Bhubaneswar :As the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo approach, the women’s 400m hurdles is set to captivate athletics fans with a mix of established champions and rising stars vying for the world title. The event promises intense competition, especially with defending champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands entering the championship undefeated in her specialty.
Femke Bol, the 25-year-old Dutch powerhouse, is coming into Tokyo after a flawless season in the 400m hurdles, boasting eight straight wins at major meets including Rabat, Hengelo, Stockholm, Monaco, London, Budapest, Silesia, and Zurich. Her season-best time of 51.91 seconds so far this year positions her as the only athlete to have broken the 52-second barrier in 2025, making her the strong favorite for a second consecutive world championship gold. Bol has made strategic changes to her stride pattern between hurdles, a technique she refined after the 2024 Paris Olympics, further bolstering her chances of retaining her crown.
Challenging Bol is the determined Dalilah Muhammad of the United States, the Rio Olympic and Doha world champion, who plans to retire after this season. Muhammad has shown near career-best form with a best time of 51.58 seconds this year, putting her firmly in contention for a podium finish. Another key figure from the US team is Anna Cockrell, who holds a season best of 51.81 seconds and who dramatically took silver in last year’s Olympics after passing Bol in the final stretch.
The most exciting breakthrough this year has been by Canada’s 22-year-old Savannah Sutherland. The NCAA champion and University of Michigan graduate has made her mark with a national record of 52.46 seconds, second best on the entry list for the season. Although she was not at her peak in her recent Diamond League appearance, Sutherland’s trajectory suggests she will be a formidable medal contender.
Other contenders from the US include Jasmine Jones, and Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova is another rising star to watch in the mix for the podium.
A notable absence in the 400m hurdles this year is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic champion and world record holder, who is instead focusing on the flat 400m this season. McLaughlin-Levrone, who holds the third-fastest 400m time in 2025, remains a force in athletics but will not contest the hurdles event this championship.
This event, part of the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships, will take place from the 13th to the 21st of September 2025, with over 2200 athletes from nearly 200 nations competing in various disciplines at Tokyo’s iconic stadium .
Discussion about this post