On a night when the extraordinary almost became routine, one word kept ringing out across the Stade Charléty PA system: “Incroyable! Incroyable! Incroyable!” There were three world records over two hours, in the women’s 5,000m, the men’s 3,000m steeplechase and the men’s two-mile race – even if World Athletics classifies the latter as a world best – along with plenty of joyous smiles.
For many athletes it was the perfect dress rehearsal for next year’s Olympics. One notable exception, though, was Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who struggled home in fourth in the women’s 200m with a scarcely believable 22.57sec. Not only was it nearly three-quarters of a second off her personal best, it was her second-slowest time since 2018. Only two weeks ago, in her season opener in Italy, has she run worse.
