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≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
The Saturday evening session at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo had more wet conditions early on, but with nice 76 F temperatures, but the track condition was good. The competition was fierce.
/Update/In the men’s 4×400 m heats, the jury ruled that both Kenya (3:00.76) and the U.S. (3:01.06) were impeded by Zambia in heat one and the two teams have been advanced to a run-off for a ninth place in the final at 10:40 a.m. Sunday Tokyo time (9:40 p.m. Saturday Eastern time).
South Africa was impeded by Italy in the men’s 4×100 m heats and will be a time trial (10:33 a.m. Sunday), needing to run 38.34 or better to get into a nine-lane final.
● Men/800 m: The Paris podium – Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN), Marco Arop (CAN) and Djamel Sedjati (ALG) – was all on the line, in an event which has gone crazy in 2025, with 15 men running in the 1:42s. This was one of the expected highlights of the Worlds.
Wanyonyi and Arop ran to the front right away and Wanyonyi took the bell with Arop and Max Burgin (GBR) third in 49.27. Wanyonyi rolled down the backstraight, and was moving hard with Arop right behind on the turn.
In the straight, Wanonyi and Arop were together – straining – right to the final meters, and then Sjedjati came up – as he always does – and got second at the line, 1:41.86 to 1:41.90 to 1:41.95.
Ireland’s Cian McPhillips was fourth in a national 1:42.15, while Burgin was sixth in 1:42.29. It’s two straight wins in 2024 and 2025 for Wanyonyi, who by the way, is 21 years old.
● Men/Decathlon: American Kyle Garland got a lifetime best 17.02 m (55-10 1/4) to lead the shot, ahead of Germany’s Leo Neugebauer at 16.70 m (54-9 1/2), and then Garland and world leader Sander Skotheim (NOR) battled in the high jump, with Skotheim winning the event at 2.14 m (7-0 1/4) and Garland second at 2.11 m (6-11).
That gave Garland the lead at 3,833 to 3,627 over Skotheim, with ex-NCAA champ Neugebauer third at 3,559. In the 400 m, Garland got a seasonal best of 48.73 for fourth in the second section and finished the first day at 4,707.
Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme – fourth at the 2022 Worlds – took the final section in 46.46, with Harrison Williams of the U.S. second in 46.88 and Skotheim fourth in 47.86, giving him 4,543 points for the day. Owens-Delerme ran up to third at 4,487 and Neugebauer stood fourth at 4,455.
American Heath Baldwin ran up 4,310 points for sixth and Williams stood ninth at 4,153.
● Women/5,000 m: This was an epic showdown, with defending champion Faith Kipyegon (KEN) – doubling back from her 1,500 win – and countrywoman Beatrice Chebet, the Olympic champion, doubling back from her 10,000 m win.
American Shelby Houlihan, the 2025 World Indoor silver winner and teammate Josette Andrews were in front at the start, jogging at a slow pace of 78 and 80 seconds on the first two laps. They were still 1-2 at 2,000 m, with Agnes Ngetich (KEN) – no. 3 all-time – in third. Houlihan led Andrews and Ngetich at 3,000 m, but everyone was in contact.
With three laps to go, Houlihan, Ngetich and Andrews were still in front, and Josette Andrews moved up to lead with two to go. 10,000 m silver winner Nadia Battocletti (ITA) was third and then Kipyegon came up to challenge with 500 to go. Battocletti took over at the bell with Kipyegon close and Chebet third.
Kipyegon took the lead on the backstraight, with Chebet and Battocletti moving up behind her. Kipyegon and Chebet were 1-2 into the straight and Chebet had the most speed and won in 14:54.36. Kipyegon was a clear second and Battocletti came up close for third, 14:55.07 to 14:55.42. Houlihan was fourth, moving well on the straight to pass 2022 World Champion Gudaf Tsegay (ETH), 14:57.42 to 14:57.82. Andrews was a very creditable sixth in 15:00.25. Chebet ran the final 400 m in a striking 57.60.
● Women/Shot: Defending champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. opened at 19.55 m (64-1 3/4) as the first throwers, but Canada’s World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton took the lead at 19.76 m (64-10). Then Paris runner-up Maddison-Lee Wesche (NZL) took over with her first-round throw of 20.06 m (65-9 3/4).
