The World Athletics Championship is the most important track and field competition organized by IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations). It is held every two years to determine the world’s best athletes in track and field. Unlike the Olympic Games, it is a standalone event held separately from other major international competitions. It was first held in 1983 in Helsinki, Finland.
Mondo Duplantis broke a pole vault world record that had stood for almost 50 years, edging out the previous mark set by the legendary Sergey Bubka in 1980. In doing so, the French athlete became just the third man in history to break six metres.
It’s been more than nine years since Usain Bolt won the men’s 100m at a World Athletics Championships, but Jamaican Oblique Seville ended that streak in Tokyo by winning the title for his fourth time. He did so ahead of team-mate Kishane Thompson and USA’s defending champion Noah Lyles, putting him on the brink of the world’s top five.
The most successful country at the World Athletics Championships is the United States, with fifteen world records. The next most prolific are Great Britain and Jamaica, both with four. The championships have seen eighteen new world junior records as well. The most recent was a 200m world-best by Australia’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 2025. For more information about the World Championships and its history, visit the official site. It is also possible to sign up for World Athletics+, a free newsletter that delivers the latest news and results straight to your inbox.