Amber Anning clocked a season’s best to book her place in the final of the women’s 400m at the World Athletics Championships in emphatic style. Anning (Chris Johnson, Brighton & Hove) ran 49.38s, just nine-hundredths off her own national record, to automatically qualify for Thursday’s final.

“That’s the best race I felt I put together all season,” she said. “I felt really confident, really strong, I executed my race. I kind of like being in the last heat as I know what it’s going to take to make that final so I just made sure I put myself in a good position to get there.

“I’m in such great shape. You know, I just trust my coach, trust God, and trust myself a lot. So it’s just about believing in that race. The training has been done, but just about going out there confidently, and I felt like that’s the most confident I’ve been all season.”

Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies) and Victoria Ohuruogu (Newham and Essex Beagles) also competed in the semi-finals but did not progress, posting times of 51.51s and 51.65s respectively.

Max Burgin (Ian Burgin, Halifax Harriers) and Ben Pattison (Dave Ragan, Basingstoke & Mild Hants) both progressed to the men’s 800m semi-finals. Burgin won his heat in 1:44.73 with an assured performance in the penultimate heat, while Pattison controlled his heat to come home second in 1:46.51.

“It has been a brilliant season so far,” said Burgin. “All of this year I have been racing the top lads or the lads you expect to be in contention for a medal and I have been up amongst it, so I would be happy to say I would be in that conversation as well.

“Racing these lads all year and really getting a feel for the pace and that top end pace they run at. It all seems to be coming together at the right time.”

Pattison’s qualification marked another impressive step in his comeback from injury that has hampered his season, and the 2023 world bronze medallist is feeling in good shape. “It was a lot easier than I expected,” he said. “Things are coming into place really nicely.

“I put so much work in just to get here. I feel like even though I had six months less than a normal year, I probably worked just as hard. This was my goal the whole time this year.

“To be honest, a lot of the season, I was probably being very optimistic that I was going to be here, but on the start line it was just giving myself confidence thinking all the bike sessions, all the alternative training I’ve been doing that’s killed me because I’m not very good on the bike at all.”

World Champs debutant Tiarnan Crorken (Andrew Henderson, Preston) clocked 1:45.63, meaning he just missed out on qualification. It capped off a remarkable season for Crorken, who is determined to be back on the international stage.

“I will learn for the next time, and it has made me all the more hungry to be back here again and try and get to the next world champs,” he said. “It was an experience but I can’t help but be a little disappointed. I know the three guys in the top three in our heat, one of them might win, and the other two may get to the final.

“So I can’t be too mad at myself, but looking at how slow it was, I can’t help but think I could have given it a nudge down the back straight or something.

“I am not going to be too hard on myself because it’s been a long journey to get here.”

The men’s 400m semi-finals saw Matt Hudson-Smith (Gary Evans, Birchfield Harriers), Charlie Dobson (Leon Baptiste, Colchester), and Samuel Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath & Bromley) all miss out on a place in the final.

Hudson-Smith left everything out there as he ran from lane two, but was edged out of the qualification spots as he came home in 44.95s. Dobson ran 44.85s, while Reardon clocked 45.10s.

“I am extremely happy to be here and running at these champs and representing GB again but that wasn’t me out there. I don’t know what I did. I did not run well to be honest,” said Dobson.

“We will go back and have a chat with my coach and support team and work out what I need to do to be running how I expect myself and what my coach expects. I know I am better than that unfortunately and that is the really annoying thing and I didn’t perform on the day, for whatever reason.”

Follow this link for the latest results and action from Tokyo 2025.