Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge says he'll run seven marathons on seven continents over the next two years to raise funds for causes he believes in – even as he continues to race at the elite level.

Kipchoge's "World Tour" was announced after the Kenyan great, a former world record-holder, finished the New York Marathon on Sunday, crossing the line in 17th in 2hr 14min 36sec to cheers from the Central Park crowd.

"This unprecedented two-year journey will take (Kipchoge) across the world to compete in marathons on all seven continents, while continuing to race at the elite level," Kipchoge's management team said in a statement.

"This project aims to inspire the world to become a running world while raising funds for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation in support of education and environmental causes worldwide, bridging the things that Eliud so deeply cares for."

Before Sunday's race, Kipchoge told Olympics.com that he wanted to run in Antarctica, saying his new project was a chance to "do that extreme thing that can make someone work hard."

Kipchoge, who will turn 41 on Tuesday, said in a statement that his globetrotting project will let him "compete not only for records but for the people.

"I want to continue to push myself to run at my best but I also want to inspire, give back, and remind everyone that no human is limited."

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Gabby Thomas hopes to be back training within weeks after missing the world championships last month with an Achilles injury, the American said on Wednesday, as she eyes a busy 2026 on and off the track.

The Olympic champion in her signature 200 metres helped the United States to golds in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays at the Paris Games but was forced to miss the Tokyo showcase due to an injury she had been managing since May.

"It's part of the highs and lows of sports," said Thomas, speaking from the Women's Sports Foundation's annual gala.

"I'll be training for the beginning of next season... I'll start my training probably December."

Thomas, who was on hand to help celebrate Billie Jean King's signature foundation in New York, has also taken up a major role in the business side of her sport, steering start-up Athlos as a co-owner-advisor.

The women's-only meet moves from a standalone annual event to a multi-meet league format in 2026 amid a surge of popularity for women's sport, after enjoying a successful sophomore outing in New York earlier this month.

"We are leading a change in track and field and it's starting with women and I think that's really special," said Thomas.

"We're at a turning point right now, where there are a lot of interests and eyeballs on women's sports. And I really, really would love for track and field to take advantage of that and be a part of this moment."

Sprint great Carl Lewis says he does not think the controversial Enhanced Games will be successful and the American is not keen to lend it any oxygen either.

The Enhanced Games, which allows athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs to elicit 'superhuman' performances, has stirred the still water of traditional sports and attracted Olympic medallists such as American sprinter Fred Kerley and British swimmer Ben Proud.

"I don't think it's going to be successful," nine-time Olympic gold medallist Lewis, who was in India as brand ambassador of last Sunday's Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, told Reuters.

"I just don't think people want to abandon faith in things that are right just for the sake of performance. It's not just about competing. Sports is about doing the right thing."

Six-times world champion swimmer Kyle Chalmers turned down a "life-changing" sum of money to join the Enhanced Games, the Australian swimmer revealed last month.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has slammed the event as "dangerous and irresponsible", while athletes who joined it have faced backlash from fans and administrators.

Enhanced Games has sued World Aquatics, USA Swimming and Wada alleging an illegal campaign to "crush" the event.

NO THREAT TO OLYMPIC SPORTS

Lewis said it lacked "purpose and honour" and did not see it as a threat to the image or integrity of Olympic sports.

"I think we're giving it more legs than it deserves," he said.

Lewis felt athletics at the top level was financially attractive and its leading athletes were less likely to fall to the lure of the Enhanced Games.

"There will always be people who'd like to do their own thing their own way and have their own motivation. Some people will be in enhanced sports not because of sports but because they think they can make money," he added.

"The less oxygen we give to that subject and get that event, I think the more challenging it would be for them."

The Enhanced Games have set their inaugural competition for May 2026 in Las Vegas, with athletics, swimming and weightlifting on the agenda.

Lewis' collection of Olympic gold medals includes one stripped from drug cheat Ben Johnson at the 1988 Seoul Games.

The American was unsurprisingly pithy about why he thinks the Enhanced Games is a non-starter.

"I don't think many athletes will compete," he said.

