One World Record, nine championship records and nine area records were set or equaled, and a series of historic firsts, including the first ever World Championships medals for Samoa, Saint Lucia and Uruguay, and a first ever World Championships gold for Tanzania, as the 9-day 20th World Athletics Championships, which ran from 13-21 September, concluded on Sunday.
A total of 53 nations made it onto the medal table, surpassing the previous record of 46 that was set at Osaka 2007 and equalled at Budapest 2023.
Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis set the world record, as he improved his pole vault mark to 6.30m, as well as the historic firsts by Alex Rose (SAM), Julien Alfred (LCA), Julia Paternain (URU), and Alphonce Felix Simbu (TAN).
Other highlights include:
• US sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is completing a sprint treble in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m.
• Two other athletes achieving double gold in individual events: Kenyan distance runner Beatrice Chebet and Spanish race walker Maria Perez
• Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone winning the 400m in a championship record of 47.78 – the second-fastest time in history – to become the only athlete in World Championships history to win gold medals in the 400m (2025) and 400m hurdles (2022)
• Ethan Katzberg winning the hammer with a championship record of 84.70m – the farthest throw in the world for 20 years
A total of 1992 athletes took part from 193 different countries and the Athlete Refugee Team.
Away from the many magnificent performances on the track, field, and road, the championships achieved record reach as the most widely covered and impactful World Championships in history.
“What we have seen over the past nine days here in Tokyo is an indelible and compelling celebration of human sporting endeavour,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “Tokyo has set the stage for some of our sport’s most extraordinary performances.
A total of 619,288 fans attended the World Championships in Tokyo – more than the 581,462 who were there for the Tokyo 1991 World Championships – with sell-out evening sessions across the week.
Twenty-six athletes at the Tokyo World Championships won their place at next year’s Ultimate Championship, joining the 26 athletes who automatically qualified after becoming Olympic champions at last year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
RECORDS
1 World Record:
Mondo Duplantis (SWE) men’s pole vault, 6.30m
9 championship records:
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) women’s 100m, 10.61
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) women’s 400m, 47.78
Lilian Odira (KEN) women’s 800m, 1:54.62
Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) men’s 800m, 1:41.86
Faith Cherotich (KEN) women’s 3000m steeplechase, 8:51.59
Mondo Duplantis (SWE) men’s pole vault, 6.30m
Ethan Katzberg (CAN) men’s hammer, 84.70m
United States (USA) women’s 4x400m, 3:16.61
United States (USA) mixed 4x400m, 3:08.80
9 area records:
Africa
South Africa (RSA) mixed 4x400m, 3:11.16
Europe
Mondo Duplantis (SWE) men’s pole vault, 6.30m
North America, Central America, and the Caribbean
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) women’s 400m, 47.78
Camryn Rogers (CAN) women’s hammer, 80.51m
Ethan Katzberg (CAN) men’s hammer, 84.70m
Alegna Gonzalez (MEX) women’s 20km race walk, 1:26:06
Oceania
Jessica Hull (AUS) women’s 800m, 1:57.15
Hamish Kerr (NZL) men’s high jump, 2.36m=
South America
Gianna Woodruff (PAN) women’s 400m hurdles, 52.66
1 championship decathlon best:
Leo Neugebauer (GER) decathlon discus, 56.15m
62 national records
22 world-leading performances
210 personal bests
Other statistics
20 countries won gold medals
28 countries won silver medals
34 countries won bronze medals
53 countries won medals
74 countries finished in the top 8
Countries from 5 areas won gold medals:
Africa – 10 golds from 3 countries
Europe – 12 golds from 8 countries
NACAC – 22 golds from 5 countries
Oceania – 3 golds from 2 countries
South America – 2 golds from 2 countries
1,992 athletes took part from 193 different countries, and the Athlete Refugee Team (1034 male and 958 female athletes).
