Muktar Edris beats team-mate Selemon Barega to world title in Doha after Jakob Ingebrigtsen makes bold bid for gold

Two years ago Muktar Edris beat Mo Farah to the world 5000m title in London and this time the Ethiopian overcame the challenge of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, not to mention his fast-finishing team-mate Selemon Barega, to successfully defend his crown.

Returning from injury and a summer of mediocre results, Edris hit top form on Monday night in Doha as he sped away from Barega to win in 12:58.85 as Mohammed Ahmed of Canada was third and Telahun Haile Bekele of Ethiopia fourth.

Ingebrigtsen, who turned 19 last month, made a long run for home with 300m to go but began to tie up around the final bend and his legs turned to lead in the home straight although he dramatically hurled himself at the line to snatch fifth place from Jacob Kiprop of Kenya.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen in demand in the media zone after his epic 5000m effort. Norwegian finished the race with plenty of cuts on his legs and no medal but he's still smiling. #WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/ZSu4VkVkPC

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 30, 2019

Edris celebrated by doing Farah’s trademark Mobot pose, just as he did when he out-kicked the Briton at London 2017. The 25-year-old later revealed his team-mates shared the pace early on to soften their rivals up.

Finishing with cuts and bruises all over his legs, Ingebrigtsen was in good spirits afterwards, however. The Ethiopians were also all smiles although they know they probably haven’t seen the last of the prodigious teenager from Norway.

No heartbreak for Swede this time as he savours a thoroughly dominant discus victory in Doha

Daniel Stahl lost the world discus title in 2017 by just two centimetres to Andrius Gudzius then also finished runner-up to the Lithuanian at the European Championships last summer.

The Swede was not to be denied in Doha, however, as he dominated from start to finish to become his country’s first global gold medallist in the event. It was his third-round throw of 67.59m which made sure he would finish on top of the podium but he was the only competitor to clear the 67-metre mark on the night.

The 27-year-old, who went equal fourth on the world all-time list when threw 71.86m earlier this year, simply couldn’t contain himself after victory was confirmed, charging on to the infield in celebration.

As expected, Jamaican Fredrik Dacres got closest with a second-round 66.94m which won silver, his first senior global medal, while an historic bronze went to Lukas Weisshaidinger of Austria – he becomes his nation’s first ever male world medallist –thanks to his third-round 66.82m.

Gudzius, who has not been at his best this year, could only manage a second-round 61.55m before retiring after a third-round failure.

Victory was sweet for Stahl, who said: “This is historic for Sweden. I am really happy to win the first global gold for my country in the discus. I have been fighting for this for many years. I am speechless now.

“This year has been about hard work, improving my technique and travelling around the world and winning a lot of meets. I had two goals: to make it to the final and then win gold. I will now take two weeks off and continue the hard work. Tokyo is only 10 months away.”

Huihui leads the way in javelin

In women’s javelin qualifying, Chinese world leader Lu Huihui threw furthest with a distance of 67.27m from Germany’s European champion Christin Hussong (65.29m) in Group B.

Liu Shiying of China was third overall, topping Group A with 63.48m, while Czech defending champion Barbora Spotakova qualified in third from Group B thanks to a throw of 62.15m.

Russian wins third world title on trot after being pushed by teenage talent Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine

Mariya Lasitskene’s reign as queen of the high jump continued in the Qatari capital on Monday as she jumped 2.04m to take her third consecutive world title. But a great contest saw her challenged by Ukrainian prodigy Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who broke the world under-20 record twice with 2.02m and 2.04m.

Lasitskene won courtesy of her perfect record up to 2.04m, whereas Mahuchikh failed several heights during the evening, including her first two tries at 2.04m.

Lasitskene, who competes as an authorised neutral athlete, attempted 2.08m as well in an effort to get the Russian record, but her failures at that height were her only blips of the night.

