Manchester United against Arsenal was once the biggest fixture in the Premier League -- a clash between two heavyweights that defined the competition and forged the reputations of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira and many others. But when the two clubs meet at Old Trafford on Monday, it will be encounter between two giants who have lost their way, with a game that used to decide the title now potentially a battle to avoid the dubious distinction of finishing sixth.

Between 1996 and 2004, the two clubs won nine titles between them, but United have not lifted the Premier League trophy since 2013, while Arsenal's drought stretches back to when the "Invincibles" were crowned champions in 2004 without suffering a league defeat.

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So, as they prepare to renew hostilities on Monday, what has caused the decline for each club and how long will it take United and Arsenal to get back to the top?

Why has it gone wrong?

United

Complacency, poor planning and bad decisions, stemming back to Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in May 2013, were the root cause of United's current malaise. There was a misguided belief within Old Trafford that a post-Ferguson slump would be a short-term blip, extending to little more than a year or two without a major trophy, but that complacency fed into the poor forward planning and United allowed themselves to fall behind their rivals while they waited for something to happen.

But having fallen off the pace, United threw money at the problem, making several ill-judged signings -- Angel Di Maria, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Alexis Sanchez to name just three -- and are now onto their fourth permanent manager since Ferguson, with the club marooned in the doldrums.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger's reign as manager ran perhaps three years too long, despite the obvious need for change during the final seasons of the Frenchman's 21-year spell in charge. But the move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury in 2006, while crucial for the club's growth, hit Arsenal hard from a financial perspective and forced the sale of top players such as Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie.

Wenger failed to successfully replace those stars, with Arsenal unable to compete with the likes of United, Chelsea and Manchester City in the transfer market. But if he had been replaced earlier, the drift of his latter years could have been avoided, thereby leaving the club in a stronger position.

Changes that need to be made

United

There are problems in every area of the pitch, and United must also find a way to address the recruitment failings that have led to their squad being so imbalanced and light on quality. The club have been looking to hire a technical director, charged with improving player recruitment, for almost a year, but until that key appointment is made, they will continue to miss out on the best players. In terms of what manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs, it may take three to four transfer windows to make United's squad competitive again; a well-connected technical director could reduce the time required.

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Arsenal

Arsenal are ahead of United in terms of their recruitment structure, having reshaped that area of the club during the final years of Wenger's reign with the appointment of Raul Sanllehi as head of football. Unai Emery has yet to impose a clear tactical plan since replacing Wenger over a year ago, however, and the rebuilding work at the club is unlikely to bear fruit until he can find a way to make his team play. Right now, it is little different to the final days of Wenger: Exciting going forward, but weak at the back.

Players they should get

United

The squad lacks players in their prime -- top performers in their mid-20s, who can be relied upon to stay fit and deliver consistently -- and the lack of experience is beginning to show. A proven centre-forward, a top-class No. 10 and a commanding midfielder should be the priority signings, but Solskjaer's squad needs reinforcements in every position, either as first-choice or cover.

If United still possess the clout and ambition to sign the best, they should be targeting Christian Eriksen, Declan Rice and a proven scorer who will hit 20 league goals a season.

Arsenal

They are blessed with quality up front following the acquisitions of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe, but Arsenal need players who are equally impressive at the back. There is no commanding centre-half or a midfielder with the ability to control the tempo of a game.

James Milner and Sergio Ramos may be the wrong side of 30, but in terms of short-term signings, who would improve the mentality of the squad at the same time as toughening up defence and midfield, both could be smart signings if they became available. Like United, though, Arsenal need ready-made performers in midfield and defence.

Biggest on-pitch issue to address

United

Goals. United simply don't score enough of them, having netted just 18 in their last 20 games. Selling Romelu Lukaku and loaning Alexis Sanchez, both to Inter, has left Solskjaer desperately short of firepower, with only Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and 17-year-old Marcus Greenwood remaining. United simply have to sign a centre-forward -- maybe two -- in January.

Arsenal

Defending. Last month's 2-2 draw at home to Spurs highlighted Arsenal's attacking strength and defensive weakness, just a week after Liverpool exposed their frailties at the back. The addition of David Luiz has done nothing to improve Arsenal's defending, so they need new personnel and more work by Emery on the training ground.