"I don't think any records will be broken because I don't think the event is going to happen because I don't think the money will be there because I don't think people would support it."

Australian four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus has retired from competitive swimming at the age of 25, ending a stellar career that featured one of the sport's great rivalries with American Katie Ledecky.

 

Thank you Arnie!

From Tokyo 2020 to Paris 2024, eight Olympic medals, a world record and many memories later Ariarne Titmus is retiring from competitive swimming.

Thank you for inspiring Australia and the next generation! Congratulations on an incredible career ✨🐬#TeamAUS pic.twitter.com/2BFFl0VA3q

— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) October 16, 2025

 

Titmus confirmed her decision on Thursday, bowing out as one of Australia's most decorated athletes with eight Olympic medals and four world titles.

The decision came as a shock to her nation, and the swimming world in general, as she had long planned a return to the pool to chase more Olympic glory at Los Angeles 2028.

"A tough one, a really tough one but one that I'm really happy with," she said of her decision in a video on social media.

"I love swimming, I've always loved swimming. It's been my passion since I was a little girl.

"But I guess I've taken this time away from the pool and realised some things in my life that have always been important to me are just a little bit more important to me."

RACE OF THE CENTURY

Titmus won her third individual Olympic gold medal in a 400m freestyle final dubbed "the race of the century" at the Paris Games when she beat Ledecky and Canada's Summer McIntosh to defend her title.

After Paris, she resolved to take a year off from competing and training to recharge, electing to skip the world championships in Singapore and instead cover the meet as a TV commentator.

But the return to the pool never materialised.

 

🚨World Record Holder Ariarne Titmus (🇦🇺) has retired from competitive swimming at age 25

"I have realised that some things in my life that have always been important to me, are just a little bit more important to me now than swimming"

She last competed at the 2024 Paris… pic.twitter.com/HVpg1o9Bm2

— SwimSwam (@swimswamnews) October 15, 2025

 

Titmus had undergone surgery to remove benign tumours from her ovaries eight months before Paris and she said the health issue had reminded her about having a life outside swimming.

"Delving more into those health challenges, I've had to think about what's most important to me," said Titmus, who retires as the 200 freestyle world record holder.

"Beyond swimming I've always had goals in my personal life.

"More than anything I'm excited for what's next."

The face of Australian swimming at the last two Olympics, Titmus's retirement robs the national team of an inspirational leader who did much to restore the country to superpower status in the sport after a lean decade.

Born in Tasmania, Titmus moved to Queensland in her early teens to be trained by elite coach Dean Boxall.

Earning the nickname 'Terminator' after sweeping the 400 and 800 freestyle titles at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, she then announced herself to the swimming world by beating Ledecky in the 400 at the 2019 world championships.

Two years later, her swim to reel in Ledecky and snatch her 400 crown at the Tokyo Games became instant swimming folklore, along with Boxall's manic celebrations in the stands.

The successful defence of her title in Paris made her the first Australian woman to go back to back in an individual swimming event since Dawn Fraser in the 1960s.

Titmus also bagged two silvers and a relay gold at Paris, including her runner-up finish behind Ledecky in a thrilling 800 freestyle final.

She always said Ledecky, the 'GOAT' of women's swimming, made her a better rival, but as intense as the rivalry was there was only mutual admiration, hugs and kind words outside the pool.

The American great was among those congratulating Titmus on her career after the retirement announcement.

"An outstanding competitor, champion and person!" she wrote on Titmus's Instagram feed.

American sprinter Noah Lyles and his compatriot Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the queen of the 400m, are among the nominees for the title of best track athlete of the year, according to the list unveiled on Monday by World Athletics.

Lyles is the stand-out name of the five nominated on the men's list after winning the 200m and 4x100m double at the world championships in Tokyo last month, but there is no guarantee that he will win.

Last year, after winning 100m gold at the Paris Olympics, he was not selected as one of the two to go forward for the final decision.

He will face stiff competition, not least from France's Jimmy Gressier, who was the surprise winner of the 10,000m in Tokyo and took bronze in the 5,000m, and another American Rai Benjamin, who won the 400m hurdles at the world championships.

