It was a head-to-head battle that many may have predicted, but the closing drama came as a shock.
Gudaf Tsegay and Sifan Hassan – shoulder to shoulder with their arms pumping and their eyes fixed on the finish – both chasing 10,000m gold in a thrilling first track final of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.
Two of the fastest ever women over 25 laps of the track, locked in a fierce fight. Until suddenly, they weren’t. Just metres from the finish line, after both had used their 1500m speed to superb effect over the final lap, Hassan fell – the Olympic champion’s dreams of another global medal treble going crashing down with her.
As Hassan stumbled, Tsegay remained resolute. The world 5000m champion from Oregon last year gritted her teeth and ended up adding a maiden 10,000m title to her burgeoning global medal haul, clocking 31:27.18 to lead an Ethiopian medal sweep ahead of world record-holder and defending champion Letesenbet Gidey, and world indoor medallist Ejgayehu Taye.

Haile Gebrselassie likes to remind people that, when it comes to athletics, Kenya and Ethiopia are in a co-dependent relationship. He sees the historic growth of the distance-running dominance of these two countries as deeply imbricated.
In a year that celebrates 40 years of the World Athletics Championships, Gebrselassie reflects on the 1993 edition in Stuttgart, Germany, where this first became clear to him.
By the time the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games came around, Gebrselassie was the clear favorite in the men’s 10,000m, but in 1993 his potential was unknown. He was established for winning at U20 level, but the expectation that he would win every race he entered was not yet the norm.
After finishing second in the 5000m, he faced what many thought would be an even bigger challenge in the 10,000m, where he would need to dethrone the 1991 Kenyan world champion, Moses Tanui.
The field strung out fairly early in the race, with Chelimo being the one to hold on to Tanui and Gebrselassie the longest. The two continuously exchanged glances as Gebrselassie stuck on Tanui’s heels.
The last lap of the race was dramatic. Gebrselassie clipped Tanui; he angrily flailed, kicked his shoe off, and attempted to storm away from Gebrselassie. But over the final 100 meters, Gebrselassie passed him on the inside lane to take the win – his first ever global championship gold at senior level – in a tie of 27:46.02.
Up until that point, Gebrselassie’s father thought he was wasting his time pursuing a career in the sport. But when he returned home from the World Championships with a new Mercedes – the first car Gebrselassie’s family ever owned – his father changed his mind.
Meanwhile, Tanui and Kenyan fans viewed the win as a theft. Tanui even told Kenyan paper years later that he was robbed, and that his federation should have filed a protest. While he holds no ill will towards Gebrselassie, the dispute helped charge a healthy rivalry between the two countries that Gebrselassie considers the most fundamental part of his own career.
In 1994 and 1995, Gebrselassie was on a tear, setting world records in both the 5000m and 10,000m. Over the next decade, he and Paul Tergat established an iconic rivalry, with Gebrselassie outkicking the much taller Kenyan by a healthy margin at the 1996 Olympics, and by just a hair in 2000.
But much like Tanui, Gebrselassie credits Tergat for his own greatness.
Now it seems obvious that Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes will vie for medals in the distance events at World Championships and Olympic Games, but this history, and rivalry, had to start somewhere. It predated Gebrselassie’s time, but his longstanding relationships with a few top Kenyans fueled a mutual growth and respect.

Not only for Australians but for the whole world Football lovers the 2023 World Cup was close to perfect. Perfect, for many, would have been the Australia captain, Sam Kerr and not Spain’s Olga Carmona lifting the trophy. But in this country football has been associated with failure, blunder or worst of all being ignored. This tournament was something else entirely.
Spain is first-time world champions after a scintillating final performance against England in Sydney. They join Germany as the only countries to have won the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups in history. The tournament will be remembered forever and is a huge step forward for the women’s game.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has delivered two World Cup tournaments within nine months. He told Football Now that it’s been a successful year, and he is proud of the efforts of all those involved.
“This 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has simply been the best ever. Great atmosphere and full stadiums. In the streets, everywhere, the people have been joyful and happy. Australia and New Zealand have been fantastic hosts. Across the world, 2 billion viewers. In the stadiums, 2 million spectators. Many, many records were broken. We had results that we couldn’t expect. Eight newcomers. A new world champion. I mean, what do you want more?”
Australia and New Zealand have done an incredible job welcoming all the fans. This tournament has boosted football’s popularity, without a doubt. Traditionally, the Oceania region are keen Rugby enthusiasts. However, almost 40% of the New Zealand population tuned in to watch the opening game. Moments like this make a world stand still and make a World Cup truly special.
Another stand-out moment was the quarter-finals, Australia against France. Goalless after 120 minutes of high-quality football. The deciding penalty shootout was the longest and most dramatic in history. Australia took the match with a 7 – 6 win.
Cortnee Vine took the winning penalty to send the Matildas to the semi-finals. It felt like a watershed moment for the sport down under. On social media, videos showed fans celebrating like never before in that part of the world.
Early in the competition, we said goodbye to game legends Brazil’s Marta Vieira da Silva and the USA’s Megan Rapinoe. Both will be remembered for their inspiring careers and contributions to women’s football on and off the pitch. Brazil failed to make it out of the group stages. While Rapinoe missed a crucial penalty in the US’ Round of 16 game with Sweden, resigning the former champions to an early shock exit.
We saw fantastic performances from the African teams. Many entered the tournament as the underdogs, but South Africa, Nigeria and Morocco gave a solid challenge to the heavyweights along the way. The progress made on the pitch was also coupled with moments of cultural significance, as Nouhaila Benzina became the first player ever to wear the hijab at a World Cup.
The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, dubbed it the “best and greatest and biggest” Women’s World Cup in history. On this occasion, it was hard to argue with him. An average of more than 30,000 fans attended each match. Only tournaments in the US in 1999 and China in 2007 have averaged higher. Close to 2 million tickets were sold – a record, and almost 500,000 more than initial targets.
About 400,000 people attended the Matildas’ seven matches, each one at capacity. Millions more would have gone if they could. Instead the country turned to live sites and televisions. The semi-final between Australia and England outrated the biggest television programmes since the modern ratings system was established in 2001. Bigger than Australian rules grand finals, and rugby league State of Origin matches. Bigger than either Master Chef or My Kitchen Rules. Bigger than Wimbledon tennis, the 2003 men’s Rugby World Cup final. Bigger than anything else the Commonwealth could cook up, even Harry and Meghan’s wedding.