Asked how she recovered from a rare defeat at the recent United States versus Europe match in Minsk, Lasitskene said: “I have already forgotten about that competition as it didn’t make me happy. I was asked to listen to my coach and everything would be okay. I listened to everything – and I won – but I struggled today for every jump.”

Why did she struggle? Lasitskene suggested her technique was not perfect but added: “The main thing is that the bar stays on the uprights.”

Mahuchikh only turned 18 on September 19 and the reigning Youth Olympics champion enjoyed a breakthrough performance as she improved her PB of 2.00m twice.

“I had two personal bests and if my coach (Tetyana Stepanova) didn’t support me then I don’t think I would have done it,” she said.

“Always we finish after my PB but after 2.02m I wanted to improve,” she said. “My coach said ‘jump and believe in yourself’.”

High jump 1-2-3 Mariya Lasitskene, Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Vashti Cunningham. #WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/kXbLGVUIab

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 30, 2019

Lasitskene missed the Olympics in Rio and on next year’s Tokyo Games she said: “I just want to enjoy my day today and enjoy it to the full. Of course the Olympics preparation is going on and this was one step in the process.”

Vashti Cunningham of the United States placed fourth with a PB of 2.00m while Yuliya Levchenko, the Ukrainian who won The Match in Minsk, was fourth, also with 2.00m.

There’s no world record but Norwegian storms his way to successful defence of his 400m hurdles title in Doha

When Karsten Warholm screamed his way into the global athletics consciousness with his gold medal-winning performance in the London rain, he took everyone by surprise.

This time, in Doha, the world was watching and the Norwegian had a sizeable target on his back but still he found a way to finish first.

There was no world record in what had been one of the most eagerly awaited races of these championships, given that it featured three of the four fastest men in history, but instead came a convincing win for Warholm in a time of 47.42 ahead of his biggest foes this year.

“I was thinking only about the gold medal.” Karsten Warholm – two-time world 400m hurdles champion ?? #WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/6sG2WQ2hE4

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 30, 2019

American Rai Benjamin clocked 47.66 for silver and Qatari Abderrahman Samba was cheered to bronze in 48.03 by the home support who had remained for the evening’s final event at the Khalifa Stadium.

Both Benjamin, who admitted to having seriously considered pulling out of the race recently following a fall in training three weeks ago which left him with a badly bruised bone, and Samba (hamstring) have had injury worries to deal with this year yet still Warholm was pushed all the way.

This was certainly no easy task for the 23-year-old.

After Warholm’s European record-breaking run of 46.92 in Zurich back in August, and the personal best of 46.98 which Benjamin and Samba both share, hopes of a fast race had been high.

That certainly appeared to be on the defending champion’s mind given that, once the now customary pre-track final light show had been completed, he reacted first to the gun and set off like a rocket.

Here
We
Go#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/XZU9uGqFXj

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 30, 2019

Benjamin was with him, however, while Turkish 2017 silver medallist Yasmani Copello and Commonwealth champion Kyron McMaster were also in the medal hunt.

Warholm began to exert some pressure, however, and create a lead entering the final straight that he was not to relinquish. When Benjamin stumbled over the final hurdle, the destination of the gold medal was settled.

Samba left it late to charge for the line but his closing surge was enough to edge out McMaster by 0.07 of a second, while Copello (48.25) faded to sixth and American TJ Holmes was fifth in 48.20.

Comment from 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm and reaction from bronze medallist Abderrahman Samba ? which gets a laugh from the press conference crowd #WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/5hdu4Dn8UI

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 30, 2019

One of Warholm’s trademarks is his evident confidence, however he did admit to some pre-race nerves.

“It’s easy to say afterwards that this was going to happen but I wasn’t too sure, to be honest,” he said. “This was a very hard race. I had a pain in my chest, I thought I was going to die but here I am world champion. This is only the beginning for all of us.

“Tomorrow I’ve got to get up and work again. Norway is only a small country so to be showing up on the world stage is amazing.”

