By the time the sun rises over Tokyo’s National Stadium on Saturday morning, over 2,000 of the best athletes in the world will be ready to unleash nine days of championship-level chaos.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships, taking place from Sept. 13 to 21, mark the return of the sport to a city that last hosted a global meet under the eerie silence of the 2021 COVID-delayed Olympics. This time, the stands will be packed, the weather will be intense, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
This isn’t just another stop on the calendar. For many athletes, this is their biggest race until L.A. 2028. For others, it’s a final shot at a title. And for fans, it’s track and road racing at its best.
Let’s dive into the matchups and storylines that matter, from the marquee 100s to the final strides of the marathon.
Men’s 1,500m
If you only watch one race in Tokyo, make it the men’s 1,500m. This event has delivered three straight years of cinematic finals, each one crowning a new champion, and 2025 might be the wildest yet.
Cole Hocker (USA), who stole gold in Paris last year, is back and brimming with quiet confidence. Josh Kerr (GBR), the reigning World champion, has a habit of peaking perfectly and brings one of the best championship records of the modern era.
And what about Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)? He hasn’t raced since March and remains a total mystery, but you can never write off the Olympic champ.
The favorite, though, is 20-year-old Dutch phenom Niels Laros.
After dusting the field in his Diamond League wins this summer, closing in 12.5 seconds for the final 100m in a 3:29 race, Laros has shown he’s not just in shape, but lethal. Still, if recent history tells us anything, it’s that no one holds onto the title for long.
This final will be fast. It’ll be messy. And it’ll be unforgettable.
Women’s 1,500m
Faith Kipyegon doesn’t lose. Not in the 1500. Not lately. Not ever, really.
The Kenyan superstar has won 33 straight 1,500m and mile races on the track and holds the world record. She hasn’t been touched since 2021. And unless something unexpected happens — injury, illness, a fall — no one looks close.
Jessica Hull (AUS), the Olympic silver medalist and a 3:50 runner, is the clear number two in the world. But even she has volunteered to pace Kipyegon’s record attempts. That says a lot.
There’s a small chance Kipyegon could finally meet her match. But if she wins in Tokyo, it’ll be her fifth global title in the event. We’re watching the greatest women’s miler of all time in her prime.
Sprints
Noah Lyles is chasing three gold medals again. He’s already a three-time world 200m champ and reigning 100m world and Olympic champion. But the men’s sprint fields are deep this year — Kenneth Bednarek, Oblique Seville, Kishane Thompson, and 200m champ Letsile Tebogo all look capable of spoiling the party.
In the women’s sprints, the spotlight is on Julien Alfred. She made history for St. Lucia in Paris, and now she’s back to defend her 100m crown and maybe go for the 200m too.
But there’s one more name to watch — Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The 10-time world champion could be running her final global championships. At 38, she’s still in the mix. If she medals, she adds to an already untouchable legacy.
Women’s 800m
Keely Hodgkinson hasn’t lost an 800m since 2023. She’s the Olympic champion. She’s run 1:54.7. And she’s made it all look easy.
But she’s also dealt with recurring hamstring and Achilles issues, which forced her to delay her season until mid-August. Her top rivals, Athing Mu and Mary Moraa, aren’t in top form or aren’t competing. So this is still Hodgkinson’s title to lose.
Training partner Georgia Hunter Bell could be a sleeper. And if Keely is even 90 percent, she might win this thing in a jog.
Men’s 800m
Emmanuel Wanyonyi is the fastest man in the world this year and arguably the most consistent front-runner in any middle-distance event. But the biggest buzz in the 800m isn’t about the Kenyan.
It’s about Donavan Brazier.
The American hasn’t raced a full season in years. He had multiple Achilles surgeries. His coach told him he might not compete until 2026. But here he is, back and running 1:42.1 to win USAs.
Add in 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus, Olympic champ Marco Arop, Britain’s Max Burgin, and Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, and we’ve got ourselves a five-star final. The rounds will be ruthless. The last 50 meters? Even more so.
Women’s 5,000m and 10,000m
The two best distance runners on Earth, Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet, will clash again in the 5,000m final. Kipyegon won in 2023. Chebet responded in Paris. This one will decide the trilogy.
Chebet is the world record holder and Olympic 5K and 10K champion. Her kick is absolutely vicious. But if the pace slows, Kipyegon’s 1,500m speed becomes lethal. Scheduling may help Chebet — she’ll be coming off the 10K, while Kipyegon will have run three rounds of the 1,500.
Expect the race to go fast — sub-14:30. If it does, advantage Chebet.
In the 10,000m, Chebet is untouchable right now. She blew away Gudaf Tsegay earlier this year and could add another gold if conditions don’t derail her. Tsegay, Battocletti, and Letesenbet Gidey will chase her, but it’s her race to lose.
Women’s marathon
Tigst Assefa (ETH), former world record holder and winner of London 2025, enters with the year’s fastest time, 2:15:50. She’s looking for redemption after being edged out by Sifan Hassan in Paris.
Her biggest threat may be teammate Sutume Asefa Kebede, who has won the last two Tokyo Marathons and clocked 2:15:55 last year.
Also in the mix, Peres Jepchirchir, the 2021 Olympic champ and serial major winner. Jepchirchir knows how to race championships, even when the weather gets ugly — which it will. With projected highs in the 30s and 80 percent humidity, this could become a race of attrition.
Other contenders include Tigist Ketema, Magdalene Masai, Stella Chesang, and Lonah Salpeter. Japan’s team, Sayaka Sato, Kana Kobayashi, and Yuka Ando, will have home crowd support in a country that lives and breathes marathon culture.
If Assefa can stay cool and stay upright, this one’s hers.
Men’s marathon
Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele enters with a 2:03:23 PB, fastest in the field. He’s joined by Deresa Geleta and Tesfaye Deriba, making Ethiopia the deepest men’s team on paper.
Kenya counters with Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich and Eric Sang, both capable of 2:04 or better. But the defending champion is back — Victor Kiplangat (UGA), who stunned in Budapest and thrives in tough conditions.
Also watch for Ryota Kondo (JPN), Emile Cairess (GBR), Maru Teferi (ISR), Cameron Levins (CAN), Suldan Hassan (SWE), and Elroy Gelant (RSA).
Expect this to be more tactical than fast. With brutal weather and deep fields, someone could come from far behind and steal a medal in the final mile.
What to expect overall
This year’s Worlds will hand out $8.5 million in prize money, with $70,000 for each gold and a $100,000 bonus for world records. For many athletes, it’s also a chance to build momentum and relevance heading into Los Angeles 2028.
And for fans, this is as close to the Olympics as it gets.
Clear your calendar. The road to LA runs through Tokyo, and it’s going to be a wild ride.
