Australia’s men’s 4x400m relay team thought they had powered into the world championship final in a new national record of 2:58.00.
However, the celebrations were cut short soon after when the team were disqualified for a faulty changeover.
Third-runner Aidan Murphy was outside the changeover zone when he took the baton from Reece Holder, resulting in the disqualification.
Although Australian Athletics appealed the decision, the footage was cut and dry and the decision stood.
The run would have broken a record that had stood since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, set by Bruce Frayne, Darren Clark, Gary Minihan and Rick Mitchell.
Cooper Sherman took the team out nicely in his lane, handing over to Holder in fifth place.
However, Holder had the run of his life to get Australia into the lead by the time of his fateful change with Murphy.
The Aussies finished third behind Belgium and Botswana to qualify automatically for the final, only to then be delivered the devastating news.
The USA team, who had dominated the event, winning gold in nine out of the last 10 championships, failed to qualify for the final.
Australia’s men’s 4x100m team did qualify for the final though, with Connor Bond, Joshua Azzopardi, Calab Law and Rohan Browning running 38.21 as they finished fourth in the heat, qualifying as one of the two fastest losers.
They were assisted by a multitude of errors from the leading teams, with Great Britain and Northern Ireland, South Africa and pre-race favourites Jamaica all dropping the baton.
That same fate befell Australia’s women in the 4x100m relay, while the 4x400m team failed to qualify.
Little claims second consecutive world bronze
Mackenzie Little led the field after the first round. (Getty Images: Patrick Smith)
Mackenzie Little won a bronze medal in the women’s javelin final, repeating her finish from two years ago in Budapest.
Little, a full-time doctor, led the field with 63.58 metres in her first round.
However, Ecuador’s Juleisy Angulo set a new national record, beating her previous personal best by three metres to soar into the leaders spot after the second round.
Little remained in silver medal spot until the final round, when Anete Sietina threw a personal best to knock her down to bronze.
In the 5,000m, Rose Davies finished in 10th spot and Linden Hall 11th as 10,000m champion Beatrice Chebet beat compatriot, 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon in a thrilling, tactical 5,000m race.
Chebet has now won the 5,000-10,000m double at both the Olympic Games in Paris and the world championships.
Earlier, Matt Denny qualified for the men’s discus final in fourth place.
Also in the morning session, Brazilian walker Caio Bonfim won his first major gold medal but said he lost his wedding ring during the 20km race.
Follow all the action from Tokyo in our live blog.
Key Events
4h ago4 hours agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:18pm
5h ago5 hours agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:00pm
5h ago5 hours agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:29pm
Show all key events8h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 9:36am
World Athletics Championships Day 8
Results:
Mackenzie Little wins world championship bronze in the javelin.Australia’s men’s 4x400m relay thought they had qualified for the final with a new national record but were disqualified.Australia’s men’s 4x100m have qualified for the final.The women’s 4x400m relay did not make the final and the 4x100m relay dropped the baton.Matt Denny qualified for the discus final with the fourth largest throw of the morning’s qualifiers.Rose Davies finishes 10th and Linden Hall 11th in the women’s 5,000m.Rebecca Henderson (21st) and Lizzy McMillen (33rd) completed the women’s 20km race walk, but Alexandra Griffin did not finish.
Rhydian Cowley (20th), Declan Tingay (23rd) and Tim Fraser (39th) competed in the men’s 20km race walk.The bronze medal was shared in the heptathlon, with America’s Tayliyah Brooks and Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson tied on 6,581 points. Australians Camryn Newton-Smith and Tori West finished 16th and 17th respectively.
4h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:36pm
Australians in action on Sunday
Well, what a day we have in store tomorrow.
The action will all kick off at 8:30pm AEST, and you’ll want to watching from then.
High jump final (8:30pm AEST): Nicola Olyslagers, Eleanor PattersonWomen’s 800m final (8:25pm AEST): Jessica HullMen’s 5,000m final (8:50pm AEST): Ky RobinsonMen’s discus final (9:00pm AEST): Matt DennyMen’s 4x100m relay final (10:10pm AEST): Australia
Five events.
