The reigning stars of global athletics proved their class once again on a thrilling Day 7 of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, with big names like Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Femke Bol, Pedro Pichardo, Noah Lyles and Rai Benjamin all delivering golden performances on the track and field.
Jefferson-Wooden Completes the Double
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden cemented her status as the sprint queen of Tokyo by completing a stunning 100m and 200m double. Just five days after taking the 100m in a world-leading personal best, the American stormed to 200m gold in 21.68 – another world lead – to climb to eighth on the all-time list. Britain’s Amy Hunt claimed a surprise silver in 22.14, edging past Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson (22.18), who faded in the final metres.
Bol and Benjamin Rule the Hurdles
Femke Bol delivered yet another dominant performance in the 400m hurdles, retaining her world title with a world-leading 51.54. The Dutch superstar pulled away from USA’s Jasmine Jones, who grabbed silver in a PB of 52.08, while Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova made history with a national record of 53.00 for bronze.
In the men’s event, Rai Benjamin finally added world gold to his Olympic crown, clocking 46.52. Despite clipping the final hurdle, Benjamin held off Brazil’s Alison dos Santos (46.84) and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba (47.06), while former champion Karsten Warholm faded to fifth.
Pichardo Shines Again in Tokyo
In front of a 58,000-strong crowd, Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo produced a dramatic final-round jump to reclaim triple jump glory in Tokyo. His world-leading 17.91m was just enough to overtake Italy’s Andrea Dallavalle, who had taken the lead with a lifetime best of 17.64m. Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez claimed bronze with 17.49m.
Lyles Claims Fourth 200m Crown
Noah Lyles showed no signs of slowing down as he captured his fourth consecutive world 200m title in 19.52. In one of the deepest 200m finals ever, three other men broke 19.70 – Kenny Bednarek (19.58), Bryan Levell (19.64 PB), and Letsile Tebogo (19.65) – with Britain’s Zharnel Hughes close behind in 19.78.
Heptathlon Battle Heats Up
At the halfway stage of the heptathlon, USA’s Anna Hall leads with 4154 points after a strong showing across all four opening events. Ireland’s Kate O’Connor is in second, with reigning Olympic and world champions Nafi Thiam and Katarina Johnson-Thompson trailing but still in the hunt.
With medal momentum building and world leads falling, Day 7 confirmed one thing: the world’s top athletes are rising to the moment – and in Tokyo, the champions are still reigning supreme.
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