World Athletics Championships 2022: Day-by-day highlights guide and daily schedule

It's been three years since the last World Athletics Championships, and Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, has had to wait an additional year for their turn to host track and field's biggest spectacle outside of the Olympic Games.

But come 15–24 July, the University of Oregon's track and field stadium – re-opened in 2020 after extensive renovation work took place over two years – will welcome the first World Athletics Championships held in the United States, eight years after the same facility hosted the World Junior Championships.

Over 10 days of competition, the city of Eugene – nicknamed "TrackTown USA" – will see medals awarded in 49 events, including six road events at the University of Oregon's American football stadium, the Autzen Stadium. For the first time ever at a Worlds, there will also be Team Trophies awarded to the best-performing teams overall, with each team receiving eight points for a gold medal down to one point for finishing eighth in a final.

Olympics.com has picked out the events to watch on a daily basis as well as the schedule of events for both heats and finals.

All times below are in Pacific Daylight Time (UTC -7 hours). Schedule details are subject to change at short notice.

Day 1 - 15 July 2022 - Allyson Felix bows out on opening day; men's 100m begins

The blue-riband events of any athletics meet, arguably, are the 100m races.

In Eugene, the men's 100m begins on the opening day of competition with preliminary round action at 12:30pm before the world's stars over the distance – Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Andre De Grasse, Fred Kerley, and Akani Simbine just to name a few – begin their campaigns at 6:50pm with the heats.

But the star of the first day will be a legend of track and field, the most medalled U.S. track athlete in Olympic history (11), and the most successful medallist in World Athletics Championships history (18).

Allyson Felix, competing in her final World Championships, did not qualify in her pet 400m event. Instead, her sixth-placed finish at U.S. Trials secured her a discretionary pick to be on the mixed relay.

As she was not selected for the women's relay pool, the mixed 4x400m relay, which concludes the opening night of the meet at 7:50pm, is likely to be the legend's swan-song from international track and field – and could see Felix pick up a 14th World Championships gold of her career.

Two other finals are set for Day 1, in the women's and men's 20km race walks, which will finish at Autzen Stadium.

Morning session schedule

All events at Hayward Field unless specified

• 09:05 - Men's hammer throw - Qualification A
• 10:10 - Men's high jump - Qualification
• 10:30 - Men's hammer throw - Qualification B
• 11:45 - Mixed 4x400m relay - Heats
• 12:05 - Women's hammer throw - Qualification A
• 12:30 - Men's 100m - Preliminary round
• 13:10 - Women's 20km race walk - Final (Autzen Stadium)
• 13:30 - Women's hammer throw - Qualification B
• 15:10 - Men's 20km race walk - Final (Autzen Stadium)

Evening session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 17:05 - Women's shot put - Qualification
• 17:15 - Men's 3000m steeplechase - Heats
• 17:20 - Women's pole vault - Qualification
• 18:00 - Men's long jump - Qualification
• 18:10 - Women's 1500m - Heats
• 18:50 - Men's 100m - Heats
• 18:55 - Men's shot put - Qualification
• 19:50 - Mixed 4x400m relay - Final

Day 2 - 16 July 2022 - How in-form will injury-hit Marcell Jacobs be?

The men's 100m final is the headline act of the second day of competition, falling on the first Saturday of the meet.

Normally, in a World Championships the year after an Olympic summer, the reigning Olympic champion – in this case Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs – would be one of the favourites. But this year, the long-jumper-turned-sprinter has suffered from a myriad of illnesses and injuries that have kept him out of the outdoor season internationally, scratching from all his Diamond League meets as well as the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi.

If's hard to exclude the Olympic champion from the reckoning, but with USA's Fred Kerley (the 2022 world leader at 9.76 set during the U.S. Trials on the same track in Eugene) and nine other men having clocked 9.90 or quicker this year, Jacobs has a difficult task on his hands given the lack of international competition he's had. The Italian's season-best 10.04 seconds places him only joint-40th on the list of fastest men in the 100m this year.

Chase Ealey, the world indoor silver medallist, enters the women's shot put as the favourite having won all seven of her outdoor outings this year including three Diamond League meets. Ealey's 20.51m to win the US Trials also stands as the world lead.

Three other finals are scheduled for the day: the men's hammer; women's 10000m, where the participation of Sifan Hassan is unclear; and the men's long jump.

Also of note in the morning are heats for both men's hurdles distances, which means finding out if the injured 400m hurdles world record holder Karsten Warholm has recovered in time for the World Championships.

