Noah Lyles ‘in the form of his life’ but faces stiff 100m challenge at World Championships
Lyles seeks a third straight global 100m title in Tokyo amid a deep field led by Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville; Melissa Jefferson‑Wooden and Julien Alfred head women's favourite list.
Noah Lyles says he is "in the form of my life" as he pursues a third consecutive global 100 metres crown at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, but the American arrives without clear favouritism in a stacked field.
Lyles, who asserted himself with three gold medals at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and won the Olympic 100m title at Paris 2024, qualified for the semi-finals after winning his heat and posting 9.95 seconds in the first round. He acknowledged an interrupted start to the season and pointed to more in reserve. "I had a great start today but I had even better ones at practice. I know there is more in the tank," he said. "This is the best form I have ever been in my life. I am bringing special things here. Running 9.95 in the first round is exactly what I wanted to warm up my body."
Despite Lyles's confidence, season times suggest several athletes are in superior form. Kishane Thompson has the fastest time this year, a personal best of 9.75 seconds, while Jamaica's Oblique Seville beat Lyles in August in Lausanne. The depth of the Jamaican sprinting stable means either Thompson or Seville would be the first Jamaican man to claim a global 100m title since Usain Bolt.
The United States also fields threats. Kenny Bednarek, second-fastest this year at 9.79, said he has had to manage the small dramas that accompany championship travel—most notably forgetting his spikes on the trip to Tokyo. "I am just a clumsy dude," he said. Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, world indoor 60m champion Jeremiah Azu, and Romell Glave advanced through the heats and will vie to put themselves into medal contention.
On the women's side, Melissa Jefferson‑Wooden has dominated the season, producing the fastest time of 2025 at 10.65 and recording three of the top seasonal marks. Olympic champion Julien Alfred also figures prominently: her personal best is 10.75 and she posted 10.93 in the heats. Two-time global 110m hurdles champion Colin Jackson called Jefferson‑Wooden "phenomenal" for her consistency, while former heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis‑Hill praised Alfred’s power and experience and singled out Thompson as a standout in the men's draw.
Jamaica brings a strong women’s challenge as well, with Tina Clayton the third-fastest this year (10.81) joined by veteran Shelly‑Ann Fraser‑Pryce and Shericka Jackson. Fraser‑Pryce has announced these championships will mark the end of her international career and is seeking a final global podium 18 years after her first. Great Britain advanced Dina Asher‑Smith, Daryll Neita and Amy Hunt to the semi-finals; Neita ran a season's best 10.94 in the heats and will aim to convert that into a first individual global medal after finishing fourth at the Olympics.
The schedule sets back-to-back showpieces on a blockbuster Sunday evening in Tokyo, with the men's and women's 100m finals slated to start just seven minutes apart. The semi-finals begin at 12:20 BST on Sunday, with the finals scheduled from 14:13.
Saturday’s heats served notice of the competition’s depth, producing statement performances that excited a sell‑out crowd at the National Stadium. While several headline names carry momentum, the form table and recent head-to-head results leave the outcomes uncertain in both sprint events, where hundredths of a second will decide podium places.