Benjamin’s performance was all the more creditable given his interrupted build-up and he said: “ It’s been hard for me but in the rounds I just sucked it up and in the end I got a silver medal. I wanted gold but I was just happy to be out there. We were all chasing the world record and I chopped at three or four hurdles. It just wasn’t the moment.”

CONCORD, N.C. – Picking up his second victory of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Shawn Langdon was already riding high on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Things could be about to get even better for the former Top Fuel world champ and current Funny Car standout as he heads to the location of his first victory in the Funny Car class.

Langdon broke through in Charlotte earlier this year, winning the four-wide race in his 11,000-horsepower Global Electronic Technology Toyota Camry to grab his first victory in the new class. Langdon earned his first Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship Funny Car win on Sunday in St. Louis, which only adds to the confidence Langdon is feeling as he returns to state-of-the-art zMAX Dragway for a second time this year for the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals, Oct. 11-13. Coming off the victory, Langdon’s mindset is simple heading to the halfway point of the playoffs.

“My thoughts are let’s try to win (in Charlotte) and get into the top five,” Langdon said. “It’s just following (team owner) Connie Kalitta’s vision. He’s just got so much passion and it just flows through the organization. I love racing for the guy. He’s a great motivator and leader, and we just follow his vision. It’s just really one joint effort. We’ve got four great cars and teams, and it’s a great feeling to be a part of it.”

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event. It is the third of six races in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, and the 21st of 24 races during the NHRA season, and Langdon may have turned things around at the perfect time.

Competing in his second year in Funny Car, Langdon and his team, led by co-crew chiefs Del Worsham and Nick Boninfante, got off to slow playoff start, opening the playoffs in ninth and falling in the opening round in Reading. That put the onus on performing well in St. Louis if the team wanted to salvage a strong year, and Langdon came through in impressive fashion. He had a memorable come-from-behind win in the second round, slipped past Bob Tasca III to move into the final and then beat Kalitta Motorsports teammate and defending world champ J.R. Todd in the final round, keeping visions alive of a big finish.

“It was a great morale booster for the whole team,” said Langdon, who moved to seventh in points. “We felt like we’ve had a car that’s been capable of winning for a while now, we just seemed to be running into the buzz saw and the low ETs of every round. We felt like we just needed that one round to turn it around. I felt like we had a big day (Sunday). The car was flawless for me to drive.”

Langdon still needs more wins if he wants to compete for a title, which makes returning to Charlotte a good thing. He impressed in the spring and will look to do so this fall, but it won’t be easy in a loaded class. Points leader Robert Hight leads Langdon by 80 points, while he will also have to get past the likes of 16-time world champ John Force, Jack Beckman, Tasca and defending event winner Capps. But Langdon was thrilled with how the team responded under duress in St. Louis, and he’s hopeful it’s a sign of what’s to come to finish the season.

“Any time you can get a win in the Funny Car class it builds momentum, especially early (in the Countdown),” said Langdon, who has 16 career wins. “From the situation we were in, starting the Countdown in ninth place, there’s not a lot of room for error. Then just having a bad race in Reading and dropping to tenth, we had to make some big changes for St. Louis. If we didn’t make the finals (on Sunday), we weren’t going to have a shot (at a title).”

Arsenal recovered from going a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Monday, but their 13-year wait for a Premier League win at Old Trafford continues following a match that was short on quality.

Positives

The Gunners looked much more secure defensively, with Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz largely untroubled, and it was another impressive showing from youngster Bukayo Saka, who looked a real danger out wide.

Negatives

Unai Emery's side will feel they had enough openings to win the game, but unfortunately for them, they lack a real cutting edge outside of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Manager rating out of 10

6 -- Emery's defensive work on the training field paid off with a solid display, but the Spaniard will be tempted to change things up in midfield as they continue to lack creativity at the heart of the pitch.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Bernd Leno, 6 -- Dealt smartly with a decent strike by Andreas Pereira as the first half reached the midway point, but could only watch as Scott McTominay's stunning strike sailed into the top corner for 1-0. A great one-handed save denied Harry Maguire a superb winner in the second half, and the German palmed away Marcus Rashford's late free kick.

