6 thoughts on Thursday’s Worlds action: Noah Lyles sends a 19.51 statement as US 800m champs Donavan Brazier and Roisin Willis are eliminated

TOKYO — Day 6 of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo was highlighted by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone‘s 47.78 win in the 400. That race gets its own article. Below, six thoughts about the rest of the action on day 6.

It’s been a rough meet so far for the US mid-d and distance men

Coming into Worlds, LetsRun’s Robert Johnson pointed out that the US potentially could win a gold medal in every event 800 through 10,000. Considering that Donavan Brazier is the only American-born man to ever win gold in a mid-d or distance event at Worlds, it was really a testament to how well the US men have been performing in recent years.

MB: US potentially could win a gold medal in every event 800 through 10,000. 

So far at Worlds, not only has the US not won a mid-d or distance gold, they haven’t medalled at all. And now they only have one more chance to get a medal, in the 5000 (where American are the #1 and #3 betting favorites by the way), as both Donavan Brazier (4th heat 2 – 1:43.82) and Bryce Hoppel (5th heat 3 – 1:43.92) failed to get out of the 800 semis tonight.

Brazier ran most of semi #2 boxed in on the rail. But he remained patient and kicked hard in the final 100 and with a lean he narrowly finished third in 1:43.82 in a race where the top 2 from each heat then the next two fastest times would advance.

Considering Olympic medallists Marco Arop and Djamel Sedjati had gone 1-2 in semi #1 while both running 1:45.09, Brazier had a good chance of advancing to the final. As long as the fourth placer in heat #3 didn’t run faster than 1:43.82, he was safe. However, the guys in heat 3 took advantage of being in the last heat and went out way faster than the other two semis, realizing that since 28 guys in the world have run faster than 1:43.82, they might as well go for the time so four of the eight could advance.

Semi #1 went out in 52.03, Brazier’s semi went out in 51.55, but semi #3 went out in 50.36, and in the end, the fourth placer in that heat (Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela, who has a 1:42.70 pb) ran 1:43.80 to edge Brazier out of the final by .02.

American Bryce Hoppel was 5th in semi #3 in 1:43.92. He was frustrated with his tactics in the race and admitted it was hard for him this year to top last year when virtually everything went perfectly.

Brazier post-race

Brazier said it was “f—ing brutal” to miss out by .02 because he desperately wanted to make the World Championship final for the first time since winning it all in 2019. He said he felt he was too reluctant to leave the rail to improve his position and it cost him in the end.

You are lying to us if you say you predicted Botswana’s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi was going to win the 400m world title before the meet — or even before the semis

In the men’s 400, Kebinatshipi was the convincing winner in a Botswana national record and 2025 world-leading time of 43.53. No one could have predicted that coming in. Coming into the Worlds, the 21-year-old had run slower and finished worse in each of his previous three races.

July 19 – 44.51 for 5th in London
August 22 – 45.09 for 6th in Brussels
August 28 – 45.40 for 7th in Zürich

On Sunday, Kebinatshipi needed a time qualifier to get out of the first round at Worlds as he was only 4th in his heat in 44.48. He then proceeded to run pbs of 43.61 in the semis and 43.53 in the final.

What a performance. 

“This is my first title and it feels crazy. After the semi-final I really started to believe in myself. To think that this my new chapter. Up until the semi-final I have been doubting myself. I had my struggles. But in the final, I had no fear. I wanted to go all out and see where I could go,” said the new camp.

The first round of the women’s 800 had a lot more drama than normal

Normally, nothing too crazy happens in the first round of the 800. It’s normally the semis where things get crazy.

But that wasn’t true for the women tonight. The notable things that happened:

• US champ Roisin Willis failing to advance after running 2:00.24 in heat #1 (missing out on the third auto spot by .07) to finish 4th in her heat (top 3 and next 3 advance). She went through the mixed zone in tears and didn’t stop and speak to the media afterwards (the final time qualifier ran 1:59.52).
• Olympic 4th placer Shaifqua Maloney, who came into Worlds after running a 1:57 pb in the Zurich Diamond League, also didn’t advance after she ran just 2:03.12 to finish last in heat 3.

• Olympic 1500 silver medallist Jessica Hull made the semis after an appeal despite running just 2:13.42 after she was taken out from behind mid-race.

• World indoor champ Prudence Sekgodiso of South Africa didn’t make the semis after getting injured while warming up. She finished last in the 7th heat.

The top 7 on the 2025 world descending order list all made the semis, but the #8-9-10 did not.

8 1:57.01 Nigist Getachew ETH
9 1:57.16 Prudence Sekgodiso     RSA
10 1:57.29  NR Shafiqua Maloney VIN

Noah Lyles ran history’s fastest semifinal in the men’s 200 – 19.51

In the men’s 200, 21-year-old Jamaican Bryan Levell continued his breakout campaign with a super impressive 19.78 heat win in semi #2. Considering Levell has already run 19.69 into headwind this year (-0.4) and has also run 9.82 in the 100, it’s certainly fair to call him a major contender in the men’s 200. In fact, he was the betting favorite entering tonight’s semis.

However, the bookies adjusted their lines in a major way after Noah Lyles ran 19.51 – the world’s fastest time ever in a semi – to win heat #3. Lyles went from being +200 (33%) to -150 (60%) on Bovada.

MB: Noah on what his 19.51 in the semis means: “It tells me I was stupid enough to run 19.5 in the semi.”

Australia’s Gout Gout talks after being eliminated

The 17-year-old Gout was pleased to have competed wit the stars on the world stage for the first time, and though he failed to meet his goal of breaking 20 seconds in the 200, he is optimistic about the future, noting he still has 15 years of running ahead of him.

Shelby Houlihan thinks she’s in sub-14:20 shape

Americans Sehlby Houlihan and Josette Andrews both made the women’s 5000 final but Elise Cranny did not. After her run, Houlihan told us she thinks she’s in the best 5000 shape of her life.

Curtis Thompson earned the first US men’s javelin medal in 18 years

Thompson, who doesn’t have a traditional shoe sponsor but is part of the Tracksmith ASP program, came into Worlds as the 2025 world #6 but he got a medal as none of the top 3 in the world for 2025 medalled. World leader Julian Weber of Germany, who had won all but one competition this year, was only 5th. 2025 world #2 Luiz Da Silva of Brazil didn’t even make the final and 2021 Olympic champ Neeraj Chopra of India was only 8th.

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