On Friday morning, over 200 athletes took to the air as 45 medals were awarded to 23 nations in the High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Pole Vault.
Six championship records were set in the process. In the Women’s High Jump, (70-74), (65-69) and (60-64) categories, Team USA’s Rita Hanscom, Neringa Jakstiene and Ireland’s Edel Maguire and Team USA set new marks at 1.23m, 1.39m and 1.34m.
In the Long Jump, Saudi Arabia’s Salem Alahmadi rewrote the record book with a distance of 6.04m. In the Men’s Pole Vault, Germany’s Dennis Schober (35-44) and Denis Kholev (45-49), from the U.S., raised the bar with heights of 5.10m and 4.80m.
“The atmosphere is so inspirational here,” said Kholev. I brought my parents with me, and this is a great feeling.”
The Women’s 200m finals also saw a world record broken. Carole Lafayette-Boyd’s run of 35.51 set a new WR in the Women’s (80-85) category. Four more championship records were also rewritten. Sweden’s Helen Hermundstad (50-54) sprinted to a 26.05. Team USA’s Amanda Roberts (35-39) jetted to a 25.68, along with Easter Grant (40-44), who sprinted to a 24.74. Milcent Ndoro (35-39), of Kenya, ran a 24.48.
U.S. athletes completed the golden trifecta in Weight Throw with Peter Knaus (40-44) at 17.30m. In the Women’s Shot Put, three different countries won gold. Columbia’s Yaneth Tenorio (65-69), Germany’s Jana Muller-Schmidt (60-64) and Ukraine’s Svitlana Sorochuk (55-59) all heard their national anthem play.
At West End, Outdoor Throws saw U.S. and Finland athletes duel it out. The two nations claimed gold in seven of the eight events. Team USA led the way with four gold medals, followed by Finland’s three. Austria picked up the other gold in Men’s (80-84) Hammer. Great Britain, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada also found themselves on the podium.
As day six drew to a close, 58 different countries had medaled. Team USA leads the way with 328 total, followed by Great Britain’s 58 and Germany’s 43.
Saturday competitions
Saturday morning, at 8 a.m., the Men’s 10K road race begins, followed by the Women’s 10K at 8:10 a.m. At 9 a.m., 16 more jumping events get underway at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center, starting with the Men’s (35-39) Long Jump, followed by Women’s (55-59) High Jump and Men’s (65-69) Triple Jump. During that time, the Men’s and Women’s 400m semi-finals begin in all categories. At 3:50 p.m., the finals begin in the Women’s 1500m, with the (80+) category hitting the track. At 5:20 p.m., the Men’s 1500m gets underway with the (85+) category. At West End, at 9 a.m., the Outdoor Throws continue with the Men’s (75-79) Javelin, the Women’s (45-49) Discus, and the Men’s (65-69) Hammer.
In addition, on Saturday, Bennie and the Band hit the stage in the Athletes Village at 8 p.m.
Changes to the 10K Race Walk on March 30
8:00 a.m. -- W60+
9:45 a.m. -- W35,40,45,50,55
11:15 a.m. -- M70+
1:00 p.m. -- M60, 65
2:30 p.m. -- M35,40,45,50,55
Out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of the athletes, the WMA and Local Organizing Committee, with the advice of the chief medical officer, announced that if a race is interrupted due to inclement weather, it will not restart.
Key Event Highlights
- Competition Dates: Friday through Sunday, March 30.
- Locations: Alachua County Sports and Events Center, Celebration Pointe
- Volunteer Opportunities: Available throughout the week (sign-up at www.wmaci2025.com)
- Admissions: Free for spectators
- Athlete Village: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with live entertainment vendors and more. Vendor opportunities can be found at https://wmaci2025.com/vendors/
- Media Information: Local media are invited to attend. Media credentials can be requested through the official event website: https://wmaci2025.com/media-accreditation/
- The Media Center will be located at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center and open to credentialed media throughout the competition.
- General Schedule and competition details are available at www.wmaci2025.com
For more information and to contact the on-site media liaison, contact Seth Harp at 251-281-5013 or info@wmaci2025.com.
