As the Paris Olympics fade from view and Tokyo starts to loom on the horizon, Cathal Dennehy looks at what’s ahead in the next 12 months
1 A healthy year for Yulimar Rojas
One of athletics’ brightest lights never got to shine last year, the Venezuelan triple jump queen injuring her Achilles tendon and undergoing surgery which ruled her out of the Olympics. But after several months of rehab, the 29-year-old is eyeing her return and will have one goal in mind: winning a fifth straight world outdoor title in Tokyo. Let’s hope she stays healthy on the road there. The sport is better with her around.
2 Let a panel decide World Athletics’ Athlete of the Year
Look, we respect the democratic approach of a public vote. But the issue? It turns it into a popularity contest, not one based on merit. Letsile Tebogo had a phenomenal year but few objective athletics fans could think it was better than that of Mondo Duplantis. Same goes for Sifan Hassan, who simply didn’t have as good a year as Beatrice Chebet. So let’s go back to a panel vote next year. It’s more likely to produce the right result.
3 Someone to “save” field events
As the professional circuit segments, there’s a sense that field events are being left behind, with Grand Slam Track and Athlos NYC both freezing them out of their inaugural editions. Many field disciplines have also been omitted from next year’s World Athletics Ultimate Championship. Field eventers already have smaller contracts and get less exposure and to avoid a true two-tier sport, they need creative ways to showcase their attraction outside of major championships. Which brings us to the next wish…
Miltos Tentoglou (Getty)
4 Field eventers to embrace innovation
As things stand, things are not looking rosy. But when changes are trialled to field events, the reaction from athletes is typically outrage, often because they weren’t consulted. In redesigning formats to engage modern audiences, it’s essential World Athletics bring the star names – and some of the most vocal critics of changes such as Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou – into the tent. Arrange a separate conference call for each discipline, invite every Olympic finalist, brainstorm ideas, and make sure athletes have a say in shaping change. Then they’d be far more likely to embrace it.
5 Crouser to find a winning recipe
One of the events omitted from the World Athletics Ultimate Championship is the shot put, a curious decision given the calibre of competitions it’s thrown up in recent years. But Ryan Crouser is reportedly paving a new path by starting the American shot put league in 2025, with a goal of it eventually being incorporated into strongman competitions. Having proven his greatness in the circle, maybe the world record-holder is the man to lead his event back to the platform it deserves.
6 Tokyo to get its just reward
One of the saddest sights at the Tokyo Olympics was seeing fans outside the stadium each night, faces pressed to the fences, frozen out of attending the Games their nation had spent so much to stage. That won’t be the case at this year’s World Champs and, given what a job it did in 2021, under such difficult circumstances, Tokyo and its people deserve a wonderful World Champs. That’s what it should be.
Sydney McLaughlin breaks the world record (Getty)
7 Femke v Sydney (outside of a championship)
If athletics is to thrive, it needs its biggest stars clashing more than once a year. But Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (25) has raced Femke Bol (24) just three times – all at major championships. With McLaughlin-Levrone contracted to Grand Slam Track, don’t expect to see her at a Diamond League this year, meaning Michael Johnson’s team will have to dangle a hefty appearance fee for Bol to square off against her greatest rival. Let’s hope it happens.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr (Getty)
8 Jakob and Josh to keep trolling
Depending on your preference, or nationality, you might love to hate either Josh Kerr or Jakob Ingebrigtsen. But no-one can deny their war of words made that Olympic 1500m showdown so much more enticing. It may spark criticism every time one of them launches a verbal barb, but it’s winning them more fans and ramping up interest in the 1500m. So, lads, feel free to let rip again in 2025. We love to see it.
9 World Indoors to make a dent
For audiences in Europe and the US, there’s a real chance this year’s World Indoors – set for Nanjing, China from March 21-23 – will pass them by. Granted, events should be spread around the globe and China is certainly forking out the sponsorship dollars to earn the right to host, but in an arena that’s been likened to a school gym, it’s hard to see this year’s World Indoors being a vintage edition. I hope I’m wrong.
10 AIU to get an edge on cheats
Even the most sceptical athletics followers would concede that giant strides have been made in recent years in the anti-doping fight. The chief reason is the ruthless, intelligence-led policy taken by the Athletics Integrity Unit. The body conducted unprecedented levels of testing ahead of the 2024 Olympics and while there’s no doubt some cheats are still slipping through the net, doping is now a lot harder to get away with than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Let’s hope that trend continues.
