It was a day of thrilling finishes, surprise champions and plenty of grueling races at the 2025 World Athletics Championship. One world record was set, seven championship records were broken or equalled and a series of historic firsts took place.
Athletes and fans alike are settling in at the Tokyo National Stadium for a week of track and field action. It’s a massive stadium, which means lots of stairs, so make sure you’re wearing good shoes and you’ve had plenty of practice on the up and down before you head here.
There were plenty of highlights on Day 3 at the World Athletics Championships, with four distance events delivering a remarkable set of gold medalists. For the first time ever, nobody who won the men’s 800m, 1500m, steeplechase or 10k had previously medalled in any of them at a previous Worlds or Olympics. Geordie Beamish’s (New Zealand) spectacular win in the men’s 3000m steeplechase was a particular delight, as he came from 11th at the bell to dethrone the recently unbeatable Soufiane El Bakkali and claim a stunning victory.
USA athletes were in dominant form on Sunday (21) as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden became the second female to complete a sprint treble at Worlds, adding 100m and 200m gold to her 400m silver from last month. Noah Lyles and Cordell Tinch rounded out the American podium, while Jamaica’s Oblilque Seville and Kishane Thompson both added to their medal haul. The three are all nominees for the Male and Female Track Athlete of the Year award, with a vote open from now until Sunday. The winners will be announced on Monday (25).