2025 World Championships Daily Dispatch #4: GOATs Gonna GOAT

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One of the truest marks of an all-time great is the ability to hit high heights over and over. By that standard, Faith Kipyegon is one of the greatest athletes ever — not just in track and field, but in the whole universe of sports.

Kipyegon won an incredible fourth career World 1500m title, extending a win-heavy career that stretches back to Olympic gold in 2016 and her first silver medal at Worlds a decade ago. Kipyegon’s 3:52.15 is a top-20 all-time mark and the second fastest mark in championship history behind Sifan Hassan’s 2019 record, but the time feels like an afterthought when Kipyegon has thrice run under 3:50. The really impressive part is her consistency: Kipyegon hasn’t lost a 1500m since that 2019 final, which at the time came one year after giving birth, and she hasn’t finished lower than second in a global championship since 2013, when she finished fifth in the 1500m final at 19 years old.

Three-time World champ Grant Holloway’s failure to qualify for the final in the 110m hurdles is a reminder of just how impressive Kipyegon’s longevity is, but it also opened the door for Cordell Tinch to claim his first World title in 12.99, capping off the best season of the 25-year-old’s career. And speaking of consistency and greatness, Ethan Katzberg’s gold-medal winning series in the hammer throw was one for the history books, as his 84.70m was the fifth-farthest throw of all-time and was accompanied by five other throws 81.86m or longer.

The most memorable performance of the day, however, wasn’t even in a final. For years now, track fans have wondered how high Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s ceiling in the flat 400m really is. For perhaps the first time, we got a clearer answer, as she didn’t just break 49 seconds in the semifinal, she SHATTERED the American record with a 48.30 run for #7 all-time. McLaughlin-Levrone has gotten close to Sanya Richards-Ross’s 48.70 mark before, which finally fell on its 19th birthday, but it’s been clear that the hurdles-less 400m had a bit of a learning curve for Sydney as she figured out the pacing and adjusted to a new racing cycle.

It’s worth noting that McLaughlin-Levrone still only has the third fastest PB in the field, as Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino and silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser have both run faster. But heading into the final, McLaughlin-Levrone has to be considered the favorite and all of a sudden the 47.60 world record doesn’t seem quite as far off.

The men’s 400m also provided some surprises, as U.S. champ Jacory Patterson barely snuck into the final as the sole American and Botswana got three lanes, led by Busang Kebinatshipi’s new world lead of 43.61. The first round of the 800m went a bit more to form, with the main headline being 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus’s dream season coming to an understandable end as the high schooler couldn’t quite make it into the top three of his heat. The latter rounds of this event will be a thriller, as 2019 champ Donavan Brazier will see if he can contend with the new generation of Marco Arop and Emmanuel Wanyonyi under the new normal of 2025.

You can listen to Mac Fleet, Eric Jenkins, Mitch Dyer, Chris Chavez, and more unpack every step of those races and drop predictions, picks, and analysis on all the events to come with our reaction show live from Tokyo, as well as daily Good Morning Track and Field shows. You can also catch up with all our athlete interviews over on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel, and subscribe to make sure you don’t miss any of the action.

Race Of The Day: Men’s 110m Hurdles

Heading into Tokyo, we knew the men’s 110m hurdles was going to look a lot different at this year’s World Championships.

The United States and Jamaica dominated the last two global podiums with Grant Holloway, Hansle Parchment, and Daniel Roberts finishing 1-2-3 at Worlds in 2023 and Holloway and Roberts completing a U.S. 1-2 ahead of Rasheed Broadbell at the Paris Olympics. But Parchment and Broadbell failed to make the Jamaican team, as did Roberts who had to withdraw from USAs with an injury. On top of that, Holloway hadn’t looked like himself all season, so fans didn’t know quite what to expect.

Cordell Tinch arrived at Worlds with favorite status and a head full of steam, riding a four-race win streak and holding the world lead at 12.87. But Tinch only finished second at USAs, and in the first round of racing he looked shaky. Holloway looked even shakier as his late-season struggles continued and he failed to make the final entirely, guaranteeing that the podium in Tokyo would consist entirely of new faces.