Biggest off-pitch issue to address

United

Finding a technical director is a priority, but the running thread throughout United's decline over the past six years has been Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman. Players and managers have come and gone, but Woodward remains in charge of running the club and, quite frankly, his position should be under greater scrutiny. United's owners, the Glazer family, remain loyal but his results in the job have been as bad, if not worse, than any of the managers he has hired and fired.

Arsenal

The ownership of Stan Kroenke has coincided with Arsenal's decline as a major force in the Premier League and, although the club spent more than usual in the transfer market this summer, they continue to trail behind their trophy-winning rivals when it comes to investment. If the Gunners are to get back to the top, Kroenke must sanction an increase in spending on players, otherwise the team will continue to drift.

How long will it take to get back to the top?

United

The Glazers are committed to a three-year rebuild at Old Trafford, but from their current state, it seems highly optimistic to expect a United title challenge in time for the 2021-22 season. If everything goes to plan and if Manchester City and Liverpool hit the skids, United might be competitive within three years, but with such a poor squad, it may yet be at least five before they challenge to win the league.

Arsenal

If Emery can build a solid defence, Arsenal could challenge for honours within the next two years because they possess a potent goal threat. They not only need a full defensive rebuild, though, but also require a change of mentality at the Emirates and that will not be a quick fix, so Arsenal are looking at a three-year wait because there will inevitably be bumps along the road.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Kawhi Leonard says his health and playing time will be managed differently this season compared to how the Toronto Raptors handled the star forward with load management.

On his first Media Day with the LA Clippers, Leonard said his health is considerably better now than it was entering last season with the Raptors when he was coming off a quad injury and playing a total of nine games in San Antonio during the 2017-18 season.

"It's different this season," Leonard said after being asked how his health will be managed this season. "Last year I was going in with an injury that I was dealing with the year before, still was lingering and we knew that I had to be healthy going throughout the season and making it to the playoffs.

"This time, I'm feeling good," Leonard continued. "I'm feeling way better than I was at the start of last season. There really was no plan laid out to discuss with everyone."

Last season, Leonard played a total of 60 regular season games for the Raptors and averaged 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. Leonard then led the Raptors to their first NBA title, averaging 30.5 points and 9.1 rebounds in 24 postseason games and becoming the Finals MVP. Leonard said he could not have done that without the Raptors' load management plan.

But now Leonard says he is feeling much better as he enters his first season with the Clippers. The more Leonard and Paul George -- who is coming off surgeries on both his shoulders -- play, the more formidable Doc Rivers' defense will be. Rivers has two of the best two-way players in the game in Leonard and George to go with the tenacious Patrick Beverley among others.

"It's going to be scary," George said of the Clippers' defensive versatility. "With myself, [Montrezl Harrell], Kawhi, Pat, [Landry Shamet], Mo [Harkless], Rodney [McGruder], we've really got a chance to do something special on the defensive end. ... Watching Pat get out there and picking somebody up 94 feet, that's going to get me going. It's going to get Kawhi going. It's just going to become contagious on a nightly basis. I honestly think for the first time, people are going to be excited to watch the defensive end as opposed to watching the offensive [end]."

Beverley says the additions of Leonard and George will make the Clippers' scrappy underdog mentality feel like it's "on steroids."

Feeling healthier than he was at this time last year, Leonard said he is focused on one thing right now as he was asked if he will consider playing for Team USA next summer.

"I do want to play but I'm taking it one step at a time," Leonard said. "And right now it is getting the Clippers to the Finals."

LA Clippers forward Paul George says he will not play in the pre-season and is targeting a November return from surgeries he had on both shoulders this offseason.

In an interview with SportsCenter on Sunday, before the team's annual media day, George said he still has "a little ways to go" in his rehabilitation, but "I'm where I want to be right now at this point in the season almost starting. I like where the progression is going."

During his group news conference, George said he'd be a noncontact participant in camp.

"I will be out of the preseason," George told ESPN. "As of now, I'll be out of October fully, but who knows? We'll see. In the November range is our target date."

The Clippers open the regular season Oct. 22 against the Los Angeles Lakers, then face the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs. If George indeed misses all of October, that's at least six games for which the Clippers would be without one of their two new superstars to start the season.

George had right rotator cuff surgery to repair a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder in May, and a minor surgery to repair a partial tear of his left labrum in June. The Clippers traded for the perennial All-Star in July with the expectation he'd miss training camp and potentially the start of the season as he recovered from his injuries.

The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central on the final day of the regular season Sunday, routing the Chicago Cubs 9-0 to secure their first division title since 2015.

