Raucous crowd and sprint stars give World Athletics Championships explosive start

Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson cruises to victory in his 100m heat in front of a noisy crowd. Photograph: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

There was a moment on the opening night of the World Athletics Championships when the bottled-up frustration of missing out on a full-fat Tokyo Olympics – with crowds and fun and unbridled joy – suddenly seemed to be unleashed. It came at the end of the women’s 10,000m, a roar that could have been heard on Mount Fuji, a vast outpouring of appreciation and pride.

At the front of the pack, four contenders were whittled down to two before the Olympic and world champion, Beatrice Chebet, took off with Italy’s Nadia Battocletti in pursuit. It was like watching Wile E Coyote chasing Roadrunner.