Articles Entertainment & NewsMemorable moments from the World Championships in London
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Memorable moments from the World Championships in London

By The Press Association Aug 14, 2017

From Farah and Bolt to Coleman and Makwala, there were heroes old and new at the 2017 IAAF World Championships.

A dramatic World Championships drew to a close in London on Sunday night.

The championships saw Usain Bolt end his glittering career by pulling up injured in the 4×100 metres relay, Mo Farah suffer his first defeat in a global final since 2011 and a little-known sprinter from Botswana become an unlikely people’s champion.

Here we take a look at a selection of highlights from the last 10 days.

Performance of the championships

Great Britain’s men’s 4×100 metres team of CJ Ujah, Adam Gemili, Danny Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake blazed to a shock gold medal in a new European record of 37.47 seconds. They beat the United States into second, as Jamaica’s Usain Bolt lay sprawled on the track injured, to erase the memory of years of baton blunders.

Star of the championships

Mo Farah claimed the 10th global title of his career with a brilliant 10,000m triumph in a race he dubbed the toughest of his life. He came off the track bloodied and bruised and, for the first time in six years, was finally beaten in a major global final as he had to settle for 5,000m silver behind Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris. He still bowed out of major championship track competition as Britain’s greatest ever athlete, though.

One for the future

Christian Coleman dips ahead of Jamaica's Usain Bolt to take silver (Martin Ricketts/PA)

Christian Coleman dips ahead of Jamaica’s Usain Bolt to take silver (Martin Ricketts/PA)

Christian Coleman, the 21-year-old American sprinter, marked his first major championship appearance with a silver medal in the 100m. With Bolt bowing out in London, and the gold medallist Justin Gatlin now 35 years old, the blue riband needs a new star to take it forward and Coleman could be one of the contenders. “We might just have unearthed the future of sprinting for the next four or five years,” said Lord Coe.

Hero of the championships

Botswana's Isaac Makwala takes part in an individual time trial in an attempt to qualify for the 200m (Martin Rickett/PA)

Botswana’s Isaac Makwala takes part in an individual time trial in an attempt to qualify for the 200m (Martin Rickett/PA)

The London Stadium crowd took Botswana’s Isaac Makwala to their hearts after he was prevented from racing in the 400m final, and the 200m heats, by organisers because of illness. He was finally allowed the chance to qualify in the 200m by running a race on his own, and did so before dropping to the track to perform some celebratory press-ups. He advanced from the semi-final the same evening, too, although a medal eluded him in the final.

Villain of the championships

Gatlin, who has twice served doping bans, is the sport’s pantomime villain and was booed mercilessly by the crowd whenever he appeared on the track. His 100m triumph in 9.92 seconds was greeted with resounding jeers. He was graceful in victory, paying tribute to bronze medallist Bolt, but still refused to express remorse for his drug-tainted past afterwards.

Moment of the championships

Usain Bolt pulls up injured in the final of the Men's 4x100m (David J Phillip/AP)

Usain Bolt pulls up injured in the final of the Men’s 4x100m (David J Phillip/AP)

There can only be one. Bolt, in the final race of the greatest career athletics has ever seen, pulled up on the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay, hobbling for a few paces and then collapsing to the track. A hamstring cramp was the diagnosis on the night. He was helped to his feet and limped across the line, applauding the crowd. It was a sad way for such a great to go out, but it could scarcely have been more dramatic.

Stat of the championships

Nineteen. That is the number of global titles Bolt bowed out with, unable to add to his tally in London.

Quote of the championship

“I had tears in my eyes, I’ve never had that before. It’s been an amazing journey. To end it in London, where it all started, I got a bit emotional” – Farah reflects on the end of an era after being beaten in the 5,000m.

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