Morning session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 10:30 - Women's triple jump - Qualification
• 10:35 - Women's 3000m steeplechase - Heats
• 11:10 - Women's high jump - Qualification
• 11:25 - Men's 110m hurdles - Heats
• 12:00 - Men's hammer throw - Final
• 12:20 - Women's 10000m - Final
• 13:20 - Men's 400m hurdles - Heats

Evening session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 17:10 - Women's 100m - Heats
• 18:00 - Men's 100m - Semi-finals
• 18:20 - Men's long jump - Final
• 18:25 - Women's shot put - Final
• 18:30 - Men's 1500m - Heats
• 19:05 - Women's 1500m - Semi-finals
• 19:50 - Men's 100m - Final

Day 3 - 17 July 2022 - Men's marathon and women's 100m bookend busy day; will Flo-Jo's record fall?

The first Sunday will be a busy one, with seven sets of medals up for grabs beginning at 6:15am in the morning and not finishing until just before 8pm in the evening.

Why such an early start, you might wonder. At the Autzen Stadium, some of the world's best male marathoners will take to the line for the men's marathon – albeit without the star attraction of the discipline, Eliud Kipchoge, who did not mark the World Championships on his calendar this season. Still, expect Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda to send strong teams to challenge for the world title,

At the other end of the evening are major track finals in the men's 110m hurdles and women's 100m. Jamaica should have a starring role in both events, with Olympic champion Hansle Parchment leading the hurdles charge – challenged by the USA's Devon Allen and Grant Holloway – and the top three 100m women in the world all representing the Caribbean nation.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the world leader over that distance this year at 10.67, with the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic champion in the distance still going strong. Shericka Jackson, normally mentioned third in a trio which also includes Elaine Thompson-Herah, ran 10.77 at Jamaican trials for the second-quickest time this year, while Thompson-Herah – who has made no secret of her desire to topple Florence Griffith-Joyner's world record from 1988, having come close last year – clocked 10.79 at Hayward Field during the Diamond League. There will be no Sha'Carri Richardson involved after the American failed to make the U.S. team but the hosts have Abby Steiner and Melissa Jefferson as medal hopes.

There are also finals in the women's hammer, men's 10000m, women's pole vault, and men's shot put – the latter of which could see Ryan Crouser threaten his own world record.

Morning session schedule

All events at Hayward Field unless specified

• 06:15 - Men's marathon - Final (Autzen Stadium)
• 10:35 - Women's heptathlon 100m hurdles
• 11:05 - Men's 400m - Heats
• 11:35 - Women's hammer throw - Final
• 11:35 - Women's heptathlon high jump
• 12:00 - Women's 400m - Heats
• 13:00 - Men's 10000m - Final
• 13:45 - Women's heptathlon shot put

Evening session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 17:05 - Men's 110m hurdles - Semi-finals
• 17:05 - Men's discus throw - Qualification A
• 17:25 - Women's pole vault - Final
• 17:33 - Women's 100m - Semi-finals
• 18:03 - Men's 400m hurdles - Semi-finals
• 18:27 - Men's shot put - Final
• 18:30 - Men's discus throw - Qualification B
• 18:38 - Women's heptathlon 200m
• 19:00 - Men's 1500m - Semi-finals
• 19:30 - Men's 110m hurdles - Final
• 19:50 - Women's 100m - Final

Day 4 - 18 July 2022 - Kenyan dominance possible; will Rojas break triple jump world record again?

Six medal events are on tap for the fourth day of competition, once again starting early in the morning at the Autzen Stadium with the women's marathon. It's hard to look past the Kenyans here, with defending champion Ruth Chepngetich involved, although Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir has withdrawn through injury.

A Kenyan is also defending champion in the night's first track final, the men's 3000m steeplechase (Conseslus Kipruto), while two-time reigning Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will look to wrest the women's 1500m world title back from Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan. However, Kipruto may not find the 3000m steeple that straightforward – five men, including Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali, have gone quicker than the Kenyan this year.

There are also two highly-anticipated field events, each of which produced stunning results at last summer's Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on the same night – the men's high jump and women's triple jump.

Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim is the defending champion in the high jump, and memorably shared Olympic gold with his good friend Gianmarco Tamberi in Tokyo. But in Eugene, competition will be fiercer; South Korea's Woo Sanghyeok – the world indoor champion – has gone higher than both Barshim and Tamberi this season; USA's Shelby McEwen also cleared 2.33m at Hayward Field during the American trials.

