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≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
Hot and steamy on day five of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with 85 F temperatures and 75% humidity as the meet started. Good for the sprinters, not so much for the distance runners.
You want crazy, dramatic finishes? You got them on Wednesday:
● Men/1,500 m: The last two World Champions lined up – Jake Wightman from 2022 and Josh Kerr from 2023, both from Britain – but many had Diamond League winner Niels Laros (NED: 20 years old) as the favorite.
Laros and 2019 World Champion Tim Cheruiyot (KEN) had the lead with three laps left, then Cheruiyot took over with two laps to go with Reynold Cheruiyot (KEN) third. With 600 left, Kerr dropped off the back, limping badly, and was out of contention.
At the bell, Tim Cheruiyot led Laros, but Wightman struck for the lead with 200 to go with Laros chasing. Into the straight, Wightman led Laros, with Reynold Cheruiyot sprinting into third in the final 50 m as part of a mad rush by a half-dozen to the finish.
Stunningly, Isaac Nader (POR) was coming fastest and got past Reynold Cheruiyot and then Wightman right at the line and won in 3:34.10 to 3:34.12. Reynold Cheruiyot got third (3:34.25) with Tim Cheruiyot fourth (3:34.50) and Laros fifth in 3:34.52.
American Jonah Koech was 13th in 3:37,00; Kerr did finish, limping home in 4:11.23.
In six outdoor meets in 2025, Nader had won twice, including at the Bislett Games in Oslo, but was 10th at the Diamond League Final on 28 August. Twenty days later, he’s the World Champion.
● Men/Long Jump: Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, the 2019 World Champion, blew up the first round, taking the lead at 8.33 m (27-4). China’s Yuhao Shi, who didn’t get out of qualifying in Paris, also got out to 8.33 m in round two and stood second.
Swiss Diamond League winner Simon Ehammer, the combo decathlete and long jumper, reached 8.30 m (27-2 3/4) for third and World Indoor winner Mattia Furlani (ITA) was at 8.22 m (26-11 3/4) after three rounds for fourth. The stunner was Olympic champion Milatidis Tentoglou (GRE), who managed only 7.83 m (25-8 1/4) and finished 11th. Isaac Grimes of the U.S. was 10th at 7.85 m (25-9 1/4).
Gayle extended his lead to 8.34 m (27-4 1/2) in the fourth round, then Furlani exploded in round five and got a lifetime best of 8.39 m (27-6 1/2) to take the lead and the victory … at age 20!
Gayle and Shi finished 2-3 and Ehammer did not improve and ended up fourth.
● Women/Steeple: Paris Olympic champ Winfred Yavi (BRN) was the favorite, but Tokyo Olympic winner Peruth Chemutai (UGA) led after two full laps, with Olympic bronzer Faith Cherotich (KEN) and 2022 World Champion Norah Jeruto (KAZ) also close.
With three laps to go, Jeruto took over and then Chemutai fell to the track after tripping on a backstraight barrier and was out. With two laps left, Yavi was in front of Jeruto and Cherotich and increasing the pressure. At the bell, Yavi was in front of Cherotich and Jeruto and only Cherotich had a shot at Yavi.
Yavi took the final water jump, but Cherotich flew by and rolled to the finish to win in a rout in a meet record of 8:51.59, the no. 8 performance all-time! Yavi was second in 8:56.46, but Jeruto crashed over the final water jump and was out of contention.
That allowed Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew to win bronze in 8:58.86, ahead of Marwa Bouzayani (TUN: 9:01.46); Jeruto finished sixth in 9:06.34.
The Americans were 9-10-14: Angelina Napoleon (9:17.44), Kaylee Mitchell (9:18.66) and Lexy Halliday (9:34.03).
● Women/Vault: Twelve made the opening height of 4.45 m (14-7 1/4) and nine were left after 4.65 m (15-3). The bar went up to 4.75 m (15-7), with defending champion Katie Moon and two-time World Indoor winner Sandi Morris of the U.S. both over on their first tries.
Everyone else missed twice, but then ex-NCAA Indoor champ Tina Sutej (SLO) cleared, as did Amalie Svabikova (CZE), to move on Everyone else missed, including NCAA Indoor champ Amanda Moll and NCAA champion Hana Moll.
