Update: Australian pole vaulter Nina Kennedy has won joint gold alongside American Katie Moon. Earlier: The 2023 World Athletics Championships is well underway in Budapest and has already played host to several record-breaking performances. The competition saw its first world record of the year in the 4 x 400 metres mixed relay on August 19. The United States team smashed the previous time by more than a second, bringing the new best down to 3.08.80. Multiple championship records have been set, with American shot putter Ryan Crouser beating his own performance at the 2022 Championships in Oregon. Mr Ryan reinforced his dominance in the category with a distance of 23.51 metres, just five centimetres short of the world record which he also set in May 2023. In the men's discus throw, Sweden's Daniel Stahl beat out an eighteen-year-old championship record with his 71.46 metre throw on August 21. Fellow discus thrower and Australian Matthew Denny missed out on a medal by just 62 centimetres, placing fourth but still earning a national record. Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson set a new record in the women's 100 metres by just 0.02 seconds on the same day, the fifth-fastest performance ever in the category. It's somewhat of a comeback for Ms Richardson since being denied entrance in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for cannabis. Australia celebrated it's first medal this year when Jemima Montag won silver in the women's 20 kilometre walk, with her time also beating the current Oceanic record. Other Aussie competitors haven't been so lucky, with our four 100 metre sprinters unable to make it past the semifinal. IN OTHER NEWS: But with so many of the categories still ongoing, there's plenty of opportunities to score some points. Several athletes are currently poised for their finals, with Brandon Starc qualifying 10th in the men's high jump. Nina Kennedy cruised through the first round of the women's pole vault, easily qualifying for the finals on August 23. The night will also play host to the semifinal of the women's 100 metres hurdles, where Michelle Jenneke and Celeste Mucci will vie for a spot in the finals.
