Beatrice Chebet takes down Faith Kipyegon, Emmanuel Wanyoni wins historically fast 800 and chaos (and conflict of interest?) in 4 x 400

TOKYO – The World Athletics Championships are at their most exciting when there are great performances, close finishes, and just a bit of controversy. And the sellout crowd at National Stadium were treated to all three on Saturday night.

The men’s 800-meter final, won in dramatic fashion by Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, produced both great performances and a close finish. Wanyonyi set a championship record of 1:41.84, but that was barely enough to hold off Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati (1:41.90) and Canada’s Marco Arop (1:41.90). The entire eight-man field broke 1:43, the first time in history that has happened.

The women’s much-hyped showdown in the 5,000-meter final between 1500 champion Faith Kipyegon and 10,000 champion Beatrice Chebet came down to a shootout in the final straightaway. And just as in last year’s Olympic final in Paris, Chebet kicked away to win gold in 14:54.36 (57.60 last 400, 27.86 final 200) as Americans Shelby Houlihan and Josette Andrews finished 4th and 6th, respectively, after running 1-2 for much of the race.

The controversy came in the men’s 4×400, where the United States finished 6th in their heat in 3:01.06 – when they needed to finish third in 3:00.23 to advance – after a botched second handoff took more than a second to complete. Initially that meant the US would not advance, but after Zambia was disqualified, the meet referee ruled the US had been affected by Zambia on the second exchange.

That means the US will race in a runoff against Kenya (who was affected by Zambia on the third exchange) on Sunday morning (9:40 p.m. ET Saturday night in the US) for the ninth and final spot in the 4×400 final. We feel Zambia should be in the runoff as well as the officials appeared to line up the US and Zambia in the wrong order 200 meters out from the 2nd exchange. In the 4 x 100s, the US had no problems, but pre-race favorite Jamaica didn’t make the final in the men’s field as the final exchange to Kishane Thompson never happened.

In the women’s heptathlon, Anna Hall won her first world title with 6,888 — the first American heptathlete to win Worlds since Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1993.

* Full results

Nine quick takes below.

Beatrice Chebet wins the battle of champions with Faith Kipyegon to cap one of the greatest two-year stretches ever by a women’s distance runner

Beatrice Chebet beats Faith Kipyegon in 5000 at 2025 Worlds (Kevin Morris photo)

The women’s 5,000 final, a race pitting the legendary Faith Kipyegon and legend-in-the-making Beatrice Chebet, did not disappoint. Not only did it feature the two best women’s distance runners on the planet, but it served as a rubber match in their very friendly rivalry – Kipyegon won Worlds in this event 2023 while Chebet won the Olympics last year.

The race went out very slowly, 9:18 through 3k, with American Shelby Houlihan leading the way. Things would pick up a bit from there, but did not really get going until the final 600 meters. On the last lap, Chebet stalked Kipyegon, who took the lead with 270 meters to go, before swinging by with 50 to go to earn the victory.

(If you need a VPN to watch the video below click here)

Chebet right now is operating at perhaps the highest level we have ever seen from a women’s distance runner, though it is hard to make comparisons across eras – 2008 Tirunesh Dibaba and 2021 Sifan Hassan also have a case for that honor. But consider what Chebet has accomplished since the start of 2024:

• World Cross Country champion
• Olympic 5k/10k champion
• World 5k/10k champion
• 5,000m world record – 13:58.06, first woman ever under 14:00
• 10,000m world record – 28:54.14, first woman ever under 29:00
• 5k road world record – 13:54, first woman ever under 14:00 on the roads
• 8:11.56 for 3,000m (#3 all-time)

Chebet said after double world titles, “I think I’m complete now,” but she wants to keep pushing on to build her legacy

“For me, my target now is to [become] multiple world champion, multiple Olympic champion,” Chebet said.

Faith Kipyegon had no regrets about her decision to take the lead on the last lap

Last year in Paris, Kipyegon took the lead before the bell but Chebet just sat on her and blew by her in the home straight. This year, Kipyegon waited a little longer to get to the lead but was still the first of the two to move as she went to the front on the back straight of the bell lap. We asked Kipyegon if she thought she made a mistake by moving too early, but she said she had no regrets.

“I knew we were all strong…I saw we were still many [at the bell] and it’s good to have position before the bell. I was like, I have to push and go home with any medal. I was happy to have a silver medal.”

