The IAAF World Champs - A Retrospective, Part 3 - the 00's

​Started in 1983, the IAAF's World Championships are the largest event for global track and field outside of the Olympic Games. Not only serving as the highlight of competition for athletics in between the Games, they often are looked upon as a specific Games preview. This especially holds true for the  Championships editions held the year right before an Olympics.

With that in mind, I take a look back at previous Championships to glimpse at how well Worlds medalists are able to finish on the podium at the following Olympics. Although Championships did start on a biennial schedule in 1993, with the first edition held after a Games, I'll focus more attention on those editions which occur right before.

Read previous IAAF World Champs Retrospective entries here:

• Part 1 - the 80's
• Part 2 - the 90's​
• Part 4 - the 10's

VIII - Edmonton, 2001

Stats

• 1,677 athletes from 189 nations
• 46 events

Medal Table

1. Russia (18)
2. United States (13)
3. Kenya and Ethiopia (8 each)

Highlights

• These were the first Championships in the Americas
• Lars Riedel (GER) won his sixth Worlds medal (fifth gold)
• There were no world records established at the meet
• Overall, eight championship records were set across all events (five of which were in men's field events)

There are some repeat gold medalists between the '00 Games and these '01 Championships:

• Maurice Greene (USA) in the 100m
• Konstantinos Kenteris (GRE) in the 200m
• Reuben Kosgei (KEN) in the 3000m steeplechase
• Robert Korzeniowski (POL) in the 50km walk
• Ivan Pedroso (CUB) in the long jump
• Jonathan Edwards (GBR) in the triple jump
• Szymon Ziowtkowski (POL) in the hammer throw
• Jan Zelezny (CZE) in the javelin
• Maria Mutola (MOZ) in the 800m
• Derartu Tulu (ETH) in the 10,000m
• Stacy Dragila (USA) in the pole vault
• Yanina Karolchik (BLR) in the shot put
• Ellina Zvereva (BLR) in the discus

IX - Paris, 2003

Stats

• 1,679 athletes from 198 nations
• 46 events

Medal Table

1. Russia (19)
2. United States (16)
3. France (8)

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Highlights

• Robert Korzeniowski (POL) won his fourth Worlds medal (and third gold) in the 50km walk
• For the second Championships in a row, no world records were established
• Overall, only five championship records were set across the competition, all in women's (and four of which were track /road events)

How the Olympic medal podiums the following year (2004 Athens) compare

• Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS) and Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (RSA) went from 2-3 to 1-2 in the 800m
• Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) repeated with gold in the 1500m
• Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) and Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) went from 1-2-3 to 3-1-2 in the 5000m
• Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) and Sileshi Sihine (ETH) went from 1-3 to 1-2 in the 10,000m
• Stefano Baldini (ITA) went from bronze to gold in the marathon
• Terrence Trammell (USA) and Liu Xiang (CHN) went from 2-3 to 2-1 in the 110m hurdles
• Felix Sanchez (DOM) repeated with gold in the 400m hurdles
• Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN) went from silver to gold in the 3000m steeplechase
• Paquillo Fernandez (ESP) repeated with silver in the 20km walk
• Robert Korzeniowski (POL) repeated with gold in the 50km walk
• USA went from gold to silver in the men's 4x100m relay
• Stefan Holm (SWE) went from silver to gold in the high jump
• Dwight Phillips (USA) repeated with gold in the long jump
• Christian Olsson (SWE) repeated with gold in the triple jump
• Giuseppe Gibilisco (ITA) went from gold to bronze in the pole vault
• Adam Nelson (USA) went from silver to gold in the shot put
• Virgiligus Alekan (LTU) repeated with gold in the discus
• Sergey Makarov (RUS) went from gold to bronze in the javelin
• Koji Murofushi (JPN) went from bronze to gold in the hammer throw
• Roman Seberle (CZE) and Dmitriy Karpov (KAZ) went from 2-3 to 1-3 in the decathlon
• Ana Guevara (MEX) went from gold to silver in the 400m
• Kelly Holmes (GBR) went from silver to gold in the 800m
• Tatyana Tomashova (RUS) went from gold to silver in the 1500m
• Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) went from gold to bronze in the 5000m
• Catherine Ndereba (KEN) and Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) went from 1-2 to 2-1 in the marathon
• FRA and RUS went from 1-3 to 3-2 in the women's 4x100m relay
• USA, RUS, JAM repeated as 1-2-3 in the women's 4x400m relay
• Hestrie Cloete (RSA) went from gold to silver in the high jump
• Tatyana Kotova (RUS) went from silver to bronze in the long jump
• Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS) and Francois Mbango Etone (CMR) went from 1-2 to 3-1 in the triple jump
• Svetlana Feofanova (RUS) and Yelena Isbinaeva (RUS) went from 1-3 to 2-1 in the pole vault
• Anastasia Kelesidou (GRE) repeated with silver in the discus throw
• Yipsi Moreno (CUB) and Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) went from 1-2 to 2-1 in the hammer throw
• Mirela Manjani (GRE) and Steffi Nerius (GER) went from 1-3 to 3-2 in the javelin
• Carolina Kluft (SWE) repeated with gold in the heptathlon
• USA (25), RUS (19), ETH and KEN (7 each) were the top nations on the medal table

​X - Helsinki, 2005

Stats

• 1,891 athletes from 196 nations
• 47 events

Medal Table

1. United States (25)
2. Russia (18)
3. Ethiopia (9)

Highlights

• The Championships returned to their inaugural site for this tenth edition
• the women's 3000m steeplechase was added
• Virgilijus Alekna (LTU) wins his fourth Worlds medal (second gold) in the discus
• Again, no world records were established
• Overall, only four championship records were set across all events

There are some repeat gold medalists between the '04 Games and these '05 Championships:

