Obiri, O’Brien & four Budapest medallists among 23 athletes entering MOWA – Chris Turner – World Athletics

Dear friends of the MOWA, Competition artefacts from multiple world champions Kenya’s Hellen Obiri (singlet) and USA’s Dan O’Brien (singlet & bodysuit) are among the historic items inducted into the World Athletics Heritage Collection which is displayed on the online 3D platform of the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)

Entering MOWA along with Obiri’s 2023 Boston Marathon winning singlet are artefacts from two Olympic marathon champions, USA’s Frank Shorter, Munich 1972 gold medallist (t-shirt) and Italy’s Athens 2004 winner Stefano Baldini (pair of shoes). The previously announced donation of fellow Italian, 1984 & 85 NYCM winner Orlando Pizzolato goes on display in MOWA too.

Click here to read: ‚I learned from my mistake in New York‘ – Obiri gifts Boston Marathon singlet to MOWA

The annual MOWA intake also sees the Tokyo’91 World Championships outfits of decathlon world record breaker O’Brien joined by treasured items from World Athletics Council Member Sylvia Barlag, who set a heptathlon world best in 1979 (trophy & two pairs of spikes).

Click here to read: ‚I’ll never forget my first one in Tokyo‘ – O’Brien donates 1991 decathlon kit to MOWA

PHOTO: Faith Kipyegon’s Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships spikes.

Selfless generosity

The artefacts from two Budapest 2023 gold medallists go on exhibit, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon (spikes) 1500m & 5000m victor, and USA’s Grant Holloway (singlet & spike shoe) who won his third world championships 110m hurdles title in the Hungarian capital.

There are further gifts from two bronze medallists, Hungary’s Bence Halasz (hammer throw glove) and USA’s Joe Kovacs, the two-time world champion shot putter (singlet).

The generosity of all donors to our museum knows few bounds.

On Saturday 26 August, in the Mixed Zone in Budapest’s National Athletics Centre, immediately following her 5000m victory, Kipyegon removed her shoes and gifted them to her friend Sandrine Prokopowicz. Matching the Kenyan’s kindness Prokopowicz, who is World Athletics’ Technical Services Manager, in turn donated the spikes to the MOWA.

Topping that kindness was Anjelina Lohalith, the most experienced athlete of the ASICS-sponsored Athlete Refugee Team (ART), who in Budapest donated her winning singlet from the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country in February 2023. That was the first ever international victory of any member of the ART. What an incredible act of selfless generosity to donate such a treasure!

 

PHOTO: The singlet of refugee athlete Anjelina Lohalith.

30 artefacts, 23 athletes, 11 countries, 4 areas

In total, 30 artefacts of 23 athletes from 11 countries + Athlete Refugee Team, representing four continental areas, have today been added across the MOWA’s five online galleries. Another 3 athletes who kindly donated artefacts in 2023 will enter the 3D museum when a new gallery is launched next year.

Much of the clothing, shoes, equipment, and trophies entering the MOWA, all donated during 2023, were exhibited in a five-month long MOWA Heritage Athletics Exhibition in Budapest which celebrated 40 years of the World Athletics Championships.

Currently, all the new additions are on show at the World Athletics offices in Monaco and some will be exhibited for one month next year in the MOWA Indoor Athletics Exhibition in Glasgow (3 February to 3 March) ahead of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in the Scottish city.

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.

Athletics artefacts entering MOWA

In the coming weeks, we will publish feature stories about the careers of the many champions and record breakers who have made donations to our collection in 2023 and are joining the displays across MOWA’s digital platform for the first time today:

1960s
Doris BROWN HERITAGE (USA), 1967 International Cross Country Championships, Barry, Wales, 1st place: gold medal.

1970s
Frank SHORTER (USA), 1971 Pan-Am Games, Cali, Colombia, 10,000m & marathon, gold: USA team t-shirt.
Sylvia BARLAG (NED), 1979, World best performance heptathlon, Longwy, France 1st place, Longwy, France: trophy, two pairs of shoes, high jump and hurdles.

1980s
Orlando PIZZOLATO (ITA), 1984 New York City Marathon, 1st place: running shoes.

1990s
Dan O’BRIEN (USA), Tokyo 1991 World Athletics Championships decathlon, gold: singlet, bodysuit & bib number.
Aki PARVIAINEN (FIN), Seville 1999 World Athletics Championships javelin, gold: singlet & bib number.
Jan ZELEZNY (CZE), Seville 1999 World Athletics Championships javelin, bronze: singlet & bib number

2000s
Boris HENRY (GER), Paris 2003 World Athletics Championships javelin, bronze: singlet & bib number.
Stefano BALDINI (ITA), Athens 2004 Olympic Games marathon, gold: pair of shoes.
Tero PITKAMAKI (FIN), Osaka 2007 World Athletics Championships javelin, gold: singlet & bib number.

2010s
Liu XIANG (CHN), Daegu 2011 World Athletics Championships 110mH, silver: spike, left shoe.
Krisztian PARS (HUN), Daegu 2011 World Athletics Championships hammer throw, silver: throwing glove.
Matej TOTH (SVK), Beijing 2015 World Athletics Championships 50km race walk, gold: singlet & name bib (and 2019 Doha name bib).
Lijiao GONG (CHN), Doha 2019 World Athletics Championships shot, gold: singlet.
Hong LIU (CHN), Doha 2019 World Athletics Championships 20km race walk, gold: singlet & bib number and shoes.
Barbora SPOTAKOVA (CZE), Doha 2019 World Athletics Championships javelin, 9^th: singlet & bib number and boots.

2020s
Jianan WANG (CHN), Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games long jump, qualification: pair of spikes.
Anjelina LOHALITH (ART) European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country, Castellon, Spain, 1st place: singlet.
Hellen OBIRI (KEN) 2023 BAA Boston Marathon, 1st place: singlet & name bib.
Bence HALASZ (HUN) Budapest 2023 hammer throw, bronze: throwing glove.
Grant HOLLOWAY (USA) Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships 110mH, gold: singlet & bib number and spike, right shoe.
Faith KIPYEGON (KEN) Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships 1500m & 5000m, gold: pair of spikes.
Joe KOVACS (USA) Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships shot, bronze: singlet & bib number.

Best wishes,

Chris Turner
Director of World Athletics Heritage & curator of MOWA

Click here to enter MOWA and Take a virtual journey through Athletics history

For more information about MOWA and the World Athletics Heritage Collection – https://worldathletics.org/heritage

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