2025 World Athletics Championships: Event-By-Event Sprints & Hurdles Preview

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By David Melly and Paul Snyder

It’s nearly time for the Big Show in Tokyo! The CITIUS MAG crew is flying halfway across the globe to bring you the best of track and field from Japan starting Saturday, September 13th—or Friday the 12th if you’re living on the American side of the International Date Line.

There’s plenty of running, jumping, and throwing on tap for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, and we’ll have minute-by-minute coverage and daily live shows and newsletters all along the way. You can find a full schedule with entries and live results here. To kick things off, we’re giving you event-by-event previews of every competition on tap for Tokyo so you head into the weekend with all the latest insight and analysis.

How to keep up with all of CITIUS MAG’s extensive coverage of the World Championships – powered by ASICS:

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Below, you can find an event-by-event preview of every sprint and hurdles event coming up in Tokyo over the next two weeks.

Women’s 100m

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Saturday, September 13th at 5:55am ET on Peacock and CNBC

Semifinals: Sunday, September 14th at 7:20am ET on Peacock and CNBC

Final: Sunday, September 14th at 9:13am ET on Peacock and CNBC

Top contenders: While this field is one of the most stacked in the whole championships based on accolades, two big names have emerged from the pack. Julien Alfred (St. Lucia), the Olympic champion, and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), the bronze medalist, have been far and away the two strongest sprinters in the world this year, with Jefferson-Wooden clocking the only sub-10.7 in the world this year when she ran 10.65 to win the U.S. championships and Alfred dipping under 10.80 four times.

Alfred and MJW together account for the nine fastest times in the world this year, but they’ve only matched up head-to-head once, at the Prefontaine Classic. There, Jefferson-Wooden took the win by a hair, 10.75 to 10.77, and since she hasn’t lost to Alfred or anyone else in the 100m all year, it’s tempting to call her the favorite. But really it’ll come down to execution on the day from two sprinters at the top of their game, and it’s hard to say either one of them truly has an edge.

Beyond the two heaviest hitters are a number of promising young talents and established stars looking to return to the podium. Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) is the reigning World champ but hasn’t shown the same form thus far in the season—although it’s possible she’s simply timing her return from an early-winter injury perfectly with the September championships, and if she does head to Tokyo at full fitness, she’s got the talent to contend for gold. And Jamaican fans will surely want to send off all-time great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce with one last medal (she has 10 already in the 100m alone), but the 38-year-old will likely need to improve on her 10.91 season’s best to do so. She may end up battling her own teammates for a podium spot as 21-year-old Tina Clayton won the Jamaican Trials and Shericka Jackson has rounded into better form as the season progressed.

Dark horses: Besides SAFP, the biggest fan favorite among longtime track fans may be Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith (Côte d’Ivoire), the 36-year-old three time World medalist who’s had a number of close misses over the years including a fourth-place finish at the 2023 championships. She’s run 10.87 this year and tends to perform best in the Diamond League setting, but if she can put together three strong rounds of racing she should be in the mix.

Two other members of Dennis Mitchell’s Star Athletics contingent also have an outside shot at a medal should one of the big names falter: Kayla White and Tee Tee Terry, a late add to the open 100m after Aleia Hobbs’s withdrawal from Team USA due to injury. And if betting on experience is your thing, you can’t count out Brit Dina Asher-Smith to bring her best stuff in a championship setting. Asher-Smith is the epitome of the kind of athlete who may not be in the mix if it’s a sub-10.8 race, but if conditions or others’ performances open the door to 10.85 or thereabouts sneaking onto the podium, she’s got a great shot.

One good stat: Counting heats, semis, and finals over the years, the first round of racing in Tokyo will be Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s 37th 100-meter race in a World/Olympic championship.

