The stage is set for fireworks on Sunday evening in Tokyo as the women’s and men’s 100-meter semi-finals at the 2025 World Athletics Championships promise a string of heavyweight showdowns.
With lanes packed with champions, emerging stars, and seasoned rivals, the battles for places in the finals are shaping up to be nothing short of explosive.
Women’s 100m: A clash of generations and styles
The women’s semi-finals launch at 7:20 a.m. EST, and the line-up reads like a roll call of sprinting royalty.
Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, in lane seven, is bracing for a fierce contest against three formidable names packed tightly inside of her. The Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith occupies lane four, Daryll Neita of Great Britain takes lane five, while defending champion Sha’Carri Richardson lines up in lane six. Expect sparks from the starter’s gun as the rivals clash in a semi-final worthy of a final.
Semi-final two: Alfred vs. Fraser-Pryce
The second heat brings an equally dazzling cast. St Lucia’s Olympic champion Julien Alfred storms from lane four, directly alongside Jamaica’s living legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in lane five. The pair are flanked by the United States’ Twenisha Terry (lane six) and Bahamian sprinter Antheya Charlton (lane two). This one is set to deliver a generational duel: the blazing speed of Alfred against the seasoned brilliance of Fraser-Pryce.
Closing out the women’s semi-finals, American standout Melissa Jefferson-Wooden commands lane six. She will have to outpace Jamaica’s promising Tina Clayton (lane five) and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (lane four), all three eyeing one of the coveted slots in the final at 9:13 a.m. EST.
Men’s 100m: Loaded heats promise fireworks
If the women’s event is a showcase of sprinting artistry, the men’s is a bare-knuckle brawl of raw speed and ambition.
Defending champion Noah Lyles of the United States anchors lane five, but Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake in lane four and South Africa’s Akani Simbine in lane six will not make it easy. This heat could see a photo finish.
The second semi-final is stacked with firepower across the lanes. Kenya’s powerhouse Ferdinand Omanyala launches from lane three, with America’s Kenneth Bednarek (lane four) and Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson (lane five) right alongside. Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes in lane six and Bahamian Terrence Jones in lane eight make this arguably the toughest draw of the round.
Semi-final Three: Seville takes aim
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville gets lane eight in the final heat, looking to edge past stiff competition: Canada’s Olympic champion Andre De Grasse (lane three), South Africa’s Gift Leotlela (lane four), and Botswana’s prodigy Letsile Tebogo (lane five). The clash of Seville’s consistency and Tebogo’s youthful fire could steal the show.
The rules are clear: the top two finishers from each semi-final advance automatically, with two additional places awarded to the fastest non-qualifiers. The women’s final takes flight at 9:13 a.m. EST, followed just minutes later by the men’s showdown at 9:20 a.m. EST.
Tokyo’s National Stadium is primed for an evening of speed, spectacle, and history.
