by Alfonz Juck
TOKYO 2025 DAY 1
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“This is my first time throwing hard since September last year, so I really didn’t know what kind of shape I was in. It was kind of a ‘fake it until you make it’ today,” Ryan Crouser.
RESULT OF THE DAY
Chebet destroyed her opponents in the last 200 metres (27.21) with a super kick to win her first world gold on the track. Ryan Crouser getting 22.34 in first meet of the year and Gift Leotlela 9.87 third fastest heat time at Worlds.
SURPRISE OF THE DAY
Mexican shot put medal by Uziel Munoz, first field event medal ever for Mexico. In the morning non-qualification by US shot put national 2nd placer Payton Otterdahl or also Larisa Iapichino in women long jump qualification.
MEDALS (12 countries)
USA 2-0-0, CAN, KEN, ESP 1-0-0
TITLE DEFENDERS
Yes (3): Crouser, Perez, US 4x4mx
No (1): Tsegay
NC (1): A. Martin
TOP MARKS
CR: 4x4mx 3:08.80 USA
WL: 4x4mx 3:08.80. USA
AR: 1 – Africa
AGENTS (individual gold medals)
Paul Doyle, Federico Rosa, Alberto Armas, Dunfee no agent,
TOKYO 2025 – DAY 2 PREVIEW (6 finals)
Expectations: Sprint finals, US vs Jamaica men 100 m, Jefferson vs Alfred wom 100 m, Allman to rule, How many ladies will jump 7 meters, Ethiopian women marathon win and will men follow in the 10 000 m or Fisher to spoil?
Medals prediction
Marathon wom, AW: Assefa, Asefa Kebede, Jepchirchir, TFN: the same
Discus wom, AW: Allman, Perez (nc), Elkasevic, TFN: Allman, Van Klinken, Elkasevic
10 000 m men, AW: Fisher, Kejelcha, Barega, TFN: Kejelcha, Aregawi, Young
100 m wom, AW: Jefferson, Alfred, Clayton, TFN: Alfred, Jefferson, S. Jackson
100 m men, AW: Thompson, Lyles, Bednarek, TFN: Thompson, Lyles, Seville
STATS (by Ken Nakamura)
W10,000: First medal for ITA by Batocletti, Tsegay, having won gold in 2023, became the 11th woman to win multiple medals.
W35W: Winning margin of 3:23 by Perez is largest ever for 35km, replacing 2:12 from 2023; Perez successfully defended her crown, first to do so; she is only the second women’s walker to win multiple medals at 35km walk, Garcia Leon won gold in 2022, silver in 2023.
M100: 9.87 by Leotlela is the third fastest time in the first round heat.
MPV: 570cm cleared by 5 vaulters is an equalled highest non-qualifying mark for the final.
MSP: Crouser won third gold thus tying Godina and Günthor and fourth medal overall moving him to all-time top 1; 0cm difference between third and fourth is smallest ever; first medal for MEX, 2nd medal for Fabbri, having won silver in 2023.
M35W: 33 sec winning margin by Dunfee is largest ever at 35km walk, replacing 4 sec by Stano in 2023; first gold for CAN by Dunfee at 35km (or 50km) walk, second medal for Dunfee (bronze at 50km walk in 2019), first medal for BRA at 35km (or 50km) walk.
X4x400: Best marks for place 1st (tie), 4-6th, 3:10.84 is the overall best mark for place 5; 0.02 difference between third and fourth is smallest ever; third gold for USA and first medal for BEL; 3:10.18 is the fastest heat time.
TOKYO 2025 NEWS
TOKYO (JPN): Kenya’s mixed 4x400m relay was disqualified in the second heat for a lane infringement after originally finishing second in 3:10.73, faster than a new African record set by South Africa in the first heat.
TOKYO (JPN): Jamaican national 100m hurdles champion Megan Tapper has pulled out of the World Athletics Championships. Tapper, who also won Olympic bronze in this same Stadium in 2021, suffered a heartbreaking hamstring injury on Saturday.
TOKYO (JPN): Guatemala’s 5000m NR holder Luis Grijalva has scratched from the World Championships. “Right now, my body is telling me to pause, heal, and rebuild. I’m excited to focus on training, getting stronger, and coming back better than ever,” he wrote on Instagram. Via David Monti on X.
TOKYO (JPN): Several siblings are competing in Tokyo. Discus WR holder Mykolas Alekna is accompanied by his older brother Martynas, while 3000m steeplechase WR holder Lamecha Girma is joined by his younger brother Kuma Girma (5000m). There are also Norway’s Sondre and Simon Guttormsen competing in the pole vault, Cypriot twins Olivia (200m) and Filippa Fotopoulu (long jump), and Devynne Charlton of Bahamas (100m hurdles) and her younger sister Anthaya (100m).
TOKYO (JPN): There are the same arrangements for the conduct of the finals of horizontal field events (long jump, triple jump and all throws) as used at the World Indoors in Nanjing in March 2025. After Round 3 of the Final the 10 best ranked athletes will continue in Round 4 – competing in the reverse order of their ranking. After Round 4, the two lowest ranked athletes will be eliminated, and After Round 5, the two lowest ranked athletes will be eliminated and the remaining 6 athletes will continue in Round 6 – competing in the reverse order.
TOKYO (JPN): 135 ASICS athletes will be competing at the championships, with 55 of them lining up in the marathon.
TOKYO (JPN): The Jamaica Observer informs that former president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association and chairman of its Medical and Anti-Doping Committee Dr Warren Blake has responded to comments from 400m hurdler Sanique Walker about her non-participation in Tokyo. Walker was named as an alternate for the injured Rushell Clayton, but has not travelled to Jamaica.
TOKYO (JPN): The Dutch silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay is the 40th international medal won in the 400m, 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay since 2019 won by the Netherlands, Laurent Meuwly has posted on X.
TOKYO (JPN): 49-years old Joao Vieira competed in record 14th Worlds and finished 20th in 2:38:20. Paula Torres became the first female athlete from Ecuador to win a medal in World Championships history. Ruben Querinjean made history by becoming the first athlete from Luxembourg to reach a World Championships final in any event, 16 athletes will take part in the final after Jean-Simon Desgagnes (CAN) was advanced having fallen in his heat. From World Athletics.
TOKYO (JPN: Walks were held last time at 35 km distance. For future championships half marathon and marathon will be staged.