Americans dominate the women's category as well, with McLaughlin-Levrone joined by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who won three titles in Tokyo in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m.

McLaughlin-Levrone, already a double Olympic champion, strengthened her claim by becoming the first woman in 40 years to break the 48-second barrier in the 400m in Tokyo. She also won the 4x400m.

Voting is open on the world governing body's social media channels until October 19 with the names of the two finalists to be announced on November 2.

NOMINEES:

Men: Rai Benjamin (USA), Jimmy Gressier (FRA), Noah Lyles (USA), Cordell Tinch (USA), Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)

Women: Femke Bol (NED), Beatrice Chebet (KEN), Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), Faith Kipyegon (KEN), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)

 

Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo dominated the men's field in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, breaking the tape in two hours, two minutes and 23 seconds in his second race over the distance, while Ethiopian Hawi Feysa enjoyed a lopsided win in the women's race.

 

🏆 Chicago Marathon men's winner 🏆

In just his second ever race over 26.2 miles, Jacob Kiplimo triumphs in Chicago in 2:02:23 ⚡️

At the half-way point, the Ugandan was on world record watch with a split of 60:16 but had a slower second half of the race 🇺🇬 pic.twitter.com/wGeg3vHbos

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) October 12, 2025

 

The half-marathon world record holder Kiplimo crossed the finish line one minute and 31 seconds ahead of Amos Kipruto of Kenya, while Kenyan Alex Masai was third in 2:04:37.

Kiplimo, who finished second in his marathon debut in London this year, broke away by the 30-kilometre mark and had built a nearly one-minute cushion with five miles to go.

He peeked over his shoulder a few times during the last mile of the race but had nothing to worry about as he jogged through the final straight all by himself and sat down in sheer exhaustion a few metres after the finish.

Feysa, who finished third on the podium in Tokyo, appeared emotional through the final mile and fell to her knees after crossing the line in 2:14:56, while her compatriot was second in 2:17:18.

Tanzanian Magdalena Shauri took the third spot on the podium in 2:18:03.

Feysa ran the last five miles of the race on her own, thriving in Chicago's pristine, sunny conditions to shave more than two minutes off her personal best.

 

SECOND TIME SENSATIONAL 🤩

In only his second marathon, Jacob Kiplimo 🇺🇬 DOMINATES the 2025 Chicago Marathon with a 2:02:23 victory.

After finishing second in his debut in London earlier this year, Kiplimo now has his first World Marathon Major title and lands at #7 on the… pic.twitter.com/O34SCRp6u7

— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) October 12, 2025

 

Dutch 400m hurdles double world champion Femke Bol said on Friday she will focus on the 800m next season.

"The 400m hurdles provided me with unforgettable moments and shaped me into the athlete I am today," Bol wrote on her Instagram account on Friday.

"But I want to challenge myself again and push my boundaries," she explained.

"The 800m is new and unfamiliar territory, and that's precisely what makes it so interesting."

Reigning Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson commented on Bol's post: "Can't wait to share the startline."

The 25-year-old Bol, who retained her world title last month, made the decision to switch with her coach, Laurent Meuwly.

The Tokyo triumph, where she blazed home in a time of 51.54 seconds ahead of American Jasmine Jones and Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova, marked the end of another successful season for Bol, who completed an incredible sixth Diamond League campaign unbeaten.

The brother of Filippo Tortu, a member of Italy's 4x100m relay team that won Olympic gold in Tokyo, was suspended for three years on Thursday by the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) for spying on two-time Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs.

Giacomo Tortu, himself a former athlete and current president of the Milan Raptors club, received two suspensions after he attempted to access Jacobs's personal data with the help of a private detective agency, hoping, according to the Italian press, to demonstrate doping.

The first suspension, imposed by FIDAL, for 30 months, was for "violation of respect for and compliance with federal statutory and regulatory rules, as well as the principles of loyalty, integrity, fairness in sport, and discipline that constitute the foundations of sport".