Men’s 100m

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Friday, September 12th at 10:23pm ET on Peacock

Semifinals: Sunday, September 14th at 7:20am ET on Peacock and CNBC

Final: Sunday, September 14th at 7:20am ET on Peacock and CNBC

Top contenders: Without a Julien Alfred playing spoiler on the men’s side, the battle for gold in Tokyo will almost certainly come down to another epic Team USA vs. Jamaica clash. Eight of the nine fastest 100-meter runners in the world this year come from one of those two nations, as well as the full podium from the Paris Olympics. Reigning World/Olympic champion Noah Lyles will have his work cut out for him to extend his gold medal streak, however, because Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson has looked better than ever in 2025, running a world-leading 9.75 at the Jamaican Trials. And Lyles’s not-so-friendly rival Kenny Bednarek, the U.S. champion, has improved his 100m game year after year as well. Thompson and Bednarek have stacked up wins all season, but Lyles has steadily moved in the right direction after an early-season injury and can never be counted out in a championship setting.

The other biggest threat for gold also comes from Jamaica. Oblique Seville may not have an individual medal but he has a 3-2 lifetime record against Lyles head-to-head, beating him in their last two matchups in London and Lausanne. At the same time, however, he’s 0-2 against Thompson this year, so he could easily run really well and still not be the top Jamaican finisher.

Dark horses: The second and third place finishers from USAs, Courtney Lindsey and T’Mars McCallum, have less international racing experience than the names ahead of them, but they have the talent and PBs to contend for medals in the right race. Lindsey and McCallum ran 9.82 and 9.83, respectively, in Eugene and if they can replicate that level of experience they should be in the mix for bronze, at least. Jamaican Ackeem Blake has never made a World 100m final, but he’s also got a 9.88 to his name this season and a solid track record on the Diamond League circuit.

Experienced runners like Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) and Zharnel Hughes (Great Britain), the 2023 medalists alongside Lyles, haven’t made a huge splash on the circuit this season so far but tend to run well at championships. Hughes’s British teammate Jeremiah Azu is the World Indoor champ over 60 meters but has only run 9.97 this season; he’ll need to step it up a bit over the longer sprint to truly contend. On the other end of the spectrum, South Africans Akani Simbine and Bayanda Walaza have made big splashes early in the season but haven’t (yet) put the pieces together for a podium outcome in championships.

Perhaps the biggest wild card of all is Abdul-Rasheed Saminu of Ghana and the University of South Florida. He ran 9.86 at the NCAA East Regional then missed the final entirely at the championship. Then he ran 9.84 after NCAAs and finished just behind Thompson at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but only ran 10.01 in that race. So who knows what we’re going to get.

One good stat: This will be the first World Championship 100m of the decade without Fred Kerley, who medaled in three of the last four global finals but did not compete at USAs and is currently provisionally suspended by the AIU for whereabouts failures.

Women’s 200m

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Wednesday, September 17th at 6:30am ET on Peacock and USA

Semifinals: Thursday, September 18th at 8:24am ET on Peacock and USA

Final: Friday, September 19th at 9:22am ET on Peacock and USA

Top contenders: With the announcement of Olympic champion Gabby Thomas’s withdrawal due to injury, a 100m/200m double gold looks more doable than ever for either Julien Alfred or Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. In this instance, Alfred may have the edge as the Olympic silver medalist who has a slightly longer resume over 200m, but with the way Jefferson-Wooden has leveled up this year, it feels silly to judge solely based on her past performance.

The reigning champ is Shericka Jackson, who at her best can threaten the legendary world record in this event but only has a 22.17 season’s best. She’s trending in the right direction, though, winning her most recent race at the Silesia Diamond League, and the 200m is historically her stronger event. The other two strongest medal contenders by recent results are Anavia Battle, who finished second at USAs and won four DL races this season, and Brittany Brown (USA), the Paris bronze medalist who most recently won the Diamond League final ahead of Battle and others.

Dark horses: This might be Great Britain’s best bet for a sprint medal, as they have two legitimate contenders in the form of 2019 World champ Dina Asher-Smith and up-and-comer Amy Hunt. But the cross-Atlantic battle still favors the Americans, as Thomas’s withdrawal means last year’s NCAA champ McKenzie Long gets the fourth spot (thanks to Brown’s DL wild card), and Long is one of only three sub-22 runners so far this season having run 21.93 at the Ed Murphey Classic.

