BUDAPEST, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — American Laulauga Tausaga delivered a shock victory over a star-studded area within the ladies’s discus throw on the World Championships right here on Tuesday.
Last 12 months, Tausaga was on the backside of the rankings, ending final among the many 12 finalists. However, she made a major leap this 12 months, enhancing her private finest by 5 meters and securing the world champion title with a throw of 69.49m.
“I’m just so happy. It’s unbelievable to go from 12th to first,” mentioned an elated Tausaga. “I have a gold medal, I can’t believe it. It’s so unreal. When I saw my distance I just couldn’t get to my coach fast enough to give him the strongest hug of my life. I’m so happy he made me a world champion.”
Reigning Olympic champion Valarie Allman from the United States settled for second with a throw of 69.23m. Despite beforehand securing a bronze in Eugene and now a silver in Budapest, Allman stays the one athlete this season to surpass the 70m mark.
Allman had a robust begin, main from the primary spherical. But Tausaga’s spectacular fifth-round throw modified the dynamics.
“I wanted to be the champion tonight, it is not a secret,” mentioned the 28-year-old. “I have been training very hard, putting everything in for the victory. It is tough when you are in a good form and you cannot reach the gold medal. I know I am capable of responding to this. I need to put one more year of work into it and try to find what seemed to be missing.”
Defending world champion Feng Bin outdid her season’s finest 4 occasions, culminating in a throw of 68.20m within the last. This effort earned her a bronze, marking the Chinese workforce’s first medal on the championships.
“My goal was to throw a season best and I made it in my first try,” mentioned Feng. “Then I just wanted to fight for a medal.”
In males’s excessive leap motion, each Gianmarco Tamberi and JuVaughn Harrison managed to clear 2.36m however could not surpass 2.38m. Tamberi emerged victorious, reaching the peak on his maiden try, whereas American Harrison took two makes an attempt to register the season’s finest efficiency.
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, who collectively received Olympic gold in Tokyo alongside Italian Tamberi, completed in third place with a leap of two.33m.
“I wanted to write history by winning gold medals at all the major competitions. The feeling is amazing. It is worth all the sacrifices over the years,” mentioned the 31-year-old Tamberi, who harbors ambitions of changing into the primary excessive jumper to defend an Olympic title.
Two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon efficiently defended her world champion title within the ladies’s 1,500m, ending in 3:54.87.
Concluding the day’s occasions, Soufiane Elbakkali of Morocco clinched his second consecutive world champion title within the males’s 3,000m steeplechase, clocking 8:03.53.