Fans have witnessed riveting performances in the first seven days of (IAAF) Athletics Championship Doha 2019 currently being hosted at the Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar’s iconic sports venue.
The last seven days saw some nail-biting finishes in many competitions as sporting rivalries pushed these athletes to bring out their best in Doha. This was evident in the men’s and women’s pole vault championships, women’s high jump, women’s javelin and many more. Sprinters were on top form and set the tracks on fire while middle and long-distances witnessed some keenly fought contests.
The championship also saw a few emerging stars in the world of athletics much to the delight of fans who have been waiting to see an athlete step out of Usain Bolt’s shadow.
Instead of just one superstar, Doha 2019 has seen many like Noah Lyles, Sam Kendricks, Christian Coleman and Tajay Gayle. Athletes like Noah and Coleman were on the cusp of stardom and came in as favourites, while others like Gayle displayed great composure and charisma of a star sportsman. Another endearing takeaway from the World Championships is the wins by supermoms Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and Alisson Felix of USA.
The two women made impressive return to competitive sports and gave a major boost to the morale of other sportswomen in general and athletes in particular by proving that they need not put an end to their career after childbirth, but can come back to the highest level after maternity break.
Jamaican Fraser-Pryce staked her claim as one of the greatest female sprinters of all time by storming to victory in the women’s 100 meters final while Felix broke Bolt’s record for the most world titles, grabbing her 12th overall and first as a mom as part of the first mixed-gender 4x400m relay team.
President of the IAAF Sebastian Coe hailed Doha Worlds, saying it is one of the biggest editions ever, saying not many championships were held of this scale before. To grow the sports further IAAF needs to take Championships to places where it has not been gone before, like in Doha, and it is a sure-shot way to win new fans and followers for the new superstars of the tracks and fields. Only a couple of days to go before the curtains come down on one of the biggest sporting events in the world, fans should head to the Khalifa International Stadium for a glimpse of the magical moments only an athlete in top form can create.
