Julien Alfred and Noah Lyles were among the sprint stars to make strong starts to their Tokyo campaigns.

The 2025 World Athletics Championships got underway on Friday (13 September) in front of a sold-out evening crowd in Tokyo. And with the sprint events opening the track action, it didn’t take long for the big names to stamp their authority.

In the women’s 100m, Olympic champion Julien Alfred looked every bit the title favourite. Powerful out of the blocks, the Saint Lucian star eased to victory in her heat, clocking the fastest time of the round with 10.93 (0.0). It was a clear sign that she’s ready to challenge for her first world outdoor title.

World-leader Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, also tipped to be in the medal mix, looked smooth as she won her heat in 10.99 (-0.9), doing enough to qualify comfortably.

Britain’s Daryll Neita produced one of her best races of the season, running a long-awaited season’s best of 10.94 to finish second-fastest overall and start her championship on a high.

"First win of the season and it’s here at the world champs," said Neita. "I could have cried. It felt like life is an incredible journey. You just need to be patient. That's how it felt.

"It was fantastic even if I do say so myself. I do say so myself, I feel fantastic. Everything at the right time there. I think I'm one of them athletes that are just the pinnacle or demonstration of trusting in the process."

Jamaica’s top sprinters also moved through with ease: Shericka Jackson ran 11.04 (-0.8) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce clocked 11.09 (-0.4).

Brits Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt both advanced safely after finishing second in their respective heats, with times of 11.07 (-0.4) and 11.13 (-0.1).

Olympic champion Noah Lyles looked comfortable in the men’s 100m heats, clocking 9.95 (-1.1) to win his race ahead of Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake (10.07). The American star was satisfied with the performance, describing it as a solid start.

Lyles said: "I had a great start today but I had even better ones at practice. I know there is more in the tank.

“It really feels good to be back. 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."

The top three finishers in each heat qualified automatically for the semi-finals, with a number of medal contenders advancing with ease. Jamaica’s Oblique Seville qualified in 9.93 (0.3), followed by Kishane Thompson in 9.95 (0.1), Kenny Bednarek in 10.01 (-0.8), and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo with 10.07 (-1.2).

It was a good round for the British team, with all three athletes progressing. Zharnel Hughes, the British record-holder, ran 10.06 (-0.6) for second in his heat, while Jeremiah Azu clocked 10.10 (-0.8) to finish third in his. The fastest Brit on the day was Romell Glave, who ran a personal best of 10.00 (0.3) to finish fourth in his heat - earning a non-automatic qualifying spot.

There was disappointment for Great Britain in the women’s 1500m heats as Laura Muir missed out on a place in the semi-finals. The Olympic fifth-place finisher looked composed for much of the race, but faded in the final 500m and crossed the line eighth in 4:05.59. It was an emotional moment for the Scot, who has worked hard to return from injury and earn her place on the Tokyo team this year - racing on the same track where she won Olympic silver in 2021.

She said: “I've worked so hard to get back here, and I know I'm in really good shape, so it's just really frustrating to come here not do what I know I can do, and I was ultimately aiming to make another final and be competitive in that final. So to not make it out the first round is disappointing, because it's not where I'm at.

“I think with 500m to go, I didn't feel great. But, I mean, there's loads of times in a race you don't feel great and just push through it. So I didn't think about it, and I thought, you know, sometimes these things happen.

“But that last 100m, I think it was apparent, it wasn't okay. I’ve been training really well. So it's a bit frustrating why it's not come together. At least I finished the race in one piece.”

Fellow Scot Erin Wallace faced a similar challenge. Making her World Championships debut, she stayed with the lead group for most of the race but couldn’t quite hold on in the closing stages. She also finished eighth in her heat, clocking 4:06.47.

There was better news for Revee Walcott-Nolan, who battled hard to secure sixth place in her heat and a spot in the semi-finals, finishing in 4:08.67.

Earlier in the day, World Athletics officially ratified Faith Kipyegon’s 1500m world record of 3:48.68, set in July in Eugene. The two-time Olympic champion looked untroubled in her heat, easing through in 4:02.55 as she began her bid for a fourth world 1500m title.

The men’s 3000m steeplechase heats had no shortage of drama, with several falls and hard-fought recoveries across the three races.

With the top five men qualifying for Monday’s final, the first heat went mostly to plan. Kenya’s Edmund Serem ran a controlled race to take the win in 8:39.97.

The second heat was far more eventful. New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish hit the track after tripping on a barrier at the start of the final lap. Despite the fall, the world indoor 1500m champion quickly got back on his feet and worked his way through the field to finish second in 8:27.23, just behind Morocco’s Salaheddine Ben Yazide, who won in 8:27.21.

There was an early fall in heat three as Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, the world record-holder, stumbled just a few laps in. It was an unsettling moment, especially given his horrific fall in the final stages of the Olympic final in Paris. This time, though, he recovered strongly to take second in 8:27.29 behind Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco, who won in 8:26.99.

Tara Davis-Woodhall made a strong start to her World Championships campaign, jumping 6.88m on her first attempt to secure automatic qualification for the final. The Olympic champion will be aiming to upgrade her world silver from 2023.

France’s Hilary Kpatcha (6.85m) and Portugal’s Agate De Sousa (6.81m) also booked their places in the final with solid performances, rounding out the top three in qualifying.

Further down the field, there were a few surprises. Italy’s Larissa Iapichino, the European indoor champion and a recent member of the seven-metre club, couldn’t find her form. Her best of 6.56m wasn’t enough to reach the final, leaving the medal fight wide open for others.

Malaika Mihambo, the Olympic silver medallist, also had a shaky qualifying round. After opening with a foul, she managed 6.63m - just enough to scrape into the final.

There was also disappointment for Great Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers, who recorded a best of 6.54m and missed out. It marked her return to major championship competition following a long injury spell.

In the men’s pole vault qualifying round, world record-holder Mondo Duplantis comfortably cleared 5.75m to book his place in the final, keeping things straightforward as he aims for another global title.

Also advancing were both athletes who joined him on the Olympic podium in Tokyo - USA’s Sam Kendricks (silver) and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis (bronze). All three cleared 5.75m.