The World Athletics Championship is the world’s premier track and field event. It is held every two years in odd-numbered years to avoid clashing with the Olympics, which are held on a quadrennial basis in even-numbered years. It features competitions for men and women on a banked 200m track (except the 60m and 60m hurdles), alongside the field events. The championships were first held in 1985.

The 2023 edition in Budapest demonstrated why the event is so revered: 404,088 fans crammed into the National Athletics Centre on the banks of the Danube to watch spellbinding performances across nine days. The best athletes in the sport, from Olympic champions to Wanda Diamond League winners, are all here competing against each other for the most prestigious prize in the sport.

There are a host of star names to look out for including Mondo Duplantis, who is constantly threatening and breaking WRs in the pole vault. We have also a number of excellent shot putters such as Crouser and Rai Benjamen, who are pushing the event forwards to new levels. In the men’s 400m hurdles we have Karaten Warholm and Dos Santos who are challenging for the WR in every race they run.

The GB & NI team was announced today and includes 12 World Championship medallists, 11 Olympic medallists, 37 World Championship veterans and 22 athletes making their World Athletics Championship debut. Paris silver medallist Matt Hudson-Smith (Gary Evans, Birchfield Harriers) is joined in the men’s 400m by defending European Championship champion Charlie Dobson (Leon Baptiste, Colchester) and British junior champion Samuel Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath & Bromley). In the 800m, Paris Olympics relay teammates Jemma Reekie (Trevor Painter, Belgrave Harriers) and Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Aston Moore, Leigh) have been selected alongside London Marathon winner Josh Kerr (Danny Mackey, Edinburgh). Guernsey’s Alistair Chalmers and Calli Hauger-Thackery (Andrew Henderson, Preston) have been added to the 1500m and 5000m squads respectively.