The World Athletics Championships in Tokyo represented a demanding and closely contested championships for the Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland team, with athletes competing across nine days of high-quality global competition. By the end of the championships, GB & NI had secured five individual medals – three silver and two bronze – delivered through a series of standout performances on the track and in the combined events.
Silver medals came from Amy Hunt in the women’s 200m, Georgia Hunter-Bell in the women’s 800m and Jake Wightman in the men’s 1500m. Hunt and Hunter-Bell both produced personal best performances in their respective finals, while Wightman returned to the global podium with a composed and assured run following a challenging period away from major championships success.
There were two further medals in the women’s middle-distance and combined events. Keely Hodgkinson, competing after a disrupted preparation, added a hard-earned bronze in the women’s 800m, joining Hunter-Bell on the podium. In the heptathlon, Katarina Johnson-Thompson delivered another resilient and classy championship performance to secure bronze, once again demonstrating her ability to compete consistently across a demanding multi-event schedule.
Beyond the medal performances, several athletes produced notable moments during the championships. Romell Glave impressed in the men’s 100m heats, setting a personal best of 10.00, while in the men’s 400m hurdles Tyri Donovan enjoyed a breakthrough championships, running successive personal bests including 48.21 in the semi-finals.
In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Elise Thorner progressed confidently through the heats with a personal best of 9:14.37 before finishing 11th in the final.
Across the championships in Tokyo, medals were secured in individual events alongside a series of performances that reflected the competitive demands of a global championships environment, contributing to a five-medal return over the course of the competition.