World Athletics Championship, also known as the World Track and Field Championships or simply the World Championships in Athletics (or IAAF World Championships until 2019), is the biennial world championship of track and field athletics. It is organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF), and is considered the premier event of its kind. It is held in conjunction with the Olympic Games, and also serves as the premier event for certain other outdoor events organised by IAAF.
There was a moment on the opening night of the World Athletics Championships when all 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 in the closing stages of the women’s 10,000m, when world champion Beatrice Chebet sprinted clear of Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, leaving a gap like Wile E Coyote chasing Roadrunner.
The crowd roared with approval, as if the victory were their own. They roared again when American Ryan Crouser, with an injured elbow, threw the shot put high and far for his fifth straight championship victory. The stadium is a place where the stairs feel like their own workout, the number of them back and forth between the media centre, stands and mixed zone proving to be an endurance challenge for all. But it is a place where the athletes and fans seem to thrive. They have a shared passion for the sport and it is evident in every aspect of this landmark event.