The second, six months, was added to the first "for having committed the offence with the intention of committing or concealing another offence, or to secure an advantage for oneself or another".

FIDAL stated that Filippo Tortu had been "completely unaware of the accused's plans".

Filippo Tortu and Jacobs were part of the Italian relay team that won a surprise gold at the 2021 Olympics ahead of Great Britain, a first in the history of Italian athletics.

Four days earlier, Jacobs, previously without a major title and little known to the general public, had won the men's 100m, the blue riband event of the Olympics, in 9.80 seconds ahead of American Fred Kerley and Canadian Andre de Grasse.

Since then, despite repeated injuries, Jacobs won the European 100m titles in 2022 and 2024.

He finished fifth in the 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics and fourth in the 4x100m relay.

Last month, he failed to advance past the semifinals at the 2025 Tokyo world championships.

Alongside Filippo Tortu, he also won silver in the relay at the 2023 world championships.

Eliud Kipchoge is hoping to leave a lasting legacy in sport when he crosses the finish line at next month’s New York City Marathon.

The 40-year-old, widely considered the greatest marathon runner of all time, is the only man to have run the 26.2-mile distance in under two hours and has claimed two Olympic gold medals along with a record 11 wins across the World Marathon Majors.

Running the five-borough New York classic was the only marathon he had yet to check off his list among the six majors, having made a triumphant debut in Chicago 11 years ago.

"I've been training for major marathons for a very long time and I have never completed all of them. If I don't complete, I feel like I am halfway - I am not a rounded person," he said.

"My legacy will be complete because I will have a sixth star."

Kipchoge collected his last marathon major title in Berlin two years ago and most recently finished ninth in August at the Sydney Marathon, the newest race added to the prized Abbott World Marathon Majors series.

While Father Time has taken a toll - he was unable to finish last year's Paris Olympics marathon - he credited advances in technology, including continuous glucose monitoring, with helping him push past the boundaries of age.

"From 2013 to 2020 then I was just trying to eat in a good way, try to make sure that I have energy in my body," said Kipchoge, who has partnered with the marathon majors' title sponsor Abbott since 2021.

"That's what made changes - I can monitor my glucose on time. It's wonderful."

Kipchoge said he would announce what is next on his agenda following the New York marathon on November 2.

A long-time anti-doping advocate, his lengthy career has also overlapped with a spate of high-profile doping cases in marathon running, particularly from his native Kenya.

Asked about compatriot and world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich, who was handed a provisional suspension in July after testing positive for a prohibited substance, Kipchoge said: "It's a shame actually for people to break the rule in sport."

Berlin Marathon favourite Sabastian Sawe goes into Sunday's race vowing to honour the legacy of Kenyan countrymen Eliud Kipchoge and Kelvin Kiptum, the two fastest men in history.

Running just his third marathon on Sunday, the 29-year-old pledged to carry the torch passed on from Kipchoge and Kiptum.

Speaking with AFP days out from the race, Sawe cited Kipchoge, one of running's few household names, as a "mentor".

Embodying the spirit of Kiptum, the world record holder who died in a car accident in 2024, is another goal.

"It was so sad, we lost a legend."

"We have nothing to say except we are sorry for him and we will live to remember him."

Kiptum's death left Sawe as the man most likely to put pressure on the world record and challenge marathon's holy grail: the two-hour mark.

"Everything is possible with time," Sawe said.

"Kipchoge says: 'no man is limited', so one day, someone will break it."

'BERLIN THE FASTEST'

With 24C (75F) forecast Sunday in Berlin and with fewer turns, Berlin is the flattest of the majors, creating fair conditions for a world record tilt.

Eight of the last nine men's marathon world records have been set in the German capital.

The only exception is the current world mark of 2:00:35, set by the late Kiptum in Chicago in 2023.

The temptation of a shot at history was enough for Sawe to skip the world athletics championships in Tokyo.

"Berlin is the fastest course and it's possible to run fast here," Sawe said, having won the city's half-marathon in 2023.

Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, a four-time winner in Berlin, told Germany's RTL network on Friday the event was the "perfect place" to beat the two-hour mark, while backing the "young and talented" Sawe.