Manager Mike Shildt and the Cardinals began the day with a one-game lead over Milwaukee but used Jack Flaherty's arm and Matt Carpenter's bat to ensure there would be no need for a division tiebreaker game Monday.

Flaherty pitched seven impressive innings and Carpenter led a three-homer attack with a three-run drive to help St. Louis advance to the NL Division Series, starting Thursday at Atlanta.

The second-place Brewers will play at Washington in the NL wild-card game Tuesday night, with the winner going on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

Paul Goldschmidt and Dexter Fowler also homered Sunday for St. Louis, which is back in the postseason after a three-year absence. The Cardinals have won or shared 12 division titles since the current format was developed in 1995.

St. Louis (91-71) finished three games better than last season (88-74) as Shildt became the first manager in over a century to reach the postseason without ever having played in the major or minor leagues. The only others to do so were Pants Rowland of the 1917 Chicago White Sox and Ed Barrow of the 1918 Boston Red Sox.

Milwaukee's remarkable September ultimately fell two games short of stealing the division title following Sunday evening's 4-3 loss at Colorado. The Brewers (89-73) were only three games over .500 entering the month but proceeded to go 20-4 entering the final weekend to put a scare into St. Louis.

However, they were swept in their last series against the lowly Rockies and will now try to recover with their season on the line in a single game at Washington.

A sellout crowd of 47,212 in St. Louis watched Sunday's contest, pushing the Cardinals' attendance to 3,480,393, an average of 42,968 per game. It marked the 22nd sellout of the season. St. Louis averaged 42,020 last season.

As has become tradition over the years, the fans sang the national anthem prior to the last home game of the season without the help of an organ.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Can the Los Angeles Dodgers win their first World Series since 1988? Will the Houston Astros or the New York Yankees come out of the American League? Or will a team like the Minnesota Twins or the Atlanta Braves surprise in October?

The complete schedule, with game times and broadcast networks, is below, along with all of the latest coverage from each series.

From the wild-card round all the way through the World Series, we'll have the 2019 MLB playoffs covered.

Note: Game times below will be updated when they are finalized.

• Complete postseason schedule

• Olney: The X factor of every playoff team heading into October

• Who the three favorites most want to face (and avoid) in the playoffs

National League wild card

Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. ET, TBS

American League wild card

Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland A's, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

National League Division Series

St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves

Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 3, TBS
Game 2: Friday, Oct. 4, TBS
Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 6, TBS
Game 4: Monday, Oct. 7, TBS*
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 9, TBS*

Nationals or Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 3, TBS
Game 2: Friday, Oct. 4, TBS
Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 6, TBS
Game 4: Monday, Oct. 7, TBS*
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 9, TBS*

* -- if necessary

American League Division Series

Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 4, FS1 or MLBN
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 5, FS1 or MLBN
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 7, FS1
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 8, FS1*
Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 10, FS1*

A's or Rays at Houston Astros

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 4, FS1 or MLBN
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 5, FS1 or MLBN
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 7, FS1
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 8, FS1*
Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 10, FS1*

* -- if necessary

National League Championship Series

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 11, TBS
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 12, TBS
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 14, TBS
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 15, TBS
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 16, TBS*
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 18, TBS*
Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 19, TBS*

American League Championship Series

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 12, FOX/FS1
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 13, FOX/FS1
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 15, FOX/FS1
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 16, FOX/FS1
Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 17, FOX/FS1*
Game 6: Saturday, Oct. 19, FOX/FS1*
Game 7: Sunday, Oct. 20, FOX/FS1*

* -- if necessary

World Series

Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 22, FOX
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 23, FOX
Game 3: Friday, Oct. 25, FOX
Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 26, FOX
Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 27, FOX*
Game 6: Tuesday, Oct. 29, FOX*
Game 7: Wednesday, Oct. 30, FOX*

* -- if necessary

The MLB regular season is in the books and the 2019 MLB playoff field is officially set. As 10 teams begin their October quests for World Series glory, we asked ESPN.com's Bradford Doolittle, Jeff Passan and David Schoenfield to weigh in on who is built to make deep runs, which supposed powerhouses could be most vulnerable, the breakout players to watch and much more.

Of the four wild-card teams, which one has the best chance to make a deep October run?

Doolittle: Nationals. The A's are probably the most complete of the four teams, but they'll likely have to steer past both the Astros and Yankees. As much as the Washington bullpen concerns me, the combination of their rotation and a strong, well-balanced offense makes the Nats the team most likely to navigate through the path laid out before them. They need a couple of relievers to get hot, but we've seen teams with shaky bullpens find small-sample October magic before -- like the 2018 Red Sox.

