The Angus Awards

Our man in Helsinki, Angus Torode, has collaborated with Eurosport.com's Athletics team to come up with our personal view on the people that lit up (or otherwise) these world championships.

His superb bronze in the men's long jump, the local lad getting a huge roar of support from the crowd as they enjoyed his superb 8.25m leap to podium glory.

Setting personal bests and national records along the way, and after the disappointment in Tero Pitkamaki's failure in the Javelin, the relief at Finland's first major championship medal at the third time of asking was apparent.

He also wins the award for Best Haircut (see above).

Not only the victories (double sprint gold, only the second man ever to achieve the feat) but the manner in which they were executed - the winning margin in the 100m was something to behold - and the humility and spirit in which they were accepted. Big bonus-point for waving the Finnish flag alongside the Stars and Stripes, overcoming some of the tiresome jingoism his compatriots often display in victory.

Or should that be country of the championships? Brilliant is the only word that can used to describe the Ethiopians over distances, and while natural climate and culture has a part to play, a country ravaged by poverty and famine has no right to outshine traditional North and East African rivals let alone the former European greats.

20 year-old Tirunesh's 5000 and 1000 double was a joy to behold, the sheer dominance of the Ethiopians and the concept of "team" often lacking in some of the major nations' performances, the Wariner-esque pace shown in the final lap of the 5000m 1-2-3-4 was outrageous.

France had superb championships, finishing sixth overall and proving that 2003 was no fluke. Ladji Doucouré typified this, a young underdog taking on the big boys and winning. He's been in great form all season, but with no genuine big-race experience to talk of - he took a tumble in Athens - his powerful and stylish defeat of reigning Olympic champion Xiang Liu and four-time World champion Allen Johnson was an awesome end to the most exciting and hotly contested race of the championships.

His refusal to believe that he'd won it until seen in writing highlighted the surprise a humble and laid-back man must have felt to beat his idol, Johnson. And that victory in the relay crowned the glory...

Well, the ever-quotable legend set himself up before the tournaments by claiming that what he looked forward to most was "all the pretty girls in Helsinki", and his response to the question "who do you want to win the 200m" (answer - "the American guy...") were amusing enough.

But his best gag came when, on winning his semi in the 110m hurdles he continued to run through the driving wind and rain at full-pace, arms aloft and whooping in mock jubilation at having set a new world record... of 10.94seconds.

He knew full well that there had been a timing error but the irony wasn't lost on him and his long-standing refusal to take himself too seriously is refreshing in the face of chest-beating machismo and pseudo-humility often displayed by athletes who shall remain un-named.

Q. So Allen, will you retire after these championships?

A. Why?!!

In the women's 1500m, for taking a sideways glance at tiny, tiny Maryam Yusuf Jamal before elbowing her out of contention and back into sixth, resulting in a Russian clean sweep. There's running as a team (Ethiopia) and there's downright cheating, and Jamal - who could have won the race - will take scant consolation from being upgraded to fifth after Chizhenko was rightly disqualified.

Big, bad Fratboy Capel "hazing" poor, innocent, musclebound Freshmen Wallace Spearmon and Tyson Gay and repeatedly poking fun at them afterwards... Psychological warfare perhaps, but "little" Wallace had the last laugh, beating his "senior" to silver in the 200m final.

Not much needs to be said really, other than the once-great Athletics superpower need to lick their wounds and take a long, hard look at the coaching and organisational set-up at national level. It's all very well producing world-beaters at junior level, but if the undoubted pool of talent can't be brought through to world-class status then what's the point?

It's something we'll discuss long and hard in the near future, but lessons need to be learnt from countries such as Cuba and France, who have similar resources yet are easily out-performing them.

World junior record holder at 100m, hyped to heaven and back and still convinced he's a star despite the fact that his then-shadows Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin are a good half a second a head of him. Went backwards in the closing stages of the relay final. A bubbly character but no world-class track athlete should be that overweight, period.