With a powerful performance at the World Athletics Championship in 2023, British duo Zharnel Hughes and Matthew Hudson-Smith boosted their Olympic credentials. But the pair weren’t alone as a host of athletes pushed for their best performances in Helsinki, including Ireland’s Ciara Mageean and Britain’s Jake Wightman.
The World Athletics Championship is the biggest gathering of the sport’s top athletes each year. It’s a chance to prove who is the best in each event and set new personal records. It’s also a great opportunity to make some money with medals and trophies awarded for the top three in each race.
It’s no surprise that the championships have produced some of the sport’s greatest names. Carl Lewis was the star of the inaugural World Championships in 1983, winning the 100m, long jump and 4x100m relay. Jarmila Kratochvilova won the 400m and 800m, while Mary Decker completed a 1500m-3000m double and Germany’s Grete Waitz was victorious in the marathon. Meanwhile, Sergey Bubka won the first of six pole vault world titles.
The idea of a championships separate from the Olympic Games had been around for some time, with calls growing louder after the IAAF dropped the men’s 50 km walk from the Montreal 1976 Olympics. But it was only at an IAAF council meeting in Puerto Rico that the decision was made to launch a World Championships, with the first being held in Helsinki in 1983.