate more meat on the plate, Joe Kovaks, #2 ranked shot putter.

Finishing line proposal between 2 Slovak athletes at the end of this morning's 35K Walk.

He's hit and she said yes!

R27 Karsten >>>> Jakob. Always has been.

I think Jakob will have to watch out Nordås. He’s young and from what I’ve seen, possibly more talented than Inge.

These WCs have been great. Everyday has been dramatic and I can’t wait to see what unfolds today.

R30 I totally agree. There's been great contests, some big surprises, and lots of exceptional performances every single day of these Championships. I think the men's 400 tonight could be epic. At least 5 men in with a realistic shot at gold. I'd love to see Matthew Hudson Smith take it, after years of injuries and mental health challenges.

Tentoglou takes the gold in the final round by just 2cm in the Long Jump. Yet another nail-biter!

R31 Matthew Hudson Smith was so close, but paid for going out so hard in that last 50. He still got silver and took down that long-standing EU record in the semis - a great meet for him overall.

BOLBOLBOL

With Kevin Mayer pulling out due to an on-going achilles issue, Leo Neugebauer is serving the hotness in the Decathlon.

The German is leading at the end of the first day.

^German but attending UT.

Maicel Uibo adds to the enjoyment of watching the decathlon

The Decathlon brotherhood is always very touching

2 personal bests but no medal for my boo, Thibaut Collet in the Pole Vault final.

Meanwhile, Duplantis narrowly missed breaking his world record on his way to gold.

Spain’s 800 meter runner Adrian Ben.

Last night of a great Championships - hot spear-chuckers currently going at it.

Germany's Julian Weber - currently in the bronze position.

Disappointed for Keely Hodgkinson but between her, Athing Mu and Mary Moraa what a rivalry there's going to be over the next few years.

BOLBOLBOL

So pleased for the Dutch after the mixed relay, even if Team GB were pushed into bronze.

Rio Mitcham charging down the home straight, holding off the Jamaican World Champion was quite something!

So pleased they were able to medal even without Matt Hudson Smith.

What a race by Femke Bol

Some of these gals are almost modelesque in face and body

Athing Mu looked so sad before the start of the 800m final- like she didn’t want to be there. Whatever’s going on, I hope she can overcome it and let it go, even if it means leaving sports.

This was a fantastic World championships! I wish someone could figure out a way to make it more popular in the USA.

I'm interested to see what Sifan Hassan does going forward and if she keeps doing 3 events given it could be costing her winning a gold.

R48 She’ll be running in the Chicago Marathon in 6 weeks! With Sifan, obviously winning is great, but she seems to get such a thrill by the challenge of it all. She won the London Marathon earlier this year and was still able to medal in the 1500 and 5000 and almost medal in the 10k - who does this?! As a T&F fan, it is incredible and fun to watch.

An excellent World Championships. I feel spoiled knowing next year will be the 4th global championship in a row!

It should be even more exciting with even more favorites back to compete.

R49 Yes I enjoy watching her, but as she's getting older you have to wonder if she can do multiple events in a day and take golds against such strong opposition.

The French qualifier, who took out, Musetti, Titouan Droguet showing off an impressive bulge as he celebrates the win.

R51 I think next year is probably her last year of being able to stretch herself like this. Then maybe to the marathon exclusively.

End of year, Kevin Mayer thread bump

...or do I mean bulge?