The 2025 World Athletics Championships, held at the historic National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, has gotten off to an incredible start, attracting 2,202 athletes from 198 nations to compete in 49 events. Running from September 13–21, the storied event marks a significant return to the venue that hosted the 2020 Olympics. 

As expected, the events captured the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” Here are some of the biggest moments so far:

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden put on a dominant display, winning gold in a championship record time of 10.61 seconds in Women’s 100m. Jamaica's Tina Clayton earned silver, while Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia took bronze. Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson took fourth in 10.88, and Sha’Carri Richardson, the defending world champion, was fifth in 10.94.

After the race, Jefferson-Wooden was amazed at her performance

“I felt myself get out [ahead], then I blacked out after that, thinking ‘get to the line’,” Jefferson-Wooden told BBC Sport. “I saw my time and it hit me, oh my gosh, I won!

“I came in as a hunter. I’ve never been a world champion or Olympic champion in the 100m. There will be a target on my back next year, so I’ll work out how to navigate that.”

In the Men's 100m, Jamaica's Oblique Seville won gold with a personal best of 9.77 seconds, finishing ahead of his teammate Kishane Thompson (9.82), who won the silver, and defending champion Noah Lyles took the bronze.

“It’s an excellent feeling,” Seville said after the race. “The last time a Jamaican got the title was in 2016, and that was Usain Bolt, so I am really happy knowing that I actually got the gold medal and I have proved myself that I am a true competitor and I showed my resilience and my fight and determination.”

In the Mixed 4x400m Relay, the United States team featuring Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah McKiver, and Alexis Holmes, secured the gold medal and set a new championship record, holding off a strong charge from the Netherlands' Femke Bol on the final leg.

Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall won gold in the women's long jump, showing the world her continued dominance in the event.

"It has been an amazing year," Davis-Woodhall said after the event. "I have been dreaming of this moment. Instead of putting the pressure on myself and taking it as something overwhelming, I was just embracing it. That (change) was worth the gold medal tonight.

"Right now, I want to hug everyone. It's awesome to have this medal around my neck.

Monday evening events include the men's pole vault final, followed by the women's hammer throw final at 1 PM BST (9 PM JST) and the men's 3000m steeplechase final at 1:55 PM BST (9:55 PM JST). The evening concludes with the women's 100m hurdles final.