"If the weather is good, there could be a surprise."

Sawe's path to marathon running was unorthodox. An 800 and 1 500-metre runner, an accident at the 2022 Seville half-marathon revealed his potential.

Brought in as a pacer, Sawe found himself alone after seven kilometres and went on to win, setting a new course record despite having never raced longer than 5000 metres.

On his marathon debut in Valencia in 2024, he won in a time of 2:02:05 – the fifth fastest in history.

After winning again in London in April, Kipchoge's 2022 course record of 2:01:09, is in sight.

'A BIG WIN'

Sawe's early inspiration also came from closer to home. His uncle Abraham Chepkirwok still holds the national 800-metre record.

"He inspired me and up to now I think (I run) because of him," Sawe said.

He cites his grandmother Esther, nicknamed Koko, who raised him and passed away in 2022 as he ran in Seville, as his major role model.

"She was close to me and we talked a lot. Because of her, I got so far.

"I remember her a lot."

Speaking at a pre-race press conference on Friday, Sawe said: "I am capable of a big win in marathons – and on Sunday."

But Sawe's ambitions go beyond medals and records. He wants to improve the reputation of Kenya's athletics program, which has been weighed down by a slew of doping cases.

In July, female marathon world record holder Ruth Chepng'etich became the latest Kenyan athlete to be suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for doping.

In the lead-up to Sunday's race, Sawe has undergone an extensive additional testing program overseen by the AIU.

In addition to the mandatory protocols, Sawe will have completed an additional 25 tests prior to Sunday's race, an average of one every three days.

"In my country, we have a lot of doping cases. Due to a lot of doubt, my team came up with this (plan).

"It was to give that awareness that I am running clean."

Sawe said he hopes the program helps to "bring back our good name. To show that despite having had a lot of cases, not all (our) athletes run dirty."

American Rai Benjamin outpaced rivals Alison Dos Santos and Karsten Warholm to claim a first world 400 metres hurdles title in Tokyo on Friday.

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Benjamin was briefly disqualified before being reinstated, after he hit the last hurdle and it moved into the neighbouring lane.

The 2024 Olympic champion who has two previous world silvers and a bronze to his name, clocked a season's best time of 46.52sec for victory at the National Stadium.

Rai takes the crown 👑

Olympic champ Rai Benjamin powers to 46.84 in the 400m hurdles to win his first world title🔥#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/6UyvDtbzKM

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) September 19, 2025

Brazil's 2022 world champion Dos Santos took silver in 46.84sec, with Qatar's Abderrahman Samba rounding out the podium (47.06sec).

There was heartbreak for Warholm, who previously won world titles in 2017, 2019 and 2023, and who claimed gold on the same Tokyo track at the Covid-delayed 2021 Olympics.

The Norwegian could only finish fifth in 47.58sec behind Nigeria's Ezekiel Nathaniel.

Warholm, in lane four, got off to his trademark thunderous start, but clipped the third hurdle.

Coming off the bend into the home straight, Benjamin, in lane seven, had a clear lead.

The American kept his rivals at bay, Dos Santos finishing strongly, but Warholm fading to a disappointing fifth.

World and Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen rebounded from failing to make the 1 500m final by safely advancing to the final of the 5 000m at the world championships in Tokyo on Friday.

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The Norwegian was left punching the air as he crossed the line in eighth place in the second of two heats, with the top eight qualifying for the final on Sunday.

Coming into the championships, Ingebrigtsen had been laid low with an Achilles injury that saw him miss all of the outdoor season.

He picked up his injury after completing a rare world indoor double over 1 500m and 3 000m in Nanjing in March.

All other race favourites went through, notably the strong US trio of Cole Hocker, Nico Young and double Olympic bronze medallist Grant Fisher.

This is heartbreaking 💔

Gulveer Singh missed out on the 5000m final by just one spot, finishing 9th while only the top 8 qualified!!