Passan: Oakland. This is no slight to the Rays; their wild-card game against Oakland is a coin flip, really, and they're mighty dangerous themselves. Or the Nationals, whose pitching staff is fairly well-suited to beat the Dodgers in a five-game series. (It's kind of a slight against the Brewers, whose incredible run is undeniable, but they are incredibly banged up, too.) It's just that the A's have the best hit-pitch-catch combination of the four -- and watching them take six of their last eight against Houston and four of their last six against New York shows they aren't scared of the elite teams they'll presumably need to beat to get to a World Series.

Schoenfield: I'll go with the Nationals thanks to that starting pitching trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. Can they pitch in relief too? The problem with picking the A's or Rays is they'll have to not only navigate past the Astros, but past the winner of the Twins-Yankees series. Either way, that means beating two 100-win clubs just to get to the World Series.

Who ya got: Dodgers, Astros and Yankees or the rest of the field?

Doolittle: The combined title probabilities of MLB's power trio tells us there is a 2-in-3 chance of one of them winning it all. Sure, there is still a 1-in-3 chance they won't -- but it's not a wager I'd be willing to place. Happily, when it comes to October, nothing is guaranteed, but there is nevertheless a very clear super-tier in baseball this season.

Passan: Give me Dodgers, Astros and Yankees. All are certainly at least a little vulnerable. Minnesota could outslug New York. The A's or Rays aren't going to roll over for the Astros. The Nationals match up nicely with the Dodgers, and the Brewers are the hottest team in baseball. And those are only the Big Three's division series matchups. That said, they're still the best teams, and the math says they're a strong bet when combined.

Schoenfield: The FanGraphs odds gives those three teams a combined 63.9 percent chance of winning the World Series, so I'll stick with the Big Three. While we all understand the anything-can-happen nature of the postseason, the past three postseasons have been the era of the super teams: the 103-win Cubs in 2016, the 101-win Astros in 2017 (over the 104-win Dodgers) and the 108-win Red Sox in 2018. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Braves or even one of the wild-card teams, but I'll bet on one of these three to win it all.

Which of the Big Three teams is most vulnerable?

Doolittle: Houston and Los Angeles could hardly look more airtight than they do right now. The Yankees' regular-season was one for the ages, given how many players had to play well for them to end up with their most wins since 2009. But now that they are closer to being the team we envisioned in spring training, the odd thing is that we don't completely know what the Yankees are. That could be a great thing for them or not. Yeah, that might be a reach, perhaps a grope, for a reason to doubt, but the point is that relative to the Dodgers and Astros, the Yankees clearly enter the playoffs with the most uncertainty.

Passan: The Yankees. The competition in the NL gives the Dodgers a clearer path. The Astros are the most talented and best team. It's not so much what the Yankees aren't as it is what the other two are.

Schoenfield: I'll make it 3-for-3 and nominate the Yankees as well. Their bullpen is deep, but not necessarily deep enough to successfully bullpen their way through an entire postseason. At some point, they'll need some outings in which their starting pitchers go six or seven good innings -- and I'm not sure I want to bet on that. Yes, Luis Severino looked good in his return and James Paxton has been very solid the final two months. The bottom line really, however: Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole pitch for the Astros, and Walker Buehler, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw pitch for the Dodgers.

Who is one player with injury questions whose health could most change the trajectory of his team's October?

Doolittle: For all the slugging the Minnesota Twins have done this season, the amazing rookie season from Luis Arraez has played a big part in keeping the Twins' offense multifaceted. Arraez's 7.2 runs created per game ranks third on the team -- ahead of Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler, among others. So the sight of him being carted off the field on Saturday was frightening for a team that was already pretty beat up as the postseason begins. It appears that Arraez's sprain -- diagnosed as Grade 1 -- isn't too bad. Hopefully, he'll be available. For one thing, his throwback style deserves a national audience. For another, the Twins will have to put up some crooked numbers to survive the Yankees.

Passan: With a healthy and productive James Paxton backing a healthy and productive Luis Severino, the New York Yankees are a team capable of making a World Series run. With a gimpy Paxton and/or a short-stint-limited Severino compounding the loss of Domingo German following his domestic-violence incident, the burden placed on the Yankees' bullpen might be too much even for its strong foundation to weather.