• Justin Gatlin (USA) in the 100m
• Jeremy Wariner (USA) in the 400m
• Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) in the 10,000m
• USA in the men's 4x400m relay
• Dwight Phillips (USA) in the long jump
• Adam Nelson (USA) in the shot put
• Virgilijus Alekna (LTU) in the discus
• Tonique Williams-Darling (BAH) in the 400m
• Yelena Isbinaeva (RUS) in the pole vault
• Osleidys Menendez (CUB) in the javelin
• Carolina Kluft (SWE) in the heptathlon

​XI - Osaka, 2007

Stats

• 1,978 athletes from 200 nations
• 47 events

Medal Table

1. United States (23)
2. Russia (14)
3. Kenya (13)

Highlights

• The Championships return to Japan, after 1991's Tokyo edition
• Although over 1000 drug tests were performed, not one came back positive (at the time)
• The USA became the first nation to win all four relay events at the same Championships
• Tyson Gay (USA) and Allyson Felix (USA) became the fourth and fifth athletes to win three golds at one Championship, joining Carl Lewis (USA), Marita Koch (GDR), and Maurice Greene (USA)
• Jefferson Perez (ECU) won his third straight gold in the 20km walk (and fourth medal overall)
• No world records were established
• Overall, only two championship records were set across the competition

How the Olympic medal podiums the following year (2008 Beijing) compare

• Usain Bolt (JAM) went from silver to gold in the 200m
• Jeremy Wariner (USA) and Lashawn Merritt (USA) went from 1-2 to 2-1 in the 400m
• Alfred Kirwa Yego (KEN) went from gold to bronze in the 800m
• Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) repeated with silver in the 5000m
• Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) and Sileshi Sihine (ETH) repeated as 1-2 in the 10,000m
• Kerron Clement (USA) went from gold to silver in the 400m hurdles
• Brimin Kipruto (KEN) and Richard Mateelomng (KEN) repeated as 1-3 in the 3000m steeplechase
• Jefferson Perez (ECU) went from gold to silver in the 20km walk
• Alex Schwazer (ITA) went from bronze to gold in the 50km walk
• JAM went from silver to gold in the men's 4x100m relay
• USA and BAH repeated as 1-2 in the men's 4x400m relay
• Irving Saladino (PAN) repeated with gold in the long jump
• Nelson Evora (POR) repeated with gold in the triple jump
• Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS) went from silver to bronze in the high jump
• Gerd Kanter (EST) repeated with gold in the discus throw
• Tero Pitkamaki (FIN) and Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) went from 1-2 to 3-1 in the javelin
• Ivan Tsikhan (BLR) and Primoz Kozmus (SLO) went from 1-2 to 3-1 in the hammer throw
• Allyson Felix (USA) and Veronica Campbell (JAM) went from 1-2 to 2-1 in the 200m
• Christine Ohuruogu (GBR) repeated with gold in the 400m
• Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN) and Hasna Benhassi (MAR) went from 1-2 to 2-3 in the 800m
• Meseret Defar (ETH) went from gold to bronze in the 5000m
• Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) and Elvan Abeylegesse (TUR) repeated as 1-2 in the 10,000m
• Catherine Ndereba (KEN) went from gold to silver in the marathon
• Yekaterina Volkova (RUS) and Eunice Jepkorir (KEN) went from 1-3 to 3-2 in the 3000m steeplechase
• Olga Kaniskina (RUS) repeated with gold in the 20km walk
• BEL went from bronze to silver in the women's 4x100m relay
• USA and JAM went from 1-2 to 1-3 in the women's 4x400m relay
• Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS) went from gold to silver in the long jump
• Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS) and Hrysopiyi Devetzi (GRE) repeated as 2-3 in the triple jump
• Blanka Vlasic (CRO) and Anna Chicherova (RUS) went from 1-2 to 2-3 in the high jump
• Yelena Isbinaeva (RUS) and Svetlana Feofanova (RUS) repeated as 1-3 in the pole vault
• Valerie Vili (NZL) and Nadezya Astapchuk (BLR) went from 1-2 to 1-3 in the shot put
• Yarelis Barrios (CUB) repeated with silver in the discus throw
• Barbara Spotakova (CZE) and Christine Obergfoll (GER) went from 1-2 to 1-3 in the javelin
• Yipsi Moreno (CUB) and Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) repeated as 2-3 in the hammer throw
• USA (25), RUS (19), ETH and KEN (7 each) were the top nations on the medal table

​XII - Berlin, 2009

Stats

• 2,101 athletes from 202 nations
• 47 events

Medal Table

1. United States (22)
2. Jamaica and Russia (13 each)

Highlights

• The first Championships with more than 2,000 athletes, from over 200 nations
• Usain Bolt (JAM) set two world records, 9.58 in the 100m and 19.19 in the 200m
• Anita Wlodarczyk (POL) set a world record of 77.96 in the hammer throw
• Overall, eight championship records were set across all competition

There are some repeat gold medalists between the '08 Games and these '09 Championships:

• Usain Bolt (JAM) in the 100m
• Usain Bolt (JAM) in the 200m
• Lashawn Merritt (USA) in the 400m
• Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) in the 5000m
• Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) in the 10,000m
• Valeriy Borchin (RUS) in the 20km walk
• JAM in the men's 4x100m relay
• USA in the men's 4x400m relay
• Steven Hooker (AUS) in the pole vault
• Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) in the javelin
• Primoz Kozmus (SLO) in the hammer throw
• Shelly-Ann Fraser (JAM) in the 100m
• Melaine Walker (JAM) in the 400m hurdles
• Olga Kaniskina (RUS) in the 20km walk
• USA in the women's 4x400m relay
• Valerie Vili (NZL) in the shot put