In the last 50m, reigning World Champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen surged past him to snatch the final qualifying spot. pic.twitter.com/UNhrhBrxGL

— nnis Sports (@nnis_sports) September 19, 2025

France's Jimmy Gressier, who upset the field to win the 10 000m in Tokyo, also qualified along with Ethiopians Hagos Gebrhiwet and Biniam Mehary.

There was no place, however, for Sweden's 10 000m bronze medallist Andreas Almgren, ninth in his heat, or Dutchman Niels Laros, who pulled up injured.

Qatar's former Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim has withdrawn from the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, citing a foot injury that has hampered his preparations despite travelling with the national team to Japan.

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Barshim, 34, won gold at the World Championships at London 2017, Doha 2019, and Eugene 2022, before claiming the bronze medal in Budapest two years ago.

He expressed disappointment over missing the event, stating, "I had hoped to compete and bring joy to the fans in Qatar and around the world. But I believe the best is yet to come, God willing."

Barshim won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, sharing the top of the podium with Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi in a historic moment of sportsmanship.

The Qatar Athletics Federation expressed regret over Barshim’s withdrawal, noting that medical staff advised against his participation to avoid aggravating the injury.

"Barshim was present with Team Qatar in Japan and made every effort to overcome the pain and compete in the championship, but the medical decision prioritized his safety so that he can return stronger in the upcoming events. We wish him a speedy recovery."

Barshim’s absence leaves a notable gap in Qatar’s medal hopes, but the federation remains optimistic ahead of the event in Tokyo that runs from 13 to 21 September.

Long jump world record holder Mike Powell, who now works as a coach, has been suspended indefinitely over a safeguarding concern, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday.

Twice Olympic silver medallist Powell, who joined Azusa Pacific University track and field coaching staff in 2022, set the men's long jump world record of 8.95 metres at the 1991 world championships in Tokyo, a mark that still stands.

World Record holder in the men's Long Jump, Mike Powell 🇺🇸 has been suspended by the Case Management Group (CMG) of World Athletics over a Safeguarding Concern, following a referral by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

The suspension bars him from all World… pic.twitter.com/ea4FDwo0nG

— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) September 12, 2025

The AIU said the 61-year-old American is barred from all World Athletics-sanctioned activities, including accreditation at World Athletics Series Events, as well as any competitions or events organised or sanctioned by World Athletics, its Area Associations or Member Federations.

Powell is also prohibited from attending hospitality or private access venues linked to World Athletics Series Events, whether invited or not. The AIU said the suspension could be varied on application or appeal.

Reuters has contacted Azusa Pacific University to ask for comment from it and Powell on the suspension.

American sprinter Erriyon Knighton was handed a four-year ban for an Anti-Doping Rule Violation after the Court of Arbitration for Sport partially upheld appeals by World Athletics and the World Anti-Doping Agency on Friday.

His ban is effective from Friday with credit for the provisional suspension he served between April 12 and June 19 last year, preventing the 21-year-old from competing at the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo.

Knighton, a 200 metres world silver medallist in 2023, was charged with an ADRV in May 2024 when an out-of-competition doping test revealed the presence of Epitrenbolone, an anabolic steroid on Wada's prohibited list.

The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) attempted to sanction Knighton but an Arbitration Tribunal said he should not be banned as he bore no fault or negligence in connection to the use and presence of the substance.

The decision had cleared him to compete in the US Olympic trials.

However, World Athletics and the global anti-doping body appealed to sport's highest court against USADA and Knighton to set aside the Tribunal's decision and both appeals were considered jointly.

"WA and Wada considered that the evidence submitted by the athlete and his explanations of a meat contamination scenario fell short of the required proof of source and were statistically impossible," CAS said in a statement.

"Knighton argued that the ADRV was caused by the ingestion of an oxtail dish contaminated with trenbolone."

Trenbolone is a known livestock growth promoter used legally in beef cattle produced in and exported to the United States.

"The CAS Panel determined that there is no proof that would support the conclusion that oxtail imported into the USA would be likely to contain trenbolone residues at the level required to have caused the athlete's Adverse Analytical Finding," it added.

