For the best athletes in the world, there is only one place to show their stuff – the World Athletics Championship. This biennial competition – until 2019 known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, then simply as the World Athletics Championships – is the pinnacle of track and field athletics.
For decades the Olympic Games served as the World Championships for track and field athletics but, from the late 1960s, calls grew louder for an event that truly decided the top athletes of the sport. At a World Athletics Council meeting in 1976 in Puerto Rico the decision was taken to set up the new championship, which was originally scheduled to take place at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
It was held in Helsinki instead and was an instant success, launching the careers of a host of global superstars including Carl Lewis who, with golds in the 100m and 4x100m, established himself as one of the sport’s biggest stars. Other winners included British hurdling duo Colin Jackson and Sally Gunnell, who took two golds each, as well as Soviet jumper Sergey Bubka.
The 2023 edition in Budapest was the first time that women competed in every single event, with several athletes winning a double. Noah Lyles clinched the men’s 100m/200m double, while Faith Kipyegon and Maria Perez secured the women’s 1500m/5000m title. In addition, Russia’s Antonina Krivoshapka won the 5000m and 10,000m but was later stripped of the latter after being found guilty of doping.