Athletic Extravaganza

By+Yu+Lintao

Following the U.S. teams victory in the mens 4x400-meter relay on August 30， the 2015 International Association of Athletics Federations （IAAF） World Championships drew to a close at the National Stadium， nicknamed the Birds Nest， in Beijing.

During the nine-day tournament， athletes from around the world competed in 47 track-and-field events. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt remained center stage every time he showed up on the racing track， walking away with gold. Assisted by Bolts three gold medals in the 100-meter， 200-meter and 4x100-meter races， Jamaica won second place in the medal tally.

Kenya， another traditional athletic power， finished for the first time atop the medal standings with seven gold， six silver and three bronze medals， while the United States came third with six gold medals， dropping out of the top two for the first time. Legendary U.S. decathlon athlete Ashton Eaton collected a total of 9，045 points， bettering his own world mark set three years ago by six points and creating the only world record of this years championships.

Ethiopia became the biggest winner on the final day of the championships as Mare Dibaba won the womens marathon title during the day session. Later that night， Ethiopian female athletes swept the medals in the womens 5，000-meter event， with Almaz Ayana taking the title in a championship record time.

The Chinese team also made remarkable achievements in the first IAAF World Championships ever held in China. Sprinter Su Bingtian and his team members Zhang Peimeng， Xie Zhenye and Mo Youxue clinched a historic silver for China in the mens 4x100-meter final， making a name for themselves alongside retired hurdler Liu Xiang， another track-and-field star. Su， the first Chinese to reach the mens 100-meter final at the world championships， clocking 9.99 seconds， and his teammates became instant celebrities in China， rewriting the Asian sporting history.

World record holder Liu Hong bagged Chinas sole gold medal with her victory in the womens 20-km race walk. Teammate Lu Xiuzhi took silver a few steps off Lius pace.

According to statistics from the IAAF， the championships attracted about 700，000 sports fans to the Birds Nest to watch the games.

“Im delighted. China staged a wonderful championship， and its been sensational，”IAAF President Sebastian Coe told reporters at a press conference on the last day of the competition.

“The athletes are always a good judge. They are reporting that they have been looked after extremely well. Everybody is happy. Its a great， great championship，” Coe added.

In an interview with Chinas Xinhua News Agency， Eike Onnen， a high jumper from Germany， said he was deeply impressed with enthusiasm in the stadium.

“Being here in Beijing feels like a comeback for me because I had less-than-good years before. Meeting old athlete friends again is super，”Onnen said.