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Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Beatrice Chebet made it a memorable night for Kenya at the world championships as they produced outstanding performances to win the men's 800 metres and women's 5,000m respectively.Just over a year ago the duo left Paris as Olympic champions, while Chebet won both the 5,000 and 10,000m golds. In front of over 58,000 spectators at Japan's National Stadium, she achieved the same feat, beating her idol Faith Kipyegon to become only the third woman to do the distance double at a world championships.Wanyonyi's blisteringly fast race was watched by retired Kenyan 800m legend David Rudisha, who sat beside another man who knows a thing or two about the two-lap race, two-time Olympic silver medallist and World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe.Rudisha produced one of the all-time great Olympic performances when he broke the world record to win gold at the 2012 London Games. There was never any question of that happening in Saturday's final, Wanyonyi winning in a championship record time of 1min 41.86sec.However, Rudisha has all but anointed the 21-year-old former cattle herder as the man most likely to set a new record. "Maybe I will start to think about the world record," Wonyonyi said. "I also want to win gold in Los Angeles in 2028. That's the biggest goal. I met David Rudisha Saturday. He told me just to take a rest and focus, and everything is possible."Chebet enjoys a close friendship with Kipyegon, who is six years her senior, but on the track she is not over-awed by one of the legends of athletics. Indeed Chebet has every chance of being accorded similar status, given her increasingly impressive gold medals tally.Kipyegon, despite her disappointment at failing to repeat her world 1,500m/5000m double from the 2023 Budapest championships, embraced Chebet warmly at the finish. "Going home with two gold medals makes me really happy," said Chebet. "Me and Faith have been friends for a long time. We motivate each other and I am really pleased with our performances."Kipyegon, who retained the 1,500m title earlier in the week, said Chebet "is the best". "I'm now going to have some sleep and go back home and enjoy some time with my daughter," she added.The women's 4x100m relay final Sunday may come to be remembered more for the handing over of the baton from 38-year-old Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to the new queen of the sprints, America's Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. However, Fraser-Pryce will hope to bow out after almost two decades at the top by denying Jefferson-Wooden a third gold medal, which would equal her achievement in Moscow in 2013.The USA men's 4x100m relay teams have gained a reputation down the years for fouling up baton exchanges – the latest example came at the Olympics last year.This time though it was not them but their great rivals Jamaica who came up short as Ryiem Forde's handover to 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson on the anchor leg went awry. The two did not exchange a word as they walked the 90 metres or so to the line in a heat won by Olympic champions Canada.Anna Hall exchanged world silver for gold in the heptathlon, but it was Kate O'Connor's performance that caught the eye as the 24-year-old took silver, a first ever in the event for Ireland. In fact, it was just Ireland's seventh medal in championships history and their first since 2013. "I knew that I was always going to be in with a shot of a medal," said the Northern Ireland-born O'Connor. "But it's the one thing being in with a shot and another actually going out and doing it."Caio Bonfim will be bringing a gold medal home to Brazil, winning the men's 20km walk after finishing second in the 35km walk last Saturday. However, the 34-year-old will be returning home without one item he left Brazil with. "I lost my wedding ring in the third kilometre. I believe my wife will be OK because I won today," he said.Ecuador's Juleisy Angulo surprised even herself by launching the javelin 65.12 metres with the second of her six attempts to clinch gold. Angulo was ranked 31st in the world coming into the final and her winning throw beat her previous personal best by 1.87 metres."My goal here was to reach the final so I am very emotional, in shock. I still can't believe it," the 24-year-old said. "I have dreamed of a world medal since I started athletics. I have faced some adversities, such as two surgeries in my left knee, but I persevered. I never gave up."Angulo's medal was a first at the world championships for Ecuador away from race-walking since Alex Quinonez won a bronze in the 200 metres six years ago in Doha.While Angulo set out her stall early, Latvian Anete Sietina saved her best until last with a personal best of 64.64m on her final throw of the night to clinch silver.While the top two were first-time medallists at global championships, Australia's Mackenzie Little won a second successive world bronze medal after her opening throw of 63.58m was beaten by only Angulo and Sietina.

Beatrice Chebet won the 10,000m world title while the cream of sprinting delighted a sellout 55,000 crowd at the world championships Saturday – a stark contrast to the empty stadium at the Covid-affected Tokyo Games in 2021.Chebet, 25, added the world title to her Olympic crown in Paris last year where the Kenyan also won the 5,000m. “I wanted that gold medal so much,” she said. “I have never won a gold at the world championships so I was sure I had to get it.”That was one of several titles on offer, giving a gentle lead-in to the finals of the men’s and women’s blue riband event, the 100m, Sunday.Ryan Crouser proved he has no equal in the shot put as despite missing the outdoor season through injury he became the second man – after Werner Guenthoer over 30 years ago – to be crowned world outdoor champion on three successive occasions. “This is my first time throwing hard since September last year, (so) this one is the one I am most proud of,” said Crouser.There was also gold for the American 4x400m mixed relay team, avenging their defeat by the Netherlands in last year’s Olympic final. The Dutch, anchored by 400m hurdles favourite Femke Bol, had to be satisfied with silver.All the favourites wasted little energy in qualifying for Sunday’s men’s 100m semi-finals. Olympic champion Noah Lyles and the Jamaican who lost out to him by the slimmest of margins at the Paris Olympics, Kishane Thompson, look in prime form despite the championships coming at the end of the season.Lyles did not enjoy his previous, crowdless experience in Tokyo but he is a different person four years later and put on a show for his audience. “As you know, it was a bit echoing back then and this time there is all the atmosphere, whistles and children cheering for me,” he said. “It really feels good to be back. This is the best form I have ever been in my life. I am bringing special things here.”Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo and two-time Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek also impressed. Bednarek, who pushed Lyles in the back and accused him of showing disrespect at the US trials, will hope he remembers every bit of kit Sunday having left his spikes in the United States. “I am just a clumsy dude,” he said.Women’s 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred laid down the law in her heat, storming out of the blocks and the Saint Lucia star cantered over the line in 10.93sec. Defending world champion Sha’Carri Richardson had a far stronger heat, including two-time 200m world champion Shericka Jackson, but neither had to over-exert themselves as they eased into the semi-finals.Jackson’s legendary compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is also through but remains an outsider to add to her ten world golds and make it a fairytale farewell. On form alone, Alfred’s biggest threat is American champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Third behind Alfred in last year’s Olympic final, the 24-year-old said she could cope with a change in expectations from a minor medal prospect to one of the title favourites. “I already hold myself to a really high standard and expectations, so the pressures of the outside world, I really don’’t feel them,” she said. “I try to make sure I go out there and focus on Melissa, focus on what I can do and run my races to the best of my ability.”Edmund Serem is just 17 but the Kenyan showed he is a real title prospect. He kept his head after an early mistake in the 3,000m steeplechase and went on to win his heat –even having the time to join his hands together and hold them in front of his face as he crossed the line. However, he will have to go some to beat two-time defending champion Sofiane El Bakkali – Morocco’s two-time Olympic gold medallist coasted through his heat.