Great Britain fail to win gold amid worst World Championships return for 20 years

Great Britain and Northern Ireland failed to win a gold medal at a World Athletics Championships for the first time in 22 years, as they secured their joint-lowest overall return since 2005.

GB ended the nine-day competition with a total of five medals, just managing to achieve their target of winning between five and eight.

That was level with their 2019 tally in Doha, while they last won fewer 20 years ago in Helsinki – where they finished with three.

The team’s fortunes were summed up in the event which provided their final medal opportunity in Japan, as the women’s 4x100m relay quartet – winners of Olympic silver last year – finished two-tenths of a second off the podium.

That confirmed Great Britain would fail to win a relay medal, of any colour, for the first time since Paris in 2003.

That was also the last occasion they finished without a gold.

The 64-strong British squad finished 21st in the medal table.

It comes after the team equalled their best haul of 10 medals to finish seventh at the previous World Championships two years ago.

On that occasion, they brought home two gold medals, three silvers and five bronze from Budapest.

They also achieved GB’s best return at an Olympics for 40 years with 10 athletics medals at Paris 2024.

Reflecting on the championships, Great Britain head coach Paula Dunn told BBC Sport: “Definitely a mixed bag. Five medals which is good and I’m pleased to see, and some missed opportunities.

“So it’s time for us to go back sit down with the coaches and athletes, reflect and do a review and see how we move forward.”

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