No waiting

IN A landmark first for track and field, World Athletics announced the awarding of instant medals for athletes at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon starting July 15.

The announcement was made yesterday as the World Athletics Local Organising Committee unveiled the medals that will be awarded at the championships, the first to be hosted by the United States.

According to a release by World Athletics, the instant medals will be awarded right after finals. While the full medal ceremonies with national anthems will still take place, the new addition to the celebrations was created to enhance the moment for the athlete.

“By including the medals in the initial emotional aftermath of their medal-winning performance, athletes will be able to experience their triumph more fully, feeling the weight of their accomplishment around their necks right after earning it and proudly displaying their victory during a lap of honour and in post-event media interviews,” the statement read.

MEDALS

“At the end of the mixed zone interviews, the medals will be taken back from the athletes for engraving ahead of the official presentation on the podium as scheduled.”

Meanwhile, the new medals were made using Corian, a durable and ultra-modern material, a deviation from the traditional die-cast variety, allowing for ‘finely detailed carving of intricate relief work featured in the designs’.

Oregon22 executive director Niels de Vos said it was important that the medals reflected the distinct nature of the championships and represented the host city.

“Months of cutting-edge creative thought and experimentation into the latest manufacturing techniques went into the medals, designed and fabricated right here in Oregon. The medals are won by athletes as the result of a lifetime of dedication and commitment. They are the best in the world, and our team wanted to ensure a medal which reflected that status,” De Vos said in the release.

One side of the medals was inspired by the cross-section of a tree, complete with seven rings to represent the seven regions of Oregon with the WCH Oregon22 logo at the centre. The other side features designs displaying one of the seven regions of Oregon. The intent, is, of course, to highlight the state’s natural beauty.

Oregon22 communications director Jessica Gabriel said the organisation hoped the medals would stand the test of time.

“The primary goal that drove the design process was to create something truly innovative and glorious that would be immediately recognisable in years to come as Oregon’s medals,” Gabriel said.

“We worked with Oregon-based companies to centre the project in this place, and together we challenged ourselves to create works of art that would symbolise the significance of an athlete capturing the glory of a global medal here in the heart and home of track and field in the US.”

The World Championships begin on July 15.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com