Meanwhile in the women's triple jump, the question on everyone's lips is just how far can Yulimar Rojas jump? She became the first woman to jump further than 15.50m when she won gold in Tokyo at 15.67, before extending the world record to 15.74 at the World Indoor Championships in March. If she has favourable conditions and a good tailwind in Eugene, both the outdoor mark of 15.67 and the outright record could be under threat.

The evening's other medal event is the conclusion of the heptathlon, with defending champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain trying to defend her title from Belgium's Olympic champ Nafi Thiam.

Morning session schedule

All events at Hayward Field unless specified

• 06:15 - Women's marathon - Final (Autzen Stadium)
• 09:35 - Women's heptathlon long jump
• 10:55 - Women's heptathlon javelin throw - Group A
• 12:05 - Women's heptathlon javelin throw - Group B

Evening session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 17:05 - Men's 200m - Heats
• 17:10 - Women's discus throw - Qualification A
• 17:45 - Men's high jump - Final
• 18:00 - Women's 200m - Heats
• 18:20 - Women's triple jump - Final
• 18:35 - Women's discus throw - Qualification B
• 18:55 - Women's heptathlon 800m
• 19:20 - Men's 3000m steeplechase - Final
• 19:50 - Women's 1500m - Final

Day 5 - 19 July 2022 - Benjamin vs dos Santos in 400m hurdles final… or will Warholm spoil the party?

For this first time during the Championships, there's only one session of events on Day 5 with action beginning just after 5pm local time.

The highlight of the day is undoubtedly the men's 400m hurdles final – with or without the Olympic champion and world record holder Karsten Warholm. The Norwegian pulled a hamstring at the Rabat Diamond League meeting at the start of June, barely six weeks before the World Championships, and has been battling to regain fitness.

If he does make it to the start line of the final, will be necessarily be the favourite given the questions over his fitness? The two men who completed the Olympic podium behind him in Tokyo, Rai Benjamin of the USA and Alison dos Santos of Brazil, have both set fast times again this season (47.04 is Benjamin's best; 46.80 for dos Santos) and will be licking their lips at taking on a hobbled Warholm.

There's also intrigue in the other track final of the evening, the men's 1500m, with the continued resurgence of British middle-distance running going up against Kenya and the Norwegian star, Jakob Ingebrigtsen. All three Tokyo 2020 medallists – champion Ingebrigtsen, silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot, and bronze medallist Josh Kerr – are in the field, with Cheruiyot also the defending champion from the last Worlds in Doha. But Cheruiyot's best time this year is a relatively slow 3:34.59, set at the Kenyan championships, with teammate Abel Kipsang having won that race in a world-leading 3:31.01. Kerr, too, has been outrun this year by compatriot Jake Wightman, whose 3:32.62 is second behind only Kipsang.

The day's pair of field events also promise something special. Anyone who's followed the men's discus on this year's Diamond League circuit will have seen the fast rise of Slovenia's Kristjan Ceh and Lithuania's Mykolas Alekna, and both are legitimate medal contenders along with Olympic champion Daniel Ståhl.

And the women's high jump shapes up to be a tussle between Ukrainian pair of Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Iryna Gerashchenko, the world's top two this year, as well as a chasing pack including Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers (née McDermott) of Australia, Vashti Cunningham of the USA, and another Ukrainian in Yuliia Levchenko.

Schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 17:15 - Women's 400m hurdles - Heats
• 17:40 - Women's high jump - Final
• 18:05 - Women's 200m - Semi-finals
• 18:33 - Men's discus throw - Final
• 18:50 - Men's 200m - Semi-finals
• 19:30 - Men's 1500m - Final
• 19:50 - Men's 400m hurdles - Final

Day 6 - 20 July 2022 - Women take centre stage with discus and steeplechase finals

Just two finals await on Day 6, but fans and followers will still be in for a treat with not just the women's discus and women's 3000m steeplechase finals, but also semi-finals in the women's 400m hurdles. While widely expected to make it to the final and win the entire event, Sydney McLaughlin could have yet another world record in her sights after breaking it at US Trials (51.41).

In the discus, Olympic champion Valarie Allman is also the world leader by a significant distance this year, and should be runaway favourite. The American threw 71.46 in April, more than three metres further than two-time Olympic and two-time world champion Sandra Perkovic of Croatia, whose 68.19m at the Paris Diamond League last month is the next-closest mark. Cuba's Yaime Pérez is the defending champion in this event.

