Letsile Tebogo and Beatrice Chebet are both chasing a first senior world title, while Prudence Sekgodiso is aiming to repeat her success from the World Indoor Championships earlier this year
More than 2,200 athletes have entered the 2025 World Athletics Championship, and a stellar list of African names will travel to Tokyo in search of glory.
Women’s 1500m world recorder holder Faith Kipyegon – who has not been beaten over the distance since 2019 – is among the stars who will be on show from 13-21 September.
BBC Sport Africa profiles some of the track and field stars to watch in Japan.
Prudence Sekgodiso (South Africa, 800m)
Sekgodiso is on a high after becoming World Indoor champion in Nanjing this year – and now has her sights set on breaking the oldest world record in athletics.
The 23-year-old first wants to surpass Caster Semenya’s national record of one minute 54.25 seconds, which is the fourth-fastest official time in history.
But she is also eyeing Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova’s time of 1:53.28, a record which has stood since 1983.
“I’m still young and also the game is changing,” she told the Warm Up Track on the BBC World Service.
“I just have to believe and know what I want and train hard for it. It’s doable, but it’s a long-term goal for me.”
Letsile Tebogo (Botswana, 100m and 200m)
Tebogo’s victory in the 200m at the Olympics last year made history for his nation and cemented the 22-year-old as a global star.
Rival Noah Lyles finished third in that race in Paris after a positive test for Covid-19, but the American gained his revenge in last month’s Diamond League final when he came from behind to reel in Tebogo before the finish line.
The Botswanan has endured a mixed season, struggling with a recurring hamstring injury, but thinks he can improve after being pipped by 0.02s by Lyles in Zurich.
“This is not my true potential right now,” Tebogo said.
“I feel there is still a lot more in the tank that people need to see. I take this as a big motivation.”
At the last Worlds in Budapest Tebogo claimed silver in the 200m and bronze over 100m, and will race in both events again.
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya, 1500m and 5,000m)
Faith Kipyegon is the reigning world champion over 1500m and 5000m
The 31-year-old is the golden girl of Kenyan athletics, as a three-time Olympic gold medallist over 1500m and a four-time world champion.
Kipyegon may have failed in her attempt to break the four-minute barrier in the mile earlier this year, but days later she shattered her own world record over 1500m.
She defends her world titles over that distance and 5,000m, and will be chasing history as no athlete has raced to gold in both distance events at more than one World Championships.
“It’s all about the mind, and also about the preparation and being patient,” she said.
“It’s all about what you want to achieve for the next generation to look up to you.”
Beatrice Chebet (Kenya, 5,000m and 10,000m)
The 25-year-old completed the Olympic double over 5,000m and 10,000m in Paris last year, and also holds both world records.
She became the first woman to dip under the 14-minute mark over the shorter distance in Eugene in July.
But Chebet has never stood atop the podium at the World Championships, with a 5,000m silver in Oregon in 2022 and then a bronze in the same event in Budapest two years ago.
She will face fierce competition in both events from Gudaf Tsegay, with the Ethiopian the former world record holder over 5,000m and defending her world title over 10,000m.
Hugues Fabrice Zango (Burkina Faso, Triple jump)
Hugues Fabrice Zango claimed bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing earlier this year
The 32-year-old has struggled to replicate his gold-medal winning form from Budapest two years ago, when he triumphed with a leap of 17.64m.
Zango became his country’s first ever Olympic medallist at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, taking bronze, but finished fifth at the Paris Games last year.
However, he picked up the bronze medal at the World Indoors in Nanjing earlier this year.
Can he pull off one last great result, with speculation that he will look to retire after these World Championships?
Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco, 3,000m steeplechase)
The reigning world and Olympic champion in his event, the man who broke Kenya’s dominance in the steeplechase now reigns supreme himself.
The 29-year-old holds the world lead time this year with eight minutes and 0.7 seconds.
That is almost three and a half seconds slower than his personal best but, after victory in Eugene and Budapest, a hat-trick of world titles is now on the cards for El Bakkali.
Germany’s Frederik Ruppert is the only man who has come within a second of the Moroccan’s best time this season, but Ethiopia’s world record holder Lamecha Girma, who fell heavily in the Olympic final in Paris, will also be expected to challenge.
Other Africans to watch…
Tadese Takele clocked the fastest marathon time this year when he won in Tokyo in March
Two Kenyans bid for glory in the 800m races.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi is the reigning men’s Olympic champion and the 21-year-old from humble beginnings has the world lead time this year of 1:41.44.
Compatriot Mary Moraa has struggled this season but the 25-year-old hopes to stem the tide with a successful title defence of her world title from Budapest.
In the marathon, Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso Shankule is the defending women’s champion but the 33-year-old could only finish fifth at the Olympics in Paris.
And Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat faces a challenge to retain his world title over 26.2 miles after only making one appearance this year.
The 25-year-old finished 13th at the Boston Marathon in April.
Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele has the fastest time this year, with the 23-year-old clocking two hours, three minutes and 23 seconds when he triumphed in Tokyo back in March.