Had we been in Kipyegon’s position, we would have tried to force Chebet to move first and then try to come over the top with a move in the home straight. But there is really no guarantee that move would have had any more success than what Kipyegon tried tonight. Kipyegon is the greatest women’s 1500m runner ever – and it’s not close. But as crazy as it sounds, Chebet is the better kicker right now. Chebet closed in 26.6 for her final 200 in a 14:27 race at the Xiamen Diamond League in April. That’s faster than Kipyegon has ever closed in a race. And while Kipyegon’s 28.67 tonight was very good, it was almost a full second slower than Chebet’s 27.86.

Kipyegon also said she plans to move up in distance soon but would not give an exact timeline.

Rojo’s take: I think moving up would be a mistake. If Faith wants to cash in and run a marathon for some big $ or a challenge in 2026 or 2027, by all means do it. But she should stick to the 1500 as her primary focus for 2028.

She could make history in the 1500 in LA. No runner has ever won the same track event at four different Olympics. Al Oerter (discus) and Carl Lewis (long jump) have done it in the field. Kipyegon is already the only women’s runner to win three gold medals in the same event.

Kenyan women have utterly dominated the distance events in Tokyo

Chebet’s win means that Kenyan women have now won gold in the 1500, 5k, 10k, steeple, and marathon – the first country ever to sweep all five of those events at Worlds. Kenya is unlikely to complete the full mid-d/distance sweep as Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson is the heavy favorite there, but if something goes wrong with Hodgkinson, Kenya does have three women in the final, led by defending champ Mary Moraa.

The Americans had a lot to be proud of in the women’s 5000

Historically, the women’s 5000 has not been a good event for Team USA. In the previous 15 times that the women’s 5000 has been run at Worlds (there was no 5000 in the first four World Champs), the highest US finish was 6th (Molly Huddle in 2013).

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Tonight, Shelby Houlihan and Josette Andrews finished 4th and 6th after sitting 1-2 for all but the final 800 of the race.

“I’m so proud of myself and I think it’s only going to continue to get better as I continue getting back into those sharper speed stuff and getting sharper racing, sharper tactics,” said Houlihan who was back at her first outdoor Worlds since 2019 as she served a 4-year doping ban from 2021-2025. “I felt like I laid it all out there.”

Houlihan’s joy with her 4th place finish tonight was a stark contrast to her last outdoor Worlds in 2019 when she set an American record in the women’s 1500 to finish 4th but was in tears as she was laser focused on medalling.

Given her past doping suspension, Houlihan realizes her run tonight won’t satisfy everyone.

“Whether or not people are going to believe me, like, there’s nothing I can do about it. If I had proof that I didn’t [intentionally take nandrolone], I wouldn’t have served a four-year ban, you know. It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t prove that, but it doesn’t change the fact that I did not intentionally cheat and that was not something that I would or ever could do…

“I’m a clean athlete. I don’t believe in gray areas. I don’t take any vitamin supplements [anymore]…It’s just one of the things. I know I didn’t cheat.”

MB: Shelby Houlihan SILENCES the haters? Houlihan answers all our questions after an impressive 4th place finish at 2025 Worlds

As for Andrews, she was hoping for more than 6th but said she and her OAC teammates all ran well at Worlds.

“I’m proud of the year, disappointed with the finish…I knew I belonged and it was just a matter of being able to get to this stage and I think it shows like the six people that OAC brought here all made our finals and we all had great performances… The team really timed it right this year.”

MB: Josette Andrews, 6TH IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!

Emmanuel Wanyonyi went wire-to-wire (again) in the men’s 800

(If you need a VPN to watch the video below click here)

Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s strategy is pretty simple. There are only two parts to the strategy.

One, get to the lead. Two, don’t let anyone pass you.

Wanyonyi said he decided to start running that way after Arop came from behind to beat him at the 2023 Worlds in Budapest, and it has proven very successful for the Kenyan as he won the 2024 Olympics and now the 2025 Worlds.

But that does not mean it is easy to execute. David Rudisha could blast away from everyone in his prime because he was significantly better than his peers. Wanyonyi wins a lot – he has won six of his last seven races – but is often challenged in the final 100. He’s just hard to get around. With 50m to go on Saturday, Marco Arop pulled up on Wanyonyi’s shoulder but Wanyonyi would not let him past. Wanyonyi held on to win the title by .04 over Djamel Sedjati after winning the 2024 Olympics by .01 over Arop. No matter what you throw at him, Wanyonyi always manages to respond.

It’s also worth noting that tonight was Wanyonyi’s seventh career sub-1:42, which ties him with David Rudisha for the most all-time. Rudisha’s 1:40.91 world record must surely be in Wanyonyi’s sights next year (Wanyonyi’s pb is 1:41.11).