Although CAS upheld the appeal for a four-year ban, they only partially granted their request to disqualify all his results since March 2024. He has been disqualified retroactively from March 26-April 12, 2024.

Raven Saunders, women's shot put runner-up at the Tokyo Olympics, has accepted a 30-month ban for three "whereabouts" failures within 12 months, the US Anti-Doping Agency announced on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old American was fifth at the 2016 Rio Olympics before capturing a silver medal in Japan and placing 11th in last year's Paris Olympics.

Saunders was part of the US registered testing pool when incurred three failures to allow testing officials to know a location to allow for random doping tests, the failures taking place on April 19, 2024, May 17, 2024, and December 26, 2024.

The period of ineligibility for first whereabouts rule violations ranges from one to two years, but this was the second rule violation for Saunders and USADA determined a 30-month period of ineligibility was appropriate.

Saunders served an 18-month ban for three whereabouts failures from August 2022 to February 2024.

The latest 30-month ban began on December 26, 2024, and Saunders was disqualified from all competitive results since then.

Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo said on Tuesday he would let his "legs do the talking" in his battle with brash American Noah Lyles at the world championships in Tokyo.

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The softly spoken Botswanan won his country's first Olympic gold medal in any sport in Paris last year, where Lyles finished third.

Tebogo labelled his flamboyant American rival "arrogant" after the race, and Lyles's outsized character is likely to command the global spotlight again when the world championships begin on Saturday.

Tebogo said he was comfortable with having "different personalities" in the sport, as he took part in an event with children at a primary school in Tokyo.

"I'm one person who always shies away from the media, but the sport forces me to step up, up my game into becoming a sports personality," said the 22-year-old.

"At the end of the day, it's all about what do you want to see: to be on the spotlight or off the spotlight.

"For me, I choose off the spotlight and then just my legs do the talking."

Lyles got the better of Tebogo in the 200m in the Diamond League finals in Zurich two weeks ago, edging the Botswanan by two-hundredths of a second.

The pair are also set to square off in the 100m in Tokyo.

Tebogo is looking to win his first world title after picking up silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m in Budapest two years ago.

He said he felt like "a hero" to Botswanans after his historic Olympic success but vowed not to change his approach in Tokyo.

"Once you invite pressure inside yourself, then it means you are not doing it for yourself, you are doing it for the people," he said.

"Yes, you should do it for the people but it's you first and then the people later.

"Once you put pressure inside yourself, it means you have done something wrong."

Tebogo has said that athletics saved him from a life of crime and he is a global ambassador for the Kids Athletics development programme.

He was all smiles during his school visit, banging a traditional Japanese drum to start a race that saw about 100 children scramble under nets and tip-toe over balance beams.

He said he felt a responsibility to "inspire kids all over the world".

"I'm so excited to see how the Japanese relay culture works and I really can't wait to work with these kids because we had a fun time in Botswana," said Tebogo.

"I believe we're also going to have fun here."

Haruka Kitaguchi can expect a hero's welcome when she takes to the field at Tokyo's National Stadium for the World Athletics Championships next week but recent injury woes mean the Olympic javelin champion may struggle to defend her title.

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The 27-year-old shot to fame in 2023 when her final throw of 66.73 metres in Budapest made her the first Japanese woman to win a world title in a field event.

Her celebrity status in Japan reached new heights last year when she repeated the feat in Paris, becoming the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic track and field gold outside of the marathon.

Kitaguchi's dominance - coupled with her bubbly demeanour and trademark dimpled smile - had marked her out as one of the highlights for local fans at the big event, which is being held in the Japanese capital for the first time in 34 years.

But those expectations fizzled after Kitaguchi, who is based in the Czech Republic, developed inflammation in her right elbow in June.

Upon her return to competition last month she placed dead last in the Diamond League final in Zurich.

Still, that has not stopped the Hokkaido native from aiming to defend her title.

"Since I've already experienced how amazing it feels to win a gold medal, I know I love being No 1," she said on a video call from Turkey, where she is spending the final two weeks of training in warm, humid conditions similar to Tokyo.

"So I'm going to give it everything to be the best.

