When the world’s best track and field athletes lace up their spikes to compete at the World Athletics Championship, it’s more than just another event on a calendar. A win here carries as much weight as a gold medal at the Olympics for title-hungry stars of the sport.
2023’s edition in Budapest, Hungary, proved why this event is so special. From jaw-dropping triumphs to unfortunate downfalls, the event was a rollercoaster of emotions.
Athletes race, jump, throw, and run to claim titles in the nine individual events. The sprints are pure adrenaline, with the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 100m and lung-busting 400m events showcasing athletes’ raw speed. The middle and long distances test an athlete’s endurance over several laps of the stadium. Combined events like the heptathlon for women or the decathlon for men are true tests of all-round prowess, as competitors take on seven or ten track and field disciplines.
The relays highlight the importance of teamwork at such an explosive sport, with smooth and synchronised transfers of the baton over three exchanges while running at speeds exceeding 20mph proving pivotal in who wins. And the spectacular jumps – high, long, and triple – showcase an athletes’ incredible ability to propel themselves through the air. The IAAF is the worldwide governing body for the sport of track and field, bringing together the world’s most dynamic athletes from more than 200 countries and territories through its federations, clubs, and national governing bodies. Its main aims are to establish friendly cooperation among its members; eliminate hindrance to participation in international meetings on racial, religious, or political grounds; and to ratify official world records for all athletics competitions.