World Athletics Championships 2023: GB win mixed relay silver as Katarina Johnson-Thompson eyes medal

Great Britain won mixed 4x400m relay silver at the World Championships as Katarina Johnson-Thompson put herself in contention for heptathlon gold on the opening day in Budapest.

Lewis Davey, Laviai Nielsen, Rio Mitcham and Yemi Mary John finished behind the USA after the Netherlands' Femke Bol fell metres from the finish.

Johnson-Thompson is second after four events - 93 points behind Anna Hall.

Fellow Briton Zharnel Hughes made a winning start in his bid for 100m gold.

Hughes, attempting to become the first British man to win a world medal in the blue riband event for 20 years, won his heat comfortably in 10 seconds flat.

The USA quartet set a world record time of three minutes 08.80 seconds to take the mixed relay title, with GB crossing the line in a national record 3:11.06 after Bol lost her footing and dropped the baton with victory in her sights.

"It means everything," said Mitcham about winning silver. "Laviai gave us a really good pep talk in the call room on how a medal can change your life and that's why I can't stop smiling."

Bol was not the only Dutch athlete to suffer a dramatic late fall.

Sifan Hassan, chasing a trio of distance golds, tripped when battling for the 10,000m title and ultimately failed to win a medal as Ethiopia's reigning 5,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay took victory, with Britain's Jessica Warner-Judd finishing eighth.

• Double Dutch drama as star duo fall yards from gold

• Relive GB silver, KJT 200m heptathlon win & Dutch falls

In the heptathlon, Johnson-Thompson lost ground in the shot put after ending the morning session in fourth place but significantly boosted her medal hopes by clocking 23.48 secs to win her 200m heat, beating American favourite Hall in the process.

The final three heptathlon events take place on Sunday, with the long jump and javelin to come before the potentially decisive 800m.

Hughes, the fastest man in the world this year, will be joined in Sunday's 100m semi-finals by British team-mates Eugene Amo-Dadzie (10.10) and Reece Prescod (10.14), who finished second and third in their heats respectively.

American Noah Lyles, the world 200m champion, won his heat while reigning 100m champion Fred Kerley and Olympic gold medallist Marcell Jacobs also secured automatic qualification.

Also during Saturday's afternoon session, British trio Josh Kerr, Neil Gourley and Elliot Giles secured their places in the men's 1500m semi-finals, where they were joined by Norway's Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

British team captain Laura Muir, Melissa Courtney-Bryant and Katie Snowden qualified for the women's semi-finals in the morning session, but Jazmin Sawyers was left disappointed after failing to qualify for the long jump final.

Hughes displays confidence and composure in victory

With a commanding glance to his side as he cruised across the line, Hughes signalled to the world the level of confidence he feels as he hunts a first global medal.

The 28-year-old is in the form of his life, breaking two long-standing British sprint records this season - including a 9.83 sec 100m time which remains unbeaten in the world this year.

Those achievements have raised expectations that he could become the first British man to make the world 100m podium since Darren Campbell in 2003.

Hughes failed to qualify for last year's final, 12 months on from false-starting in the Olympic showpiece, but made no mistakes as he calmly asserted himself after a cautious exit from the blocks.

"I'm a little worried about Zharnel because of his history of mistakes," said eight-time world champion Michael Johnson on BBC Two. "You can't make any in these championships.

"I will be disappointed if he doesn't get a medal because it's right there for him to take. This is probably the best chance there's going to be for him to get a medal."

Lyles, who has predicted he will go close to Usain Bolt's world record by running 9.65 secs in Budapest, ran 9.95 secs - second only to Jamaican Oblique Seville's time of 9.86 secs.

Kerley - considered favourite for the title by Johnson - finished second behind Seville in 9.99 secs, while Italian Jacobs laboured home in third place in his heat but clocked a season's best 10.15.

The men's 100m concludes on Sunday, when the semi-finals (15:35 BST) and final (18:10 BST) are both held in the evening.

Johnson-Thompson in tight heptathlon medal fight

Since winning her world title four years ago Johnson-Thompson has endured several injury setbacks and even feared her career might be over after rupturing her Achilles.

But a beaming smile on the 30-year-old's face as she found her rhythm in the high jump during the morning session spoke volumes of her current outlook.

And with a quality 200m, the event in which she sustained a calf tear at the Olympics, she reignited her hopes of returning to a global podium.

She was embraced by Hall after holding off the talented 22-year-old in the closing stages to reduce the deficit she will attempt to bridge in Sunday's finale.

Johnson-Thompson was slow out of the blocks in the opening 100m hurdles, finishing 10th overall with a time of 13.50 seconds, but made up ground in the high jump as one of only two athletes to clear 1.86m.

A throw of 13.64m set her back in the shot put but her 200m time gives her a five point lead over Chari Hawkins, with fellow American Taliyah Brooks a further 12 points behind in a close fight for the medals.

"I just really wanted to attack that 200m," said Johnson-Thompson. "Maybe I attacked it a bit too much around the bend as I was swimming a bit by the end, but it is nice to get a win and end on a high.

"It's all very close. I don't think it will be a high scoring heptathlon but it is very competitive and exciting, so who knows."

Delayed start as action begins in Budapest

The start of these highly anticipated World Championships was delayed because of adverse weather conditions, with heavy rain and the threat of a thunderstorm pushing the competition back by one hour.

When the action at last got under way a well-attended morning session at the purpose-built 35,000 capacity National Athletics Centre welcomed the athletes, with ticket sales surpassing 85 percent on the eve of the competition.

Among the other champions crowned on the first day, American world record holder Ryan Crouser, competing despite struggling with two blood clots in his lower leg, claimed shot put gold in style with a championship record throw measuring 23.51m.

Britain's Scott Lincoln failed to progress through qualifying with a best throw of 20.22m.

Meanwhile, team-mate Lawrence Okoye also missed out on the men's discus final after throwing 63.66m.

Youhuu, the official mascot, was a big success during the opening ceremony