There were so many highlights at the World Athletics Championship both on and off the track.
My highlights would include
- Usain Bolt.
- Jamaica’s medal haul of 12.
- 400m men’s where 3 men went well under 44 seconds.
- Women’s long jump: 3 going over the 7 metre mark.
- Christian Taylor’s awesome 18.21m in the triple jump.
- Aries Merritt’s bronze in the 110m hurdles. Merritt’s kidney is at 20% capacity. He cannot have protein or potassium and yet delivered.
- Jessica Ennis-Hill returns from having her first child and delivers gold.
- Women’s 200m with Dafne Schippers & Elaine Thompson going at near flo-jo speed
- Super slow motion technology used on the 200m male sprinters coming round the turn. The epitome of poetry in motion.
- IAAF commentators Katharine Merry, Steve Ovett, Gary Samuels & Wayne Walker.
- Kayon Raynor’s reports from Beijing for radio & tv in Jamaica.
- Social media updates and photos by the athletes.
- Breast cancer survivor Novlene Williams-Mills anchoring Jamaica’s 4×400 relay team to victory.
Disappointments
- British media’s “evil” tag on Justin Gatlin.
- US media’s little to no daily coverage continues to be a letdown for such a major sport.
- The likes of Sally Pearson, Kemar Bailey-Cole and Adam Gemili not able to compete due to injury.
- Social media attacks on some of the athletes who were not victorious.
- Some of my predictions. I’ll stick to the day job
Pole Vault winner Cuba’s Yarisley Silva
