The Olympic Games in Tokyo might have finished but that is not to say the summer season is over by any means. European Athletics picks out ten events to follow over the upcoming weeks.
Europe’s best take on the world in Nairobi
The World Athletics U20 Championships began in Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday (18) morning featuring almost 1000 athletes representing 116 countries.
Some 23 individual champions from the recent Tallinn 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships will be in action including world U20 record-holder Silja Kosonen from Finland in the hammer and France’s Sasha Zhoya and Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna, both of whom are closing in on the world U20 records in the 110m hurdles and discus respectively.
The championships will be streamed live on the World Athletics YouTube channel and Facebook page although geo-restrictions might apply.
Hassan against the clock
Not content with winning three Olympic medals in Tokyo, two of which were gold, Sifan Hassan has intentions of rewriting the record books in the second half of the season.
The Dutchwoman will attack the world 5000m record in the Eugene Diamond League on Friday evening and she is also looking to regain her world 10,000m record in Brussels on 3 September.
Both world records currently stand to Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey at 14:06.62 and 29:01.03 respectively.
European record watch for Warholm and Ingebrigtsen
After demolishing the world record in the 400m hurdles in Tokyo to complete the set of major titles, Olympic champion Karsten Warholm will trade the barriers for the flat in the Lausanne Diamond League.
Warholm’s lifetime best of 44.87 which dates back to 2017 is surely due for revision and the Norwegian might even challenge the long-standing European record of 44.33 which dates all the way back to the 1987 World Championships in Rome.
The record books could potentially undergo revision in the 3000m with Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen due to compete against recently crowned Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega from Ethiopia.
Warholm to return to the barriers in Brussels
Warholm is also confirmed for the 400m hurdles in the Brussels Diamond League on 3 September which is shaping up to be a near re-run of the Olympic Games final.
Silver medallist Rai Benjamin might be absent but the next five finishers will be in the line-up including bronze medallist Alison dos Santos from Brazil who clocked 46.72 in that incredible Olympic final in Tokyo.
Top Polish athletes retiring in Chorzow
Three of the recent greats of Polish athletics will bid farewell to competition on home soil at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzow on 5 September.
Former two-time European discus champion Piotr Malachowski announced at the start of the season he will be retiring in Chorzow while former world indoor high jump champion Kamila Licwinko and world hammer silver medallist Joanna Fiodorow have also chosen to follow suit.
A big crowd in the Silesian Stadium is expected to be present to give them a fitting farewell.
Sprunger to bid farewell in Bellinzona
Another servant of European athletics Lea Sprunger is also due to retire at the end of the season. The reigning European 400m hurdles champion will race for the last time at home in Bellinzona on 14 September.
Vetter confirmed for Chorzow
It has been a few weeks since Johannes Vetter has produced a 90 metre-plus throw but the German will be looking to return to these heady distances - if not before - at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzow on 5 September.
Vetter has produced some of the longest throws in history in the Silesian Stadium, including his 97.76m mark in last year’s competition and a throw of 96.29m to win at the European Athletics Team Championships Super League in late May.
Olympic high jump matches from Eugene to Brussels
The women’s high jump developed into one of the most intriguing field event finals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and all three medallists - neutral athlete Mariya Lasitskene from Russia, Australia’s Nicola McDermott and Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh - are due to compete in Lausanne (26 August), Paris (28 August) and Brussels (3 September) ahead of the Diamond League final in Zurich.
Lasitskene and Mahuchikh are also due to go head-to-head in Eugene on Saturday while joint Olympic gold medallists Mutaz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi are confirmed for the men’s high jump in Lausanne which takes place the day before the main programme in the city centre.
Tamberi to entertain in Rovereto
Italian fans will also have the chance to watch Tamberi compete at home before the end of the season. Tamberi will be in action at the 57th edition of the Pallo Citta della Quercia in Rovereto on 31 August.
Golden homecoming for Mihambo in Berlin
Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo is also confirmed for the long jump at the ISTAF in Berlin on 12 September, one of the last big meets before the end of the summer season.
Mihambo’s winning streak in major events dates back to the Olympic Stadium where she won the European title in 2018 which was followed up by the world title in 2019 and the Olympic title this summer.