"Aside from my elbow and arm, I feel my overall condition is much better than it was for the Paris Olympics. If I can go into the event in a state where I can throw properly, I'll be pretty confident."

Although only her last throw in Zurich cleared 60m - and just barely at that - Kitaguchi said she was no longer in pain and that reaching that distance without sustaining another injury was a weight off her shoulders.

"My No 1 fear was that I would get injured and not be able to come back... The 60m result boosted my confidence."

A third Athletics World Championships in four years gives Keely Hodgkinson the opportunity to upgrade her two 800 metre silvers into gold and she heads to Tokyo a very different athlete to the one stood on the second step of the Eugene and Budapest podiums.

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In fact, the 23-year-old Briton, who triumphed over two laps at the Paris Olympics last year, travels as one of the hottest favourites of the championships after turning round what had been threatening to be the most frustrating year of her career.

The last few years have all been something of a whirl for Hodgkinson, an outstanding junior, who shot to fame by taking silver behind American Athing Mu at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as a 19-year-old, taking almost two seconds off her personal best.

In 2022 she lost a thrilling world final to Mu by eight hundredths of a second, leaving Kenya's Mary Moraa trailing.

The following year in Eugene she beat Mu for the first time but again had to settle for silver as Moraa triumphed.

Although frustrated by a third global silver, Hodgkinson's rapid improvement gave her the confidence that she could beat "the big two" with another year under her belt.

She warmed up for the 2024 Olympics by lowering her own British record to 1:54.61 - making her the sixth fastest woman ever over the distance - and by the time she hit Paris's purple track she, and everyone else in the field, knew she was the one to beat.

She duly delivered a textbook performance for gold, following Ann Packer and Kelly Holmes as British women 800m Olympic champions and earning her the BBC's sports personality of the year award for good measure.

As is so often the case in athletics, however, just when she was reaching her peak, a hugely frustrating trough followed.

Hodgkinson had planned an assault on the indoor world record this February at the "Keely Klassic" event set up in her honour, but had to pull out with a hamstring tear.

It proved to be a troublesome injury as complications ruled her out of much of the summer's racing and put her Tokyo participation in doubt.

However, in an astounding comeback on August 16 after a year off the track, she blasted to a Diamond League triumph in Silesia in a world-leading time of 1:54.74, also her second-fastest time ever.

And just in case there were any lingering doubts about her fitness, she went again in Lausanne days later, defying miserable conditions to break the 23-year-old meeting record in 1:55.69.

"My coach said to me a few weeks ago 'you're actually ahead of schedule, I wanted you to be here by the time we're in Tokyo' - so to be here now is amazing," Hodgkinson said after her uplifting return. "Hopefully we can stay healthy and build on top of what we've got, and let's see what can happen.

"It's been frustrating but it makes the good times sweeter and it makes it even better to be here now."

Her old rival Mu will not be in Tokyo after failing to get through the U.S. trials, while Moraa has also struggled for any sort of form this year.

So, somewhat surprisingly, her main threat could come from closer to home after compatriot and training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell opted not to run in the 1,500m, where she won bronze in Paris, but to target just the 800 in Tokyo where she feels there is more of a medal chance.

Uganda's half-marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo and double Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei will miss this month's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo due to personal reasons, the country's athletics federation said late on Tuesday.

Kiplimo, 24, became the first person to run the half-marathon in under 57 minutes when he set a stunning world record of 56 minutes, 42 seconds in Barcelona this year.

Cheptegei, 28, won gold in the 5 000 metres at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and in the 10 000 metres at last year's Paris Games, but finished ninth in the Tokyo Marathon in March this year.

Uganda's Olympic Committee President Don Rukare said it was "unfortunate" that the two stars would miss the championship in the Japanese capital.

"We are respecting the personal reasons the two have earlier advanced," Rukare told AFP.

"We are having consultations on the way forward but there should not be any reason for Ugandans and sports enthusiasts to be alarmed," he added.

Uganda is yet to release the list of athletes set to compete at the World Championships, which will be held from 13-21 September.