The World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo — Sept. 13-21 on NBC Sports and Peacock — feature 2024 Olympic gold medalists looking to stay atop their events and others hoping to break ground.
That contrast is evident with the two biggest U.S. sprint stars — Noah Lyles, the Olympic 100m champion looking to repeat as world champion in the 100m and 200m — and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, switching from her 400m hurdles dominance to take on the flat 400m, where she is third-fastest in the world in 2025.
Their finals are among the most anticipated on the track over the nine-day meet.
Others eye history of their own, such as a group of four athletes who can make it five global titles in five years in the same individual event: American Ryan Crouser (shot put), Swede Mondo Duplantis (pole vault), Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali (3000m steeplechase) and Kenyan Faith Kipyegon (1500m).
The World Track and Field Championships air live on NBC Sports and Peacock from Sept. 13-21.
World Track and Field Championships Key Events
Sat., Sept. 13: Men’s Shot Put (8:10 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
American Ryan Crouser’s last defeat in a global outdoor championship was pre-pandemic. He won Olympic gold in 2016, 2021 and 2024 and world titles in 2022 and 2023. But he hasn’t thrown in traditional competition since September 2024, sidelined this summer by an elbow injury. While neither of the other 2024 Olympic medalists will be at worlds, Italian Leonardo Fabbri this season has thrown 22.82 meters, which is just eight centimeters shy of Crouser’s winning throw in Paris.
Sun., Sept. 14: Women’s Discus (6:10 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
Valarie Allman is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a five-time Diamond League champion, plus on April 12 launched the world’s best throw since 1989. In Tokyo, she can win her first world title after bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023 (behind countrywoman Laulauga Tausaga). Allman is on a 28-meet win streak since the last worlds.
Sun., Sept. 14: Women’s Long Jump (7:40 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
Olympic champ Tara Davis-Woodhall is on a 14-meet win streak since taking silver at the 2023 Worlds. She owns the world’s best jump of 2025 (7.12 meters), but Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Malaika Mihambo of Germany (7.07 indoors) and Diamond League champion Larissa Iapichino of Italy (7.06) aren’t far behind. Every other American woman who won an Olympic long jump title also won a world title — Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Brittney Reese and Tianna Madison.
Sun., Sept. 14: Women’s 100m (9:13 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
Olympic bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is undefeated this season and owns the world’s top three times of 2025 (10.65, 10.66, 10.73). She faces Olympic gold medalist Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia (No. 2 in the world in 2025 at 10.75) and defending world champion and training partner Sha’Carri Richardson (best 2025 time of 11.05). Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a record seven-time 100m champ between the Olympics and worlds, is retiring after this meet.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden saved her dad’s life when she was 17 years old.
Sun., Sept. 14: Men’s 100m (9:20 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
A rematch between American Noah Lyles and Jamaican Kishane Thompson, who were separated in the Olympic final by five thousandths of a second. Lyles’ early season was disrupted by a spring ankle injury. On June 27, Thompson ran 9.75, the world’s best time in a decade. Lyles can become the first repeat world 100m champion since Usain Bolt in 2013 and 2015. Thompson can become the first Jamaican to win a medal of any color since Bolt in 2017.
Mon., Sept. 15: Men’s Pole Vault (7:10 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis is on a two-year, 35-meet win streak. During that stretch, he has broken the world record seven times, including three times in 2025, bringing it to 6.29 meters (20 feet, 7 1/2 inches). Olympic bronze medalist Manolo Karalis of Greece has emerged as a clear-cut No. 2, raising his personal best from 6.00 to 6.08 in 2025. Only the last three world record holders have ever jumped higher.
Mon., Sept. 15: Women’s 100m Hurdles (9:20 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
Masai Russell followed her Olympic gold medal by running the second-fastest time in history (12.17 seconds) on May 2. She’s looking to become the second American to pair Olympic and world 100m hurdles titles after Brianna McNeal in 2016. The women who joined Russell on the Paris podium — Cyréna Samba-Mayela of France and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico — are out due to injuries. So Russell’s top challenger may be countrywoman Grace Stark, who ran 12.21 on June 20.
Tue., Sept. 16: Women’s 1500m (9:05 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
Kenyan Faith Kipyegon bids to be the first woman to win three consecutive world titles in any distance-running event. She is on a four-year, 21-meet win streak in the 1500m, having broken the world record in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay, the third-fastest woman in history, and Brit Georgia Hunter Bell, the Olympic bronze medalist, are entered in different events at these worlds. That ups the chances for Nikki Hiltz, seeded fourth by best time this year, to go for the first American medal in the event since 2017.
The story of how Faith Kipyegon went from barefoot prodigy to Kenyan legend.
Tue., Sept. 16: Men’s 110m Hurdles (9:20 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
American Grant Holloway goes for the first four-peat in 110m hurdles history, though countryman Allen Johnson won four non-consecutive world titles from 1995 to 2003. Holloway has yet to win in five finals this season and is seeded ninth in the field by best time of 2025 (13.11). The world’s fastest man in 2025 is Cordell Tinch (12.87), the former cellphone salesman who missed the 2024 Olympic team by one spot despite running 13.03 at trials, a time that would have taken silver in Paris.
Wed., Sept. 17: Men’s 1500m (9:20 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
An all-star field with the last five global champions: Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot (2019), Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Tokyo 2020), Brit Jake Wightman (2022), Brit Josh Kerr (2023) and American Cole Hocker (Paris 2024). But the favorite may be Dutchman Niels Laros, who went 3-0 on the Diamond League and would be, at age 20, the youngest men’s 1500m world champion in history.
