Athletics
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR CLAIMS HISTORIC 100TH GOLD FOR US MEN
When Christian Taylor cut the sand 17.86 metres from where he had taken off on his fourth attempt in the triple jump final, he did more than deprive his teammate and career-long rival Will Claye of another – yet another, Claye might add – major gold medal.
Taylor would increase his best to 17.92m in the next round, but in taking a lead he would never relinquish he also took the honour of winning the 100th gold medal for USA men since the inaugural IAAF World Championships in Helsinki in 1983 (where, ironically, another great US triple jumper, Willie Banks, was upstaged by Zdzislaw Hoffman of Poland in the triple jump).
“USA track and field has a strong history in the sport and strong presence,” said Taylor. “Wearing the uniform, there’s a level of respect that we get from our competitors but also a lot of pride that we take when wearing it.
“To win the 100th gold medal by a US man, how can I not be proud? It’s really the icing on the cake and adds to the phenomenal competition that I got to be a part of. To have that as part of my story, really I’m proud of it.”
Statistics from Mark Butler, editor of the official statistics handbook for the championships, tell us the USA men’s tally stood at 98 at the start of this World Championships. Christian Coleman made it 99 with his win the 100m on day two and then Taylor brought it up to 100 the following day.
In the same time, and with fewer competitive opportunities, US women have won 58 gold medals, 57 plus DeAnna Price in the hammer, and the USA has now won the first gold medal in mixed competition in the mixed 4x400m.
Taylor has made a solid contribution to that tally, of course. His win here took his personal gold medal tally to four, so he has contributed his fair share.
“Looking back, Angelo Taylor (three World Championships gold medals in the 4x400m) and Dwight Phillips (four world long jump titles) inspired me,” said Taylor.
“They were
both from Atlanta, like me. Dwight is a jumper, while Angelo has the Taylor
surname. What they did on the grand stage was phenomenal and really
inspirational.”
Carl Lewis, the man who started the US gold rush with his win in the 100m in Helsinki is the major single contributor with eight gold medals, five individual and three relay: the 100m, long jump and 4x100m in Helsinki, the same treble in Rome four years later, and the 100m and the relay in Tokyo in 1991.
LaShawn Merritt and Michael Johnson have also contributed eight apiece. Merritt’s record is 4x400m in 2005, 2007, 400m and 4x400m in 2009, 4x400m in 2011, 400m and 4x400m in 2013 and 4x400m again in 2015.
Johnson, who has
the most individual medals with six, won the 200m in Tokyo in 1991, the 400m
and 4x400m in 1993, the 200m, 400m and 4x400m in 1995, and the 400m in 1997 and
1999.
One of the most memorable gold medal competitions involved Carl Lewis, but was one he did not win.
In the long jump in Tokyo in 1991 Lewis was upstaged by Mike Powell, who not only pinched the gold medal from under King Carl’s nose, but also beat him to breaking Bob Beamon’s legendary world record.
Lewis got within centimetres of Beamon’s 8.90m with one of his early attempts. He pulled his track suit back on and sat down on the infield beyond the end of the pit, focused solely on the world record.
If that’s the case, Lewis forgot about the competition – perhaps an understandable mistake for a man who rarely been beaten and given the fact no man had ever jumped beyond 8.80m and lost.
Powell until then was such a mercurial competitor, too. Like Beamon, his approach to the event was simple: run down fast, jump as far as you can.
This night it
served him well, he exploded out to 8.95m. The record and the gold medal was
his.
There are many other memorable moments, too, some for an individual moment of brilliance, others for a sustained career of performance at the highest level, still others for the sheer unexpectedness of it.
Among the latter would definitely be the win by Mark Plaatjes in the marathon in Stuttgart in 1993. South African-born, Plaatjes had become a US citizen only the previous year. He came past long-time leader Lucketz Swartbooi of Namibia in the final kilometre to take the gold.
“I felt terrible passing Lucketz,” he said. “He did so much work and was brave to take the race out and destroy the field.”
Two of the greatest hurdlers ever – Greg Foster and Allen Johnson – are prime examples of sustained brilliance. Foster won the 110m hurdles at the first three championships, a reign of eight years; Johnson matched that longevity, winning in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2003.
For sustained brilliance within a single event what about super decathletes Dan O’Brien and Ashton Eaton. O’Brien won three in the trot in 1991, 1993 and 1995; Ashton won two ‘only’ but who can forget his stunning 45.00 400m to close day one on his way to a world record victory in Beijing in 2015.
The rate of medal winning has slowed in recent times – 10 in Osaka in 2007, six in Berlin in 2009 and Daegu in 2011, four in 2013 and 2015, three in London in 2017 and two, so far, in Doha – in part due to many international rivals spending their formative senior years within the US collegiate system, in part due to the increasing globalisation of athletics.
It may take another 36 years for US men to win their next 100 gold medals, but following the first 100 has been quite a ride.
Len Johnson for the IAAF
The Future Olympian Athletics Classic has been rescheduled from the first quarter of 2026 to the last quarter of the year, as organisers move to transform the meet into a truly national developmental programme spanning Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
In a statement signed by Bruce Ijirigho, a former quarter-miler and Team Nigeria captain to the 1976 Summer Olympics, the postponement was described as a strategic decision aimed at broadening participation and ensuring that young talents across the country are discovered and nurtured systematically.
