World Athletics Championships: US Shines in Men's 4x100 for Its 16th Gold

It was a fitting conclusion to the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

The United States finished with a meet-best 26 medals, including its 16th and final gold in the men's 4x100-meter relay in the last scheduled event on Sunday, September 21 at Tokyo's National Stadium.

Star sprinter Noah Lyles ran the anchor leg for Team USA, which won the race in 37.29 seconds, the world-leading time in the sprint relay this year.

Canada took home the silver in 37.55 seconds and the Netherlands collected the bronze in 37.81, a national record.

Ghana (37.93) and Germany (38.29) were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Japan, represented by Yuki Koike, Hiroki Yanagita, Yoshihide Kiryu and Towa Uzawa, finished sixth among the eight relay units in 38.35. And the four men were unable to add to Japan's low medal count (two bronze) at the world championships.

athletics — *From left, Japan's 4x100-meter relay participants Yuki Koike, Hiroki Yanagita, Yoshihide Kiryu and Towa Uzawa are seen in this composite photo from the relay final. (KYODO)*

Kiryu ran the third leg in 9.71 seconds, the slowest among the eight nations' runners for that segment of the race.

"The moment I started running, my right calf cramped up," Kiryu said, according to Kyodo News. "If I ran properly, we could have won a medal. It's my fault and I don't know how to recover from that."

Euphoria for Lyles and Relay Mates

While Kiryu and his relay mates experienced disappointment on the final day of the world championships, Lyles' joy was a snapshot of the US track and field squad's collective euphoria.

After the relay race, Lyles spoke about the overall excellence of the American quartet's performance and their shared ability to dominate in a 4x100 race.

Christian Coleman, Kenneth Bednarek and Courtney Lindsey ran the first, second and third legs before Lyles wrapped up the victory.

"We all know we are the fastest, we just had to get the baton from start to finish," Lyles told reporters. "When Christian passed the baton, I knew it was a done deal. I saw the lead we had and it was a kind of a relief as everybody did such a great job. I just had to finish the race. They made it easy for me. I could have not ask for a better relay."

A Down-to-the-Wire Chase in Women's 4x100

In the women's 4x100 final, the US won its third consecutive world title in 41.75 seconds.

For Team USA, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Twanisha Terry, Kayla White and Sha'Carri Richardson ran in succession.

Jamaica led by 0.01 seconds after 300 meters.

Richardson outsprinted Jonielle Smith, Jamaica's anchor, as the Americans moved from second to first on the final leg.

In the exciting race, the difference between Richardson's time and Smith's was minuscule ― 0.05 seconds.

Jamaica finished second in 41.79 seconds. Germany earned the bronze (41.87).

"It feels amazing," Richardson said of winning the gold. "The girls did an amazing job before the baton got into my hands. I am happy to be sharing this gold medal with my teammates, my training partners, [and] I am excited and proud."

Jefferson-Wooden led all athletes at Tokyo's World Athletics Championships with three gold medals, including in the 100- and 200-meter events. (See the full medal table on the World Athletics website.)

American Women Break Meet Record in 4x400 Relay

Isabella Whittaker, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Aaliyah Butler and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone teamed up for a world championships record-breaking performance in the women's 4x400-meter final.

Their time: 3 minutes, 16.61 seconds.

The US also owned the previous record in the event (3:16.71), which was set on August 25, 1983, in Stuttgart, Germany.

In Sunday's spirited final, Jamaica claimed the silver in 3:19.25, with the Netherlands finishing in 3:20.18 to nab the bronze.

How did Team USA's sensational quartet break the record?

It began with Whittaker's 50.12-second effort in the opening leg of the race, followed by Irby-Jackson's 48.71-second run covering the next 400 meters.

Butler ran the third leg in 49.96, and McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400-meter world champion in Tokyo on September 18, completed the last leg in a blistering 47.82.

"When you have great teammates as I have, it's amazing," McLaughlin-Levrone said in a post-race interview session. "My last lap felt like it was a victory lap for us. I just wanted to finish strong because you never know who is behind, chasing you. It was just an incredible race."

Botswana Showcases Speed in Winning Men's 4x400

The men's 4x400-meter final was decided by the final runners for Botswana and the United States.

Botswana anchor Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, who snatched the world title in the men's 400 final on September 18, ran his portion of the race in 44.16 seconds.

American Rai Benjamin covered the same distance in 44.40.

As a result, Botswana came from behind to win the gold in 2:57.76.

The US ran a season-best 2:57.83 to clinch the silver.

In a photo finish, the Americans finished ahead of South Africa, although the third-place squad's listed time was also 2:57.76. But according to the World Athletics website's official data from the event, the US placed second by two-thousandths of a second.

