More than 2,000 athletes are heading to Tokyo 2025 this Saturday (13 Sept) for what could be the most rewarding nine days of their lives. The World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 kicks off September 13th at the National Stadium, and this year’s competition comes with some seriously impressive prize money.
Breaking Records Pays Big Time
Here’s where things get interesting. Any athlete who breaks a world record will walk away with a cool $100,000. That’s right – six figures for being the fastest human on the planet in your event.
But there’s a catch. You actually have to beat the current record, not just tie it. Close only counts in horseshoes, as they say.
The last team to cash in on this deal was Team USA’s mixed 4x400m relay squad. They ran a blazing 3:08.80 at the 2023 Budapest Championships and earned their payday.
TDK, the Japanese electronics company, is putting up the money for men’s events. World Athletics covers the women’s records. For the mixed relay, both organizations split the bill.
Prize Money For Everyone Else
Even if you don’t break any world records, there’s still plenty of money to go around. The total prize pool sits at $8,498,000.
The prize money is as follows:
Individual events:
Gold: US$70,000
Silver: US$35,000
Bronze: US$22,000
Fourth place: US$16,000
Fifth place: US$11,000
Sixth place: US$7000
Seventh place: US$6000
Eighth place: US$5000
Relays (per team):
Gold: US$80,000
Silver: US$40,000
Bronze: US$20,000
Fourth place: US$16,000
Fifth place: USD $12,000
Sixth place: US$8000
Seventh place: US$6000
Eighth place: US$4000.
Corporate Sponsors Step Up
TDK has been supporting these championships since day one. The company sponsored the very first World Championships back in 1983 and has been the main sponsor for men’s events ever since.
Honda joins the party this year as the main sponsor for women’s events.
What’s At Stake
Nearly 200 teams will compete over nine days. With this much money on the table, expect some seriously fast times and fierce competition.
The athletes have been training for years to get to this moment. Now they have extra motivation – because winning doesn’t just mean glory anymore. It means financial security too.
The championships begin Saturday (13 Sept) at Tokyo’s National Stadium. Don’t blink, or you might miss someone becoming $100,000 richer.
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