Those were the top three through three rounds, with Diamond League winner Jessica Schilder (NED) moving up to fourth in round four at 19.51 m (64-0 1/4). Jackson improved to 19.67 m (64-6 1/2) in round four, but stayed third.
In round six, Schilder got more speed behind her final throw and took the lead at 20.29 m (66-7). And Jackson, now in fourth, responded with her best at 20.21 m (66-3 3/4), moving into silver position. Mitton did not improve and finished fourth. Wesche, in the lead coming into the round, had the last chance, but was called for a foul.
It was Schilder’s first world title after a 2022 bronze, to go with her two European wins in 2022 and 2024. Jackson got her third straight Worlds medal.
● Women/Javelin: Budapest Worlds bronze winner Mackenzie Little (AUS) got to the lead right away at 63.58 m (208-7), with South Africa’s Jo-Ane du Plessis second at 63.06 m (206-11) from round two.
Ecuador’s three-time national champion Juleisy Angulo, 24, who got a lifetime best 63.25 m (207-6) in the qualifying, shocked the field and popped into the lead in round two with another huge best at 65.12 m (213-8)!
Latvia’s Anete Sietina, fourth in 2023, moved into third in the fifth round at 63.35 m (207-10) and then into silver position in the sixth round at 64.64 m (212-1). Little did not improve on her last four throws and left the unheralded Angulo as the winner! What?
She entered the year with best of 61.10 m (200-5) and finished as World Champion after improving 13 feet this season.
● Women/Heptathlon: Taliyah Brooks of the U.S. led the field in the long jump, getting a tremendous lifetime best of 6.79 m (22-3 1/2), tied for 19th in the world in 2025! Leader Anna Hall was seventh at 6.12 m (20-1) and continued in the lead with 5,041 points, but Brooks moved up to second at 4,930!
Ireland’s Kate O’Connor led the javelin with a lifetime best of 53.06 m (174-1), with Hall fourth with a lifetime best of 48.13m (157-11) and Brooks in 14th, but also with a PR of 43.37 m (142-3). So, going into the final event, Hall led with 5,865, with O’Connor at 5,743 and Brooks at 5,662 and defending champ Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR) at 5,578.
In the 800 m, Hall got out to the lead, then passed by teammate Michelle Atherley, who took the bell. Hall took the lead on the backstraight and led into the straight, winning easily in 2:06.08
Johnson-Thompson was second in 2:07.38 and Atherley was third in 2:07.77. O’Connor got a lifetime best of 2:09.56 and Brooks ran a lifetime best of 2:13.37.
That gave Hall 6,888 points and the first U.S. Worlds win in the event since Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1993! Shel won bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023. O’Connor got a national record of 6,714 for the silver and Brooks and Johnson-Thompson tied for the bronze at 6,581 apiece!
That’s a lifetime best for Brooks, her first Worlds medal and the second time that Americans have won two medals in this event. Joyner-Kersee and Jane Frederick went 1-3 way back in 1987. In 2025, Brooks won the World Indoor bronze in the pentathlon and how the bronze in the outdoor hep.
Atherley finished 11th at 6,287; Timara Chapman of the U.S. did not start the 800, she was 19th after the javelin.
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There was qualifying in the relays, and LOTS of drama (or insanity?):
● Men/4×400 m/Updated]: The U.S. was in the first heat and Chris Bailey and Gardeo Isaacs of South Africa passed first, but Demarius Smith was in a mess trying to hand the baton to Bryce Deadmon, as Zambia’s Kennedy Luchembe crossed in front of him.
When Deadmon finally got the stick, he was last. He tried to move up on the backstraight, but still handed to Jenoah McKiver well back. McKiver got into contention coming into the final straight, but faded to sixth in 3:01.06 and did not qualify for the final … for the first time in World Championships history, a complete disaster. A protest was made and Zambia was disqualified, but the U.S. placement remained sixth and the U.S. was – unbelievably – out. (But got a later reprieve from the Jury of Appeal and will run Sunday morning against Kenya for a lane in the final.)
The American quartet was the nos. 2-5-6-7 (Bailey-McKiver-Deadmon-Smith) finishers at the USATF nationals. That selection – even with the later reprieve from the jury – will be questioned.
At the front of the race, South Africa was strong, with Lythe Pillay anchoring in 2:58.81, with Qatar’s hurdles star Abderrahmane Samba bringing Qatar in second in 3:00.15 to 3:00.23 for the Netherlands.
