It was confirmed that 486,000 of the 700,000 tickets have now been sold in advance of the Championships, with applicants due to begin receiving emails to inform them of the outcomes of the ballot process.

Five of the 14 sessions were oversubscribed in all four price categories available, with 200,000 tickets having been requested alone for the third session of competition, which will feature the men’s 100 metres final.

Of the 14 sessions available, 13 have been balloted in at least one price category, which London 2017 claim shows the huge public demand to watch world class athletics.

"We are thrilled with the demand for tickets so far and next year is really setting up to be a fantastic summer of athletics where we welcome the world’s best athletes back to London,” said Niels de Vos, chief executive of UK Athletics and London 2017 Championships director.

"Four years on from the London 2012 Games, it’s great to see that there is still such enthusiasm for global sporting events.

"Our aim is to fill the Olympic Stadium with passionate crowds and ensure that as many fans as possible can enjoy world-class athletics and the demand we’re seeing so far for tickets shows we’re on our way to achieving this."

The ballot took place during last month's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, with London 2017 claiming the desire to watch emerging athletics heroes from the Games has boosted demand.

The World Championships is due to see 3,300 athletes from more than 200 countries compete across 20 days of action from August 4 to 13.

Those unsuccessful in the ballot will get a second chance to purchase remaining tickets in mid-September, with details set to be provided to them by email.

Any remaining unsold IAAF World Championships tickets will come back on-sale later in the year.

London 2017 have claimed that child tickets proved extremely popular with 70,000 under-16's set to attend next year's IAAF World Championships for £9.58, a price inspired by the 100m world record set by Jamaica’s nine-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt.

"It's fantastic to see that organisers of next summer’s IAAF World Championships in London have been able to sell so many tickets a year ahead of the Championships,” said Bolt, who has indicated that the World Championships will be his swansong appearance before retirement.

"The fact that 70,000 children will be coming to watch next summer, for my £9.58 world record ticket price, is something I'm hugely proud of."

Tickets for the International Paralympic Committee World Athletics Championships, due to take place between July 14 and 23, are set to go on sale from September 10.

Fans will be able to buy tickets from £10 ($13.25/€11.80) per adult and £5 ($6.60/€5.90) per child from tickets.london2017athletics.com.