Twenty-Six Medals for Team USA in Tokyo (16 gold, five silver, five bronze)

USA takes Twenty-Six Medals from Tokyo 2025

The Tokyo World Championships were held at the Japanese National Stadium from September 13 to 21, 2025, in warm and humid conditions. The exceptional performances were greeted by an impressive crowd, averaging 56-58,000 fans a night and 17-20,000 fans during the day. This was the first global sports event in Japan after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which did not allow fans into the Japan Olympic Stadium.

We are examining the federations sponsored by Nike (USA, Kenya, Canada, Germany, China, United Kingdom, and Uganda) and providing readers of RunBlogRun with an overview of those nine superb days and nights of track and field in Tokyo. NIKE sponsored the coverage of RunBlogRun in Tokyo 2025, USATF Outdoor 2025 and NIKE Pre Classic 2025. We are grateful for their support of the sport and RunBlogRun. 

Here is the USA medal count (16 gold, five silver, five bronze).

In the Men’s 200 meters, Noah Lyles took gold, giving him his fourth straight title at the 200 meters, something unprecedented in our sport. Noah ran 19.52, after a 19.51 in the semi-finals, the night prior.

Anna Hall took the gold in the heptathlon, ending a spectacular year in which she scored 7,032, the second-best performance in Gotzis. She also won the US Champs and the World Champs, her first global title, with a score of 6,888 points.

Cole Hocker won the 5,000m, with an incredible kick, going from 12th to first in the final straight. Cole Hocker’s win was the first 5,000m global gold for a US runner since Bernard Lagat won both the 1,500m and 5,000m at the 2007 Osaka World Championships. Cole Hocker, as many should recall, won the Olympic gold medal in the 1,500 meters event in Paris. Cole Hocker won the 5,000m in 12:58.30.

Cordell Tinch made his dream a reality in Tokyo, dominating the 110m hurdles in 12.99, the only sub-13-second time of the final. Cordell had been leading the world in the 110m hurdles since April 2025, when he ran a 12.87. In the rain in Lausanne, Cordell ran a 12.98, and in the humidity of Tokyo, Cordell Tinch took his first gold, giving the US four straight golds in the 110m hurdles (Grant Holloway, 2019, 2022, 2023), and Cordell Tinch in 2025!

Rai Benjamin took his first gold in the 400m hurdles, winning in 46.52 seconds, a very physical race. Karsten Warholm hit hurdles early, and that put the WR holder out of the race. Rai persisted and, while hitting the tenth hurdle, went on to gold, even after a quickly overcome disqualification. Rai Benjamin adds this gold to his Paris gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles.

Ryan Crouser won his third straight Men’s shot put title with a fifth-round throw of 22.34 meters (73 feet, 3.258 inches). This was Ryan’s only competition in 2025, as Ryan told the media that he was injured in his throwing during the Paris 2024 Olympics.mRyan Crouser has won gold in the Men’s shot put at Eugene 2022, Budapest 2023, and Tokyo 2025.

The Men’s 4x100m relay ran a strong relay performance in Tokyo, in the rain, holding on to the baton and running a WL time of 37.29 seconds. The team included Noah Lyles for anchor, with Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, and Courtney Lindsay. Canada was the silver medalist, while the Netherlands won the bronze medal. The 4x100m relay is like watching a NASCAR race, everyone is waiting for the screw-up! The US, in both sprint relays, kept it together and delivered in terrible conditions.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden had a superb nine days in Tokyo, Japan! Melissa won gold in the 100 meters with a PB of 10.61. Melissa executed a great start and stayed focused, running her race to the finish. In the 200 meters, at the end of the meet, Melissa comes back and takes gold in 21.68. This is the first time since Allyson Felix won the 100 meters and 200 meters that an American woman has won the double sprint titles.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone blew our minds! First, in the semifinals, Sydney broke the 19-year-old American record in the 400 meters (48.70) with her 48.29. In the final, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone battled Mariledys Paulino (47.98) and Said Eid Naser (48.19) with Sydney’s 47.78. Sydney’s gold at 400m flat is now added to her 400m hurdle gold from Eugene 2022.

Katie Moon took gold in the Women’s pole vault in 4.90 meters (16 feet, 0.75 inches), now giving Katie Moon (Olympic gold in Tokyo, Olympic silver in Paris) three straight gold medals in the Women’s pole vault at the World Outdoor Championships. Katie led a gold and silver in pole vault (Katie Moon, gold, and Sandi Morris, silver), with Tina Sutej (SVK) taking bronze. Katie Moon competed well in Tokyo and is looking to compete through LA 2028.

Tara Davis Woodhall dominated the long jump, taking the lead with her very first jump at 7.08 meters. Throughout the entire competition, Malaika Mihambo, GER, continued to improve, starting at 6.60m and finishing with a silver medal in 6.99m. Tara Davis did the coup de grâce with her 7.13-meter jump! Congrats to Natalia Lineres, COL, who leaped 6.92m to take the bronze. Tara Davis-Woodhall now adds to her Budapest silver and Paris gold with her Tokyo gold medal.

Valarie Allman is the Tokyo and Paris Olympic gold medalist at the discus. The only thing that Valarie had not won was the World Championships. Valarie took bronze in Eugene 2022, silver in Budapest 2023, and now, gold in Tokyo 2025. Valarie threw 69.48m, 227 feet, 11 inches, winning by nearly two meters. Jorinde Van Klinken, NED, took the silver, and Silinda Morales, CUB, took the bronze.

