By Frank Kamuntu
After 9 days of intense competition with 49 different events, the World Athletics championship comes to an end in Budapest, with Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat crowned men’s world marathon champion.
The last day of the World Athletics Championships (dubbed the ‘crown jewel’ of the World Athletics’ competition program) began with the men’s marathon. Runners passed four times in front of the most iconic sites of the Hungarian capital.
Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat was crowned champion, with a time of 2h08:53. He was followed by Israel’s Maru Teferi coming in second at 2h09:12 and Ethiopia’s Leul Gebresilase finished third with a time of 2h09:19
Meanwhile, Ethiopia dominated the women’s marathon, held on Saturday. Amane Beriso was crowned world champion after finishing with a time of 2h24:23. Completing the podium was her compatriot Gotytom Gebreslase in 2h24:34 and Morocco’s Fatima Gardadi finishing third in 2h25:17.
Seven Medals For Team GB & NI
Great Britain and Northern Ireland finished 6th in the medals table, taking home two gold, two silver and three bronze.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson secured the top spot on the podium in the women’s Heptathlon, while Josh Kerr dominated the men’s 1500m.
Team GB also received two pieces of silver, one in the mixed 4x400m relay race and one for Matthew Hudson-Smith in the Men’s 400m.
Zharnel Hughes and Ben Pattison received bronze medals in the 100m and 800m events respectively, along with the women’s 4×100 Metres Relay team.
All eyes on the Olympics
Nine days and 49 competitions later, with almost 2,200 athletes from more than 200 countries showcasing their skills, the World Athletics Championships has served to promote Budapest’s most emblematic sites.
Organisers estimate that 50,000 foreign tourists attended the events in the newly built athletics stadium, with over 1 billion television viewers tuning in worldwide.
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán lauded the organisation of the World Athletics Championship and said the country proved its ability to organise a major sporting event.
He and his government hope the experience will lay the groundwork for Hungary’s eventual bid to host the Olympic Games.
