The 20th Edition of the World Athletics (WA) Championships was held at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan from September 13 to 21, 2025.
- This event marked the third time Japan hosted the championships following the 1991 and 2007 editions.
Exam Hints:
- What? 20th Edition of the World Athletics Championships
- Venue: Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan from September 13 to 21, 2025.
- Toppers: 1st – USA, 26 medals (16 Gold, 5 Silver, 5 Bronze), 2nd – Kenya, 11 medals, 3rd – Canada, 5 medals.
- Records: World Record – Mondo Duplantis (Sweden, Men’s pole vault, clearing 6.30 m); Championship Records – Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA, 100m (10.61 s)), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA, women’s 400 m with 47.78 s)
- India: No medals; Neeraj Chopra 8th (84.03m), Sachin Yadav 4th (86.27m PB), Sarvesh Anil Kushare 6th in High Jump (2.28m PB), Gulveer Singh missed 5000m final by 0.19s
- Next Edition: Beijing, China – 2027
About the World Athletics Championships 2025:
Participants: 2,202 athletes from 198 nations competing across 49 events in athletics.
Qualification event: The 2025 World Athletics Relays, held in Guangzhou, China, served to qualify the top 14 relay teams for the Championships.
Next Edition: 21st World Athletics Championships will be held in Beijing, China in 2027.
Overall Result of WA Championships 2025:
Top Performer: The United States of America (USA) topped the medals tally with 26 medals: 16 gold, 5 silver, and 5 bronze.
- Kenya finished second with 11 medals: 7 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze, and Canada to finish third with 3 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medals. The host nation Japan won 2 bronze medals, ranking 40th.
| Medal Table | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | USA | 16 | 5 | 5 | 26 |
| 2 | Kenya | 7 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 3 | Canada | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Botswana | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Spain | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Sweden | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Key Athletes and Records: One world record, nine championship records created and many firsts, including the first ever World Championships medals for Samoa, Saint Lucia and Uruguay, and a first ever World Championships gold for Tanzania.
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), won gold medals in 100 meters (m), 200 m and 4×100 m relay, with the championship record in 100m (10.61 seconds(s)).
- Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis set a world record in men’s pole vault, clearing 6.30 m.
- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) broke the championship record in women’s 400 m with 47.78 s, the second-fastest time in history.
Indian Performance:
High Jump: Sarvesh Anil Kushare finished 6th in men’s high jump final, clearing 2.28m (personal best).
- He became the first Indian high jumper to reach a final at the World Athletics Championships.
Javelin Throw: Sachin Yadav, making his World Championships debut in javelin, threw 86.27m, achieving a personal best, and placed 4th, missing a medal by 40cm against Curtis Thompson (86.67m) of USA.
- India’s Neeraj Chopra, the defending champion in men’s javelin throw, finished 8th with a best throw of 84.03m.
5000m: Gulveer Singh narrowly missed qualifying for the 5,000m final by 0.19 seconds and also participated in the 10,000m final.
Medals: India did not secure a medal, marking its first blank campaign in two editions.