DF Calum Chambers, 7 -- Given a yellow card for a foul in the opening 10 minutes and the former Southampton man looked set for a tough evening against the slippery Daniel James, but he recovered superbly and was untroubled for the remainder. Provided a solid option on the overlap when Nicolas Pepe drifted centrally.

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DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 6 -- A much better showing from the Greece international. Made life difficult for Rashford during a swift United getaway in the first half, in what was a much more authoritative display than in recent weeks.

DF David Luiz, 6 -- The Brazilian will be a relieved man after McTominay failed to punish the centre-back's poor positioning at a United corner as the midfielder headed over with the goal at his mercy in the second half.

DF Sead Kolasinac, 6 -- Didn't venture forward as much as in previous weeks as Bukayo Saka held his position wide on the left. Had a couple of difficult moments defensively as United looked to counter, and got away with a clumsy handball in his own penalty area.

MF Lucas Torreira, 5 -- The Uruguayan doesn't have the cutting edge required to be a success in a more advanced midfield role than he's used to, summed up by a miscued volley in the United penalty area early in the second half. Brought off for Dani Ceballos after 54 minutes as Arsenal looked for a creative spark.

MF Granit Xhaka, 5 -- Criminal defending from the Arsenal skipper as he ducked his head out of the way of McTominay's strike for the opener. The Swiss international needs to be more positive on the ball, with most of his distribution being more sideways than forward. Booked for chopping down Mason Greenwood after 75 minutes.

MF Matteo Guendouzi, 7 -- The Frenchman moved the ball well and forced David De Gea into a save on the angle in the first half, and the 20-year-old was his side's most progressive midfielder on the ball at Old Trafford as he looked to drive his side forward.

FW Bukayo Saka, 7 -- Worked space well to set up Pepe for Arsenal's best first-half opening, and showed some great flashes of skill on Arsenal's left, but should have done much better with a gilt-edged chance on the hour mark as he fired over, but provided the pass for Arsenal's equaliser. A promising display came to a close when he was replaced by Joe Willock after 79 minutes.

FW Nicolas Pepe, 5 -- The Ivorian is yet to set the Premier League alight since his record move from Lille, and the winger still looks undercooked in an Arsenal shirt. Not quite time for Arsenal fans to panic, but the 24-year-old is clearly struggling, and was hauled off for Reiss Nelson in the 74th minute.

FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 7 -- Came to Arsenal's rescue yet again with a lovely clipped finish after exploiting a lopsided United defensive line, in what was the Gabon international's only real opportunity.

Substitutes

MF Dani Ceballos, 6 -- Got on the ball but failed to create a meaningful opportunity.

FW Reiss Nelson, N/R -- Failed to make an impact offensively and was forced into defensive work on Arsenal's right.

MF Joe Willock, N/R -- Not enough time to make an impact.

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal after VAR controversy at Old Trafford.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was flagged offside by linesman Scott Ledger before clipping an second-half equaliser past David De Gea, only for the video official to overturn the decision. United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appeared to argue that his players had stopped after seeing the flag go up but referee Kevin Friend awarded the goal that cancelled out Scott McTominay's classy opener just before half-time.

The draw leaves United 10th in the table on nine points, marking the first time they have failed to reach double figures after seven top-flight games since 1989.

Positives

Daniel James looks like a snip at £15 million. He had Calum Chambers booked inside 10 minutes and helped make McTominay's goal with a burst of pace toward David Luiz. The 21-year-old is making the step up from the Championship to the Premier League look easy and is quickly becoming a key member of Solskjaer's squad just three months after arriving at Old Trafford.

Negatives

It was unfortunate for Axel Tuanzebe that his loose pass into midfield led to Aubameyang's goal. Up until that point he had been one of United's best players even at left-back, a position that is not his first choice. It shows how much faith Solskjaer has in him that Marcos Rojo, who has played at left-back in a World Cup final, was left on the bench.

