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If you’re a true athletics fan, you’ve probably had Friday, July 15, through Sunday, July 24, circled in red on your calendar for months – maybe years. This is when Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, will host the 18th World Athletics Championships, an event that’s second only in importance to the Olympics. The games were originally scheduled for 2021, but because of a clash of dates with the Olympics making its return from the pandemic, it was postponed to 2022. So, for ten days this month, the eyes of athletics fans around the world will be trained on Hayward Field as international athletes compete to see who’s the best in 49 events, including 24 men’s, 24 women’s, and one mixed event.
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Athletes have based their entire annual training programs around making it to this competition in peak condition. The wait has been a long one, with the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 further heightening expectations for the Azzurri. A year ago in Japan, Italian athletes had the whole country on the edge of their seats when they earned an unprecedented five gold medals. One of these was won by Gianmarco Tamberi in the high jump, who shared gold with Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim. But perhaps even more memorable was Marcell Jacobs’ win in both the 100 meters and the 4x100 meters relay (with Lorenzo Patta, Fausto Desalu, and Filippo Tortu). Massimo Stano and Antonella Palmisano then won gold in both the men’s and women’s 20 km walk (although Antonella won’t be competing this year due to injury).
These are the athletes that Italians are pinning their hopes on in Oregon – especially the hugely popular Jacobs and Tamberi, who were both awarded gold ten minutes apart on that unforgettable August 1 in Japan. They have something in common at these games, too, but it’s not a positive, with both carrying more than one injury concern. And the competition is going to be more fierce than ever.
In the high jump, all eyes will be focused once again on Barshim, and, in the 100 meters, on the numerous Caribbean and American sprinters. Filippo Tortu, however, will be going to Oregon at the top of his form. At the Resisprint International meeting in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland), the sprinter from Lombardy neared his personal best in the 200 meters with an excellent 20.15. But in Oregon, Tortu will be facing both the Cuban Reynier Mena and the French Meba Mickael Zeze. Italians are also hoping for a medal in the walk, an event the country has always done well in. For the first time, there won’t be a 50 km walk in Oregon, the event being replaced by 35 km races for both men and women.
Turning to international athletes, expectations are running high for Swedish pole-vaulter Armand Duplantis, one of the most prominent figures in world athletics. A native of Louisiana, he’ll be arriving in Eugene after recently setting the world record of 6.16 meters at the Diamond League series in Stockholm.
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The stage for the World Athletics Championships will be Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The stadium is located on the campus of the University of Oregon and was named after Bill Hayward, renowned track and field coach at the university for over forty years.
Hayward Field, which was inaugurated in 1919 and initially used by the university’s football team, became a dedicated track and field facility in 1967. Since then, Eugene and the stadium have become an important center for American and international athletics.
In recognition of its historic role, the IAAF selected it as the venue for the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Work to modernize the stadium for the event began in 2018, with the revamped facility inaugurated in April 2021. Hayward Field now seats 12,900 but is expandable to 25,000. A transparent roof was added and a nine-story tower in the shape of an Olympic torch constructed at the northeastern end of the complex. Besides offering breathtaking views over the city of Eugene, the steel tower features images of five track and field icons, all from the University of Oregon: Bill Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine, Raevyn Rogers, Ashton Eaton, and Otis Davis.
The redesign also saw the construction of underground training facilities, a training room, four changing rooms (two for men, two for women), a team auditorium, a large meeting room, an indoor pole vault facility, an indoor shot put space, an indoor long jump area, a weight training room, a nutrition station, and even a barber shop.
>>> Read more about the Hayward Field project by SRG Partnership
Such a major event demanded a venue that was up to the job. And in a few days, Eugene’s Hayward Field will be bustling with athletes from all over the world. All we need to do now is wait for the dates circled on our calendar and enjoy the show. With Eugene nine hours behind Central European Time, the championships will be broadcast at night in Italy. You’ll be able to watch on both Rai Sport and Sky Sport. Here are some of the unmissable events from the much larger program.
Friday, July 15
22:10 – Women’s 20 km walk
Saturday, July 16
00:10 – Men’s 20 km walk
04:50 – Mixed 4x400 meters relay final
21:00 – Men’s hammer throw final
21:20 – Women’s 10,000 meters final
Sunday, July 17
03:20 – Men’s long jump final
03:25 – Woman’s shot put final
04:50 – Men’s 100 meters final
15:15 – Men’s marathon
20:35 – Women’s hammer throw final
22:00 – Women’s 1000 meters final
Monday, July 18
02:25 – Women’s pole vault final
03:27 – Men’s shot put final
04:30 – Men’s 110 meters hurdles
04:50 – Women’s 100 meters final
15:15 – Women’s marathon
Tuesday, July 19
02:45 – Men’s high jump final
03:20 – Women’s triple jump final
04:20 – Men’s 3000 meter steeplechase
04:50 – Women’s 1500 meters final
Wednesday, July 20
02:40 – Women’s high jump final
03:33 – Men’s discus throw final
04:30 – Men’s 1500 meters final
04:50 – Men’s 400 meters hurdles
Thursday, July 21
03:30 – Women’s discus throw final
04:45 – Women’s 3000 meters steeplechase final
Friday, July 22
04:35 – Women’s 200 meters final
04:50 – Men’s 200 meters final
15:15 – Women’s 35 km walk
Saturday, July 23
03:20 – Women’s javelin final
04:15 – Women’s 400 meters final
04:35 – Men’s 400 meters final
04:50 – Women’s 400 meters hurdles final
Sunday, July 24
03:00 – Men’s triple jump final
03:10 – Men’s 800 meters final
03:25 – Women’s 5000 meters final
03:35 – Men’s javelin final
04:30 – Women’s 4×100 meters relay final
04:50 – Men’s 4×100 meters relay final
15:15 – Men’s 35 km walk
Monday, July 25
02:25 – Men’s pole vault final
02:50 – Women’s long jump final
03:05 – Men’s 5000 meters final
03:35 – Women’s 800 meters final
04:00 – Women’s 100 meters hurdles final
04:20 – Men’s 1500 meters decathlon
04:35 – Men’s 4×400 meters relay final
04:50 – Women’s 4×400 meters relay final
Please refer to the individual images in the gallery to look through the photo credits