The steeplechase appears to be quite an open – and quick – race. Seven of the year's top 10 times have been set at Hayward Field, either during the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meet or the US Trials. Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech is the defending champion, but her season's best of 9:28.34 is more than half a minute behind the world lead, which belongs to Bahrain's Winfred Yavi. Kazakh Norah Jeruto has also gone under 9 minutes this year, and only count out Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda, or the Americans Emma Coburn, Courtney Weyment, and Courtney Frerichs on home soil at your peril.

Schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 15:20 - Women's javelin throw - Qualification A
• 16:25 - Women's 5000m - Heats
• 16:50 - Women's javelin throw - Qualification B
• 17:20 - Men's 800m - Heats
• 18:15 - Women's 400m hurdles - Semi-finals
• 18:30 - Women's discus throw - Final
• 18:45 - Women's 400m - Semi-finals
• 19:15 - Men's 400m - Semi-finals
• 19:45 - Women's 3000m steeplechase - Final

Day 7 - 21 July 2022 - Sprint queens and kings look for potential double

The first week of the Championships will be seen out by a pair of eagerly-awaited sprint finals in the 200m, as the new 100m world champions no doubt attempt to go for a double.

Expect many of the same suspects to be towards the front of the women's field, notably the Jamaicans Shericka Jackson – the world leader this year at 21.55 –, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Team USA's Abby Steiner is right on her tail, having clocked 21.77 at the U.S. Trials. However, there will be no Christine Mboma as the Namibian is injured and has decided to focus on the Commonwealth Games.

The men's final appears at first glance to be a duel between the Americans Erriyon Knighton, Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley, and Kenny Bednarek. Lyles is the defending champion, but has been out-run this year by Knighton, who is the world leader at 19.49. Andre De Grasse, Canada's Olympic champion, has not gone under 20 seconds in three races this year, but will also expect to be in the final.

Schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 17:05 - Men's javelin throw - Qualification A
• 17:10 - Women's 800m - Heats
• 18:10 - Men's 5000m - Heats
• 18:20 - Men's triple jump - Qualification
• 18:35 - Men's javelin throw - Qualification B
• 19:00 - Men's 800m - Semi-finals
• 19:35 - Women's 200m - Final
• 19:50 - Men's 200m - Final

Day 8 - 22 July 2022 - Miller-Uibo and Paulino renew 400m rivalry; McLaughlin goes in hurdles final

Five finals will be decided on Day 8, beginning at 6:15am with the inaugural World Championships women's 35km race walk. It's a new distance for the discipline, serving as the longer of the two championship distances and replacing the 50km.

However, most of the day's attention will be focused on the evening's three track finals. In the women's 400m, double Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino will go in as favourites. Allyson Felix has not qualified in the individual race and so the U.S. charge will be led by Talitha Diggs, while Jamaica will also be interested in pushing for the podium.

After her recent exploits, will Sydney McLaughlin lower the women's 400m hurdles world record again on home soil? Hayward Field has proven to be a happy hunting ground for records, and McLaughlin is in red-hot form.

There's also the men's 400m final – the six quickest times in the world this year have been run by Americans at Hayward, and seven of the nine fastest men in 2022 have set their times in Eugene – and the women's javelin.

Morning session schedule

All events at Autzen Stadium

• 06:15 - Women's 35km race walk - Final

Evening session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 17:05 - Men's pole vault - Qualification
• 17:40 - Women's 4x100m relay - Heats
• 18:05 - Men's 4x100m relay - Heats
• 18:20 - Women's javelin throw - Final
• 18:35 - Women's 800m - Semi-finals
• 19:15 - Women's 400m - Final
• 19:35 - Men's 400m - Final
• 19:50 - Women's 400m hurdles - Final

Day 9 - 23 July 2022 - Sprint relays set to headline penultimate day

An action-packed day featuring six finals awaits on the second-to-last day in Eugene, headlined by the pair of 4x100m relays at the end of the night. Reigning world and Olympic champions Jamaica will go for yet another title on the women's side, with Great Britain and USA having finished on the podium at both Doha 2019 and Tokyo 2020. The men's race looks a little wider open. Italy are the Olympic champions but will have to rely on the unclear fitness of Marcell Jacobs. The U.S. are the defending world champions and will likely head into the race more favoured on home soil.