Thu., Sept. 18: Men’s 400m (9:10 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
A different American has won a men’s 400m medal at the last three worlds, and the streak could continue here. None of the past U.S. medalists are in the field — notably Olympic gold medalist Quincy Hall, who missed time this summer due to injury. But a new American, the former UPS overnight worker Jacory Patterson, just won the Diamond League Final and is the world’s second-fastest man this year.
Jacory Patterson hopes to make enough money in sprinting to quit his UPS job.
Thu., Sept. 18: Women’s 400m (9:24 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world record breaker in the 400m hurdles, switched to the flat 400m this season in a bid to become the first person to win world titles in each one-lap event. She goes into worlds seeded third by best time in 2025 (48.90) behind Olympic silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain (48.67) and Olympic gold medalist Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic (48.81).
Fri., Sept. 19: Men’s 400m Hurdles (8:15 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
Arguably the sport’s most exciting event over the last four years thanks to Norwegian Karsten Warholm, American Rai Benjamin and Brazilian Alison dos Santos, who combined to run the 24 fastest times in history. Benjamin earned his first individual Olympic title in Paris, and eyes his first individual world championship in Tokyo, but Warholm ran the third-fastest time ever on Aug. 16.
Fri., Sept. 19: Women’s 400m Hurdles (8:27 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
Femke Bol of the Netherlands can repeat as world champion with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone picking the flat 400m after missing the 2023 Worlds altogether due to injury. Bol, the second-fastest woman in history, has the top six times this year of those in the World Championships field. American Dalilah Muhammad, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, 2019 World champion and world record holder before McLaughlin-Levrone, is seeded third. Muhammad has said she plans to retire after this season.
Fri., Sept. 19: Men’s 200m (9:06 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
Noah Lyles is back in a bid to tie Usain Bolt’s record four world 200m titles. And possibly become the second person to sweep the 100m and 200m at consecutive worlds after Bolt in 2013 and 2015. Even with his spring ankle injury, Lyles is the fastest man in 2025 in the 200m, though all three of his wins this season were by less than a tenth of a second — .02 and .09 to Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and .04 to Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek.
Noah Lyles edged Kishane Thompson by .005 at the Paris Olympics.
Fri., Sept. 19: Women’s 200m (9:22 a.m. ET, USA Network and Peacock)
Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas is out due to injury, opening the door for a potential second sprint showdown of the week between Julien Alfred and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Alfred, the Olympic 200m silver medalist, is the world’s fastest in the 200m in 2025 (21.71). Jefferson-Wooden, who came into the year with a personal best of 22.46, is seeded second at 21.84. Jamaican Shericka Jackson, who won the 2023 title in the second-fastest time in history (21.41), is seeded eighth with a best 2025 time of 22.17.
Sat., Sept. 20: Women’s Heptathlon 800m (8:11 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
Anna Hall came back from knee problems in 2023 and 2024 to move up to joint-second on the all-time heptathlon points list, winning the famed Hypo Meeting in Götzis, Austria, on June 1. Only Jackie Joyner-Kersee has ever scored higher, and Hall can become the second American after Joyner-Kersee to win a world title in the event. She’ll have to beat three-time Olympic gold medalist Nafi Thiam of Belgium and reigning world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain, neither of whom have done a heptathlon since Paris.
Sat., Sept. 20: Women’s 5000m (8:29 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
A legendary duel could be in store between Kenyan friends Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet. Kipyegon is the reigning Olympic and world champion and world record holder in the 1500m, plus in 2023 became the first woman to sweep the 1500m and 5000m at a single worlds. Chebet is the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder in the 5000m and 10,000m. In Paris, Chebet outkicked Kipyegon by 1.04 seconds for 5000m gold.
Sat., Sept. 20: Men’s 800m (9:22 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
A 13-year-old world record could be threatened given the presence of five of the seven fastest men in history. In Paris, Emmanuel Wanyonyi edged Canadian Marco Arop by .01, plus came .28 shy of fellow Kenyan David Rudisha’s world record of 1:40.91 from the 2012 Olympics. The U.S. trio is led by 2019 World champion Donavan Brazier, who missed all of 2023 and 2024 due to injuries and goes into worlds seeded second by best time in 2025. Cooper Lutkenhaus is seeded fifth and, at 16, will be the youngest American to compete in any event in World Championships history.
Cooper Lutkenhaus is set to be the youngest American to compete at a World Track and Field Championships.
Sun., Sept. 21: Men’s 5000m (6:50 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen is going for a fourth consecutive global 5000m title, but worlds will be his first meet of the outdoor season after being sidelined by an Achilles injury. Grant Fisher (Olympic 5000m and 10,000m bronze medalist) and Nico Young (American record holder) are the first and third seeds by best times in 2025 (including indoor races). Cole Hocker, the Olympic 1500m gold medalist, beat both of them for the U.S. title. The U.S. has never won two men’s distance medals in one race at worlds.
Sun., Sept. 21: 4x400m, 4x100m Relays (7:25-8:30 a.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock)
The last time the U.S. swept the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays at a global championship was the last time Japan hosted this meet — in Osaka in 2007. The Americans won three of four at the last worlds in 2023 and at the Paris Olympics.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce came back for one more season to retire on her own terms.
