World Athletics Championships 2025: 7 Athletes who will be returning to defend their title ft Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson

Athletes like Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson will be aiming to end their athletic season on a high by defending their titles at the upcoming World Athletics Championships. The current edition of the World Championships shall be held at Tokyo from September 13 onwards.

For Noah Lyles, the World Athletics Championships will be the perfect cherry on the icing if he successfully defends his 200m title from the Budapest edition held in 2023. However, the journey is far from easy, with reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo aiming to settle the scores from the Diamond League finals held at Zurich, where he missed the trophy by a whisker.

The same is the case with Sha'Carri Richardson, who hasn't had an exactly promising season so far. She will be aiming to end the season on a high with a gold medal at the World Championships in Tokyo. However, she will have to overcome the challenge from reigning Olympic champion Julien Alfred, who is currently on a roll with back to back titles at the Wanda Diamond League.

Even though Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are participating at the Tokyo World Championships, they won't be facing each other on the same track. While Femke Bol will be aiming to defend her 400m hurdles title, McLaughlin-Levrone is set for an intense clash with the likes of Salwa Eid Naser and Marileidy Paulino in the women's 400m dash.

Likewise, javelin sensation Neeraj Chopra from India is set for an intense competition as he aims to add yet another feather to his cap in men's javelin throw. 4 years ago, at the same National Stadium in Tokyo, the armyman created history by winning independent India's first Olympic gold medal in track and field, and he shall be aiming to repeat the feat, despite stalwarts like reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan, and German thrower Julian Weber in the fray.

Following are some of the stakeholders who will be returning to defend their title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this year :

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7 Athletes who will be defending their titles at World Championships 2025 ft. Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson

#1) Noah Lyles [Men's 100m]

Noah Lyles aiming for yet another World Championship title at Tokyo [Image Source : Getty]

Noah Lyles had won three gold medals in his previous outing at the Budapest edition in 2023. The reigning Olympic champion of men's 100m had won gold medals in the men's 100m, the men's 200m and the men's 4x100m relay events respectively.

However, Lyles would be facing tough competition in both the 100m and the 200m events. While Kishane Thompson from Jamaica will be aiming to outpace him in the 100m event, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana will be aiming to avenge his loss at the Diamond League finals held in Zurich a couple of weeks ago.

#2) Sha'Carri Richardson [Women's 100m]

Sha'Carri Richardson aiming to end the season on a high with a World Championship gold [Image Source : Getty]

Like Noah Lyles, the road to gold medal in women's 100m would be far from a cakewalk for Sha'Carri Richardson. On one side is her own teammate and Olympic bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who is currently in top form.

On the other hand is the reigning Olympic champion, as well as the Diamond League champion, Julien Alfred. The sprinter from St. Lucia will be aiming to add the elusive gold medal from the outdoor edition of the World Championships to her collection, having previously won the Indoor World Championships last year at Glasgow.

#3) Femke Bol [Women's 400m hurdles]

Femke Bol in action at the Diamond League finals 2025 [Image Source : Getty]

Although Femke Bol would be missing the presence of her arch-rival Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the women's 400m hurdles, the current Diamond League champion will be aiming to end the 2025 season on a golden high with yet another gold medal from the Tokyo World Championships.

Femke Bol had previously won the gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles, as well as a gold medal in the women's 4x400m hurdles at the Budapest World Championships held in 2023.

#4) Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis [Men's Pole Vault]

Another record loading for Mondo Duplantis [Image Source : Getty]

For the American born Swedish pole vaulter, this would be the perfect opportunity to make a golden hattrick at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

Duplantis had won the previous two editions held at Eugene and Budapest in 2022 and 2023 respectively. At the Eugene edition, the pole vaulter had also established a new world record of 6.21m. It would be interesting to see if he repeats the feat at the Tokyo edition or not.

#5) Marileidy Paulino [Women's 400m]

Most intense competition loading for Marileidy Paulino [Image Source : Getty]

More than the men's 100m event, many people will be waiting for one of the most intense clashes anticipated at the Tokyo World Championships, i.e. the women's 400m event.

On one side is Marileidy Paulino, the reigning Olympic champion of this event from Dominican Republic, who will be facing Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain as her main competitor of this event. However, the dark horse of this event is expected to be the world record holder hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who is aiming for her first ever gold medal in the 400m dash at the World Championships.

#6) Neeraj Chopra [Men's Javelin Throw]

Another golden opportunity for Neeraj Chopra at Tokyo [Image Source : Getty]

Like Noah Lyles and Marileidy Paulino, Neeraj Chopra is also awaiting one of the most competitive lineups in the men's javelin throw event at the World Championships in Tokyo.

On one side is the reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan, who is one of the arch rivals of Neeraj Chopra since the World U20 Championships from 2016, where the Indian javelin thrower first came into limelight. On the other hand is German thrower Julian Weber, who recently overcame the challenge from Neeraj to win the Diamond League title this year.

However, Neeraj Chopra is well known for giving the best a run for their money with his penchant for consistency. The javelin thrower from India will be aiming to end 2025 on a golden high with his third consecutive podium finish at the World Championships at Tokyo, and what better than a gold medal?

#7) Winfred Yavi [Women's 3000m Steeplechase]

Winfred Yavi expecting another gold at Tokyo World Championships [Image Source : Getty]

The reigning Olympic champion runner will be aiming to defend her title in the women's 3000m steeplechase. However, one of her main competitions would be the Kenyan runner Faith Cherotich, who has recently won the Diamond League title for the second consecutive time at the Diamond League finals held in Zurich.