The 2022 World Athletics Championships ended on July 24 in Eugene with the expected victory of the United States, at home. Disappointing Worlds for France, only medalist with the gold of Kevin Mayer on decathlon. For the African nations, the overall balance remains stable with 28 podiums including 9 titles.
Two years before the 2024 Paris Olympics, French athletics is not reassured. The tricolor delegation almost left with arms dangling from the 2022 Worlds, which has not happened to them since 1993. They owe their salvation to their superstar, Kevin Mayer, who regained his title in the decathlonafter winning it in 2017 and then losing it in 2019.
The golden parenthesis of the mid-2010s, with excellent results at the 2013 Worlds and 2017 as well as at the 2016 Olympics, seems closed, confirming the decline glimpsed in Doha (2 podiums) three years ago, as well as at the Olympic Games 2021 (1 medal). ” It’s a very positive assessment for me with a team rediscovered in terms of character, with people who have come closer to the podium “, all the same assured the director of high performance of the French Athletics Federation, Romain Barras.
The United States remains the best nation
France is however very far from posting the results of the United States. Unsurprisingly, the American athletes finished at the top of the medal standings with 33 charms including 13 gold. They certainly said goodbye to their icon Allyson Felix – 30 podiums at the Worlds and at the Olympic Games, including 22 coronations – left at 36 with bronze in the 4×400 meter mixed relay. But they have in Sydney McLaughlin22 years old and explosive over 400m hurdles (new world record at stake), a new headliner.
The domination of the US spinters, with hat-tricks in the 100 and 200 meters, is inevitably also a source of satisfaction for their federation, USA Track & Field. The latter can turn serenely to the next Summer Games, or even those long awaited in Los Angeles in 2028, the American medalists being on average 25 years old.
Stable results for Africa
For the African nations represented at the 2022 Worlds, the overall balance remains stable with 28 medals, including 9 gold, in line with the results obtained at Doha 2019 (27 podiums, 9 titles) and London 2017 (28 podiums, 10 titles).
It should be noted that Ethiopia, with its four world titles in Eugene, has once again become the number one African country in the World Championships ahead of Kenya, for the first time since 2005.