The German decathlete clung on to his first world gold medal after a gripping 1500m showdown.

In a thrilling end to the men’s decathlon, Germany’s Leo Neugebauer edged out his rivals by the slimmest of margins to capture his first world title, winning by just 20 points with a total of 8804.

The second day kicked off with the javelin throw, where Niklas Kaul of Germany soared to a season’s best of 78.19m, the longest throw of the day. Estonia’s Karel Tilga threw 69.33m for second place, while Kendrick Thompson from the Bahamas hit a personal best of 68.02m, giving his overall score a crucial boost.

Neugebauer, already the Olympic silver medallist and Germany’s top gold medal contender, threw a personal best of 64.34m in the javelin, positioning himself narrowly ahead heading into the final event: the 1500m race.

With the world title hanging in the balance, the 1500m became a tense showdown. France’s Antoine powered to victory with a personal best of 4:13.52. But all eyes were on Neugebauer, who needed to maintain his slim lead to claim gold.

Pushing his limits, Neugebauer ran a personal best of 4:31.89, visibly struggling in the final stretch and collapsing across the finish line, requiring medical attention. Despite the physical toll, his effort was enough to secure victory with 8804 points.

Neugebauer said: "It still sounds unbelievable. I don't know what to say. The oxygen is not back in my brain yet from the run. I feel fantastic.

"Day one was really tough for everybody, I think. Many people fell out, which is really tough in the decathlon. The important thing is just to keep going, especially on day two. I was just in a good mood today. I felt great, so I just kept going. This season was really tough. I surprised myself a little bit but I had a lot of fun in general."

Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme produced a stunning performance, finishing second in the 1500m with a season-best 4:17.91. His incredible run vaulted him into silver medal position overall, setting a new national record with 8784 points - just 20 points shy of Neugebauer.

Kyle Garland of the USA, who had held second place before the final race, slipped to bronze with 8703 points after running 4:45.45 in the 1500m.