One good stat: What’ve you done for me lately? Shericka Jackson’s 21.41 PB is a full three-tenths of a second ahead of Julien Alfred’s world lead, but Alfred’s 21.71 is nearly half a second ahead of Jackson’s 22.17 season’s best.

Men’s 200m

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Wednesday, September 17th at 7:15am ET on Peacock and USA

Semifinals: Thursday, September 18th at 8:02am ET on Peacock and USA

Final: Friday, September 19th at 9:06am ET on Peacock and USA

Top contenders: This event will likely be defined by two fierce rivalries, both of which involve three-time defending champ Noah Lyles. Lyles was denied gold in Paris last year, partly due to coming down with an ill-timed case of COVID-19… but more due to the performances of Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek. Tebogo and Bednarek will once again be his biggest threats in Tokyo, but Lyles has turned the tables on them so far this season, winning two matchups against Tebogo over 200m this summer and defeating Bednarek 19.63 to 19.67 at USAs. His most recent matchup against Tebogo was decided by an even narrower margin, 19.74 to 19.76, so just because Lyles is undefeated on the year, he can’t sit too comfortably on his laurels.

If anyone plays spoiler to the three men from the Paris podium, the most likely candidate will be 21-year-old Jamaican Bryan Levell. Levell didn’t make it out of the semifinal last year and only had a 19.97 PB heading into this season, but then he ran a wind-aided 19.79 at the Racers Grand Prix in June, won the Jamaican Trials, and finally popped TF off at the Hungarian Grand Prix, running 19.69 into a small headwind to land at #3 on the world list this season. He’s a less proven commodity, but it’s clear that the talent is there if he can bring his best stuff to the final.

Dark horses: Team USA has another pair of strong contenders for medals should one or more of its Big Two falter in Courtney Lindsey and Robert Gregory. Lindsey didn’t make the final in 2023, his only other individual championship appearance to date, but he had an awesome weekend at USAs, making the team in both the 100m and 200m. His post-USAs races have left something to be desired, but under the guidance of coach Dennis Mitchell he can’t be discounted to factor into the Worlds picture.

Dominican Alexander Ogando has run well on the Diamond League circuit this year and finished fifth in the final in Paris last summer, and after putting two Zimbabwean runners in the final last year as well, Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba will want to finish higher than sixth. And of course, the presence of 17-year-old Aussie sprint phenom Gout Gout in his first senior World Championship will surely elicit all sorts of scrutiny and Usain Bolt comparisons.

One good stat: The last time someone not named Noah Lyles won this event, there were actually no Americans at all on the podium, as Turkey’s Ramil Guliyev took the victory in 2017 ahead of South African Wayde van Niekerk and Trinidadian Jereem Richards.

Women’s 400m

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Sunday, September 14th at 6:25am ET on Peacock and CNBC

Semifinals: Tuesday, September 16th at 8:05am ET on Peacock and USA

Final: Thursday, September 18th at 9:24am ET on Peacock and USA

Top contenders: The women’s 400m may be one of the most hotly anticipated events of the whole week as a two-athlete rivalry turns into three. The Olympic 1-2 of Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic) and Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain) will have to contend with a hurdles-less Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA), and while on paper McLaughlin-Levrone’s 48.74 is well off Paulino’s 48.14 and Naser’s 48.12, the U.S. champ’s true ceiling feels a lot higher given that she’s split sub-48 on relays and run 50 seconds with ten barriers in the mix.

Naser is the world leader at 48.67, but she may also have the biggest range of outcomes of the three as she’s run under 49 in both March and September but logged a few Ls to Paulino in between. Naser’s get-out-hard strategy is a high-risk, high-reward approach and fans have been accustomed to seeing the Bahraini come off the final turn with what looks like an insurmountable lead only to be walked down by the hard-closing Paulino more often than not.

Paulino, the reigning World champ as well, is astonishingly consistent, finishing first or second in every global championship since 2020– and the woman who beat her in 2021 and 2022, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, hasn’t quite been on the same level since. She’s probably got the highest floor of the Big Three and the question becomes more what the other two can throw at her.

