The men’s and women’s 100 metres are set to dominate the World Athletics Championships this weekend, with Olympic champions Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred stepping onto the track as the athletes to beat.
Both arrive in Tokyo as favourites, but their supremacy is far from assured. The American sprinter and the St Lucian star face mounting pressure from Jamaican challengers and a wave of rising talent.
Lyles, who stormed to Olympic gold in Paris, is eyeing another title after a strong finish to the season. Last month in Zurich, he edged past Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo in the 200m Diamond League final, a victory he said left him “with a lot of energy” heading into Tokyo.
Alfred, who made history in Paris as St Lucia’s first Olympic champion, also comes in with confidence. “I feel like I want to add another gold to my collection,” she told reporters. “I am much fitter than before and also mentally, I am in the right place where I want to be.”
Yet, in sprinting, fractions matter. Kishane Thompson, who lost Olympic gold to Lyles by just five-thousandths of a second, has clocked 9.75 seconds this season, the fastest time in the world. His teammate Oblique Seville has also beaten Lyles twice this year, giving Jamaicans fresh hope of reclaiming their dominance.
Usain Bolt, who knows the pressure of the 100m stage better than anyone, offered a blunt assessment. “There’s no reason they shouldn’t be 1-2,” he said of Thompson and Seville. “They’re at the top. It’s just about one of them executing.”
On the women’s side, Alfred faces American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, 24, who swept both sprints at the US trials and has a personal best of 10.65 seconds — the joint fifth-fastest ever. “I know I’m in great shape,” Jefferson-Wooden said. “It’s all about putting together the perfect race at the perfect time.”
Botswana’s Tebogo, already an Olympic 200m champion, is another athlete to watch. At 22, he has the raw speed to disrupt the US-Jamaica battle. He has also been unafraid to speak out, accusing Lyles of “arrogance” after their Olympic duel. “For me, I choose to be out of the spotlight,” he said in Tokyo. “My legs do the talking.”
Then there is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the Jamaican sprint icon bidding farewell at 38. A five-time world champion over 100m, she last won bronze in 2023 but remains a crowd favourite. “I’m looking forward to finishing this chapter in a magnificent way,” she said, reflecting on a career that spans 17 years, three Olympic golds and 10 world titles.
Sha’Carri Richardson, the defending world champion, adds another layer of unpredictability. Brilliant on the track but often under scrutiny off it, she will look to remind the world of her speed when it matters most.
For both Lyles and Alfred, the challenge is clear: their crowns are up for grabs, and Tokyo’s track will decide who leaves with them.
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