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Wanyonyi starts running the 1500 in addition to the 800. He beat the likes of Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Josh Kerr in the 1500 at Grand Slam Track Kingston and said after the race he might consider running the 1500 at future championships. We’d love to see him try the 800/1500 double at the 2027 Worlds.

As for Arop, it’s not all that often that you see the defending champ thrilled to have won bronze but he revealed he’s been battling an Achilles injury this year.

This was one of the deepest 800s ever

The top three men in the 800 final were separated by just .09 of a second, and all three of them ran 1:41, which is just the third time that has happened in a race (2024 Paris Diamond League, 2024 Olympics). In addition, this race was the first in history to feature eight men under 1:43, which means Tshepiso Masalela (1:42.77) is officially the fastest last-placer in history.

In all, 17 men broke 1:43 in 2025, easily the most in history (the previous record was 12, set last year) and fairly stunning considering nobody broke 1:43 at all as recently as 2022.

Special shoutout to Ireland’s Cian McPhillips and Jamaica’s Navasky Anderson, both of whom set national records in the semis and final. McPhillips, who ran 3:49 in the 1500 at age 15 in 2018, came to Tokyo with a 1:44.19 pb and ran 1:43.18 in the semis and 1:42.15 in the final to finish 4th. You can read more about Anderson’s progression below.

MB: Incredible 800m — All athletes 1:42.77 or better, fastest 7th and 8th place marks ever

Jamaica’s Navasky Anderson was full of confidence after recently running a 1:13.1 for 600m in practice

Anderson, the 2022 NCAA runner-up for Mississippi State, finished off an incredible breakout year with a 7th-place showing of 1:42.76. Anderson was the first Jamaican to ever compete in the World Championship final and today’s run was his 5th pb and national record of the year.

He started the year with a 1:44.70 pb and entered Worlds as still a 1:44 guy (1:44.18 pb). But he improved to 1:43.72 in the semis and then 1:42.76 tonight in the finals after going out super aggressively.

And he wasn’t satisfied. Off-camera, he promised coach Tom Brumlik of Under Armour’s Mission Run Baltimore team that he’d eventually win him the gold. Brumlik said next year he plans on having Anderson do an altitude block for the first time.

Anderson said he entered Worlds knowing he was ready for a big one as a week before Worlds started, he said he ran a 1:13.1 for 600 from a standing start (after hitting 400 in 46.7). In case you are wondering, the world record for 600 is 1:12.81 and only one man has ever broken 1:13. Even if you adjust a hand-timed 1:13.1 up to like 1:13.4, it would still be a top 5 performance in world history.

Last year’s Olympic disappointment didn’t break Anna Hall

Anna Hall has taken one step up the medal stand at each of the last 3 Worlds, winning bronze in 2022, silver in 2023, and now gold in 2025.

Of course, that ignores her disappointing 5th place finish at the Olympics that she admitted “completely shattered my heart.” She said she even lost her love for the sport earlier this year. But thanks to her resilience and the support of her team, she’s now where she always dreamed of being – on top of the world.

The first heat of the men’s 4×400 was a mess, and the US will get a second chance to avoid disaster with a runoff on Sunday morning (Saturday night in the US)

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Until this year, the US men had qualified for every 4×400 final ever contested at the World Championships. But as of now (late Saturday night in Tokyo), the US has not qualified for the 2025 Worlds final – though they will get the chance to change that on Sunday morning.

Here’s what happened: Zambia’s Kennedy Luchembe and the USA’s Demarius Smith were running next to each other in second and third entering the second exchange, Luchembe on the inside and Smith on the outside. The problem was, Zambia’s third leg was lined up on the outside and the USA’s third leg was lined up inside. Someone was going to have to cut off someone else to make the exchange, and Luchembe, who was slightly ahead of Smith, ended up cutting across to complete the handoff. That not only blocked the US from completing its handoff but forced third leg Bryce Deadmon to start running from a complete stop, which left the US in dead last. US anchor Jenoah McKiver made a big push to get back and was 4th on the final turn (top three advanced automatically) but faded in the home straight and the US missed out.

Officials reviewed the video and disqualified Zambia for starting their exchange outside the exchange zone, and because the USA and Kenya were both affected (the third exchange was almost a carbon copy of the second exchange, with Kenya switching places with the US), the USA and Kenya will compete in a race-off on Sunday morning (9:40 p.m. ET Saturday) with the winner earning a spot in the final. The runoff will feature the same runners in the same order as Saturday’s prelim.

