The 2025 track and field season delivered breakthrough performances and historic achievements across sprint events, with Jamaica’s Oblique Seville ending his country’s decade-long drought in the men’s 100m while American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden swept both women’s sprint titles at the World Championships in Tokyo.
Oblique Seville Breaks Jamaica’s 100m Sprint Title Drought
Oblique Seville delivered Jamaica’s first world 100m championship in ten years, running a personal best of 9.77 seconds in the Tokyo final. The 24-year-old, coached by Glen Mills at the Racers Track Club, produced his finest race when it mattered most to claim the crown.
His compatriot Kishane Thompson entered the championships as the favorite after clocking 9.75 at the Jamaican championships in June—the fastest time globally in a decade. Thompson won three consecutive Diamond League meets heading into Tokyo and dominated through the heats and semi-finals, but Seville found another gear in the final.
Noah Lyles secured bronze in 9.89 despite battling back from an early-season ankle injury. The Olympic champion struggled to find his rhythm over 100m throughout the year but managed his best performance at the championships.
Christian Coleman captured the Diamond League 100m title in Zurich after the Tokyo medallists skipped that meet. Britain’s Jeremiah Azu won every 60m race indoors, including Welsh, British, European, and world titles, but couldn’t transfer that success to the outdoor 100m, exiting in the Tokyo semi-finals.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden‘s Perfect Season Ends in Double Gold
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden capped an unbeaten season with world titles in both the 100m and 200m. The American sprinter went 12-0 in 100m races throughout the year, climaxing with a championship record of 10.61 seconds in Tokyo. Her time ranks as the fourth-fastest in history, behind only Florence Griffith-Joyner, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
She returned days later to dominate the 200m final in 21.68 seconds, nearly half a second clear of the field. Jefferson-Wooden became the first woman to win both sprint events at the World Championships since Fraser-Pryce accomplished the feat in 2013.
Her speed built steadily through the season. After winning at the Grand Slam Track meeting in Kingston during April, she broke the 10.70 barrier three times—including at the USA Championships in Eugene (10.65) and the Diamond League stop in Chorzow (10.66).
Clayton Twins Emerge as Sprint Powers
Jamaica’s 21-year-old Clayton sisters announced themselves as major forces in women’s sprinting. Tina Clayton jumped from world U20 champion to senior silver medallist in just twelve months, running a personal best of 10.76 in the Tokyo final.
Her twin sister Tia grabbed her first Diamond League victory in Chorzow with a time of 10.83 and finished second at the Diamond League final. An injury at the Jamaican Trials kept Tia from competing in the individual 100m at the World Championships, though her season form suggested she could have challenged for a medal.
Olympic champion Julien Alfred started strongly but dealt with a leg injury in late July that disrupted her momentum. The St. Lucian sprinter bounced back to win the Diamond League final in Zurich at 10.76 but had to settle for bronze at the World Championships. Alfred posted the year’s second-fastest 200m time at 21.71 but withdrew from that event in Tokyo after straining her hamstring in the 100m final.
Fraser-Pryce Closes Legendary Career
The season marked the end of an era as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce retired at age 38. The five-time world 100m champion finished sixth in her final world championship 100m appearance but added one last medal—a silver in the 4x100m relay—bringing her career total to 17.
Amy Hunt provided a surprise in the women’s 200m, taking silver in 22.14. The 23-year-old British sprinter overcame difficult early years at the senior level to reach the podium. Two-time world champion Shericka Jackson returned from injury to capture bronze at 22.18.
Brittany Brown missed the 200m podium in Tokyo with a sixth-place finish but won the Diamond League final and closed her season strong with a personal best of 21.89 at Athlos in New York, positioning herself well for 2026.
Lyles Matches Bolt’s 200m Record
Noah Lyles claimed his fourth straight world 200m title to equal Usain Bolt’s record streak. The American posted the year’s two fastest times in Tokyo—19.51 in the semi-final and 19.52 in the final.
Kenneth Bednarek earned his fourth global silver medal in the event with a championship best of 19.58. Jamaica’s Bryan Levell, 21, grabbed bronze in a personal best of 19.64.
Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo struggled with various injuries throughout the season and finished fourth at 19.65, missing the podium by just one-hundredth of a second. The Tokyo final made history as the first race where three men broke 19.70 and five finished under 19.80.
McLaughlin-Levrone Dominates 400m Switch
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made headlines by switching from the 400m hurdles to the flat 400m. The Olympic hurdles champion and world record-holder ran the second-fastest 400m in history, winning the world title in 47.78 seconds—just 0.18 off Marita Koch’s 40-year-old world record.
The American became the first athlete to win world titles in both the 400m and 400m hurdles. Her performance earned her a second World Athletics Athlete of the Year award.
Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino pushed McLaughlin-Levrone hard, becoming the second woman ever to break 48 seconds with a national record of 47.98. The race marked the first time two women ran under 48 seconds in the same competition.
Salwa Eid Naser completed the podium with a season’s best of 48.19, making it the fastest 400m race in history. The Bahraini runner competed in 17 races during the year and won her third Diamond League title in Zurich with a meeting record of 48.70.
Britain’s Amber Anning won the world indoor title in Nanjing at 50.60, going undefeated on the indoor circuit before placing fifth in Tokyo.
Botswana Continues Sprint Rise in Men’s 400m
Botswana extended its sprint success following Letsile Tebogo’s Olympic 200m victory from the previous year. Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, just 21, claimed his country’s first world 400m title with a world-leading time of 43.53 seconds in Tokyo.
The 2023 African U20 champion lowered his personal best to 43.61 in the semi-finals before improving again in the final. His compatriot Bayapo Ndori took bronze at 44.20, finishing the season ranked number one in the world despite missing the top spot on the podium.
Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago set a national record of 43.72 for silver. The 31-year-old veteran, who won world indoor gold in 2022, was the only athlete from the 2024 Olympic final to reach the world final this year.
American Jacory Patterson had a strong season with three Diamond League victories and a personal best of 43.85 in Zurich but finished seventh in the Tokyo final.
CREDIT: Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics
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