The World Athletics Championship is the world’s premier track and field event. It offers the planet’s pre-eminent runners, jumpers, throwers and race walkers an opportunity to be crowned an Ultimate Champion in their chosen discipline. The inaugural competition was held in 1983 in Helsinki, Finland. Since then 36 world records have been set at the Championships, 18 by men and 15 by women.
Spectators at this year’s Championships in Doha, Qatar, have been treated to an array of spellbinding performances and dramatic head-to-head clashes. There have been a string of high-class individual medals, with British bright spark Keely Hodgkinson storming to second in the 800m and Ben Pattison claiming bronze in the men’s same event. Great Britain’s heptathlon and decathlon teams also achieved the remarkable feat of equalling their best ever medal haul, with 10 in total.
The 2025 edition of the World Championships will take place in Tokyo, Japan from 13-21 September. Almost 2000 athletes from 200 countries are expected to gather at the National Stadium to vie for glory. Ahead of the event, we revisit some of the most captivating head-to-heads to have shaped the sport’s history.