So the US has a second chance to extend its streak of finals – but will still be underdogs to Botswana for gold even if they make it through.

You can watch a replay of the semifinal here.

We have two thoughts on this situation:

1) Zambia looks to have been screwed over by the officials

It is the officials’ responsibility to line up the outgoing runners, and the order is meant to be determined by the running order with 200m to go in the leg. With 200m to go in the second leg, Zambia was clearly ahead of the US, which means the Zambian third leg should have been lined up inside the American third leg. Instead, the American was lined up inside the Zambian.

That left Zambia and the US in an impossible position. Neither team wanted to slow down, yet whoever crossed over to hand off would cut off the other team. And because Zambia was slightly ahead, their second leg crossed over and cut off the US. But what else was he supposed to do? Unless the Zambian third leg took it upon himself to move outside of the American third leg before the handoff – which he would have no reason to do – the chaos on the second exchange appears to have been caused by official error. In which case, Zambia deserves a spot in the runoff on Sunday as well.

2) The US could have avoided this situation by running a stronger team and there are serious questions to be asked about the composition of the US relay squad

The US did not run its strongest team in the 4×400 prelims. That is not unusual given the US is often deep enough to rest top athletes and still advance to the final. But this year, the US was not as deep as usual – only one American made the 400 final. Of the US’s top five 400m runners – Rai Benjamin plus the four guys who ran the individual 400 in Tokyo (Jacory Patterson, Chris Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Khaleb McRae), only Bailey ran in the prelims. Jenoah McKiver, Bryce Deadmon, and Demarius Smith comprised the other three legs.

This was a huge risk by new USATF relays coach Darryl Woodson and looks even worse given how the race played out. McKiver’s inclusion is not egregious as he split 43.91 in the mixed 4×400 final and would have been fresh after not running the individual 400. Deadmon’s is more questionable as he split 45.07 and 44.98 in the mixed 4×400 prelims and final, while McRae has run under 45 in each of his last nine 400s (though his most recent race, the Worlds semi on Tuesday, was his slowest in that stretch at 44.82).

The most egregious decision was running Smith on second leg. Smith was only 7th at USAs and has broken 45 seconds in the 400 once in his entire life. Meanwhile the US had Vernon Norwood, who has broken 45.00 eleven times in 2025 and had not raced since Tuesday. Norwood was 4th at USAs, 3rd at the Diamond League final, and is a relay vet who saved the Americans’ bacon in the Olympic prelims last year after Quincy Wilson’s poor leg. Unless Norwood is carrying an injury – and USATF comms told us he was healthy since he was listed as the alternate for the prelims – there is no way Smith should have been running this race over him. Especially because the US rested one of its top legs in the prelims of the World Relays in May and missed out on the final because of it.

It’s hard to get an exact split for Smith. World Athletics’ results page lists it as 48.17, but that also includes the mishap with the exchange. But Smith got the baton first and reached the handoff zone in 4th. No way that happens with Norwood on the leg.

So why did Smith run on Saturday? Well, multiple sources have told LetsRun that Smith is coached by Woodson. Smith claimed at USAs that he is coached by Edward O’Neal of Southwestern University, but there is a video from last month of Woodson overseeing one of Smith’s workouts. If the relays coach is also the personal coach of athletes on the team, that is a conflict of interest. And if it contributed to Smith running over Norwood on Saturday, that’s a big problem.

Talk about the action on our world-famous fan forum.

• Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships Day 8 Live Discussion Thread – US men bomb out of 4 x 400, Jamaica men bomb out of 4 x 100
• Breaking: There will be a runoff for a 9th (additional) spot in men’s 4×400 final between USA & Kenya
• Incredible 800m — All athletes 1:42.77 or better, fastest 7th and 8th place marks ever
• Is Chebet’s kick the GOAT? – 13.44 for the final 100m!
• It’s time to have a conversation about Cian McPhillips
• So proud of Shelby
• Shelby Houlihan SILENCES the haters? Houlihan answers all our questions after an impressive 4th place finish at 2025 Worlds
• What was the point of Shelby doping?
• Josette Andrews, 6TH IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!
• USA mess up in 4*400 heats
• Fisher and Young can medal in the 5000, but it requires a brave, unorthodox strategy.
• Nafi Thiam withdraws

Shortly after the race, we broadcast a live reaction show from Tokyo on our social media channels. Watch it below or catch it on demand as a podcast by joining our Supporters Club.