Sha'Carri Richardson produced her best race of the season to win the women's 100m final on Monday night at the world athletics championships in Budapest.
The 23-year-old American ran 10.65 to push the Jamaicans Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce into second and third respectively.
Fraser-Pryce, who took gold at the last world championships in Eugene in 2022, had been seeking a record-extending sixth world crown in the event. Richards, the quickest over the distance in 2023, had been hoping for an upgrade on the silver from Eugene.
They were both upstaged though in a spectacular turnaround for Richardson who only qualified for the final as one of the fastest losers.
Consequently she was placed in the outside lanes far away from the Jamaican duo and appeared out of the medals with 30 metres remaining. But a late surge took her to her first global sprint title.
By comparison her compatriot, Grant Holloway, is an old hand. The 25-year-old notched up a third consecutive 110m hurdles world championships with a 12.97 second course to gain a modicum of revenge over the Jamaican Hansle Parchment who pipped him to the Olympic title in Japan. Holloway's fellow American Daniel Roberts was third.
"This whole year I've been consistent with 13 seconds and 12.98 so if I can stay in this kind of shape and form I'll be happy," said Hollaway.
"My team - trainers, nutritionists have done a great job."
Holloway equals the feats of the late Greg Foster who won the 110m hurdles titles at the inaugural world championships in Helsinki in 1983 as well as the subsequent editions in Rome and Tokyo in 1987 and 1991.
Drama
The drama was just as explosive in the men's discus. Going into the sixth and final throw, Daniel Stahl from Sweden led the medal positions ahead of Kristjan Ceh from Slovenia and Mykolas Alekna from Lithuania.
Alekna, the 2022 silver medallist at the world championships in Eugene, could not improve on his earlier efforts but Ceh did with a throw of 70.02 to take top spot.
That left Stahl - winner at the worlds in 2019 in Doha - with a last gasp to reclaim pole position. The 30-year-old unleashed an effort of 71.46m to collect gold and a championship record.
He raised his arms to bear his chest and bathe in the moment.
"When Kristjan threw 70.02, I said to myself that I'm not going to give up and that I'm going to enjoy the last throw," he said.
"Normally I'm so tense because I'm trying too hard so this was my best performance in a stadium under those kind of conditions. I'm very proud."
First for Burkina Faso
There was an equally late denouément in the men's triple jump. It was looking like a Cuban one and two for Lazaro Martinez and Cristian Napoles until Hugues Fabrice Zango from Burkina Faso snatched the lead with his penultimate jump of 17.64m. Martinez and Lazaro had to settle for silver and bronze respectively.
Four years ago in Doha, Zango bagged his country's first medal at the championships with a bronze. He won silver in Eugene and has the collection in his third world championships.
"I've been dreaming of gold since 2019," said Zango. "To get gold is a vindication of all the work that has been done.
"My coach told me during the final that I had been jumping 17.60 in competitions all year and he told me to just relax."
It is Burkina Faso's first gold medal in the 40-year history of the world championships.
"It's so important for young athletes in the country," Zango added. "When i won the bronze in 2019 I noticed that performances at home started to get better.
"Now with bronze, silver and gold, the youngsters no longer have the excuses not to get to the top, break the barriers and go for medals."