The competition is being organised by the Youth Sports Renaissance Foundation (YSRF), a non-profit organisation registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission by Ijirigho, Godwin Obasogie and Charlton Ehizuelen. The foundation’s primary objective is to revive athletics, particularly at the secondary school level, and rebuild Nigeria’s once-thriving grassroots sports culture.
Ijirigho, who serves as Project Lead, explained that the initiative is not about creating something entirely new but about restoring a proven system that once produced champions.
“This competition is not about reinventing the wheel,” he said. “It is about bringing back the culture that ensured that my contemporaries and I were discovered early in secondary school, received the right coaching and academic support, and went on to earn scholarships while combining sports with education. Many of us later became national, continental and global champions.”
He identified early exposure and modern, age-appropriate coaching as the missing links in youth development across Nigeria and much of Africa.
“The bane of sports in Nigeria and many African countries is that our youth don’t get opportunities early enough and lack modern coaching techniques that accelerate their development,” Ijirigho stated.
According to him, the Future Olympian Athletics Classic will go beyond competition by incorporating international coaching clinics designed to transfer contemporary skills and knowledge to Games masters and grassroots coaches nationwide.
“The Classic will not only discover talents in their early teens but also upgrade the capacity of our coaches. That way, we will nurture them properly to become Olympians and world beaters in their late teens and early twenties. This programme is strictly for high school students because it is developmental.”
The decision to expand the event to all six geopolitical zones, he noted, reflects a commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity.
“Talents abound in every nook and cranny of the country. There are middle- and long-distance runners, sprinters, quarter-milers, jumpers and hurdlers who were either not discovered at all or discovered too late. With this postponement, we can widen the tent and give every Nigerian child a fair chance.”
Ijirigho expressed confidence that with proper planning and sustained grassroots investment, Nigeria can reclaim its place at the summit of global athletics.
“We have what it takes to dominate athletics worldwide. All we need is to get our development programme right. The Future Olympian Athletics Classic will lay that foundation for our youth and for the country when it begins in the last quarter of 2026.”
With its expanded national scope and emphasis on structured youth development, the initiative signals a renewed push to reposition Nigerian athletics for long-term global success.
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Kenya’s Ezra Kipchumba Kering delivered a commanding Valentine’s Day performance to win the 11th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on Saturday.
Kipchumba surged to the finish line at Eko Atlantic City in an impressive time of 2:11:55, clinching the $50,000 winner’s prize in one of Africa’s most prestigious road races. His decisive kick in the closing stages sealed a memorable triumph in a fiercely contested men’s elite race.
Uganda completed a strong showing on the podium, with Lomoi Samuel finishing just four seconds behind the winner in 2:11:59, while compatriot Namutala Kephar Lumbasi secured third place in 2:12:25 to underline East Africa’s dominance in the men’s event.
The Gold Label marathon, organised by Nilayo Sports Management Limited under the leadership of Managing Director Mrs Yetunde Olopade, once again lived up to its billing as a premier long-distance spectacle, attracting top-tier athletes from across the continent and beyond.
In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Dinke Meseret Meleka claimed top honours, crossing the line in 2:37:36 after a determined run. Kenya’s Daniel Flomena Cheyech followed closely in 2:37:43, while Ethiopia’s Getaw Wgagen Zewdalem finished third in 2:38:59 to complete a tightly fought podium finish.
With another thrilling chapter added to its history, the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon reaffirmed its growing stature as a leading destination for elite runners and a major highlight on Africa’s athletics calendar.
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By Kunle Solaja.
The organisers of the gold-labelled Access Bank Lagos City Marathon have described Saturday’s 11th edition as an iconic milestone that ushers in a new decade for one of Africa’s most prestigious road races.
Speaking at a press conference held at the headquarters of Access Bank in Lagos, the Managing Director of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Mrs Yetunde Olopade, said the 2026 edition represents growth, resilience and renewed ambition for the marathon.
“This 11th edition is symbolic for us. It is not just another race; it signals the beginning of another decade of excellence, impact and global recognition for the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon,” Olopade said.
She expressed appreciation to Access Bank, corporate sponsors and the Lagos State Government for their unwavering support and commitment to the annual event.
“We are deeply grateful to Access Bank, our valued sponsors and the Lagos State Government for their consistency and belief in this vision. Together, we have built one of the most revered road races in Africa, and this year’s event will be nothing short of world-class,” she added.
Olopade assured runners, partners and spectators of a top-quality race that would further consolidate the marathon’s international standing and enhance its global profile.
Also speaking at the event, the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, commended the organisers for their professionalism and dedication, noting that the marathon has continued to elevate Lagos’ image globally.
“The Lagos State Government remains fully committed to supporting the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon because it continues to put Lagos on the global map in a positive light,” Fatodu said.
“This race is more than a sporting event; it is a celebration of our culture, resilience and capacity to host world-class events. We will continue to provide the enabling environment for it to thrive.”
Adding his voice, Dr Nadeem Khan, President of the International Association of Ultra Runners, described the marathon’s evolution over the years as remarkable.
“The progression I have seen at the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon is truly phenomenal. Year after year, the race keeps improving in standards, organisation and global appeal,” Khan said.
The 2026 edition is expected to attract elite athletes from across the world, further reinforcing the marathon’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading road races and a flagship sporting event for Nigeria.
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