Schoenfield: I'll agree with Jeff here, especially since Paxton left his final start after one inning with a sore left glute. Maybe it's nothing, but maybe it's something. Severino topped out at 80 pitches in his three outings, but after mowing down the bad Angels and Blue Jays, he walked four in three innings against the Rangers in his third start. Certainly the fastball velocity says he's healthy -- if he can give the Yankees five or six innings, that will be a huge boost to their chances.

Who will be the breakout star of this October?

Doolittle: The Cardinals' Jack Flaherty has been gaining more and more attention with each passing outing, and the timing of his breakout coincides perfectly with the onset of the October tournament. Since the All-Star break, Flaherty has been the best pitcher in the National League. His run has been reminiscent of other amazing streaks from Cardinals aces in the past, like Bob Gibson in 1968 and John Tudor in 1985. Flaherty is poised to become a national star -- and he's got the SoCal looks and the unflappable personality to exploit his opportunity.

Passan: Yordan Alvarez blitzed the major leagues by slashing .317/.406/.733 in June, his first month -- and followed that up with a .333/.419/627 line in July, .309/.425/.670 in August and .329/.424/.671 this month entering the final game of the season. Since his debut, he has been a better hitter than Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Anthony Rendon and every one of his Houston Astros teammates, including Alex Bregman. The question, then, isn't about whether the 22-year-old is going to break out in October. It's about who's going to sit for him if the Astros make it to the World Series and lose the DH in an NL park.

Schoenfield: I guess you could argue that Ronald Acuna Jr. has already broken out, following up his sensational rookie season with a super sophomore campaign in which he hit 41 home runs and stole 37 bases. This is his opportunity, however, to do it on the big stage, and he has the swagger that reminds me of a certain Mr. October from the past.

Who is the player under the most pressure entering the postseason?

Doolittle: The Astros enter the playoffs in the favorite's seat, and while most of their players seem perfectly comfortable wearing that target, it will be interesting to see how Zack Greinke reacts to it. His postseason record to date is a mixed bag. Most recently, he was knocked out early in the 2017 NL wild-card game, then walked five over five innings in his only NLDS start the next round against the Dodgers. He has never been to the World Series, and the spotlight never gets brighter than during the Fall Classic.

Passan: Isn't it always Clayton Kershaw? While he may not look like the unstoppable, unhittable Kershaw of his prime, he's still an excellent starting pitcher. A bad playoff résumé is the lone ding on Kershaw's permanent record, with an ERA nearly two runs higher in the postseason than the regular season (4.32 to 2.44). If Kershaw summons more performances similar to the eight shutout innings he threw in last year's division series or seven brilliant innings in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, the Dodgers have a far greater chance to do what they've been one step away from the past two seasons: win the whole damn thing.

Schoenfield: Kenley Jansen. The Dodgers have seven straight division titles and two straight World Series appearances with no titles to show for it. Jansen's postseason history the past two World Series includes a blown save and a loss in 2017 and two blown saves in 2018. If he'd done his job, the Dodgers might have two rings. Now he enters October coming off -- for him -- a poor second half. Everyone in Dodgerland is questioning whether he can do the job. So yeah, the pressure is enormous.

What is the one theme from this postseason we'll all be talking about one month from now?

Doolittle: I anticipate that by the World Series, we'll be talking about how the ability for teams to beat you in diverse ways is still crucial. Homers, walks, strikeouts -- sure. You can't win at a high level these days without a least a minimal acumen in those categories. But what separates the teams is the value added by contact hitting, defensive range, baserunning, starters who can give you innings, etc. In other words, baseball as we've always known it survives and is essential, even if it has been augmented by analytics-fueled three-true-outcomes and bullpen-heavy strategies.

Passan: How 2019 provided the highest-scoring postseason of all time. The juiced ball is real, and it is going to lead to a higher proportion of games featuring double-digit scoring than any playoffs before. Maybe the overall runs won't be the highest ever -- length of series is tough to predict -- but per-game run-scoring will set a record, there will be a public outcry from pitchers, and it will prompt MLB to spend even more time addressing what it plans to do about the ball.

Schoenfield: That stellar starting pitching is still the best path to ultimate success -- as best realized in Game 7 of the World Series, when Gerrit Cole outduels Walker Buehler in a 2-1 victory ... with Yordan Alvarez hitting the walk-off home run off Clayton Kershaw in the bottom of the ninth.