McLaughlin-Levrone doesn’t have nearly as long a results sheet to judge from, but she’s the two-time U.S. champ in the event and has broken 49 seconds each of the last three seasons. As she races more often, she’ll hopefully be able to fine-tune her ability to measure effort without hurdles in the way to truly hone in on her upper limits in her secondary event, which could yield astonishing results if the hype comes to fruition.

Dark horses: While the trio above are the only sub-49 runners this year, two others on the entry list have PBs in the 48s: Paris bronze medalist Natalia Bukowiecka (née Kaczmarek, of Poland) and NACAC champ Nickisha Pryce (Jamaica). If they can round back into top form nicely at just the right time and someone in front of them goes out a little too hard and falters, the podium could open up quickly. Similarly, Americans Aaliyah Butler and Bella Whittaker will likely need someone else to underperform for one of them to land in the top three, but they’ve both been impressively consistent this season with marks in the low 49s.

Another runner who tends to be in the right place at the right time is Barbadian Sada Williams, the bronze medalist at the last two World championships, but her SB is only 50.65 and most recently she only finished eighth at the Lausanne DL, so she’ll need to step it up to be a factor for the third championship in a row.

One good stat: October 6th will mark 40 years since the last sub-48 performance was ever recorded, which also happens to be Marita Koch’s 47.60 world record. The closest anyone’s come since was Naser’s 48.14 PB, set en route to World gold in Doha in 2019.

Men’s 400m

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Sunday, September 14th at 5:35am ET on Peacock and CNBC

Semifinals: Tuesday, September 16th at 8:35am ET on Peacock and USA

Final: Thursday, September 18th at 9:10am ET on Peacock and USA

Top contenders: It’s been a good year to be an American in the men’s 400m, even though 2025 has largely been without the presence of Olympic champ Quincy Hall, whose season was dramatically shortened by injury. Chris Bailey won the World Indoor title ahead of Jacory Patterson’s bronze, and then Bailey, Hall, and Patterson combined to win five of eight Diamond Leagues and two of three Grand Slams. Patterson and Caleb McRae account for two of the three sub-44s this season and after Patterson’s commanding 43.85 victory in the Diamond League final, he’s gotta be the favorite for gold.

Between Bailey, Patterson, McRae, and now Vernon Norwood added to the open 400m following Patterson’s DL victory, a U.S. sweep is very much in the cards. The man most likely to deny the Americans a romp is Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, the top returner from Paris who also handed Patterson his only loss this outdoor season. But Hudson-Smith may not even be the top Brit in the final as Charlie Dobson beat him to the line at the London DL. And Olympic bronze medalist Muzala Samukonga (Zambia) has had a quiet season so far, but his best time before last year’s 43.84 in the Olympic final was only 44.54, so he could be on a similar trajectory.

The world leader, Zakithi Nene of South Africa, hasn’t raced since July and went 0 for 3 on the DL circuit, so it’s looking more like his 43.76 from the Kip Keino Classic is unlikely to be replicated. But he could certainly factor in for the medals if he shows up to Tokyo healthy, and who knows? He may be holding his cards close to the chest.

Dark horses: At times, Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori has seemed like the heir apparent to African 400m dominance following world record holder Wayde van Niekerk’s string of injuries. But Ndori hasn’t won a 400m since the very first Diamond League back in April, nor has he bettered the 44.25 season’s best he set there.

The other two names worthy of a mention aren’t dark horses by virtue of their resumes—Belgium’s Alexander Doom is the 2024 World Indoor champ and Kirani James (Grenada) has six global medals, including World and Olympic gold—but rather their 2025 form. Doom finished eighth in the Diamond League final and his SB is only 44.66, and James won the NACAC in 44.48 but has raced sparingly all season. Both men are veteran racers, however, and can be trusted to time their peaks right.

One good stat: World record holder Wayde van Niekerk is running at this World Championships, but only in the 200 meters, where he has a 20.07 season’s best.

