Berlin, Aug 10 (DPA) Youngsters Carl Lewis and Sergei Bubka made a first impression in 1983 when the Olympic showcase sport of athletics finally held its first World Championships.

The two went on to be among the most celebrated athletes of their generation after the initial success in Helsinki.

Lewis' achievement of 10 overall medals, among them eight gold, is unrivalled while Bubka is the only athlete with six world titles in one event.

His transition from a Soviet athlete to a CIS starter to a Ukrainian athlete also highlights the political changes at the time.

The ruling body IAAF agreed in 1976 to hold world championships as a separate event after earlier naming Olympic gold medallists world champions.

European championships had long existed, but apart from the Olympics and the odd meetings between nations there was no event bringing together the top athletes from around the world.

When the 1,355 athletes from 154 countries met in Finland for the first worlds Aug 7-14, 1983, it was still the height of the Cold War.

The top athletes met for the first time on the track and field since the Munich Olympics in 1972, as the famous African runners were not in Montreal 1976 and the US and other western countries boycotted the 1980 Games in Munich. The Soviets and others then didn't go to Los Angeles in 1984.

Inaugural world champions included East German Marlies Goehr in the 100m, Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova recorded a 400m world record and Lewis took a title treble in the 100m, long jump and 4x100m relay.

The championships have grown ever since with 1,978 athletes from 203 countries present at the 11th edition 2007 in Osaka. Eight world championships have been staged in Europe, Japan hosted the worlds in Osaka and 1991 in Tokyo, and there has also been a North American edition 2001 in Edmonton.

However, the most successful nation at the worlds, the US, are yet to host the event.