At 4.80 m (15-9), Moon cleared right away, Morris and Sutej cleared on their second tries, but Svabikova missed twice and passed. Morris cleared 4.85 m (15-11) on her first try and took the lead. Moon missed and then passed; Svabikova missed her one try and Sutej missed all three and won the bronze medal, her first outdoor Worlds medal after fourth places at the 2022 and 2023 Worlds!
On to 4.90 m (16-0 3/4), with Morris and Moon missing their first tries. Morris missed on her second try, but Moon slammed the bar on her second (final) try, but it stayed on and put her in the lead. So, Morris passed to 4.95 m (16-2 3/4) with one attempt, but missed and won another silver medal, her fourth at the Worlds: 2017-19-22 and now 2025.
Moon now has three Worlds gold in a row, plus the Tokyo Olympic title.
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Qualifying started in a series of very entertaining 200 m races:
● Men/200 m: South Africa’s 400 m world-record holder Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) led off the turn, but was passed by Alexander Ogando (DOM), who won in 20.10 (wind: -0.2 m/s). Van Niekerk was second in 20.19, then Timothe Mumenthaler (SUI: 20.39) and Henrik Larsson (20.40) passed American Robert Gregory (20.43), who eased up at the line and did not advance.
World no. 7 Courtney Lindsey of the U.S. was lane nine for heat two, but it was Kentucky’s Carli Makarawu (ZIM) who rolled to the finish in a speedy 19.91 (-0.5) to win, with Lindsey moving up on the straight for second in 19.95.
Olympic silver winner Kenny Bednarek (USA) was in lane three in heat three, and was in the lead into the straight and won eased up in 19.98 (-0.3), ahead of former Stanford star Udodi Onwuzurike (NGR: 20.27). Defending champ Noah Lyles of the U.S. was in a stacked heat four with Tokyo Olympic champ Andre De Grasse (CAN), 2022 European champ Zharnel Hughes (GBR) and ex-NCAA champ Joseph Fahnbulleh (LBR) also on the line. Hughes and Lyles were 1-2 off the turn, but Lyles moved up to win in 19.99 (-0.1) with Hughes at 20.07, then Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor (20.26) and De Grasse (20.30) in fourth.
Heat five was a romp for Jamaica’s Bryan Levell in 19.84 (-0.1) with Auburn’s NCAA runner-up Makanakaishe Charamba (ZIM) second in 20.06 and Australian teen sensation Gout Gout third in 20.23. Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo (BOT) was in heat six, but he was fourth off the turn, then moved to the lead and won a sloppy effort at 20.18 (0.0).
● Men/400 m hurdles: World-record holder Karsten Warholm (NOR) was in lane four of semi one, and had a big lead, but eased off and 2019 Worlds bronzer Abderrahmane Samba (QAT) passed him on the run-in in 47.63 to 47.72. American Chris Robinson crumpled after the fifth hurdle and fell to the track and did not finish.
American Caleb Dean, the 2024 NCAA champ at Texas Tech, faced Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel – the 2025 NCAA winner for Baylor – in semi two. Nathaniel had the lead through most of the race and moved well to the finish in 47.47, with a lifetime best of 47.61 for Ismail Abakar (QAT) in second. Dean was third over hurdle eight, but was a speedy third in 47.85 and qualified for the final on time.
Olympic champ Rai Benjamin was in lane five in semi three, with 2022 World Champion Alison dos Santos (BRA) ahead of him in six. Benjamin piled up a big lead after nine hurdles and then jogged in to win in 47.95. Dos Santos had to work for second in 48.16, with Qatar’s Bassem Hemeida third with a lifetime best of 48.29.
● Men/Triple Jump: Algeria’s Yasser Triki, the 2024 World Indoor silver winner, got the auto-qualifier at 17.26 m (56-7 1/2) on his first attempt. Jamaica’s Jordan Scott joined him in round two at 17.19 m (56-4 3/4) as the only ones to get the automatic qualifying mark.
Tokyo Olympic champ Pedro Pablo Pichardo (POR) qualified third at 17.09 m (56-1), with World Indoor champ Andy Diaz (ITA) and defending champion Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR) also moving on at 16.94 m (55-7).