Six medals up for grabs.
Could be a super Sunday indeed.
We’ll see you then.
4h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:28pm
MEN’S 800M FINAL: Emmanuel Wanyonyi front-runs to victory
What a race.
What a race to watch.
(Getty Images)
Emmanuel Wanyonu breaks the championship record with a gutsy front-running display to claim gold in 1:41.86.
That was remarkable.
He looked like he was going to be swamped throughout the last 150 metres but he just kept his nose in front, kept digging, kept holding his pace and he ends up winning a gold medal.
Djamel Sedjati actually pulled ahead of Wanyonu in the final stages, but Wanyonu came back with one final surge.
Remarkable.
Marco Arop wins bronze.
It’s the same medalists, albeit in a different order from Paris.
Cian McPhillips gets an Irish national record 1:42.15.
4h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:18pm
JAVELIN FINAL: Mackenzie Little wins bronze
(Getty Images)
Mackenzie Little can’t get the distance with her last throw to move up on the podium.
It’s a second consecutive bronze medal for Mackenzie Little at a world championships.
She has moved back from the gold medal position after round one, silver from round two and then bronze in round six.
(Getty Images)
But she should be really happy with that.
She’s not thrown a lot this year but has a world bronze medal anyway.
She has a final distance of 63.58.
Juleisy Angulo has won gold in a national record 65.12 and Anete Sietina silver with a personal best of 64.64.
4h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:17pm
JAVELIN FINAL: Anete Sietina leaps into silver!
What a throw from Latvian Anete Sietina!
She launches the javelin 64.64 and takes the silver medal away from Mackenzie Arnold!
It’s a personal best for the Latvian.
4h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:13pm
WOMEN’S 5,000M: Aussies too busy sprinting each other to know who won
Here’s our two 5,000m runners, who have just had a chat with David Mark in the mixed zone.
“I’m happy,” Rose Davies says.
“I gave it my all tonight and that’s what I wanted to do.
“It was really tough out there, I had to fight to the line.
“I think it was very tactical, very pushy, slow and fast, it was very hard to hold your spot.”
Linden Hall agreed.
“I was pretty happy about it, but it was very hard to hold your spot,” Hall says.
“I was in lane 2 way more than I wanted to be. It definitely helped you keep switched on.
“Definitely going home happy.”
When you’re fighting for the line, it’s not always easy to see who won, and both Aussies said they were more interested in beating each other.
“I didn’t know who won,” Hall says with a laugh.
“I was just trying to outsprint her,” Davies adds with another laugh.
Sounds like they are having the time of their lives out there.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:06pm
Gold is good for you
Can Mackenzie Little go big? Here’s hoping the Aussie doc can get the last laugh and grab the gold – the best medicine of all.
– Throw time
Don’t ask me, I’m not a doctor.
We’ll ask Dr Little if she wins one and has a taste.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:06pm
Speed is relative
It’s always funny when you hear it’s slow 2000m or 5000m, and then you realise, “I I could never run that fast!!!”
– Steph in Melbourne
Loading5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 1:00pm
Why were the Australian’s disqualified from the 4x400m?
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:59pm
MEN’S 4x400M RELAY: The DQ was for being outside the change over mark
Dave Culbert was reporting that the 4×400 men’s relay was disqualified for jostling in the changeover area, rather than the baton change being outside the changeover area. Has there been any clarification on that?
– Stephen D
Hi Stephen D,
We were shown a replay on SBS that highlighted that the foot of Aidan Murphy was outside where it needed to be.
It looked very, very clear cut that it was outside too.
It wasn’t about them jostling and I’m not sure why Dave Culbert thought that was the issue.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:56pm
MEN’S 4x100M RELAY
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:50pm
I liked this more than I should
You can always bet on Chebet!
Love a double double.
