South African sprinters, Gift Leotlela and Akani Simbine, finished in 5th and 7th place, respectively, in the final of the men’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville was crowned world champion in a personal best time of 9.77 seconds. His compatriot, Kishane Thompson, was second, and Olympic champion, American Noah Lyles, third.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo was disqualified after a false start.
Simbine and Leotlela qualified for the final as the fastest non-automatic sprinters. But they were up against the best in the world, in Thompson, Seville and Lyles.
It was a decent start by Lyles, but not good enough. Seville and Thompson outran the rest of the field, and, in front of Usain Bolt, Seville became the first Jamaican in a decade to win gold.
Lyle had to settle for the bronze, with Leotlela fifth and Simbine seventh.
In the women’s 100m final, American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden set a new championship record. She claimed gold in 10-point-6-1 seconds, just ahead of Jamaica’s Tina Clayton.
Olympic champion, St Lucia’s Julien Alfred, had to settle for the bronze.
Earlier, 2021 Olympic champion, Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, won gold in the women’s marathon in a season’s best time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 43 seconds.
She beat Ethiopia’s Olympic silver medalist, Tigst Assefa, by just two seconds.
But Uruguay’s Julia Paternain rewrote her country’s history books in only her second marathon ever.
She crossed the finish line in third place, only later realising that she had bagged Uruguay’s first ever medal at a senior world championships.
Frenchman, Jimmy Gressier, stunned the field to claim gold in the men’s 10 000m in 28 minutes, 55.77 seconds. He is the first Frenchman ever to finish on the podium in the event.
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha was second, and Sweden’s Andreas Almgren, third. South Africa’s Adriaan Wildschutt finished in 10th place.
Meanwhile, two South Africans will be in semi-final action on Monday. In the 1500 meters for men, Tshepo Tshite qualified, despite finishing sixth in his heat in a time of three minutes, 36.36 seconds. His heat, though, was by far the quickest of the four races.
Marione Fourie went through to the semi-finals of the women’s 100m hurdles after finishing second in heat one. Her race was won by American Masai Russell in 12.53 seconds.
Jamaica’s Danielle Williams was fastest overall in 12.40 seconds.
Zakithi Nene and Lythe Pillay advanced to Tuesday’s semi-finals of the 400m. Pillay finished second in his heat, in a season’s best time of 44.73 seconds, while Nene won his in 44.34 seconds.
Nene’s time was the third fastest overall.
