Competition artefacts generously donated this year by 21 global champions, medallists, and record-breakers have been inducted into the 3D virtual platform of the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA).
The new displays are highlighted by previously unannounced, donations to the World Athletics Heritage Collection from four champions, who in recent weeks have “run, jumped, and thrown” themselves into MOWA, the world’s first fully virtual sports museum. Norway’s world 5000m and Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, 2022 world 1500m gold medallist Jake Wightman of Britain, Sweden’s 2004 Olympic high jump champion Stefan Holm, and Tokyo 2020 Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman of the USA head a prestigious list of new athletes supporting the World Athletics Heritage programme.
Ingebrigtsen’s bodysuit and Wightman’s spikes
The reigning Olympic and world 1500m gold medallists, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Jake Wightman, are included in MOWA’s new displays, along with fellow middle-distance aces, Somalia’s Abdi Bile and USA’s Bernard Lagat, respectively the 1987 & 2007 world 1500m champions, whose donations were announced earlier this year.
Ingebrigtsen has given the World Athletics Heritage Collection his world indoor 1500m silver medal bodysuit and name bib from the World Indoor Championships Belgrade 22. Wightman has donated the pair of spikes which took him to world 1500m gold in Eugene, European 800m silver in Munich and Commonwealth 1500m bronze in Birmingham.
Holm donates four world indoor title bibs
Stefan Holm, while best known for his Athens 2004 Olympic Games high jump triumph, was imperious at major indoor championships for almost a decade, with the last major victory of his illustrious career coming at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Valencia 2008.
Holm has gifted MOWA the singlet and bib number which he wore in Valencia, and the bibs from the Lisbon 2001, Birmingham 2003, and Budapest 2004 championships in which he also won the world indoor high jump title.
Olympic singlet and shoes from Allman
Former dancer Valarie Allman’s grace, strength and balance helped spin her to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic discus throw title. In 2022, she became the first USA woman to take a world championships discus medal when securing bronze in Eugene, and then won the Wanda Diamond League Trophy in Zurich.
Allman has donated the uniform and shoes to the World Athletics Heritage Collection which she wore when winning her Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. There are other notable discus artefacts in this MOWA induction, one of the implements used in the 1952 Olympic women’s discus final, and an autographed discus and a painting from four-time Olympic discus throw champion Al Oerter.
32 artefacts, 21 athletes, 16 countries, 5 areas
Much of the clothing, shoes, equipment, and trophies entering MOWA, all of which have been donated to the World Athletics Heritage Collection during 2022, have been exhibited in MOWA Heritage exhibitions in Muscat, Belgrade, Portland, and Eugene this year. Currently, the new additions are on show at the World Athletics offices in Monaco and will be exhibited next year in a five-month-long exhibition in Budapest, ahead of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (19-27 August 2023).
The 32 artefacts received by MOWA in 2022, represent 21 athletes, from 16 countries in five continental areas, and cover running, jumping, throwing and race walking.
Athletics artefacts entering MOWA today
The new athletes and artefacts joining the displays across MOWA’s digital platform for the first time today:
1956-1968
Al OERTER (USA), 4-time Olympic discus throw champion (Melbourne, Rome, Tokyo & Mexico City): Autographed discus and a signed acrylic painting from his Torch Series (2006), commemorating his first Olympic victory in 1956.
1950s
Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games: women’s discus throw, pool implement.
1970s
Ilona GUSENBAUER (AUT), 1.92m world high jump record, Vienna, Austria, 4 September 1971: world record plaque.
1980s
Mark PLAATJES (RSA), 1st place, marathon, 2:08:58 (PB), Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 4 May 1985: Springbok singlet. Abdi BILE (SOM), gold medal, 1500m, World Championships, Rome 1987: singlet & bib number. Ann PEEL (CAN), bronze, 3000m race walk, World Indoor Championships, Indianapolis 1987: singlet & shorts, and pair of shoes.
1990s
Anne AUDAIN (NZL), 1st place, 10km 1992 Peach Tree, Atlanta, USA: pair of shoes, bib number and trophy. Ximena RESTREPO (COL), bronze, 400m, Olympic Games, Barcelona 1992: pair of spikes Elisabetta PERRONE (ITA), 10th place, 10km race walk, World Race Walking Cup, Monterrey, Mexico 1993: bib number.
2000s
Susana FEITOR (POR), bronze, 20km race walk, World Championships, Helsinki 2005: pair of shoes and bib number. Stefan HOLM (SWE), 4 x gold, high jump, World Indoor Championships, Valencia 2008: singlet and bib number. Also, bib numbers for victories at World Indoor Championships in Lisbon 2001, Birmingham 2003, and Budapest 2004. Bernard LAGAT (USA), gold, 3000m, World Indoor Championships, Doha 2010: singlet and name & number bibs.
2010s
Ivana Spanovic VULETA (SRB), bronze, long jump, Olympic Games, Rio 2016: pair of spikes and autographed team singlet (unworn).
2020s
Valarie ALLMAN (USA), gold, discus throw, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: singlet & briefs and pair of throwing shoes. Raj BENJAMIN (USA), silver, 400m hurdles, Olympic Games 2020: pair of spikes. Johannes VETTER (GER), 1st place, javelin throw (97.76m), European Athletics Team Championships, Silesia 2021: name bib. Ryan CROUSER (USA), silver, shot put, World Athletics Indoor Championships, Belgrade 2022: t-shirt & name bib. Jakob INGEBRIGTSEN (NOR), silver, 1500m, World Athletics Indoor Championships, Belgrade 2022: bodysuit & name bib. Yulimar ROJAS (VEN), gold & world indoor record, triple jump, World Athletics Indoor Championships, Belgrade 2022: autographed name bib (unworn). Brooke ANDERSEN (USA), gold, hammer throw, World Athletics Championships, Oregon22: singlet & name bib. Shelly-Ann FRASER-PRYCE (JAM), gold, 100m, World Athletics Championships, Oregon22: singlet. Jake WIGHTMAN (GBR), gold, 1500m, World Athletics Championships, Oregon22: pair of spikes. These shoes were also worn in his medal performances at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships.
Donations in detail
Today, and in the coming weeks, we will focus in greater detail on the careers of many of the outstanding retired champions and record breakers who have made donations to our collection in 2022.
The World Athletics Heritage Collection and the Museum of World Athletics thank all athletes for their generous donations. There would be no collection and no MOWA without your support.
Credit: World Athletics Heritage
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