US far ahead, China sets best results in over 20 years at Doha Worlds

DOHA - The United States topped the medal table at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, while China achieved its best results in the competition in over 20 years.

By the time the curtain dropped on the 10-day tournament on Sunday, the US had collected a total of 29 medals to reinforce its dominance of world athletics, with most of its 14 gold, 11 silver and four bronze medals coming from track events.

American sprinters Christian Coleman, who narrowly escaped an anti-doping rule violation, and defending champion Justin Gatlin secured a one-two finish in the men's 100m race.

US women's 400m hurdler Dalilah Muhammad clocked 52.16 seconds to lift that title, shaving 0.04s off her own world record set two months ago, while Team USA also won the newly-added 4x400 mixed relay title in a world record time of 3:09.34.

Jamaica, still in search of a successor to multi-Olympic and world champion Usain Bolt, welcomed back Olympic and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from maternity leave, and the 32-year-old returnee promptly took the women's 100m title.

African runners maintained their dominance of long distance events, as Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda combined to win nine gold medals in both the men's and women's marathon, 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase events, men's 1,500m, men's 10,000m and women's 800m.

Sifan Hassan bit into the African runners' monopoly of distance events, as she bagged the Netherlands' only two medals with victories in the women's 1,500m and 10,000m.

Host nation Qatar hailed its hero Mutaz Essa Barshim as he defended his high jump title. Elsewhere, the team of Authorized Neutral Athletes, comprising competitors from Russia, bagged a total of six medals, with Mariya Lasitskene taking the women's high jump title and Anzhelika Sidorova winning gold in the women's pole vault.

The Chinese legion celebrated China's National Day holiday in style, staging the country's best performance at the world championships in more than 20 years, with three gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

Former world record holder Liang Rui led a one-two finish for China in the women's 50km race walk, before Olympic gold medalist Liu Hong and her teammates Qieyang Shijie and Yang Liujing swept the 20km race walk podium in Doha.

Defending champion Gong Lijiao, competing in her seventh world championships, retained her shot put title on October 3. The 30-year-old held off a strong challenge from Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd and produced four throws over 19m, grabbing the gold with a throw of 19.55m in the fourth round.

Liu Shiying and Lyu Huihui also brought home a silver and bronze medal respectively in the women's javelin, while Wang Zheng took bronze in the women's hammer.

Xie Zhenye wrote a piece of athletics history when he became the first Chinese man ever to qualify for the 200m final at the world championships, eventually finishing in seventh place.

The next edition of World Athletics Championships will be held in Eugene, United States in 2021.