IAAF Athletics World Championships 2015: Results and Medal Table After Saturday

The 2015 IAAF World Championships kicked off at Beijing National Stadium in China on Saturday. The biennial showcase featuring some of the world's best athletes, which runs through next Sunday, consists of 47 track and field events.

Ghirmay Ghebreslassie started the competition in memorable fashion by becoming the youngest men's marathon winner in World Championships history at just 19. His triumph vaulted the small African nation of Eritrea to the top of the medal table at the outset.

Let's check out all of the athletes who joined Ghebreslassie on the podium Saturday. The medal winners are followed by an updated table and a recap of the day's finals.

Saturday Medal Results

For complete event results, visit the IAAF's official site.

Current Medal Table

Day 1 Recap

Ghebreslassie took advantage of a marginal pace and lackluster performances from some of the more high-profile runners to earn the victory. His time of two hours, 12 minutes, 27 seconds was enough to beat second-place finisher Yemane Tsegay of Ethiopia by 40 seconds.

Nick Zaccardi of NBC Olympic Talk noted Dennis Kimetto, who set the world record at 2:02:57 in last year's Berlin Marathon, failed to finish the race. The same was true for Wilson Kipsang, while fellow contenders Stephen Kiprotich and Lelisa Desisa finished more than two minutes off the pace.

Kipsang noted that the conditions played a critical role in the race, per Pat Graham of the Associated Press.

"The pace was not there—but the weather, it was difficult," Kipsang said. "We could not run normally."

It left the door open for a surprise winner, and Ghebreslassie took full advantage. CCTV News passed along the celebration:

Christina Schwanitz continued her recent run of success in the shot put by capturing her first World Championships gold medal. The German veteran edged local favorite Gong Lijiao by seven-hundredths of a meter thanks to a terrific third attempt.

Schwanitz actually had a slightly better personal result two years ago (20.41 meters) but finished second to Valerie Adams of New Zealand. It's her third gold in a key competition, previously finishing first in the 2013 European Indoor Championships and the 2014 European Championships.

The United States also picked up its first medal of the event, courtesy of Michelle Carter, who picked up the bronze. Her father, Michael Carter, holds the unique distinction of being the only athlete to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic medal—silver in the shot put—in the same year.

It was Schwanitz's day to shine, though, as TOI Sports News noted:

Reigning Olympic champion Mo Farah continued his dominance in the men's 10,000 meters in Saturday's final medal event. The Brit edged Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor of Kenya by less than a second, which is remarkable given the length of the race.

Farah was one of the biggest stars in London three years ago, exciting the home fans by winning gold in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. This victory ensures he'll head into the Summer Games next year in Brazil as a top contender once again.

Along with taking silver and bronze, Kenya also had the fourth-place finisher in Bedan Karoki Muchiri, while American Galen Rupp came in fifth.

BBC Sport highlighted Farah's winning margin, which was just a couple of strides:

There are four more medal events scheduled for Sunday. The action begins with the men's 20-kilometer race walk during the morning session. The afternoon session will feature the men's hammer throw and shot put.

That said, the main event of the day is undoubtedly the men's 100 meters. World record holder Usain Bolt will look to defend the title of fastest man on Earth once again. He figures to face a legitimate challenge from Justin Gatlin of the United States, who's enjoying a strong 2015.

It's a rivalry that will probably carry into next year's Olympics. Sunday's winner will gain the upper hand as the countdown to Rio begins in earnest.