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At the conclusion of the 9-day Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships, the United States topped the medal table with a total of 29 medals. The sports powerhouse secured 12 gold, eight silver, and nine bronze medals. This impressive haul placed them well ahead of Canada, which ended the championships with four gold and two silver medals.
Jamaica, another top performer from the NACAC Area, clinched three gold, five silver, and four bronze medals. Spain rounded off the top three overall, securing four gold and one silver medal.
On the points table, the USA led with 277 points, followed by Jamaica with 139 and Kenya with 112. Canada ranked sixth, accumulating 70 points.
In the championship’s final track event, Jamaica narrowly missed gold due to a remarkable run by Femke Bol for the Netherlands, who finished in 3:20.72.
On the men’s side, the USA Men’s 4x400m relay team, consisting of Quincy Hall, Vernon Norwood, Justin Robinson, and Rai Benjamin, maintained the USA’s unbroken World Championship streak in the event with a time of 2:57.31.
Vernon Norwood commented, “We dominated the first two legs to get us out in the open. With the recent relay chaos in mind, we prioritized clean exchanges and aimed to dominate the race.”
France clinched the silver with a national record of 2:58.45, while Great Britain, despite missing Matthew Hudson-Smith, secured bronze with a time of 2:58.71.
In other highlights, the final day of the championships continued its trend of delivering dramatic finals. In the Women’s 800m, reigning champion and American Record holder Athing Mu was surpassed in the final moments by Kenya’s Mary Moraa (1:56.03) and Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson (1:56.34). Mu settled for third, clocking in at 1:56.61.
Reflecting on her race, Mu shared, “The semifinals shook me up a bit, so I aimed for a strong start.” Despite leading initially, her advantage was persistently challenged and eventually overturned, marking the end of her undefeated 800m run. “I’m proud of my performance up to the 750m mark, but fatigue caught up with me,” Mu added. “Given my aggressive start, I think it was a solid race.”
This event marked only Mu’s sixth race of the season and her fourth 800m. Intriguingly, rumors circulated just two weeks before the World Championships, suggesting that Mu and her team might consider skipping the event to narrow their focus on the upcoming Olympics.
Acknowledging a challenging year, Mu plans to commence her off-season after Budapest. “This year wasn’t my favorite, but I’m optimistic about the future,” she shared with NBC. “I’m looking forward to a vacation and a break from track and field.”
Lastly, Mu’s teammates, Raveynn Rodgers and Nia Akins, finished fourth (1:57.45) and sixth (1:57.73), respectively.
BY ANTHONY FOSTER FOR THE NACAC ATHLETICS
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