Four years after the Summer Olympics were held behind closed doors amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokyo will host the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships from Saturday to September 21.
Attention will be focused on American Noah Lyles in the sprints and his compatriot Sydney McLaughlin Levrone, who has chosen to compete in the 400m, along with the likes of Sweden's Armand Duplantis, Norway's Kartsen Warholm, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon, and the Netherlands' Femke Bol.
The championship, under the slogan "Every Second, Amazing," offers an opportunity to fill the Olympic Stadium with fans who were denied the opportunity to attend the Olympics due to pandemic restrictions.
This is the second time Tokyo has hosted the World Championships, having hosted the event in 1991, when American Mike Powell broke the world record in the long jump (8.95m), which still stands today. This is also the third time the World Championships have been held in Japan, after Osaka hosted the 11th edition in 2007.
The sporting extravaganza brings together more than 2,000 athletes from nearly 200 countries, vying for global glory in 49 events.
The first day begins with a 35km race walk for both men and women, and the ninth and final day concludes with the 4x100m relay final.
“History has shown that we have the capacity and energy to host the world’s best athletes and inspire international audiences,” said Japan Athletics Federation President Mitsugi Ogata after Tokyo won the bid in July 2022.
The hosting coincides with Japan’s centenary celebration of its national athletics federation.
- Elite American Participation -
As usual, the United States is projecting its strength through its delegation, which includes all seven individual title-winning athletes from the 2023 Budapest World Championships: Lyles and Sha'Carrie Richardson (100m), Grant Holloway (110m hurdles), Ryan Crouser and Chase Jackson (shot putt), Katie Moon (pole vault), and Lologa Tosaga (discus throw).
The United States has dominated most of the World Championships held to date, winning 443 medals, including 195 gold, compared to 65 gold medals for second-placed Kenya.
Jamaica hopes to enter the gold medal race in Tokyo, thanks to Shericka Jackson, Danielle Williams, and Antonio Watson.
Jackson will compete in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relays, having won the 200m gold medal two years ago. Williams will defend her 100m hurdles title, while Watson will attempt to retain her 400m gold.
Joining Jackson in the 100m and 4x100m relay teams will be 38-year-old Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a ten-time world gold medalist who will be competing in her final world championship.
- El Bakkali, Arab Hope -
Morocco will be represented by a large delegation led by Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali, who won the 3000m steeplechase gold medal at the 2022 Eugene and 2023 Budapest Games.
The 29-year-old also wore a yellow metal necklace at the 2020 Tokyo and Paris Olympics last summer.
The participation of Fatima Zahra Kerdadi (33 years old), the bronze medalist in the marathon in the previous edition, stands out, becoming the first Moroccan to achieve this historic achievement.
Algeria is also participating with ten athletes, followed by Qatar (8), Bahrain (8), Tunisia (4), Egypt (4), and Saudi Arabia (4).
Arab athletes have won a total of 83 medals (34 gold, 24 silver, 25 bronze) over decades of participation.
- Withdrawals in a Row -
Withdrawals continued before the start of the competition, with Dutch Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan opting to participate in the Sydney Marathon, which was held for the first time as one of the most prominent international marathon majors (World Marathon Majors).
Hassan, who was born in Ethiopia and won her bid by taking first place in the Sydney Marathon, spoke about the difficulty of recovering in the short period between the marathon and the World Athletics Championships.
The 32-year-old has not missed a single competition since her debut in 2015.
Australian Olympic and world pole vault champion Nina Kennedy, 28, withdrew due to a muscle tear in recent training, which she described as "tough."
American Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas, 28, also withdrew due to an Achilles tendon injury she suffered in May. She won gold medals in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m relays at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Two-time Olympic champion Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei, 28, joined the list of withdrawals, citing "personal reasons," as he previously stated.
He won gold medals in the 5,000m at the 2021 Tokyo Games and the 10,000m in Paris last year.
Kenya Toughens Gender Identification Testing -
As part of its anti-doping efforts, Athletics Kenya has required its athletes to undergo three drug tests before they can compete.
The sports authorities aim to eliminate the recurring doping scandals affecting sports in the country. These tough measures were implemented in collaboration with Kenya's anti-doping agencies and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
Kenya has invested heavily in restoring its image after a series of doping scandals linked to its participation in the 2016 Tokyo Olympics, which led to it being declared "non-compliant" with the applicable rules by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Female runners participating in the championships will be required to undergo a gender determination test before competing, according to the rules adopted by the IAAF, which came into effect on September 1.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe said the federation's "philosophy" is to protect the "integrity of women's sport."
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