Manager rating out of 10

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, 6: The United manager picked a team that included six academy graduates with another two on the bench. It was a brave decision to pick Tuanzebe in an unusual position at left-back and even though he was at fault for Arsenal's equaliser, his all-round performance justified the selection. With the game in the balance he was quick to throw on Mason Greenwood but United could not find a winner.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK David De Gea, 6 -- Made a good double save to deny Bukayo Saka and Matteo Guendouzi at the end of the first half. His kicking could have been better.

DF Ashley Young, 6 -- Started at right-back in place of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Seemed to stop in the build-up to Aubameyang's goal after seeing the linesman's flag go up.

DF Victor Lindelof, 7 -- Made one crucial challenge on Sako on the edge of the box and did well to block the Arsenal forward's goal-bound effort moments after the equaliser.

DF Harry Maguire, 7 -- Tried his best to get out quickly to play Aubameyang offside but couldn't escape the VAR. Almost picked out the top corner with a fierce strike from 20 yards.

DF Axel Tuanzebe, 7 -- Looked set to start at right-back but was deployed on the left instead. Was playing well before giving the ball away cheaply for Arsenal's equaliser.

MF Scott McTominay, 7 -- Fantastic composure to take a touch and drill his shot into the top corner to put United ahead. Should have had a second with a close-range header.

MF Paul Pogba, 6 -- Passed fit despite aggravating an ankle problem against Rochdale. Barged Guendouzi off the ball to set up a good chance for Marcus Rashford.

MF Jesse Lingard, 6 -- Tried to put the Arsenal defence under pressure when they had the ball and put in a lot of work without much reward.

FW Andreas Pereira, 6 -- Enjoyed one brilliant run before forcing Bernd Leno into a good save with the first shot of the night after 28 minutes.

FW Daniel James, 7 -- It was his pace on the break that caused panic in Arsenal's defence in the build up to McTominay's goal. Served as United's main attacking threat.

FW Marcus Rashford, 6 -- Recovered quickly from a groin injury to start. Played his part in McTominay's goal after recovering the ball from the byline.

Substitutes

MF Fred (for Jesse Lingard, 74), NR: Not enough time to make an impact.

FW Mason Greenwood (for Andreas Pereira, 74), NR: Hustled around the pitch but unable to create. Missed his shot with minutes left despite the ball sitting up nicely for him inside the box.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Doc Rivers said Monday that Kawhi Leonard is unlikely to play in the LA Clippers' two preseason games in Hawaii as the team plays it safe with its new star forward.

When asked whether Leonard will be seen playing in Hawaii, where the Clippers will hold training camp this week while playing preseason games against the Houston Rockets and the Shanghai Sharks, the coach likened treating Leonard to how an NFL team typically protects its starting quarterback in the preseason.

"Yeah, if you're at a practice, I'll answer it that way," Rivers said when asked if Leonard will play in Hawaii. "I'll let you figure it out from there."

Leonard said on Sunday that his health and playing time will be managed differently from last season with the Toronto Raptors, when he played in 60 regular-season games. The star forward said he's feeling much better than he did last season, when he entered camp coming off a quad injury.

Meanwhile, Paul George, who is coming back from surgeries on both shoulders, did everything but work in five-on-five contact drills, according to Rivers. Rivers said George shot the ball well and actually dunked a couple of times, even though he shouldn't be.

George previously told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that he hopes to return sometime in November and that he likely won't play in the preseason.

"He did everything other than live," Rivers said of George. "He looks great. ... When you watch him, you would never know that he was injured. That's how good he looks. He shoots, he's dunking, which they told me he couldn't do and he did it two or three times. ... but he knows he can [dunk]. He's shooting it. You can tell all the strength is back.

"We can live with the dunks. What we can't live with is him playing, trying to sneak into action, which he clearly was trying."