The second heat had favored Botswana and 200 m star Letsile Tebogo ran a 44.18 leg to hand to Bayapo Ndori in the lead. Alexander Doom of Belgium got to the lead on the backstraight, but Ndori pulled ahead with a 44.30 leg and won in 2:57.68. Belgium was second (2:57.98) while Britain’s Charles Dobson (43.78!) made a late run for third, but came up short to Australia, 2:58.00 to 2:58.11.
● Men/4×100 m: The U.S. had Christian Coleman, Ronnie Baker, Trayvon Bromell and T’Mars McCallum in lane eight, with Jamaica inside in lane three, including Kishane Thompson on anchor, and Olympic champ Canada in five.
Coleman was strong on the first leg and passed – in a bad exchange – to Baker, as he ran up on him. He passed in the lead to Bromell, but Brendon Rodney’s third leg was great and he passed nicely to Andre De Grasse and Canada won the heat in 37.85, with McCallum bringing the U.S. in second in 37.98 and on to the final. Behind them, the final Jamaican pass from Rylem Forde to Thompson was fouled up and dropped and they did not finish.
The U.S. passes were barely good enough to get through, but they did. Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek will be expected to join the team for the final.
Heat two had Great Britain in seven and South Africa in six, but Shaun Maswananyi couldn’t make the first pass to Sinesipho Dambile and they were out. Japan and Britain were leading into the final pass, but Jona Efoloko could not get the stick to Eugene Amo-Dadzie and Britain did not finish. Instead, it was Ghana on the inside with Abdul-Rasheed Siminu who got a national record of 37.79, ahead of the Dutch (37.95) and Japan (38.07) into the final. Crazy.
● Women/4×400 m: In heat one, Jamaica’s Dejanea Oakley passed first and Stacey Ann Williams took the lead and had a 3 m edge on the field. Williams was up 7 m, passing to Roneisha McGregor. Nickisha Pryce took the baton well in the lead and won in a world-leading 3:22.77 with a brilliant 49.64 finale.
Behind her, Henriette Jaeger (49.84) brought Norway clear of the rest of the field for second in a national record 3:23.84., ahead of Poland (3:24.39).
In heat two, veteran Alexis Holmes led off for the U.S. (50.90) and passed with France, and Rosey Effiong got to the pole first. She led Lieke Klaver (NED: 49.72) into the straight, but Klaver took over as Effiong (50.39) faded. The Dutch exchange was poor and Quanera Hayes (50.59) got to the front for the U.S. again quickly and created a 5 m lead for Britton Wilson.
Wilson rolled and blew away the rest of the field, winning by about 8 m in a world-leading 3:22.53 (50.65). Belgium’s Helena Ponette moved up on the straight and passed Dutch anchor Lisette de Witte for second, 3:23.96 to 3:24.03.
● Women/4×100 m: Jamaica was out best with Jodean Williams, passing first to Tia Clayton, who roared down the backstraight, passing to sister Tina Clayton. She gave Jonielle Smith a big lead and she ran to the line in 41.80. That was well ahead of Spain (42.53) and France (42.71).
The Americans were in lane five in heat two, with Jacious Sears, TeeTee Terry, Kayla White and Sha’Carri Richardson, who anchored the gold-medal team in Paris last year. Great Britain was in seven. Sears was out very well and Terry was running well, along with Great Britain. White was in the lead around the turn and passed smoothly to Richardson, who cruised to a world-leading 41.60 win. Gina Luckenkemper moved Germany past Britain for second, 41.86 to 41.88.
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The medal table shows the U.S. way in front with 20 total (12-4-4), and Kenya second at 10 (6-2-2) and Jamaica with eight (1-4-3). The placing table, scored 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 to measure overall team strength, has the U.S. at 250, with Kenya at 95 and Jamaica at 80.
The final day schedule has the decathlon in the morning, then the women’s 800 m, men’s 5,000 m, the end of the decathlon and the relays. The field-event program has women’s high jump and the men’s discus.
Prize money for the Worlds is $70,000-35,000-22,000-16,000-11,000-7,000-6,000-5,000 for individual events and $80,000-40,000-20,000-16,000-12,000-8,000-6,000-4,000 for relays.
The meet is being shown by NBC in the U.S., primarily on Peacock, but also on CNBC for Sunday’s final day.
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