IAAF Athletics World Championships 2015: Saturday Results and Latest Medal Table
American decathlete Ashton Eaton and British long-distance runner Mo Farah stole the spotlight on Day 8 of the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, on Saturday. The United States continues to lead the overall medal count with 16.
Eaton bested his own world record to continue a recent run of dominance in the decathlon. He also won gold in the 2012 Olympics and 2013 world championships. Farah has now matched that feat in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters after Saturday's triumph in the 5,000.
Let's check out a full list of podium finishers from the day's competitions along with an updated look at the medal table. It's followed by a recap featuring some of the top stories.
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Saturday's Medal Winners
| Men's 50 km Race Walk | Matej Toth (SVK) | Jared Tallent (AUS) | Takayuki Tanii (JPN) |
| Women's High Jump | Maria Kuchina (RUS) | Blanka Vlasic (CRO) | Anna Chicherova (RUS) |
| Women's 800 Meters | Marina Arzamasova (BLR) | Melissa Bishop (CAN) | Eunice Jepkoech Sum (KEN) |
| Men's 5,000 Meters | Mo Farah (GBR) | Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (KEN) | Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) |
| Men's Decathlon | Ashton Eaton (USA) | Damian Warner (CAN) | Rico Freimuth (GER) |
| Men's Discus Throw | Piotr Malachowski (POL) | Philip Milanov (BEL) | Robert Urbanek (POL) |
| Women's 4x100 Meters Relay | Jamaica | United States | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Men's 4x100 Meters Relay | Jamaica | China | Canada |
Current Medal Table
| 1 | United States | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Kenya | 6 | 4 | 3 | 13 |
| 3 | Jamaica | 6 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Poland | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| T-5 | China | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| T-5 | Canada | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| T-5 | Germany | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 8 | Great Britain | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| T-9 | Russia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| T-9 | Ethiopia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Day 8 Recap
Eaton started the decathlon Friday by winning both the 100 meters and the long jump and never looked back. He ended up winning three of the disciplines while earning top-five finishes in four others en route to 9,045 points, the new world record.
The 27-year-old Oregon native, who's also the world indoor champion in the heptathlon, firmly established himself as the favorite for next summer's Olympics in Brazil with the triumph. He also joined an exclusive group in the process, as ESPN Stats and Info pointed out:
If that wasn't enough, the victory also earned him a sizable bonus, per Chris Chavez of Sports Illustrated:
Farah is in the midst of a highly impressive stretch of his own. The last time he didn't medal when participating in a major event was the 3,000 meters at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, and he's medaled in all the key 5,000 and 10,000 meter races since the 2009 IAAF World Championships.
He edged Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku of Kenya by more than a second to claim the 5,000-meter title on Saturday. Team GB passed along his comments after his latest trip to the top of the podium:
Farah also received a shout out from David Cameron, the UK prime minister :
The other major storyline on the eighth day of competition was Jamaica's sweep of the 4x100 meter relays. Veronica Campbell-Brown, Natasha Morrison, Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce edged the United States by six-tenths of a second to win the women's race.
It looked like the Americans would exact some immediate revenge in the men's competition before a botched baton delivery changed the complexion of the race. Chris Chase of USA Today provided the unfortunate details for Team USA:
"In yet another 4×100 relay disaster, the United States was disqualified from the finals of the world championships after its third baton pass from Tyson Gay to Mike Rodgers went outside the designated zone after a bumbling exchange. The U.S. lost it silver medal, which could (and should) have been gold had the passes from Trayon Bronwell to Justin Gatlin (too high), Gatlin to Gay (too slow) and Gay to Rodgers (basically stopping and getting run over by Gay) been successful.
"
The disqualification moved China into second place and allowed Canada to reach the podium behind the Usain Bolt-led champions.
Looking ahead, Sunday marks the final day of competition in Beijing. The women's marathon is the only event during the morning session. Edna Kiplagat of Kenya will look to become a three-time world champion after wins in 2011 and 2013.
The afternoon session will see six finals: men's high jump, women's javelin throw, women's 5,000 meters, men's 1,500 meters and the 4x400 meter relays for both the men and women.
Once the dust settles and the final medals are handed out, the focus will begin to shift toward 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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