Olympic champion and world record-holder Liu Hong leads team-mates to podium domination at IAAF World Championships

Down on the city’s Corniche promenade, China swept the medals in the women’s 20km race walk with Lui Hong taking her third world title.

Liu took gold in 2011 and 2015 – and had a baby break in 2017-18 – and her victory on Sunday in Doha came in 1:32:53 ahead of team-mates Qieyang Shenjie (1:33:10) and Yang Liujing (1:33:17) after a half way split of 47:51.

Liu, who is also the Olympic champion and world record-holder, handled the warm conditions (32C and 75% humidity at the start just before midnight) better than everyone else, including defending champion Yang Jiayu, who was disqualified during the event.

American quartet break world record to win mixed 4x400m gold at the IAAF World Championships

Predictably with a stronger quartet, the USA smashed their world mixed 4x400m record from the heats by over three seconds in the very first major championships to hold the event.

Their time at the IAAF World Championships in Doha was 3:09.34 and they won by over two seconds. For the second time in a day, Britain bettered the old world record but finished fourth!

Wilbert London gave them a good start and Allyson Felix, chasing a record 12th world championships gold and 17th medal, briefly went ahead before predictably Poland (running a different gender mix to the other seven teams) went flying past in the shape of Rafal Omelko.

On the third leg, Iga Baumgart-Witan maintained a lead of around four seconds over USA’s Courtney Okolo.

On the last leg all the pressure was on European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic, who had a good lead but was being chased by seven men.

Michael Cherry passed her in the last 200 metres and went clear and there was a good dust up for the other leading places, just as there was in the heat.

Javon Francis of Jamaica got the verdict in 3:11.78 just ahead of Abbas Abbas of Bahrain’s 3:11.82. Chasing hard but unable to close on the leading two, though just easing past the Pole, was Martyn Rooney who gave Briton fourth.

Rabah Yousif had got them off to a good start and there were very good low 50-second legs for both Zoey Clark and Emily Diamond.

Rooney finished less than half a second from the medal and lost around that amount of time with a hesitant final change as he took the baton. The British team resisted the temptation to strengthen their team unlike the USA and surely the inclusion of Matthew Hudson-Smith would have yielded a medal.

Nevertheless, their time was a European record of 3:12.27, improving their heat time of 3:12.80. Poland were just six hundredths back on 3:12.33.

The official split times weren’t available on the evening of the race but the heat splits were 45.9, 50.8, 50.9 and 45.2 and unofficially they were similar, though Diamond and Rooney were probably slightly faster.

Rooney said: “It’s my eighth world championships, I’ve served my time, I’m very proud to represent my country, and I’ll serve it any way I need to – if that means stepping out and letting someone else run and that’s what’s best for the country then I’ll do that.

“I think the team here stepped up to the plate and they ran a European record twice and I think – especially the girls – they outshone us and that’s where we knew the difference would be in the women’s pair, rather than the men’s. They were fantastic.”

Gemili leads 200m qualifiers

In qualifying there was good news for Britain’s 200m runners but less for the 800m runners.

All three Brits impressively eased through to tomorrow’s 200m semi-finals.

Adam Gemili ran the most relaxed and controlled fast 200m he has ever run. His 20.06 heat one win was his fastest for three years and he beat world and European champion Ramil Guliyev (20.27) by two metres. It proved to be the quickest of the seven heats for the 100m semi-finalist.

“This was a bit of redemption for yesterday – for not executing how I should have done,” Gemili said. “Hopefully this gives me a good lane for tomorrow.

“I’m happy with that – I didn’t feel like I was pushing too much off the bend, I was just high stepping. I had a little glance and saw Guliyev was there or thereabouts and I feel like I’ve got plenty in the legs for tomorrow.”

Less than 24 hours after his 100m final, Zharnel Hughes also qualified easily with an eased-back 20.24 second place behind China’s Zhenye Xie’s 20.20. The 100m champion Christian Coleman did not start.

“Tonight was all about qualifying,” said Hughes. “I didn’t really care that much about going super fast. I was held up by anti-doping last night and did not get to sleep until 4am.”

Alex Quinonez of Ecuador won heat three with an impressive finish in 20.08 ahead of Yohan Blake (20.23).

Kyle Greaaux won heat four easily in 20.19 as 19.82 performer Kenny Bednarek was clearly injured and jogged across the line in 21.50.

