Kenya's Faith Cherotich celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the women's 3000-meter steeplechase final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships on September 16 at Tokyo's National Stadium. (©Sarah Meyssonnier/REUTERS)
Four gold medals were up for grabs on Day 5 of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The final rounds for the women's pole vault, men's long jump, women's 3,000-meter steeplechase and the men's 1,500 were held at National Stadium on Wednesday, September 17. An enthusiastic crowd cheered throughout the night.
A stunning upset in the men's long jump was a noteworthy highlight, as was an exceptional performance in the steeplechase.
Here's a recap of the night's top highlights:
Cherotich Breaks World Athletics Championships Record
Kenya's Faith Cherotich was clocked in 8 minutes, 51.59 seconds in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, earning a runaway victory over Bahrain's Winfred Yavi (8:56.46). Ethiopia's Sembo Almayew took third (8:58.86, a personal-best time).
In her specialty event, Cherotich recorded the fifth-fastest in history, and also set a world championships record.
Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan held the previous meet record of 8:53.02. (That happened when the US state of Oregon hosted the world championships in July 2022 in the city of Eugene.)
The talented field of runners include women who owned four of the five top times ever in the event. And, as everyone expected, they pushed one another stride for stride, lap for lap.
Cherotich pulled away late in the race after Uganda's Peruth Chemutai, the Tokyo Olympic champion in 2021, sustained an injury while attempting to leap over a hurdle, fell and landed hard on the track. She was unable to complete the race.
Chemutai led for more than half of the entire race.
While there was profound disappointment for Chemutai, Cherotich experienced overwhelming joy at the same stadium where she claimed the bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
"I am so happy to win today. Improving from bronze to gold is amazing to me," Cherotich, 21, told reporters.
"The pace of the race was slow but I believed in my kick," added Cherotich, referring to her closing speed in the race. "In the last 400 meters, I said, 'This is my moment.' I remember my coach told me, 'Faith, you can do it.' He told me to not be afraid and to follow the best no matter who the best is, and I might be the winner."
Furlani Dethrones Tentoglou in Men's Long Jump
Miltiadis Tentoglou, Greece's two-time defending Olympic champion and the 2023 world champion, had an injury-shortened appearance in the long jump final.
Tentoglou, 27, was plagued by calf cramps from the get-go on Wednesday.
Allotted three attempts in the first round of the final, Tentoglou had a mark of 7.83 on his first attempt. He fouled on his second try and then jumped 7.67 on his third. It wasn't good enough to advance to the second round of the final (10 jumpers).
Tentoglou, who entered the meet with 2025's longest leap (8.46 meters in June in Madrid), finished 11th among 12 finalists.
"It was the worst competition of my life," Tentoglou told reporters. "I was feeling great during warm-up, but maybe it was my mistake that I did it more powerfully than usual."
Italy's Mattia Furlani captured the gold with a top jump of 8.39 meters, a personal record.
Jamaica's Tajay Gayle secured the silver (8.34). China's Yuhao Shi grabbed the bronze (8.33) for his first medal at the world championships.
"This is the most special evening," Furlani said, according to the World Athletics website. "I worked so hard and put so much determination into getting a medal."
That determination ― along with his undeniable talent ― helped make him the youngest man to triumph in the long jump at the World Athletics Championships.
"I did not start the best way," Furlani said, analyzing his early jumps. "At the beginning, I had a small problem with my run-up, but as usual I tried to stay calm and save the best for last."
Nader Showcases Speed on Final Lap and Wins Men's 1,500
Portugal's Isaac Nader won the men's 1,500-meter title in 3:34.10.
In an exciting finish, Nader held off speedy Jake Wightman of Britain (3:34.12), while Kenya's Reynold Cheruiyot earned the bronze (3:34.25).
Nader was in fifth place with 100 meters remaining. His time of 12.28 seconds over the final 100 meters was significantly faster than any of the other 13 finalists.
As a result, Nader, 26, is the new world champion. And he's already looking ahead and setting new goals.
"This is just one of my dreams accomplished, the other will have to wait until 2028," Nader told reporters. "Winning [Olympic] gold in Los Angeles isn't a promise, simply a dream. Next year I will go into the European championships [Birmingham, England] as the world champion, and for the world championships the year after [Beijing, 2027]. So I will pace myself and take each event as it comes."
Moon Defends Women's Pole Vault Title
American pole vaulter Katie Moon collected her third world championships gold, adding to her medal haul from 2022 and '23. She also won Olympic gold at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.
Moon cleared the bar at 4.95 meters to beat fellow American Sandi Morris, who earned her fourth silver medal at the worlds with a mark of 4.90.
Slovenia's Tina Sutej, the oldest competitor in the event at age 36, hauled in the bronze (4.80).
After the competition wrapped up, Moon expressed how happy she was to win the world title once again.
"It was incredible, it was such a battle," Moon told the media. "I knew it was going to be, [and] I kept telling myself I would need to jump over 4.90 meters to win."
She then said, "I knew Sandi was in good shape. I am just happy and relieved it ended up the best for me."
Day 5 at the World Athletics Championships
Also Wednesday, Japan's Abigeirufuka Ido qualified for the women's 200-meter semifinals. The Gifu Prefecture native ran her first-round qualifying heat in 22.98 seconds, the 22nd-fastest time for the opening round. US sprinter Anavia Battle was No 1 (22.07).
Twenty-four women advanced to the semifinals.
In the men's 200 meters, Towa Uzawa, a 22-year-old, two-time Asian champion, was clocked in 20.39 in his first-round heat. The Japanese entrant had the 21st-fastest time and made the cut for the semifinals. Jamaica's Bryan Levell had the fastest time in the first round (19.84).
In the men's javelin throw qualifying, Japan's Yuta Sakiyama (29th place, 77.61 meters), Genki Dean (31st, 77.01) and Gen Naganuma (36th, 74.70) did not advance to the 12-man final on Thursday.
RELATED:
- Inside ASICS' Lab Powering Athletes at the World Championships
- Mondo Duplantis Sets 14th World Record to Win the Gold in Tokyo
- ODDS and EVENS | An Unforgettable Men's Marathon at the World Championships
- Oblique Seville Wins the 100-Meter Title at the World Championships
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