Before that, there are four other finals, each with their own intrigue. Cubans have dominated in the men's triple jump this year, with Jordan Alejandro Díaz Fortun, Andy Díaz Hernández, and Lázaro Martínez sharing 10 of the 11 best leaps in the world this year between them. (Portugal's Pedro Pichardo, another Cuban-born athlete, has the other.) However, of the three, only Martínez has been selected for Worlds. Defending champion Christian Taylor is also in the field as he makes his return from a serious Achilles injury.

The men's 800m has a surprise world leader this year – British newcomer Max Burgin, who is set to make his major Championships debut in Eugene before heading to the Commonwealth Games. The 20-year-old student may not be a known quantity, but has the talent to threaten the likes of Kenya's Wyclife Kinyamal – whose season's best is just 0.02 seconds behind Burgin's – and Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir, while Canada's Marco Arop is also in the mix.

India will be tuned into the men's javelin final as Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic champion, attempts to break 90m for the first time in his career. However, standing in his path to gold is the defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who has been in scintillating form this season with a furthest attempt of 93.07 at the Doha Diamond League.

And in the women's 5000m, all eyes will be on whether Olympic champion Sifan Hassan decides to compete. Hassan is currently entered at 1500, 5000, and 10000, but may opt out of one or two when she makes it to Eugene. Kenya's two-time defending world champion Hellen Obiri, who won silver in Tokyo behind Hassan, was originally entered in the race by Athletics Kenya but has since decided to focus on the 10000, while the year's five fastest times belong to Ethiopian athletes.

Morning session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 09:50 - Men's decathlon 100m
• 10:40 - Men's decathlon long jump
• 11:20 - Women's 100m hurdles - Heats
• 12:00 - Women's long jump - Qualification
• 12:10 - Men's decathlon shot put

Evening session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 16:10 - Men's decathlon high jump
• 17:10 - Women's 4x400m relay - Heats
• 17:40 - Men's 4x400m relay - Heats
• 18:00 - Men's triple jump - Final
• 18:10 - Men's 800m - Final
• 18:25 - Women's 5000m - Final
• 18:35 - Men's javelin throw - Final
• 18:55 - Men's decathlon 400m
• 19:30 - Women's 4x100m relay - Final
• 19:50 - Men's 4x100m relay - Final

Day 10 - 24 July 2022 - Championships conclude with Duplantis attempting more history

Just like that, the World Athletics Championships are nearly over for another year. Before they finish, though, nine more sets of medals will be handed out on the final day, beginning with the men's 35km race walk. This replaces the previous 50km distance, which made its final Olympic appearance in Tokyo – it will not feature at Paris 2024.

The star event of the day would appear to be the men's pole vault, where Olympic champion and world record holder Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis will be eyeing more history. He has already set the outright world record once this year, clearing 6.20m at the World Indoor Championships in March, and warmed up for Eugene by producing a new outdoor best of 6.16m at his last meet before the Worlds, the Stockholm Diamond League. Home fans will cheer on the Olympic silver medallist Chris Nilsen, while Thiago Braz of Brazil and Philippines' EJ Obiena will both hope to get on the podium too. However, defending champion Sam Kendricks has opted out.

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda is heavily favoured in the men's 5000m, while it's hard to look past a USA-GB duel in the women's 800m between Athing Mu and Ajee' Wilson and Keely Hodgkinson. USA's Kendra Harrison and Nigeria's Tobi Amusan will provide stiff tests for Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in the women's 100m hurdles.

There are also medals in the men's decathlon and women's long jump on the final day before the Championships finish with the two 4x400m relays.

Morning session schedule

All events at Hayward Field unless specified

• 06:15 - Men's 35km race walk - Final (Autzen Stadium)
• 09:35 - Men's decathlon 110m hurdles
• 10:30 - Men's decathlon discus throw - Group A
• 11:40 - Men's decathlon discus throw - Group B
• 12:15 - Men's decathlon pole vault - Group A
• 13:15 - Men's decathlon pole vault - Group B

Evening session schedule

All events at Hayward Field

• 17:05 - Men's decathlon javelin throw - Group A
• 17:05 - Women's 100m hurdles - Semi-final
• 17:25 - Men's pole vault - Final
• 17:50 - Women's long jump - Final
• 18:05 - Men's 5000m - Final
• 18:10 - Men's decathlon javelin throw - Group B
• 18:35 - Women's 800m - Final
• 19:00 - Women's 100m hurdles - Final
• 19:20 - Men's decathlon 1500m
• 19:35 - Men's 4x400m relay - Final
• 19:50 - Women's 4x400m relay - Final