World Athletics boss defends change in 100m schedule

Sebastian Coe has defended the decision to run both the men’s and the women’s 100-metre finals on the same night for the first time in the history of the World Athletics Championship.

For many, the two shortest and fastest disciplines in the nine-day global festival of track and field are the blue riband events and, in Jamaica’s case, they usually also serve up maximum interest and publicity.

But while the championships have previously run the semi-finals and finals of each on separate nights, the 2025 edition has scheduled both medal deciders for the same Sunday evening - just seven minutes apart.

And former Olympic Champion Coe, president of World Athletics, clarified the reasoning behind the change, inferring that it had been the result of major discussions.

Replying to the suggestion that one might overshadow or take the limelight away from the other, he said:

“I don't think so.

“These are big-ticket events and we’ve looked at this, we've spoken broadly.

”When our competition programme comes together, it comes together incrementally.

”It's the basis of consultation and discussion and we think that that will work well — we'll see.”

Certainly the chances of Kishane Thompson gaining retribution for his minuscule defeat by Noah Lyles, or Tina Clayton, Shericka Jackson or arguably all-time sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce out-stripping Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in a home straight dash are mouthwatering prospects on their own.

"Keeping them on separate days could facilitate cause for a double dose of celebrations in Jamaica…or the USA!"

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