The 2025 World Championships have come and gone, but will not soon be forgotten. As great as the Paris Olympics were, it’s my opinion that Tokyo was equal in excitement, competitive intensity, and results. Simply put, it was one hell of a meet. If you’re a fan of the sport, you’ve already gotten the results, so here, I’m going to review some of what I considered to be some of the best moments from these championships. Starting with Ryan Crouser.
Crouser has not been seen all year. Not indoors. Not early outdoors. Not at Nationals. Not at all. He’s been at home, nursing an elbow injury dating back to last year. As the defending champion of an event however, he’s granted entry to the meet. So, he goes to Tokyo, wins, gets his gold medal, and goes back home! From everything I know, the only one meet, world champion, in history. Maybe the most dominant performance in history. To show up to any competition at less than 100% takes, well, cahones. To do so, at the World Championships, in a year where many competitors are throwing their best ever, and you are not at your best. Well, that’s the ultimate flex in my opinion!
Meanwhile, another defending champion has been struggling all year, and showed up in Tokyo trying to find his way. That would be 110H champion, Grant Holloway, who hadn’t won a single race heading into Worlds. That didn’t change here, as Grant failed to make the final. The first time he’s missed a final at any point in his career. Why am I mentioning this, because just like Crouser, Grant showed up at less than his best. Not just less than his best, but having lost over and over. That too, takes cahones. To put yourself out there, knowing that you are vulnerable, is the mark of a true champion. It’s easy to sit and wait, knowing you’re at your very best, that’s easy. Suffering from injury or weakness, but still competing on the world stage, that’s a champion in my book.
Two others came to Tokyo, not at their peaks, but at the end of their careers, Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, and Dalilah Muhammad. Both are multiple time gold medalists and considered among the best ever at their events. Both came to Tokyo as potential finalists, but not favorites. In the end, each made their respective finals – Fraser Pryce (100m), Muhammad (400H). Neither medaled, but made good accounting of themselves. Like Holloway, showing what true champions look like.
I mention these individuals among the best moments at Worlds, because it seems that most fans only focus on great marks, but the sport at its core is about competition, competition between athletes. Without that competition, there is no sport, which means that the athletes, and their stories, are really the heart of track and field. The athletes that repeatedly show up, compete, and give their all, regardless of their condition, this is what’s needed to build the sport. This, in my opinion, is not celebrated enough, so cudos to them, and those like them.
As I said previously, this was one of the best championships in recent memory, opening up with the men and women’s 100m, neither of which disappointed. On the women’s side, we got a classic head to head rematch between yearly leaders Melissa Jefferson Wooden, and Olympic champion Julien Alfred. Melissa dominated the final however, running away after 50m to destroy the field, 10.61 to 10.76 for surprise runner up Tina Clayton. As Co-favorite Julien Alfred ended up third in 10.86. In contrast, defending men’s champion, Noah Lyles, was due to face the Jamaican pair of Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville, both of whom had defeated him in races in Europe. That did not change in Asia, as Oblique (9,77) and Kishane (9.82) defeated Noah (9.89) once again. Oblique overcoming his history of poor performances in majors for the win that many have long felt he was capable of.
As big a fan as I am of the sprints and hurdles, I also enjoy a good distance race, which is why I was really anticipating the 1500m. However, something happened on the way to the finals in Tokyo, which included injury to Jakob Ingerbrigtsen, the failure of Yared Nuguse to make the US team, and Cole Hocker getting disqualified in his semi. Add a few other mishaps, and the 1500m was less than advertised prior to the meet. The 5000m made up for it though as, in contrast to the 1500’s dawdling pace, the 5k was brisk and competitive. The final lap was tremendous with Cole Hocker swinging wide in the stretch, going from 1th to gold! Cementing himself in my mind as America’s best middle distance runner right now.
