Edition 266 | May 2025

Getting ready for the World Athletics Relays

After the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25 in March, World Athletics Series event action continues in China this month with the World Athletics Relays.

The World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 will welcome the world’s best sprinters on 10-11 May as teams compete for relay places at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.

The Wanda Diamond League continues in Doha and Rabat after Shanghai/Keqiao at the start of the month, while Continental Tour Gold competition resumes in Tokyo, Zagreb, Bydgoszcz and Nairobi.

The month ahead in athletics

A summary of competitions and stories that will be covered on the World Athletics website and its social media channels. Publication dates can be subject to change. An extensive calendar of international events can be found on the World Athletics website.

Saturday 3 May
• Wanda Diamond League Shanghai/Keqiao - results

Sunday 4 May
• Korzeniowski Warsaw Race Walking Cup (Race Walking Tour Gold) - results

Saturday 10 - Sunday 11 May
• World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25

Friday 16 May
• Wanda Diamond League Doha

Sunday 18 May
• Golden Grand Prix Tokyo (Continental Tour Gold)
• European Race Walking Team Championships (Race Walking Tour Gold)

Saturday 24 May
• Boris Hanzekovic Memorial Zagreb (Continental Tour Gold)

Sunday 25 May
• Wanda Diamond League Rabat

Tuesday 27 - Saturday 31 May
• Asian Championships

Friday 30 May
• Irena Szewińska Memorial Bydgoszcz (Continental Tour Gold)

Saturday 31 May
• Kip Keino Classic Nairobi (Continental Tour Gold)

Saturday 31 May - Sunday 1 June
• Hypomeeting Gotzis (Combined Events Tour Gold)

RECAP OF THE PAST MONTH

Headline news

500 days to go: Ultimate Championship finals rundown and qualified athletes revealed

The first 26 qualified athletes have been named and the distribution of finals has been confirmed to kick off the 500-day countdown for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

Other featured news

Action replay

Assefa breaks women-only marathon world record with 2:15:50 in London

Alekna shatters discus world record with 75.56m in Ramona

FOR THE RECORD

World record watch (as at 4 May)

Ratified in the past month

women’s 5km (mixed race): 13:54 (mx) Beatrice Chebet (KEN) Barcelona, 31 Dec 24
men’s 1500m short track: 3:29.63+ Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Lievin, 13 Feb 25
men’s mile short track: 3:45.14 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Lievin, 13 Feb 25
men’s 20km race walk: 1:16:10 Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN) Kobe, 16 Feb 25
men’s pole vault: 6.27m Mondo Duplantis (SWE) Clermont-Ferrand, 28 Feb 25

Pending ratification (set in 2025)

U20 men's 1500m short track: 3:32.67+ Cameron Myers (AUS) New York, 8 Feb 25
U20 men's mile: 3:47.48 (i) Cameron Myers (AUS) New York, 8 Feb 25
U20 women's 3000m: 8:25.37 (i) Birke Haylom (ETH) Liévin, 13 Feb 25
men's 5000m short track: 12:44.09 Grant Fisher (USA) New York, 14 Feb 25
men's half marathon: 56:42 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) Barcelona, 16 Feb 25
U20 women's pentathlon: 4556 Sofia Yakushina (RUS) College Station, 27 Feb 25
men's 35km race walk: 2:21:40 Evan Dunfee (CAN) Dudince, 22 Mar 25
U20 women's javelin: 64.83m Yan Ziyi (CHN) Chengdu, 28 Mar 25
men's discus: 74.89m Mykolas Alekna (LTU) Ramona, 13 Apr 25
men's discus: 75.56m Mykolas Alekna (LTU) Ramona, 13 Apr 25
women's 10km (women-only): 29:27 Agnes Ngetich (KEN) Herzogenaurach, 26 Apr 25
U20 men's 10,000m race walk Sohtaroh Osaka (JPN) Hiratsuka, 26 Apr 25
women's marathon (women-only): 2:15:50 Tigist Assefa (ETH) London, 27 Apr 25

Rejected or unratifiable (set in 2025)

men's 5000m race walk short track: 17:55.65 Francesco Fortunato (ITA) Ancona, 22 Feb 25
(requisite level of judges not met)
U20 men's 60m: 6.51 (i) Israel Okon (NGR) College Station, 28 Feb 25
(doping control not conducted in compliance with the rules of World Athletics)

Athletes sanctioned for a doping offence

An up-to-date list is available on the Athletics Integrity Unit website.

New member federation officers – recent elections / appointments

Member federation	President	General secretary
ROU	Constantina Dita (elected)	Inocentiu Voinea (elected)
BIH	Duško Ivičić (elected)	-
BDI	Dieudonne Kwizera (re-elected)	Aloys Haziyo (re-elected)
ARU	-	Safiera Schippers (elected)

The above information is supplied by the World Athletics governance, member and international relations department and represents member federation election results received since the last World Athletics newsletter.