Salif Mane of the U.S. reached 16.86 m (55-3 3/4) and qualified 10th and moved to the final. Two-time Olympic silver winner Will Claye had a best of 16.52 m (54-2 1/2) was 19th and did not advance; U.S. champ Russell Robinson did not have a fair mark. Olympic champ Jordan Diaz (ESP) took one jump, was clearly in pain and did not jump again.
● Men/Javelin: World leader Julian Weber (GER) got his automatic qualifier on his second throw at 87.21 m (286-1), with defending champ Neeraj Chopra (IND) auto-qualified at 84.85 m (278-4) on his first throw. Poland’s Dawid Wegner got a lifetime best for an auto-qualifier at 85.67 m (281-1).
American Marc Minichello was 11th in the first group at 80.47 m (264-0) and did not advance.
In group two, two-time World Champion Anderson Peters (GRN) blasted out to 89.53 m (293-8) to lead all qualifiers, and 2015 World Champion Julius Yego (KEN) reached 85.96 m (282-0) for an auto-qualifier. Curtis Thompson of the U.S. also got the auto-qualifier at 84.72 m (277-11) in the second round and Olympic champ Arshad Nadeem (PAK) joined the party at 85.28 m (279-9) in round three.
● Women/200 m: Tokyo Olympian Anavia Battle of the U.S. won the first of six heats, coming off the turn to move ahead of Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV) and get a seasonal best of 22.07 (+0.1), no. 8 in the world for 2025. Ta Lou-Smith was second in 22.39.
The 100 m winner, U.S. star Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, was in lane seven for heat two, took the lead immediately and cruised home in 22.24 (-0.3), ahead of Thelma Davies (LBR: 22.76). Heat three had ex-NCAA champ McKenzie Long of the U.S., who led into the turn and won in 22.51 (-0.2) with Jamaica’s Ashanti Moore inside her at 22.57.
Heat four had the fourth American, Olympic bronzer Brittany Brown, in lane three, running the turn hard and rolling to the finish in 22.50 (+0.1), winning a competitive race with Anthonique Strachan (BAH: 22.57) and Britain’s Daryll Neita (22.59).
Two-time defending champ Shericka Jackson (JAM) headlined heat five in lane nine and led off the turn and won eased up in 22.33 (0.0), over Amy Hunt (GBR: 22.57). The final heat had 2019 World Champion Dina Asher-Smith (GBR), who had the lead off the turn and won easily in 22.40 (0.0), ahead of Torrie Lewis (AUS) with a lifetime best of 22.56.
St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred, the Olympic 100 m champ and bronze winner this year, withdrew with a hamstring injury after the 100 final; she said she felt some pain during the warm-ups.
● Women/400 m hurdles: Panama’s Gianna Woodruff, a Tokyo Olympic finalist, got a lifetime best of 52.66 in a wire-to-wire win in semi one, now no. 5 in the world this season. American Jasmine Jones, fourth in Paris, got a seasonal best of 53.01 in second.
Defending champ Femke Bol (NED) and Rio 2016 Olympic champ Dalilah Muhammad of the U.S. were in lanes 6-7 in semi two, and Muhammad was out well, with Bol taking over after hurdle seven, winning in 52.31. Muhammad was second in 53.14.
Semi three had Olympic silver winner Anna Cockrell of the U.S. in eight and she led from wire to wire, winning in 53.28. Jamaica’s Shiann Salmon got a seasonal best in second (54.03).
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With the 1-2 in the women’s vault, the U.S. leads the medal table with 10 total (7-1-2), ahead of Kenya (7: 4-1-2) and Jamaica (6: 1-4-1). The placing table, scoring eight places from eight points down to one, as a measure of team strength, has the U.S. at 146, to 77 for Kenya and 52 for Jamaica.
The Thursday evening schedule – no more morning events until Saturday – in Tokyo has the men’s and women’s 400 m, the men’s javelin and women’s triple jump. Qualifying is in the men’s and women’s 200 m, men’s and women’s 800, women’s 5,000 m and high jump.
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 and USA Network.
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