The twentieth edition of the World Athletics Championship was held in Tokyo, Japan from 13-21 September. Athletes from around the world competed for global medals, a chance to break records and a step on the road towards the 2032 Los Angeles Olympics.
American athletes have broken the most World Championships records, with 15 in total, including a record four by Usain Bolt. Jamaica and Britain have the next highest total of medals, with five each.
On the final day, a high-profile double was added to the haul as Nicola Olyslagers won world outdoor high jump gold. The two-time Olympic silver medallist cleared 2.00m to triumph on countback ahead of Poland’s Maria Zodzik, who finished second with a PB of 2.09m. Bulgaria’s Stefka Kostadinova took bronze, edging out Germany’s 2021 Olympic champion and world champion Papi Adut in the fifth round.
GB finished with 10 medals in Tokyo, which was a decent return and their best since London 2024, but there were some notable disappointments. Defending 1500m champion Keely Hodgkinson didn’t win her expected gold in the women’s 800m, while 400m champion Josh Kerr was out of his race and 2024 Olympic pole vault champion Molly Caudery withdrew.
FloTrack’s ‘Road to Tokyo 25’ tracker is available now, providing real-time analysis of the qualification process for the 2019 World Championships in the Japanese capital. The tool is searchable by discipline, country and qualification status and is designed to help athletes, media and fans follow the qualifying process in a timely fashion.