After all the events, athletes are asked to provide a quote. Most of them are bland: “I am pleased that I won” or “I executed my plan”. I have read all the comments so that you don’t have to. Here are some of the better ones:
Sandi Morris: The pole vault chose me.
Tobi Amusen: I’ve lost more than I’ve won, but today God has carried me through.
Armand Duplantis: The only way to leave Japan was after setting the world record.
Femke Bol: My job is just to keep running and do one hurdle at a time.
Ryan Crouser: Putting the shot is like riding a bicycle.
Caio Bonfim: I lost my wedding ring in the third kilometre. I believe my wife will be OK because I won today.
Sarah Mitton: Waking up at 4 am, you’ll never feel fresh. And then you spend about two hours on the bus back and forth.
Uziel MUÑOZ: I cannot wait to get home, kiss my wife, and go on holiday.
Noah Lyles: I can’t wait for 2027 to become the only man to win five 200 metres titles.
Jasmine Jones: I can’t believe it’s Dalilah Muhammad’s last race. Since I was in seventh grade, I wanted to be like her.
Stef Reid in Commentary: Mattia Furlani looks like a young driver in a Ferrari.
Jake Wightman: Qualification on time is never fair in the first heat. It’s a race, and it should be a race.
Grace Stark: I’ve been to Shibuya [A Tokyo shopping area] about 30 times, so I’ve had my fair share of fun. Maybe it’s time to go back home.
Jessica Hull: This is a business trip.
Miltiadis Tentoglou: It was the worst competition of my life. Then – shit happens.
Naomi Van den Broeck: For me, it is going to be a tremendous honour to run against Dalilah Muhammad and against Femke Bol. I have been a great fan of Dalilah for some time now, and I am honoured to be part of her final races. It is giving me goosebumps thinking about it, and maybe after the final, I will introduce myself to her.
Sembo Almmayew: My legs are hurting now.
Irene Jepkemboi: I am the first Kenyan woman to throw the javelin at a World Championships.
Oblique Seville: It is just a tremendous feeling to compete in front of Usain here in Tokyo
Faith Kipyegon: I had my season’s best. It was my first 5,000 m race of the season, so I’m happy.
Nadia Battocletti: I am starting to like silver medals
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden: It was raining really, really hard, but it was raining for all of us
Kenneth Bednarek (On forgetting to pack his spikes when he left for Tokyo): I am just a clumsy dude.
Danielle Williams. I have not come to defend my title but to win one. I cannot defend what I haven’t got.
Amy Hunt: The 200 is like my husband, and the 100 is like my boyfriend.
Amber Anning: I trust my coach, trust God, and trust myself a lot.
Stef Reid in Commentary: In warm-up, Julian Weber was folding his arms behind his back like a pretzel.
Cooper Lutkenhaus (16-year-old US athlete): I still have homework to do.
Yemisi Ogunleye: Before I throw, I always recite a Bible verse. Today’s was, ‘Trust the Lord with a full heart and lean not on your own understanding.’ That’s what I did.
Tara Davis-Woodhall: Right now, I want to hug everyone.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen (on not making the 1500 final): It is a reality check.
Nelly Chepchirchir: I am excited. Although I didn’t win a medal, I ran a personal best. There’s nothing to regret
Marileidy Paulino: God and I will make history here.
Anna Cockrell: I feel good to be a part of a new generation of 400m hurdlers in the USA. Now I want some of those ‘jiggly’ pancakes they have here. That will set me up for the final.
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir: Today is my 94th marathon. I don’t know if I will reach 100, but I will try.
Martina Weil: At least three times a week, I tell my coach I’m going to quit.
Ethan Katzberg: Before I head home, I want to pick up some Pokémon cards. I need to find some cool Japanese cards.
Cian McPhillips: The warm-up is a bit weird, and we spent a lot of time on the bus.
Jemma Reekie: It’s not nice to be in a hot seat, but I would rather be on it and have a chance than not be on it at all.
Eilidh Doyle (watching the men’s 1500 on TV): I need to apologise to the dog for the screaming and colourful language
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the greatest of all time. She inspires me. Running the 100m final with her felt special. I want to do what she has done – win multiple world medals.
Katie Moon: I love the fact that today’s medallists are all above 30.
Amy Hunt: You can be an academic badass and a track goddess.