Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 124, November 2019 | Page 57

bests than most previous championships.
• The meeting created an awareness of athletics
within the Middle East region, that if built on, will
see the growth of the sport.
On that last note, I would go so far as to say that the
Middle East is an up-and-coming power, in terms of
world athletics. My work has taken me there since
2003, and I have seen much development in the sport
there over the years, including the establishment of
many world class events. How many are aware that
the following are just some of the Label and major
events in the region for the growing road running
community:
• Amman Marathon, Jordan (October)
• Beirut Marathon, Lebanon (November) – Gold
Label event
• Gulf Marathon, Kuwait (November)
• Abu Dhabi Marathon, United Arab Emirates
(December) – Bronze Label event
• Kuwait Marathon, Kuwait (December) – The
fastest course I have measured in 36 years
• Muscat Marathon, Oman (January)
• Dubai Marathon, United Arab Emirates (January)
– The richest marathon in the world
title to her record collection. “It’s such a different kind
of race, more strategic,” she said, after collecting her
12th gold medal. “It was a lot of fun.” And this fun will
continue at the Tokyo Olympics, where the sport’s
newest event is on the programme again.
5 Simultaneous multi-events
Holding both multi-events on the same day makes
sense, when you think about it. They both need the
same equipment after all – high jump mats, pole vault
poles, javelins… And then you get all that brotherly
and sisterly love at the same time at the end of day
two. As Germany’s latest decathlon star, Niklas Kaul,
put it, “It was great because we had a chance to
celebrate together for the first time. It was different to
other decathlons we’ve done.”
6 Light-show introductions
There were plenty of pyrotechnics from performers
on the track, but those unleashed before the
championships’ showcase events attracted almost
as many gasps from the crowd. For some, the razz-
matazz of laser beams and light projections signalled
the way to the sport’s future, while for others, all those
flashing lights and music was a mite distracting. As
Noah Lyles said, “Oh man, I was hyped when I saw
that intro. I thought, whoever did that, did an amazing
job. That is what the sport needs.” On the other hand,
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was “trying not
to get flustered by it. I was just thinking, nail the start
and then we’re in business,” she said after blasting to
a record fourth 100m title.
• RAK Half Marathon, United Arab Emirates
(February) – The fastest 21km in the world
Qatari high jump gold
medallist Mutaz Barshim
And that’s just a sample – there are many more events
in the region, including club events, particularly in
Dubai, where over 5000 runners compete in the
annual Johnson Crane Dubai Creek Striders Half
Marathon (October). So while many people have
written off the Middle East, this is done at their peril, in
athletic terms.
The bottom line is that Doha was not a disaster, nor
a disgrace, and definitely not a disappointment to
those of us who went there... it was a development!
It also signalled the final IAAF World Championships
– because the IAAF is no more, it is now World
Athletics. The times are changing, in more ways than
one, and we all need to embrace this change.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Norrie represented Scotland and Great Britain in numerous ultra-distance events,
then emigrated and represented South Africa in triathlon. He is an IAAF-accredited coach and course
measurer, and travels all over the world to work on events, including the Olympics. He has authored two
books (Everyman’s Guide to Distance Running and Every Beginner’s Guide to Walking & Running), and
counts 21 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals. You can read more from
him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.
zip wires, while we learnt instantly about everything
from a sprinter’s top speed to a thrower’s trajectory.
“The Qataris are very impressive with all their
technology,” said 100m silver medallist Justin Gatlin
(USA), a man who has raced in Doha many times.
“The technology is world class and cutting edge for
both athletes and spectators.” For fellow American
and pole vault champion, Sam Kendricks, it points
firmly to the sport’s future. “The people in Qatar have
done a great job with the cameras and lights. This
is the championship we should model the next ones
after,” he said.
8 Medal ceremonies with digital flags
Who needs cloth and ropes in the screen age? With
technology you can do anything, it seems, including
turn Doha skylines into giant arches where national
flags flutter in a pixelated breeze. You can add a few
flares and fireworks too. As Noah Lyles said, “I love
the medal ceremonies with all the flashes and the way
they are doing the flags and everything. That’s what
we need to keep progressing.”
9 First Worlds in October
Never before had a World Championship medal
been won in October, but Doha 2019’s late-
season schedule clearly didn’t bother the USA’s
Ryan Crouser, who said: “I’ve found that I liked
it more having the last meet of the year at the
World Championships. Usually there’s a build-up
to the major champs, then it’s all a bit of a grinder
afterwards to make some money to pay for the
year. You kind of lose that passion and intensity.”
However, Belgium’s former heptathlon champ Nafi
Thiam summed up what many were feeling: “It’s
been a long season for everyone,” she said. And
Qatar’s high jump hero Mutaz Barshim agreed: “I
need to relax, to have a vacation. I need to be fat,
eat everything I can!”
7 Block cams & other new angles
Whether an underside view of an athlete’s knee caps
and nostrils really gives us “that intense moment just
before a race,” let’s leave it to the eye of the beholder.
Certainly, for some sprinters the much-hyped block
cams were all a bit too close and personal, but there
were plenty of other ways we were taken “closer
to the action than ever before,” with more than 130
cameras roaming through every nook and cranny of
World Championship space, from front of house to
behind the scenes, up corridors and under massage
tables. There were body cams, rail cams, drones and
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