Women’s 100m Hurdles

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Saturday, September 13th at 10:28pm ET on Peacock

Semifinals: Monday, September 15th at 8:05am ET on Peacock and USA

Final: Monday, September 15th at 9:20am ET on Peacock and USA

Top contenders: As has been the case for the last several years, the women’s high hurdles is one of the most stacked and tightly-packed events of the meet. Even without two-thirds of the Paris podium, as both Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn have bowed out, Olympic champ Masai Russell (USA) will have her hands full. Reigning World champ Danielle Williams (Jamaica) is only sixth on the entry list by seed time, and she was beaten at her own national championship by Megan Tapper, who’s having a banner year. And yet, neither may claim top Jamaican honors thanks to Ackera Nugent, who won the Diamond League final in a season’s best 12.30.

World record holder Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) has returned to something close to top form after a couple down seasons, clocking a 12.24 in Paris and a 12.25 in Silesia, her fastest marks since 2022, when she won gold. But both times, she lost to a group of Americans that included Russell and Grace Stark, the 1-2 from USAs who’ve both been on their A games all year. Russell set the 12.17 American record back in April, followed that up with a U.S. title in July, and became the first woman ever to twice run sub-12.20 when she won Silesia in 12.19. Even with Amusan and the Jamaicans running well, a Team USA sweep with Russell, Stark, and Alaysha Johnson isn’t totally out of the cards.

Dark horses: Dutchwoman Nadine Visser is the only other sub-12.30 hurdler on the list and picked up a DL win (and victory over Russell, Nugent, and more) in Lausanne. After her 12.28 prelim performance and big PB in Silesia, however, she finished last in the final of that same race, so consistency may be an issue.

Others to keep an eye on include a trio of women who are particularly strong over 60 meter hurdles: Devynne Charlton (Bahamas), Ditaji Kambundji (Switzerland), and Pia Skrzyskowska (Poland). The longer, outdoor version of the high hurdles doesn’t work in their favor, but Charlton and Kambundji went 1-2 ahead of Nugent at World Indoors this year.

One good stat: Seven of the eight fastest women of all time in this event are currently competing, but only four will be in Tokyo, as Americans Keni Harrison, Tonea Marshall, and Tia Jones aren’t on the roster.

Men’s 110m Hurdles

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Monday, September 15th at 7:20am ET on Peacock and USA

Semifinals: Tuesday, September 16th at 7:40am ET on Peacock and USA

Final: Tuesday, September 16th at 9:20am ET on Peacock and USA

Top contenders: American Grant Holloway is the three-time defending World champ and reigning Olympic champ. Generally speaking, that kind of resume would make you the prohibitive favorite for a fourth title… but Holloway has had the first truly rough season of his entire pro career, taking a two-month break from racing earlier in the summer and only coming into Tokyo with a season’s best of 13.11. Instead, the favorite for gold may be fellow American Cordell Tinch, the world leader and Diamond League champ who’s managed to find both a new level of performance and consistency this season.

Tinch, Dylan Beard, and Ja’Kobe Tharp account for three of the five fastest times in the world this year, presenting another opportunity for a Team USA sweep. But which American comes out on top? Holloway or Tinch are the top two by lifetime best, but don’t forget that Tharp is the U.S. champ.

The other two sub-13 runners in the field are less proven but have high upside, especially Japan’s Rachid Muratake, who’ll have the benefit of a home crowd and broke out with a huge 12.92 run (in Japan!) in August after finishing fifth at the Olympics last summer. But then he had a bad run at the Diamond League final, finishing last, so who knows. Frenchman Just Kwaou-Mathey is an even bigger unknown; he ran a huge 12.99 to win his national championship, but his next fastest time this season is 13.10 and hasn’t finished higher than fifth in any other race.

Dark horses: Olympic bronze medalist Rasheed Broadbell won’t be in Tokyo, but his fellow Jamaican Orlando Bennett will lead the way with his 13.09 PB. If the race is a little on the slower side, a trio of Europeans could factor in as well: Spaniard Enrique Llopis, Frenchman Sasha Zhoya, or Swissman Jason Joseph, the last of whom picked up a DL victory in Rome.

One good stat: In 2023 and 2024, Grant Holloway lost five 110m hurdles races total. In 2025, he’s already lost five races in one season.

