Goodness me, that was touch and go for Jakob Ingrebrigtsen.

He had to sprint for the finish in his 5,000m heat to finish eighth, the final qualification spot for the final.

The Olympic and two-time world champion has struggled for fitness at these championships and after missing out on the 1,500m final, has just avoided the same fate here.

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It was a crowded finish and George Mills, for a second, looked like he was slowing.

But the British athlete finishes fourth in his heat and progresses to the final.

Finally the pace is upped as we enter the final 500m.

George Mills is currently fourth, well placed to qualify as long as nothing goes badly wrong...

Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Tokyo

This is very, very, very slow. Near three-minute kilometres is nothing for these athletes.

This could be a messy finish...

Jakob Ingrebrigtsen is still third from the back wiht three laps to go.

Does he have the fitness to finish fast?

This is still a slow pace, which will suit the 1,500m runners more than the long distance specialists as they kick for the finish.

Mills is usually a quick finisher, so this suits him fine.

USA's Grant Fisher, who won bronze at Paris 2024, has assumed position at the front of the pack as we pass the 3,000m mark.

Now George Mills is making a move - he's taken a position mid-pack, poised for another push later on.

A few words being exchanged between Mills and Ingebrigtsen at the back of the pack.

Friendly encouragement, sharp banter or a tactical discussion?

Eight laps to go, and this is a waiting game.

Mills and Ingebrigtsen are still keeping their powder dry near the back of the pack.

Unfortunately for the home Tokyo crowd, one of their biggest medal hopes looks unlikely to reach the women's javelin final.

Reigning world and Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi came into these championships nursing a recent right elbow injury, and that looks to have had an impact as he could only throw a longest distance of 60.38m, short of the automatic qualifcation mark of 62.5m.

That means Kitaguchi faces a nervous wait for the result of the second qualification group, to see if she is among the top 12 overall who progress to the final. She is currently eighth with half the field still to go in the second heat.

No such worries though for two-time world under-20 champion Adriana Vilagos, the Serbian topping the first qualification group with 66.06m.

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Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen turns 25 today as he begins his bid for a hat-trick of world 5,000m titles.

His lack of training after an Achilles injury was evident as he failed to progress from the 1,500m heats, but this is the Norwegian's stronger event.

As ever, he is sat at the back of the field in the early laps.

George Mills is focusing on this event rather than doubling up over 1,500m. Will that mean he’s fresher than his rivals?

We shall see. The second heat is under way.

A reminder, the top eight from the 22 runners here qualify for the final.

Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Tokyo

Lots of things to keep an eye on during these men's 5,000m heats.

You suspect Cole Hocker will have a fire in his belly after being disqualified from the 1500m for 'jostling', so might that fuel him to glory?

It will be very interesting to see if Jakob Ingebrigtsen has enough training behind him to challenge after exiting the 1500m in the heats, too.

And what can George Mills produce after beating Mo Farah's British record earlier this year but requiring time off to allow that fractured wrist to heal?

His dad, former England international Danny Mills, is among those here tonight to support him.

Olympic 1,500m champion Cole Hocker has made some amends for his disqualifcation from his pet event earlier in these championships, finishing third in his 5,000m heat to reach the final.

Ethiopian two-time world medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet won the heat, but there was disappointment for European record holder Andreas Almgren as the Swede faded badly in the final stretch and could only come ninth.

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Earlier, British heptathlete Abigail Pawlett suffered a nasty fall during the first event, the 110m hurdles.

To her credit, Pawlett has carried on and put in a personal best in the subsequent high jump - but finds herself third-bottom in the standings with five disciplines to go.

Here's what happened.

Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker is seeking redemption in the first heat after disappointment this week in his pet event, where he was disqualified for jostling with opponents in the home straight.

Kenyan Jacob Krop has won back-to-back World Championship medals, while Ethiopia are represented by two-time world medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet and 19-year-old team-mate Kuma Girma.

The top eight in each of the heats progress to the final.

George Mills is the major British medal hope in the men's 5,000m, having recovered from a fractured wrist suffered in June.

Mills has come a long way in the last year since his showing at the 2024 Olympics, most memorable for a heated on-track exchange with a rival following a collision in the heats.

Since then, the son of former England international footballer Danny Mills has broken the British record in the 5,000m, taking four and a half seconds off Sir Mo Farah's time which had stood for 14 years.

"This is the best result of my career," he told BBC Sport. "I've got a couple of European silvers, but this means we're on the right track and can be in the mix with the best."

Mills runs in heat 2, which also features Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and bronze medallist Grant Fisher.

Heat 1 includes Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker and European record holder Andreas Almgren.

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We leave the heptathlon for now, and turn to the track for the men's 5,000m heats.

There we find British interest and medal potential...

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill
Three-time world heptathlon champion on BBC Two

I love the contrast of all of the jumpers.

Anna Hall is such a fiery, ballistic, explosive athlete that bounds down the runway. The explosiveness over the bar, the excitement, the adrenelin that she brings to every event is something quite unique.

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