In the final, Tinch had to contend with two sub-13 rivals in the forms of Rachid Muratake of Japan and Just Kwaou-Mathey of France, but ultimately it was once again the Jamaicans who gave him the toughest fight. Orlando Bennett set a 13.08 PB for second and Tyler Mason, who’s 29 years old but had never made a World team before, equalled his lifetime best to claim bronze in 13.12.

Up front, it was all the Cordell Tinch show. Any doubts evaporated by hurdle #5, as the tall American separated smoothly from the field and never faced a true threat late, claiming his first meal (a gold one) in 12.99. Tinch now has four of the six sub-13 performances run this season, and it’s safe to say he’s inarguably the best hurdler in the world this year. Not bad for a guy only two years removed from running Division II and selling cell phones as a part-time job.

Athlete Of The Day: Faith Kipyegon

What is there to say about Faith Kipyegon that hasn’t already been said? The 31-year-old has already accomplished everything she possibly could in the 1500m, with four World titles, three Olympic titles, and three world records. Throw in the world record in the mile along with a few more 5000m medals and that brings her total global haul up to 11. It’s easy to argue she’s the greatest middle-distance runner in history — in any event, any gender.

Kipyegon’s 3:52.15 feels pedestrian by her enormously high standards but it’s also the 19th fastest 1500m in history. Kipyegon has nine of the top 20, which just goes to show how long she’s been on top. We’re used to seeing it now, but she also led every step of the race and wound up the pace with brutal precision, closing in 2:00.53 for her last 800m and 58.73 for her final 400m. If somehow she can beat the seemingly-invincible Beatrice Chebet in the 5000m in a few days, it will be an incredible addendum but also not move the needle much on Kipyegon’s legacy — simply because she’s so good already.

Sure, it can get a little repetitive to spectate a race with such a foregone conclusion, but again we can look to Faith for inspiration. In both the semifinal and final, Kipyegon was absolutely overjoyed not just to take the win herself but to lead her younger compatriots to new heights, delivering a 1-2-4 finish alongside Dorcus Ewoi and Nelly Chepchirchir that was nearly a Kenyan sweep had Jess Hull not broken up the medals. Part of what makes Faith so easy to root for, even though she is an infallible titan of the sport, is because she so clearly cares about her teammates, her nation, and the elevation of women’s sports of which she’s a huge part.

Photo Of The Day

Sanghyeok Woo celebrates a 2.34m clearance in the high jump final, where he would go on to finish second behind Olympic champ Hamish Kerr.

Social Moment Of The Day

Now that’s a good teammate! Despite knowing that Faith Kipyegon is her biggest threat for World 5000m gold, 10,000m champ Beatrice Chebet was still moved to tears by Kenya’s 1-2-4 finish in the 1500m.

What’s Coming Next

The race everyone’s been waiting for ends the program tomorrow, as Josh Kerr looks to defend his World title against the likes of Niels Laros, Jake Wightman, and more — but not Olympic champ Cole Hocker, who got disqualified in the semifinal.

Just before that, we’ll be on world record watch as the titans of the women’s steeplechase come together to do battle, led by World/Olympic champ Winfred Yavi. She’ll be pushed to a fast time by 2021 Olympic champ Peruth Chemutai and Kenya’s Faith Cherotich and Doris Lemngole, and with the second, third, and fourth fastest runners in history in the same race, Beatrice Chepkoech’s 8:44.32 mark could be in trouble.

Team USA will be looking for a sweep with four strong entrants in the women’s pole vault final led by three-time global champ Katie Moon, but the battle for the medals in the men’s long jump is anyone’s guess as the field is wide open. We’ll also get the return of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Shericka Jackson in the women’s 200m, and after Julien Alfred pulled out with a hamstring injury, MJW is now the betting favorite. In the men’s 200m, Noah Lyles will go for his fourth straight World 200m title, and tomorrow’s preliminary round is the first step.

Tomorrow marks the midpoint of the championships — things are getting serious!

Until next time — Catch up on anything you may have missed on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel, Twitter, and Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to the CITIUS MAG newsletter for more updates on the 2025 World Athletics Championships.