Miguel Francis kept the good UK results going and would have won if he had not eased back in the last few metres and was caught on the dip by Aaron Brown as both were timed at 20.11.

The 100m bronze medallist Andre De Grasse won heat six, easing back in 20.20, while the big favourite Noah Lyles eased back significantly in heat seven that Jereem Richards (20.23) pipped him and the American ran 20.26.

All three Britons were eliminated in the 800m.

In the first semi, Abubaker Hayder Abdalla set an incredible pace as he went blasting through 200m in 23.11 and 48.72 at 400m. Wesley Vaszquez then took over and was through 600m in 75.81 and though he took a painful 28.2 for his last 200m he won in 1:43.96.

Ferguson Rotich got the other automatic spot with a 1;44.20.

Clayton Murphy finished fast for third in 1:44.48 and Adrian Ben’s 1:44.97 got the other fastest losers spot.

Elliot Giles did not chase the leading two but still went through 400m in his fastest split of 50.14 and was starting to struggle as he reached 600m in 77.19 and he took just inside 28 seconds for the last 200m and was fifth in 1:45.15.

It was his fourth fastest time but the quickest he has ever run outside of London.

The second semi-final was much slower with splits of 24.72, 52.17 and 78.59. Donavan Brazier finished strongly to win in 1:44.87 from surprise qualifier Marco Arop (1:45.07). 1:42.05 performer Emmanuel Korir couldn’t catch the Canadian in the last 100 metres and his 1:45.19 meant he was eliminated.

Euopean indoor silver medalist Jamie Webb faded in the last 200m and was eighth in 1:48.44.

In the final heat the pace was even slower and the runners threw away any chance of a fastest loser spot.

200m was passed in 24.76 but 400m was a slow 53.09 and the runners were all boxed though the pace picked up at 600m (79.83).

Amel Tuka blasted the final bend in 12.54 and held on to win easily in 1:45.63 with Bryce Hoppell getting the other automatic spot in 1:45.95.

Defending champion Pierre Ambroise-Bosse was in a qualifying position on the bend but faded in the last 100m and was also baulked and finished seventh in 1:47.60 having taken 14.9 for his last 100m.

Ahead of him and also running into traffic was 2017 fourth-placer Kyle Langford and he was a respectable fifth in 1:46.41.

The final looks open with no Amos, Korir, Adam Kszczot and indeed not one finalist from London 2017 but there will be three Americans.

Check out the dedicated Doha 2019 section on our website here.

Amid fears of a Diamond League chop, American sends message to IAAF with quality performance at World Champs in Doha

Christian Taylor hopes his victory in a high-class triple jump contest in Doha will help save his event being cut out of Diamond League.

The 29-year-old won his fourth successive world title with a season’s best of 17.92m in an entertaining competition as fellow American Will Claye took silver with 17.74m and Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso claimed bronze with an African record of 17.66m.

“It’s unfortunate that we’ve been having the discussion,” said Taylor on rumours the triple jump could be cut out of a slimmed down Diamond League programme. “The triple jump is at a phenomenal level right now.

“In the Paris Diamond League this year the energy was amazing. In the end I believe we belong here. There is a strong interest in the triple jump.”

The small number of spectators in the stadium certainly got behind the event. “The crowd was phenomenal,” said Taylor. “It was rocking. Hopefully this gets the IAAF attention and keeps us going.

“We’re familiar with Doha and knew the atmosphere would be perfect. The biggest concern was the climate but it was fine.”

Taylor started with two fouls as Claye took the lead with 17.61m in the first round. But Taylor then got into his stride with 17.42m, 17.86m and 17.92m in successive rounds to stamp his authority on the contest.

Claye improved to 17.72m in round two and 17.74m in both the fourth and fifth rounds but it wasn’t enough to overhaul his team-mate.

Zango, meanwhile, took bronze with his African record, just ahead of Pedro Pablo Pichardo – the Cuban-born athlete who now represents Portugal – who jumped a season’s best of 17.62m.

“I just needed to stay calm and collected and put big jumps out there,” said Taylor. “I’ve been chasing the world record – and chasing it too hard! I need to find the balance between trying hard and staying calm and Will (Claye) was helping me in the last round.”

Claye said: “The runway was really fast and I think that showed. It showed with Christian’s first two fouls and also the big jumps.

“When you make adjustments to that then you can jump far. I don’t know who was in the crowd but whoever it was making a lot of noise and we wanted to make a real show.”