– The gambler
But it’s true.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:45pm
WOMEN’S 5,000M FINAL: CHEBET WINS THE DOUBLE!
Kipyegon and Chebet!
Kipyegon leads Chebet!
BUT BEATRICE CHEBET WINS IT!
(Getty Images)
What a brilliant race.
Beatrice Chebet wins the 5-10 double-double!
The Olympic double in Paris. The World Championship double in Tokyo.
What an athlete.
The world’s greatest long-distance track athlete strikes again and relegates the world’s greatest middle distance runner to second.
(Getty Images)
Faith Kipyegon is second.
Nadia Battocletti is the bronze medallist.
(Getty Images)
Rose Davies finishes 10th! 15:03.61.
Linden Hall in 11th just behind her.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:43pm
WOMEN’S 5,000M FINAL: 1 lap to go
Rose Davis gets churned towards the front and then drops back.
It gets messy.
Now Nadia Battocletti who has a dig and moves to the front!
And Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet follow!
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:42pm
WOMEN’S 5,000M FINAL: 1KM to go
That KM was 2:57.
Nobody wants to show their hand.
Nobody wants to press.
Faith Kipyegon is still towards the middle of the pack.
Agnes Jebet Ngetich is there though, in second.
Shelby Houlihan is still leading.
Aussies in midfield .
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:39pm
WOMEN’S 5,000M FINAL: Nobody is willing to go
(Getty Images)
The favourites are content to let the Americans take the pace through half way.
Shelby Houlihan has upped the pace though, that was sub three minute KM, going through 3km at 9:18.66
Ngetich is there, lurking at the front. Ready to take a charge or just to cover attacks?
Nadia Battocletti is there in third.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:36pm
WOMEN’S 5,000M FINAL: Still a slow pace through 2km
They’re through 2KM at 6:19.94, so about 3:03 that last km.
Speeding up.
It’s still too slow for some.
Rose Davies moves up through the 1,500m point and just tries to give the leaders a bit more impetus to go faster.
The Americans are still there at the front.
Agnes Jebet Ngetich is there towards the front, ready to cover some moves.
Faith Kipyegon moves up too towards the end of that KM.
Linden Hall comes forward following Kipyegon and is forced wide.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:33pm
WOMEN’S 5,000M FINAL: Americans leading them through 1km
First KM is 3:17 – that’s not quick.
Slow start, the two Americans Shelby Houlihan and Josette Andrews are taking the pace out.
Nozomi Tanaka, front runner supreme, is there too but drops back
Faith Kipyegon is in midfield.
The Aussies are towards the back of the pack.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:31pm
JAVELIN FINAL: Little in second place through two rounds
Mackenzie Little has started the women’s javelin final really well.
She lands a 63.58 in the first round to get into the lead.
But then Ecuador’s Juleisy Angulo throws a massive personal best to roar into the lead with 65.12.
5h agoSat 20 Sep 2025 at 12:29pm
WOMEN’S 5,000M FINAL: Rose and Hall to go for a medal
(Getty Images)
Two Australian women in the final of the 5,000m for the first time in World Championship history.
You love to see it.
Both Rose Davies and Linden Hall did so well to get into this final, running tactically astute races in stifling conditions.
Can they shock the world by sneaking into a medal position?
Look, it’s going to be really tough.
Kenyan trio Beatrice Chebet, Agnes Jebet Ngetich and the defending champion Faith Kipyegon will look to control the race in a bid to secure Kipyegon a second successive 1,500-5,000m double at a world championships.
(Getty Images)
But the Ethiopians Gudaf Tsegay, Medina Eisa and Fantaye Belayneh have national pride on the line to stop that from happening.
Don’t rule out 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti of Italy. She finished fourth in Paris at the Olympics and is clearly in good form here.
Home runner Nozomi Tanaka tried to go solo in her heat run, and despite leading for the majority of the race, did not fade as the pack caught her and held on to qualify. Will she try another wild bid for gold this time around?
I don’t think she’ll be allowed to.
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