As rain pelted the track, making the surface slippery, Kebinatshipi acknowledged later he recognized the challenge he faced in the relay final.

"I had to run the most strategic leg because of the weather," Kebinatshipi, who became the 400-meter world champion on September 18, told reporters. "[And] I knew I had to go strong but still I wanted to save my energy for the last 100 meters.

"At the last 80 meters, I pushed and started running faster. I am happy to be crossing the finish line first, [and] I am really grateful to have come home with two gold medals."

He then said, "I wanted to come here and motivate my teammates and walk away with gold. And we did it."

Odira Sets Meet Record in Women's 800

Kenya's Lilian Odira triumphed in the women's 800-meter final, grabbing the first gold medal of the final evening session at the world championships.

Odira climbed from fourth place after 700 meters to the front of the pack. She completed the race in 1:54.62, a world championships record.

Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson hauled in the silver and bronze, respectively, in 1:54.90 and 1:54.91.

Also for Kenya, 19-year-old Sarah Moraa was fourth (1:55.74). Mary Moraa, her older sister, was seventh (1:57.10).

"This is my first world championships and I am really grateful to be leaving it as the world champion," Odira said after the race. "It has been a long time coming. I am grateful to my coach, my family and my fans for supporting me.

"The 800 meters is always very tactical, [and] the first lap today was very fast. I knew I had to push on the second one. It was so quick. I knew this race was going to be the fastest in the championships and I took advantage of it."

Odira also shared her thoughts on the significance of winning a world title.

"This medal means the world to me," she said. "It is for my sons, they are [ages] 4 and 2. They are my motivation."

Hocker Takes Late Lead to Win Men's 5,000

American Cole Hocker grabbed the lead from Kenya's Isaac Kimeli in the closing seconds of the men's 5,000-meter final and won his first world title.

Hocker ran the final 100 meters in 12.51 seconds. Kimeli covered that distance in 13.10. That was the deciding factor in the race.

For the full race, Hocker was clocked in 12:58.30 and Kimel's time was 12:58.88.

France's Jimmy Gressier earned the bronze (12:59.33).

"I knew I had the opportunity today, that I had the legs to take this field," Hocker said after the race. "I had a lot of bodies ahead of me but I felt very strong, enough to pass them one by one.

"Our last 5-km [world] champion [Bernard] Lagat was someone I grew up watching. This is a huge step to win this gold like he did [in 2007 in Osaka]. I felt like I raced perfectly today."

Hocker, 24, was the 1,500-meter gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Stahl Outshines Competition in Men's Discus

Sweden's Daniel Stahl won the men's discus throw final, clinching the title with a heave of 70.47 meters.

On his sixth and final attempt, Stahl had his best throw of the night.

In addition to his 2025 world title, Stahl was the Olympic champion at the same venue four years earlier.

"This was my first rainy championships ever," he said on Sunday night. "I tried to focus today as much as possible, focus on not giving up and just staying positive. Sometimes things like this happen. There are delays, the competition takes time. I just tried to reboot my energy."

Prior to his final throw, Stahl was in second place late in the competition. Then he rose to the occasion, handling the pressure.

"Mentally, I was ready for the last throw," the 33-year-old told reporters. "I prepared myself for it. You have to be ready and focus."

Lithuania's Mykolas Alekna, the world record holder in the discus, finished second (67.84) and Samoa's Alex Rose placed third (66.96).

Olyslagers Captures Gold in Women's High Jump

Australia's Nicola Olyslagers was crowned the women's high jump world champion during a competition that had multiple delays due to rain.

The 28-year-old two-time Olympic silver medalist won the title with a mark of 2.0 meters.

Poland's Maria Zodzik also cleared 2.0 meters but had to settle for silver.

A tiebreaker, aka countback (less failed attempts), determined the winner.

Olyslagers had no fouls on her first three attempts (clearing the bar at 1.93, 1.97 and 2.0 meters) without a hitch.

Zodzik, on the other hand, had two fouls at 2.0 meters, knocking down the bar.

How did Olyslagers react to the chain of events on Sunday night?

"This was just pure joy, even in the rain," the Aussie told reporters. "I've seen so many bars fall off just by that small amount, but when it stays on what else could you say but 'Thank you God.' [The] high jump is a bit of luck, but tonight was so special. I think this season I have had many hard competitions but the whole year was really great."

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Serbia's Angelina Topic tied for third (1.97 meters) and both received bronze medals.

Briefly…

Germany's Leo Neugebauer won the decathlon gold on Sunday night with 8,804 points, with Puerto Rico's Ayden Owens-Delerme taking second (8,784). A day earlier, American Anna Hall clinched a dominant victory in the women's heptathlon, beating runner-up Kate O'Connor of Ireland by more than 170 points.

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.