‘INSTANT MEDALS’ AT WORLDS

EUGENE, Oregon—it takes speed to win some of these medals at world championships.

Speed to hand all of them out, too. A little bit of jumping ability doesn’t hurt, either.

In a new twist at track and field’s biggest event this side of the Olympics, athletes no longer have to wait to receive their prizes. The medals are waiting trackside and, once gold, silver and bronze are decided, presenters position themselves to hang them around their rightful winners’ necks, sometimes while they’re still on the run.

One caveat: They need them back. These “instant medals” are purely placeholders for athletes to enjoy on their celebration lap. The take-home ones, engraved with their names, get presented in a ceremony later on.

“To have that medal so fast, it’s so nice,” said British runner Laura Muir, who earned a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters. “It’s surreal because one minute you’re not even across the line and the next minute you have the medal around your neck.”

All part of the plan from Niels de Vos, the executive director of Oregon22. He remembered watching an athlete win at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and receive his medal the next day in a nearly empty stadium.

“From an athlete’s perspective, it’s like, ‘But my friends and family are here today. They haven’t got a ticket tomorrow. I don’t want to come back tomorrow for my medal and not have my family,’” de Vos explained. “Everybody likes this.”

The process involves plenty of advanced scout work. That’s why de Vos, the longtime chief executive of UK Athletics and CEO of the 2017 world championships in London, brought over a knowledgeable track team from Britain. Just to help with the task of tracking down euphoric athletes. It’s not as easy as it might seem. Through prep work, they know approximately where someone will end up once a race or field event concludes.