Tokyo World Championships build-up puts Julien Alfred, Letsile Tebogo and Caribbean contenders in focus

The road to the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo is gathering pace, with major meets in Monaco, London, Poland, Hungary, Brussels, Zurich and Beijing set to shape form before the September 13-21 global championships.

The Monaco Diamond League is expected to draw special attention because Olympic 100 metres champion Julien Alfred is due to race after suffering her first defeat of the season to American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene five days earlier.

SportsMax TV content editor Leighton Levy said Alfred’s reaction to that loss could make her especially dangerous for the rest of the campaign. He said she appeared motivated to reclaim her standing among the world’s leading female sprinters, with strong opposition also expected from Jessica Sears, who the programme said ran 10.05 the previous weekend, and the Clayton twins.

Monaco’s men’s 200 metres will also feature a high-profile field. Trinidad and Tobago’s Commonwealth Games champion Jereem Richards is listed against world champion Noah Lyles, making his first 200m appearance of the season, and Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, who arrived after a world-leading 19.76 run at the Prefontaine Classic. Levy viewed Tebogo as the athlete to beat, while expecting Richards to challenge.

The build-up also includes the London Diamond League on July 19, a two-day memorial meet in Poland before month-end, the Hungary Grand Prix on August 12, the Brussels Diamond League 10 days later, the Zurich Diamond League five days after that, and the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour in Beijing on September 7. The United States will also stage its outdoor championships from July 31 to August 3 to decide its Tokyo team.

Looking wider across the Caribbean, Levy said the region faces a difficult championship year. He pointed to Anderson Peters’ struggle to rediscover his best form, Kirani James competing in an increasingly fast 400m era, and several established athletes appearing to be in transition. He identified Kishane Thompson and Julien Alfred as the region’s clearest medal prospects, while also noting the promise and uncertainty around Oblique Seville and the Clayton twins.