The World Championships in Athletics, the world’s most prestigious track and field event, will be held in Tokyo, Japan, on September 13! A total of 49 events will be held for 9 days from September 13 (Saturday) to September 21 (Monday, national holiday).
The “Superhuman BIG7” in the spotlight
TBS, which has held the exclusive broadcasting rights to the World Championships in Athletics in Japan for many years, has selected seven super athletes with world-record level abilities as the “Superhuman Big 7”. The dates and times for their competitions are as follows.
1, Faith Kipyegon (1500m / 5000m)
This legendary athlete has been medaling in 5 consecutive events since Beijing 2015. During this record, she gave birth to her daughter, Aline, in June 2018 and returned to racing in June 2019, winning a silver medal at the World Athletics Doha in October. Kipyegon then went on to set a new world record in the 1500m in 2023 and a new world record (at the time) in the 5000m, which was not her specialty: the 1500m (women) semifinal on Sunday, September 14 at 21:05, the 1500m (women) final on Tuesday, September 16 at 22:05, the 5000m (women) final on Thursday, September 18 at 19:05, thewomen’s) finals at 19:05 on Thursday, September 18.
2, Noah Lyles (100m / 200m / 4x100m)
Noah Lyles won the “Triple Crown of Short Distance” at the last event, the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. At this year’s event, he will attempt to become the first athlete in 10 years since Usain Bolt to achieve this feat in two consecutive events. At the Paris Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the 200m despite a positive corona after winning the 100m. He is also known as a Bolt-level entertainer, wowing the audience and social media with his Kamehameha and Yu-Gi-Oh card performances. 100m (men’s) final on Sunday, September 14 at 22:20, 200m (men’s) final on Friday, September 19 at 22:06.
3, Armand Duplantis, pole vault
In his mid-20s, he has broken the world record 12 times. He is truly the pinnacle of the track and field world, far below even the old world record of 6m15 held by Sergey Bubka, the “bird man” who won the men’s pole vault six times in a row. The men’s pole vault final will be held at 20:10 on September 15 (Mon., national holiday).
4, Sydney McLaughlin (400m / 4×400m)
A prodigious hurdler who raised the world record from 52 seconds in 2020 to 51 seconds in the following 21 years, and then to 50 seconds in the following 22 years. At the Paris Olympics, he also broke that record by a wide margin, bringing his current world record to 50.37 seconds. Will he finally produce a 49-second time, which only top athletes can achieve without hurdles? She is also one of the world’s top 400m hurdlers, so expectations are high for her to challenge for the double crown. 400m (women’s) final on Thursday, September 18 at 22:24.
5, Haruka Kitaguchi (Javelin)
At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Kitaguchi made a huge comeback in the final six throws to become the first Japanese woman to win gold in track and field events, and a year later at the Paris Olympics, she scored a crushing victory in the first throw to win the event. For the past two years, she has reigned as an absolute queen. Her next goal is to win back-to-back World Championships and become one of only five athletes in history to break 70 m. The qualifying round will be held on Friday, September 19 at 19:30.
6, Karsten Werholm (400m hurdles)
Karsten Werholm is one of the top three hurdlers in the 400m hurdles. His world record of 45.94 seconds set at the Tokyo Olympics was the first and still the only time in history he has broken the 45-second mark. Just before the race, he was pounding his body and screaming, after the race he was so happy that he tore off his uniform and screamed, and during practice he ran naked in the snow in his hometown of Norway and screamed. Qualifying is the first half of the day, and the final could be the second half of the night.
7, Jaroslawa Makhchik (high jump)
The women’s high jump “world record 2m09”, which was born in 1987 at the World Championships in Rome and remained unbroken for 37 years, was finally broken by Makhchik in July 2024. After the military invasion by Russia, she fled the country with her “passport and a little cash,” but she continued to compete despite her troubles. The following month, she also won the Paris Olympics: the women’s high jump final on Sunday, September 21 at 19:30.
Tokyo 2025 World Championships in Athletics
📍 National Stadium (10-1 Kasumigaoka-cho, Shinjuku-ku)
5 minutes walk from 🚇Sendagaya Station and Shinanomachi Station, 1 minute walk from National Stadium Station