The USA Women’s team took gold in the 4x100m relay, despite intense rain and tough competition. The team consisted of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (gold in the 100m and 200m), Twanisha Terry, Kayla White, and Sha’Carri Richardson, who ran 41.75, with Jamaica taking silver in 41.79. Germany won the bronze in the 4x100m relay in 41.87 seconds. The race was incredibly close and exciting!

The USA Women’s team took gold in the W4x400m relay! Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone anchored the 4×4, finishing in 3:16.61. The team was Isabella Whittaker, Lyna Irby-Jackson, Aaliyah Butler, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Jamaica took silver in 3:19.25, with the Netherlands taking bronze in 3:20.18 (anchored by Femke Bol).

The USA won the Mixed Relay 4×4 on the first day of the Tokyo Championships. Alexis Holmes anchored the US team, which won in 3:08.80! Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah Miller, and Alexis Holmes took the gold. The Netherlands, anchored by Femke Bol, took silver in 3:09.96, with Belgium taking bronze in 3:10.61.

Kenny Bednarek took silver in the 200 meters in 19.58, adding to Kenny’s two Olympic silver medals! Kenny Bednarek competed well in both the 100 meters and 200 meters, coming only behind Noah Lyles, giving the US a gold and silver in the 200 meters! The impressive sprinter from a small town in  Wisconsin delivered once again!

The USA Men’s 4×4 took silver in a rain-soaked battle with Botswana and South Africa. It came down to the anchor, and in Paris, while US (Rai Benjamin) held off Botswana (Letsile Tebogo), this time, 400m World Champ Collen Kebinatshipi just nudged Rai Benjamin in the 4×4. Botswana ran 2:57.76, USA ran 2:57:83 (Vernon Norwood, Jacory Patterson, Khaleb McRae, and Rai Bemjamin), with South Africa taking bronze in 2:57.83.

Jasmine Jones ran a PB of 52.08 to take the silver in the 400m hurdles, with Femke Bol taking the gold. Jasmine ran a fantastic race and remained calm on the world’s biggest stage, the World Championships final. Jasmine Jones finished 4th in Paris last year.

Sandi Morris, overcoming injuries and other challenges, took the silver in the World Champs in Tokyo, with her 4.85m jump. Sandi has won a World Indoor gold medal and an Olympic bronze medal in her long career.

Chase Jackson took the silver medal in a clutch throw in the exciting women’s shot put. Jessica Schilder, NED, European Indoor Champ and World Indoor silver, won the shot put on her very last throw! Chase Jackson followed Jessica Schilder’s previous round with a 20.21m, putting Chase into the silver position! Maddison-Lee Wesche, NZL, took bronze with her 20.06m, which had led until the very last round.

Noah Lyles took the bronze in the 100 meters in 9.89, his seasonal best. Noah was happy with the bronze, considering his very short season at the 100 meters. Noah did not begin racing at the 100 meters until June. Both Noah and his coach were pleased that he achieved a medal at the 100 meters.

Kyle Garland took bronze in the decathlon, with a powerful performance. The US champion took bronze, behind Leo Neubebaur of Germany, who won gold with 8,804 points. Ayden Owens-Delerme of Puerto Rico took silver with 8,784 points, and Kyle Garland achieved his global medal with a score of 8,703 points.

Taliyah Brooks, USA, took bronze in the heptathlon, tying scores with Katerina Johnson-Thompson, GBR, and Anna Hall in the gold position. Kudos to Taliyah, who competed very well in one of the strongest heptathlons in this writer’s memories. Anna Hall, US, took gold in 6,888 points, and an incredibly focused Kate O’Connor, IRE, took a NR and silver in 6,714 points PB. In third, Taliyah Brooks, USA, and Katerina Johnson-Thompson, GBR, the defending champion, scored 6,581 points to tie for the bronze. Nafi Thiam, BEL, had to drop out due to fitness issues, at the insistence of her coach.

Curtis Thompson wins the first medal in the javelin for the US men since 2007 in Osaka. Curtis Thompson, USA, led from early on, putting the pressure on with his fine 86.67m. Anderson Peters of Grenada took the silver in 87.38m, and Keshore Walcott, Trinidad and Tobago, took the gold with a throw of 88.16m. Many of the top javelin throwers in the world had subpar performances in Tokyo.

Grace Stark took the bronze in a very competitive 100m hurdles. Grace Stark held her ground and composure as those around her faltered. Ditaji Kembundji, SUI, scored the gold with a NR of 12.24, with wonderfully hurdling and focused sprinting. Ditaji shocked anyone outside of Switzerland, her home country. Tobi Amusan, NGR, the world record holder, held her fitness and took silver with a time of 12.29, while Grace Stark, US, won bronze in 12.34. Olympic champion Masai Russell, USA, took fourth in 12.40.

Here’s the truth. This team in Tokyo, 141 athletes, has potential to score mid thirties in medals. We came oh so close in many others (4th by Susanna Sullivan, fifth by Sage Hurta-Klecker, Nico Young, fifth in the 10,000m, sixth in the 5,000m, and Shelby Houlihan took 4th in the 5,000m with Josette Andrews in sixth in the 5,000 meters). It was a pretty darn good performance, with 53 countries taking medals in 2025 World Athletics Championships, September 13-21, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. And, dear friends, we were there!

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America’s first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: “I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself.” Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, ” I’m no Angel.”

View all posts