Duplantis reaches new heights at worlds

Beamish makes Kiwi history with big upset

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The world athletics championships were, not for the first time, the Armand Duplantis show on Monday although New Zealand's Geordie Beamish did his best to share the spotlight after a shock win in the 3,000 metres steeplechase.

Duplantis kept the drama going to the end in Tokyo - after the Swede retained his crown he went on to break the world record for the 14th time, on his third and final attempt at 6.30 metres.

The 53,000-strong crowd had stayed rooted to their seats even though the action on the track had ended long before.

They witnessed Duplantis jumping into the stand and enjoying a long and passionate kiss with his fiancee Desire Inglander before embracing his parents.

Beamish had been a great warmup act.

He almost didn't make it to the final after he fell in the heats, but he got up and produced a sensational burst of speed to qualify.

In the final, the long-haired Kiwi beat two-time defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco by a hair's breadth on the line to deliver New Zealand their first ever world track gold.