Women’s 400m Hurdles

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Sunday, September 14th at 10:20pm ET on Peacock

Semifinals: Wednesday, September 17th at 8:00am ET on Peacock and USA

Final: Friday, September 19th at 8:27am ET on Peacock and USA

Top contenders: Truly, this conversation should begin and end with Femke Bol, of the Netherlands. With Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone moving over to the flat 400m, Bol may be the biggest lock for gold of any event on the docket, as the world leader and only sub-52 runner this year. But it’s worth noting that McLaughlin-Levrone wasn’t the only American to beat Bol last year: Anna Cockrell stepped up in the most critical of situations, to win Olympic silver in a personal-best 51.87. Nothing Cockrell’s done this year has suggested she can take Bol down again… but then again, no one expected it last year either.

Bol will benefit from running her own race and not going out too hard in pursuit of the elusive Olympic gold, but Cockrell and her compatriot, wily veteran Dalilah Muhammad, will be looking for any weakness to exploit. Muhammad, who’s said this will be her final professional season, is the people’s champion here, and she hasn’t exactly coasted into the finish line, claiming the U.S. title in August and running her fastest times since 2021. Winning a medal of any color would be the perfect cap to a season and career to remember.

Dark horses: Jasmine Jones, the third-placer from USAs, had a slow start to the season after dealing with a minor injury, but after finishing fourth in the Olympics fresh out of college, the sky has to be the limit for the 23-year-old in her first full season as a pro provided she’s gotten more healthy training in. This event is more stratified and less deep than the short hurdles, but it’s possible that Jamaican Andrenette Knight or Slovakian Emma Zapletalova step up to the next level and sneak onto the podium.

One good stat: When Dalilah Muhammad won her Olympic title in 2016, Femke Bol was still three years away from running her first-ever 400m hurdles race.

Men’s 400m Hurdles

Schedule + How To Watch

Heats: Monday, September 15th at 6:35am ET on Peacock and USA

Semifinals: Wednesday, September 17th at 8:30am ET on Peacock and USA

Final: Friday, September 19th at 8:15am ET on Peacock and USA

Top contenders: There are three names and three names only on this list: American Olympic champ Rai Benjamin, Norway’s 2023 World champ Karsten Warholm, and 2022 World champ Alison dos Santos, of Brazil. Warholm is the world leader at 46.28, but all three have taken wins over the other at various points in the season. Dos Santos beat Benjamin at the Prefontaine Classic, Benjamin beat both dos Santos and Warholm in Stockholm, and Warholm set the world record over 300m in Oslo.

In all likelihood, the battle for gold will come down to Benjamin and Warholm, and it may take a historic performance to secure the win. But dos Santos may have benefitted from working on his flat speed for Grand Slam Track, so don’t count him out by any means. The razor-thin margins between all three (and the huge gap to the rest of the world) are what makes this a can’t miss event.

Dark horses: The best of the rest this season has been Qatar’s Abderrhaman Samba, who clocked his fastest times back in 2018 but is still only 30 years old and got close to his PB earlier this summer with a 47.09 run behind Benjamin in Paris. He also finished second behind Warholm in the Diamond League final, notably ahead of NCAA champ Ezekiel Nathaniel, of Nigeria, who may be his closest competitor outside the podium favorites.

Americans Caleb Dean and Chris Robinson have identical season’s bests of 47.76, and they’ll likely need to improve on those marks to contend for a medal, but Dean’s PB of 47.23, set last year, could get the job done if someone else falters. And the other main name worth mentioning is Kyron McMaster (British Virgin Islands), who claimed a surprise silver at Worlds in 2023, but he’s only raced twice this year and has a season’s best of 49.07, so don’t count on him heading into Worlds at 100 percent.

One good stat: It’s been nine years since someone not named Karsten Warholm, Rai Benjamin, or Alison dos Santos took global gold. That race, the 2016 Olympics, was won by American Kerron Clement, and although Warholm (the only one of the Big Three competing) didn’t even make the final, he set a then-national record of 48.49 in the prelims.

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