DOHA, QATAR - OCTOBER 06: IAAF President Lord Sebastian Coe looks on following a press conference on day ten of 17th IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 at Khalifa International Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for IAAF)
Faced with criticism on the choice of venue, absence of crowd at the Khalifa Stadium and also the Sword of Damocles hanging over numerous athletes coached by the banned Alberto Salazar, IAAF President Sebastian Coe has described the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 as the best in history in terms of the quality and depth of performances produced by the athletes of more than 200 nations.
Speaking after the final evening session on Sunday, Coe noted that six championship records had been set, 43 countries had won medals, and athletes from 68 different nations had achieved at least one top-eight placing. There have been 21 area records – double the number from 2017 – and 86 national records have been broken, underlining the global reach of the sport.
Coe avoided any reference to the various negative issues surrounding the event and instead chose to confine his views only on the athletes performances in his official press release.
“For those who follow our sport closely, you will know that we rank our championships on the performances of the athletes,” Coe said. “It is how we, the athletes and the coaches measure our success.
“The world’s athletes have put on the best show in the history of the IAAF World Athletics Championships, according to the competition performance rankings which are used as an objective measure of the quality of international competition, said Coe.
It was in the midst of the championships that Salazar, who coached Britain’s Mo Farah for six years, was found guilty of “orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct” while at the Nike Oregon Project.
The International Olympic Council (IOC) president Thomas Bach, following the decision, has called on the IAAF to investigate all athletes who have been coached by Salazar. On his part, Coe had earlier warned that any athlete who tries to stay secretly with Salazar would face a two-year ban themselves.
Among those whose performance at the championships came under scrutiny was Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who won an unprecedented double (10,000m and 1,500m).
Sifan, one of the athletes coached by Salazar, was clearly upset with the scrutiny. She had said that she was ready to be tested everyday to prove she was clean.
The bigger issue facing Coe and the IAAF was the choice of Doha as the venue and tepid response at the venue with the lack of spectators.
“These performances are incredible but credit must also go to the facilities and conditions provided by the host country. Doha has created conditions on the field of play and in the warm up that are unsurpassed,” said Coe in the press conference.
This despite almost half of the field in the women’s marathon unable to finish the race held at midnight due to the high temperature and humidity.
Critics, including some athletes had questioned the choice of Qatar as the venue. Qatar itself was said to have been chosen as the hosts after a last minute promise to pump in millions to build 10 stadiums around the world for the IAAF.
Former top IAAF officials are also under investigation on corruption charges in connection with the Qatari bid.
Coe as expected steered away by exulting the success on the track and field in the IAAF media release.
“We are proud of the fact we reach more countries than any other sport,” added Coe. “Just look at the breadth and depth – 43 countries on the medals table and 86 national records set. We want our athletes to experience different cultures and different conditions. It’s what makes our sport so accessible.”
Top ranked World Championships
Based on the IAAF competition performance rankings, used to rank the quality of competitions, the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 tops the list of all World Championships to date.
Taking the best five results and athletes from the best 24 events (before the final days), the top five editions were:
1. 2019, Doha – 195,869
2. 2015, Beijing – 194,547
3. 2017, London – 193,426
4. 2013, Moscow – 192,664
5. 2009, Berlin – 191,168
Based on the average scores of all track and field results, the top five editions were:
1. 2019, Doha – 1024.75
2. 2017, London – 1012.84
3. 1999, Seville – 1007.98
4. 2015, Beijing – 1004.78
5. 2009, Berlin – 1004.55
The top five men’s and women’s performances were:
MEN
– 22.91m Joe Kovacs (USA) shot put – 1295pts
– 22.90m Tom Walsh (NZL) shot put – 1294pts
– 22.90m Ryan Crouser (USA) shot put – 1294pts
– 9.76 Christian Coleman (USA) 100m – 1291pts
– 43.48 Steven Gardiner (BAH) 400m – 1289pts
WOMEN
– 7.30m Malaika Mihambo (GER) long jump – 1288pts
– 48.14 Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) 400m – 1281pts
– 48.37 Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) 400m – 1272pts
– 3:51.95 Sifan Hassan (NED) 1500m – 1271pts
– 6981 Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR) heptathlon – 1269pts
USA’s 200m winner Noah Lyles and Germany’s decathlon victor Niklas Kaul became the youngest ever world champions in their respective events. Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh twice broke the world U20 record on her way to the silver medal in the high jump. She was one of several athletes born in or after the year 2000 who earned medals, along with Ethiopian duo Selemon Barega and Lemecha Girma and Bahrain’s Musa Isah.
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