{"id":1040007343,"date":"2025-09-05T11:13:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T10:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/?p=1040007343"},"modified":"2025-09-05T11:13:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T10:13:43","slug":"bringing-back-the-roar-in-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/news\/opinion\/bringing-back-the-roar-in-tokyo-1040007343\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing back the roar in Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working at the Olympics in 2021 was a bizarre experience, writes Katharine Merry, so it's going be fantastic to see the athletes strutting their stuff in front of the public this month\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To my mind, the omens look good for these world championships. I\u2019ve started having the first flutters of excitement and I\u2019m sensing the same from the athletes. I think the best sign is that, having experienced the 2021 Olympics, so many of them can\u2019t wait to go back to that national stadium in Tokyo \u2013 and not just because of the chance to compete there in front of a crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s known for being a great venue, with a fast track, and this time it will be the real thing.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I, for one, am looking forward to not having to do a spit test every morning to get into the place! Working at those Olympics \u2013 as stadium presenter alongside Geoff Wightman \u2013 will always be one of the most bizarre things that I've ever done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\n
\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Myself and Geoff have spoken a lot since, about how we felt a real weight of responsibility. Because there were no fans, we felt like we needed to really up our game because <\/span>we<\/span><\/i> were the creators of the atmosphere. It's so much easier when you're doing it along with thousands of people and riding the wave of their excitement and emotion. But we didn't have that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Jamaican gold in the 4x100m (Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We really felt for the athletes. I remember the competitors in the jumps, just out of habit, turning towards the stands to get some rhythmical clapping going, and then realising there was no-one there. Thankfully, it\u2019s all going to be very different this time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be there in a different role, working for BBC Radio Five Live, and we\u2019re going to have so much to talk about. I\u2019m really excited about the short sprints and the men\u2019s 100m is bubbling up beautifully \u2013 from the pushing and shoving between Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek at the US trials to Kishane Thompson putting down a marker in Silesia and then Oblique Seville scorching through the rain in Brussels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Noah Lyles, Oblique Seville, Akani Simbine (Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s Noah and Kishane in particular who draw your attention, and not just because this looks like being a brilliant rematch after the Paris Olympic final. They are also so contrasting in terms of their styles.<\/span><\/p>

\n
\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Kishane's got the faster start and front end speed, while Noah's got the back end and the strength to come through. If Noah manages to get out quickly then he'll beat Kishane, but Noah doesn't tend to get out very well so it all balances itself out and suggests it\u2019s going to be close.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I think Kishane\u2019s win in Silesia was hugely significant and will be the reason why he didn\u2019t race any more Diamond Leagues. He said he withdrew from Lausanne with a tight hamstring but I suspect he knew he\u2019d done his job and that it was best to leave it there. He has put Noah in the position where he\u2019s effectively chasing again but, then again, Noah loves being in that position and not much fazes him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I think the majority of neutrals would like to see Kishane coming out on top in this one and, though Noah has a habit of producing the goods when he needs to, I think he\u2019s more likely to win the 200m, which feels like much more of a free-for-all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Kishane Thompson (Diamond League AG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the women\u2019s side, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has been impeccable this year and is doing what Julien Alfred did last year \u2013 running consistently fast every time she steps on the track. Julien had been looking really good earlier in the summer but, if her injury has been as disruptive as some people say, then it\u2019s going to be a tough ask to knock Melissa off her stride. The American has been so consistent and that consistency creates pressure on the opposition. When they know she is going to be running to a certain standard come what may, the margin for error is so much smaller and it can force mistakes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\n
\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n

From a British point of view, I think Britain\u2019s best chances of a medal will come from Zharnel Hughes, Dina Asher-Smith and possibly Amy Hunt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To me, Zharnel has put himself on a different level from the rest of the British guys this year and there\u2019s definitely an opportunity for him to get on the podium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Daryll Neita, Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith (Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The same goes for Dina, and I think that\u2019s more likely to come in the 200m than the 100m. She\u2019s a hugely experienced competitor now at major championships and that is invaluable. After their brilliant 200m final at the national championships, it would be superb to see Dina and Amy \u2013 Daryll Neita too \u2013 going toe to toe again on the world stage but we have to remember that major championships are just such a different beast to everything else.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s just so hard to replicate that change of intensity or the level of focus that\u2019s needed. This is the one that matters. There\u2019s no tomorrow. It\u2019s a completely different level.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m always watching my event, the 400m, closely and I must admit I was surprised at Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone\u2019s decision to contest that rather than the 400m hurdles, where she\u2019s the Olympic champion and a serial world record-breaker.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Femke Bol (Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barring disaster, Femke Bol is going to take the hurdles gold now but I can understand why she said she was disappointed not to be racing against Sydney in Tokyo. After losing out in Paris, Femke will have wanted a rematch and she definitely won\u2019t want that caveat of \u201cyou only won the world title because Sydney wasn\u2019t there\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Sydney has earned the right to do what she wants \u2013 and I like the fact that she\u2019s mixing things up. She has certainly given herself a challenge. She\u2019s got to get past Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser for a start, and it\u2019s not as if Sydney\u2019s been breaking records this summer. Yes, she\u2019s third-fastest in the world this year, with 48.90, but she hasn\u2019t come close to Sanya Richards-Ross\u2019s US record of 48.70 since running 48.74 in 2003. That said, she\u2019s showing drive and desire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Dan Vernon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Would winning world 400m gold arguably be her greatest achievement? Only if she does it with a really fast time. For it to be majorly impressive, I\u2019d want to see her doing it by beating the top two and breaking that national record in the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whoever comes out on top, the best bit is that, this time, there will be a crowd to share the experience with.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working at the Olympics in 2021 was a bizarre experience, writes Katharine Merry, so it's going be fantastic to see […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1040006750,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","inline_featured_image":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_championship":0,"wds_primary_country":0,"wds_primary_sports":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,7],"tags":[],"championship":[],"country":[],"sports":[35979,36034],"class_list":["post-1040007343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","sports-sprints","sports-track-field"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/news\/opinion\/bringing-back-the-roar-in-tokyo-1040007343\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Bringing back the roar in Tokyo","url":"http:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/news\/opinion\/bringing-back-the-roar-in-tokyo-1040007343\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/news\/opinion\/bringing-back-the-roar-in-tokyo-1040007343\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2228331247-1201x800-5b2df79-200x300.jpg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2228331247-1201x800-5b2df79.jpg"},"articleSection":"Opinion","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Athletics Weekly"}],"creator":["Athletics Weekly"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Athletics Weekly","logo":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AW-logo_with-website.png"},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2025-09-05T10:13:43Z","datePublished":"2025-09-05T10:13:43Z","dateModified":"2025-09-05T10:13:43Z"},"rendered":"