Ecuador athlete enjoys surprise win for South American country on the penultimate day of action in Tokyo.

After the surprising sight of Haruka Kitaguchi being knocked out in the qualifying round for the women's javelin, there was another shock in the final on Saturday (Sept 20) as Juleisy Angulo won a rare medal for Ecuador by striking gold with a national record of 65.12m.

The 24-year-old improved her lifetime best by more than a metre in the second round and held on for victory from Anete Sietina as the Latvian threw a PB of 64.64m in the final round.

Australia’s Mackenzie Little earned another bronze to match her medal from the 2023 championships in Budapest with her first-round throw of 63.58m.

Angulo said: "My goal here was to reach the final so I am very emotional, in shock. I still can't believe it. I compete to improve myself. I have an internal battle to improve myself.

"I am very proud of my performance and that of Paola (Milena Torres, the 35km race walk bronze medallist) and all the Latin American women here. I trust myself, and my coach puts a lot of trust in me and the work we have done together. My training partner Flor Denis Ruiz won silver two years ago and I thought I could be at that level one day.

"I dreamed of a world medal since I started athletics. I have faced some adversities, such as two surgeries in my left knee. But I persevered. I never gave up."

Sietina added: "It's like a dream but I deserve it. All the work I put in, it's so much and it's hard, so it means everything. Throwing 64.64m is the magic number and my PB.

"Since my fourth place in Budapest two years ago I just worked smarter, not harder and I think fourth was a big motivation for this moment. I knew that I was capable of throwing far. It's a magic day in Tokyo."

Little said: "Maybe I shou;d be sad that I lost the silver in the sixth round, but actually I'm so happy about my lovely friend Anete. She is so wonderful, a deserving girl. We've competed against each other since we were 16 in high school and all around the world. We're really competitive and aggressive as athletes, but we can be just as thrilled for each other."