In a meet full of exciting events, I could literally fill a magazine with stories of this meet alone. The drama of Mondo setting another record, this time on his third attempt. The Botswana men overtaking the US in the final strides of the 4×4 for gold. Matthias Furlani winning the long jump on his final attempt. Faith Kipyegon destroying another 1500m field, and so many others. I’m going to finish however, with three races that I feel embody Tokyo 2025. First the women’s 800m. A race that for all intents was supposed to be dominated by Keely Hodgkinson. Except when Keely went to the front early in the race, Mary Morra went with her, and kept pressing, not allowing Keely to take charge. The rest of the field refused to let this pair get away. So coming off the final turn, several women were still in contention! Morra fading in the final 50 suffering from her attempts to stop Hodgkinson, but opening the way for teammate Lilian Odira to come charging up the stretch along with Georgia Hunter Bell. Odira for the win (1:54.62), with Hunter Bell (1:54.70) out leaning Hodgkinson (1:54.72), the first time three women have run under 1:55 in the same race, with two more under 1:56, and everyone under 1:58. The greatest women’s 800m in history.
Speaking of history, three of history’s best over 400m for women went head to head in Tokyo and did not disappoint. Sydney McLaughlin Levrone running 48.29 in her semi to improve her best and get closer to the PB’s of Salwa Eid Naser (48.14) and Marileidy Paulino (48.17). The three dominated the final, coming off the final turn ahead of the field with Sydney ahead of the other two. Paulino closed on Syd, but had given up too much earlier. As they crossed the line it was Sydney 47.78, Marileidy 47.98, and Salwa 48.19. The first women under 48 seconds since the 1980’s! I must admit that I didn’t think it would happen, because in my opinion they didn’t have the base speed to do so. They didn’t do it with speed however, as their first 200m was over half a second slower than WR “pace”. Instead they did it with strength over the second half of the race. Just outstanding performances all around Syd becoming #2 all time, Marileidy #3 all time, Salwa the fastest ever 3rd place, with everyone else under 50 seconds – another first. Tokyo brought this event into the 21st century, and probably changed it forever, as two under 48 just became four. Huge props to Sydney, Marileidy, and Salwa.
Finally, I must mention my personal favorite event, the men’s 200m meters. Once again, we had another tremendous field as Noah Lyles (19.31), Letsile Tebogo (19.47), Kenny Bednarek (19.58) and Bryan Levell (19.65) made this the fastest group in a final ever. Noah a four time world champion, Tebogo the current Olympic champion, Kenny a multiple time silver medalist, and new comer Levell running crazy thru the summer. After Levell ran 19.76 in his semi, Noah screamed 19.51 in his setting up the final. The four men came off the turn like the Rockettes, with Levell slightly ahead. As they battled up the stretch, Noah did, what Noah does, and moved ahead for the win. Results, Noah 19.52, Kenny 19.58, Levell 19.64, Tebogo 19.65. Another race with the best finish in history.
One more thing. If you spent any time watching this World Championships, you saw great track AND field. Tremendous competition both on the track and in the field. To say that one is better than the other is blasphemous. Sydney McLaughlin Levrone, Anna Hall, Nicola Olyslagers, Melissa Jefferson Wooden, Tara Davis Woodhall, Ditadji Kambundji, and Faith Kipyegon are all great champions. As are Mondo Duplantis, Noah Lyles, Pedro Pichardo, Cole Hocker, Ryan Crouser, and Cordell Tinch. Tremendous stories are told in competition all over the stadium. Every meet is a celebration of artistic achievement, as we have many of the best athletes in the world, period.
That was Tokyo. Empty in 2021, producing event after event with exciting, best ever in history finishes in 2025! You could tell that the athletes were excited to be there, and wanted to show the Japanese fans what they had missed four years prior. This was the sport in display at its finest. This is track and field when the best come to play. Not broken. Not needing events to be changed, dropped, or be different. Just needing more opportunities for the best to compete. We need what Grand Slam Track attempted to do – .especially in the United States. Simply more meets that pay the athletes well enough to entice them to compete, so that we get more high level athletes on the track and in the field. More meets in high visibility locations, so that the fans – and clearly the fans are out there – can easily get to see their favorites compete live and in color. It’s really that simple. In the world of track and field, If you build it, they will come, is, if the best are there, we’ll come watch. Besides, iron sharpens iron. Grand Slam and Tokyo, as well as several national championships across the globe, prove that you don’t have to advertise marks. Promote the athletes, get them together, and the marks too will come! At the end of the day, it’s about getting the athletes together to compete. It’s not rocket science. It’s human nature. I can’t wait for 2026, because I know it’s going to be another banger!
Tags: Hodgkinson, Hunter Bell, Jefferson, Kipyegon, Lyles, McLaughlin, Seville, Tebogo, Thompson