Kenya's sole medal hope on day six of the World Athletics Championships 2025 Julius Yego could only manage sixth place during the Men's final in the Javelin throw, Thursday as day six of the competition came and went without any medal for Kenya.
Yego managed an honourable throw of 85.54 metres but it could not help him to a podium place at the Championships with competition at its highest in a strong field. Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago won the Javelin with a cumulative throw of 88.16 metres to take home his second world championship gold medal.
Elsewhere, Four years after making history in the hurdles on this track, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added her name into the record books again, this time by winning the women's 400m at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in a championship record of 47.78.
Her run came just moments after Collen Kebinatshipi achieved a historic first for Botswana in the men’s 400m, becoming his nation’s first ever world champion in a men’s event.
Elsewhere on day six of the championships, Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez beat defending champion Yulimar Rojas and Olympic champion Thea Lafond to win the women’s triple jump.
As expected, the women’s 400m came down to a three-way battle between McLaughlin Levrone, Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino and 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser. It didn't disappoint either, as just 0.41 separated the three medallists.
McLaughlin-Levrone managed to hold off Paulino, crossing the line in 47.78 to break Paulino's continental record and move to second on the world all-time list. Paulino took silver and was rewarded with a personal best of 47.98, marking the first time that two women have broken 48 seconds in one race. Naser took bronze in 48.19.
Results: 1 Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) 47.78 CR AR, 2 Marileidy Paulino (DOM) 47.98 NR, 3 Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) 48.19
Kebinatshipi creates history for Botswana
Collen Kebinatshipi showed that his PB in the semifinals wasn’t a fluke, going even faster to win the men’s 400m title in Tokyo.
He stormed to a world-leading national record of 43.53 to win the 400m and consolidate his place at 10th on the world all-time list. He held off Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, who adds his 400m silver in a national record of 43.72 to the world 200m bronze he claimed in London in 2017.
Bayapo Ndori joined his compatriot Kebinatshipi on the podium, clinching bronze for Botswana with 44.20.
Result: 1 Collen Kebinatshipi (BOT) 43.53 NR, 2 Jereem Richards (TTO) 43.72 NR, 3 Bayapo Ndori (BOT) 44.20
Walcott takes long-awaited global javelin title No.2
Thirteen years after he burst on to the international stage with his surprise Olympic victory in 2012, Trinidad & Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott won his second global title in the men’s javelin with 88.16m.
His victory in Tokyo on Thursday (18) wasn’t quite as surprising as his Olympic triumph more than a decade ago, but it was still unexpected. He took the lead in round two with 87.83m, then threw farther in round four with 88.16m.
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters claimed silver with his second-round throw of 87.38m and USA’s Curtis Thompson earned a surprise bronze with 86.67m.
World leader Julian Weber placed fifth (86.11m), defending champion Neeraj Chopra was eighth (84.03m) and Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem was 10th (82.75m).
Result: 1 Keshorn Walcott (TTO) 88.16m, 2 Anderson Peters (GRN) 87.38m, 3 Curtis Thompson (USA) 86.67m
Perez Hernandez takes triple jump gold
Leyanis Perez Hernandez achieved the best mark of the year to add the outdoor world triple jump title to her world indoor gold at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 on Thursday (18).
The Cuban 23-year-old leapt 14.94m – a single centimetre farther than her world indoor title-winning jump from Nanjing in March – to win ahead of Dominica’s Olympic champion Thea LaFond with 14.89m.
The four-time winner of this title, Venezuela’s world record-holder Yulimar Rojas, clinched bronze with 14.76m on her return after injury. The qualification round on Tuesday had been her first triple jump competition in exactly two years.
Result: 1 Leyanis Perez Hernandez (CUB) 14.94m, 2 Thea Lafond (DMA) 14.89m, 3 Yulimar Rojas (VEN) 14.76m