11 European Running Championships to make a strong start
Set for its inaugural edition in Leuven, Belgium, from April 12-13, the European Running Championships will feature a 10km, half marathon and marathon. Thousands of runners will join the elites on the streets and it’s a promising idea. Its success or failure may hinge on how many big names show up.
12 Ingebrigtsen to carve up record books
Having taken down the 3000m world record – one many felt was untouchable – it seems possible, perhaps probable, that Jakob Ingebrigtsen will go on to break world records at 1500m, the mile, 5000m and 10,000m. He won’t go after all of them in 2025 but he’ll definitely go after some. And he should get them.
Athing Mu wins (Getty)
13 Hodgkinson v Mu v Moraa
In 2021 and 2022 it was the Athing Mu show. In 2023 it was Mary Moraa’s turn. Then last year Keely Hodgkinson was queen of the 800m. But a huge hope for 2025 is for the past three global champions to all make it to Tokyo fully fit. If so, it could be the race of the year.
14 Benjamin v Warholm v Dos Santos
Speaking of showdowns, the same wish extends to the men’s 400m hurdles. In recent years one of the big three has often shown up at the major champs below par. But if these last three global champions all make it to the World Championships at the top of their game, it’ll be one hell of a showdown. Four years on from the 46-second barrier first being broken in Tokyo, it could again be under threat.
15 Grand Slam Track to thrive
Seb Coe said he has “never seen competition as a threat” and wished Michael Johnson success with his new professional league, a direct rival to the Diamond League. Its first year will focus on making a dent in the US market and, given the hefty investment, star names and slick promotion, the hope is it succeeds. Because if attendances are sparse and ratings are low, it will spell trouble for the sport’s future in the world’s most successful athletics nation.
Usain Bolt (Mark Shearman)
16 Journalists to stop asking sprinters about Bolt’s record
Look, we get it. Journalists need a line or a soundbite to make a story. But let’s be real. Noah Lyles (or any other current top-level sprinter) isn’t running 9.58 or quicker anytime soon. There’s a reason Usain Bolt’s 100m mark has stood alone, untroubled, for over 15 years. So let’s not put athletes in the unfair position of having to pretend it’s achievable or mislead the public that it might fall at some random mid-season meeting. It’s not happening, and pretending otherwise helps no-one.
17 SPRINT, season 3 to dig a little deeper
If we get a third season of SPRINT, here’s hoping for a deeper look at the world’s fastest humans. Because as good a job as the series did showing fans what happens at events, it only ever took a surface-level look at the journey there. Show us how they train, where they grew up and tell us about the hundreds of battles they had to fight along the way. These are the stories we want.
18 Road times to make sense again
Ever since super shoes showed up, there’s been a noticeable trend in people caring less and less about world records, particularly on the road. Many fans now react with apathy rather than jubilation, struggling to contextualise a woman running a 62-minute half marathon or a 2:09 marathon. Records were once special because of their rarity. But that’s no longer the case. Many watch road races now and struggle to understand what exactly they’re seeing. Hopefully, things normalise and make a little more sense in 2025.
19 A-list stars to show up at the Diamond League final
This is the first year where the final will occur before the major championships and while there are good reasons for that, there’s also a risk: it could have less star quality than in its usual post-championships slot. The final will take place in Zurich on the last weekend of August, just over a fortnight before the World Championships. Don’t be surprised if more big names give it a swerve as a result, prioritising their final training camps.
20 A safer sport for all
One of the most promising things to witness at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima was the drive by World Athletics to make young athletes aware of safeguarding, bolstering protections and educating them on raising the alarm. No one needs reminding of the litany of cases in this area, from bully administrators to predator coaches, and some of those engaged in such behaviours still operate in the sport. Hopefully not for long.
Letsile Tebogo (Getty)
21 Letsile Tebogo to run more 400s
Granted, the magnificent Motswana has no need to go meddling in the one-lap event given he’s Olympic champion over 200m and a live contender for gold over 100m. But there’s no ignoring that 43.04-second split to anchor Botswana to silver in the Olympic men’s 4x400m final. His 400m PB is 44.29 but, at 21, he’s only scratching the surface of his potential. Tebogo could, in time, become the first 42-second man, but only if he commits to it. Maybe in 2025 he’ll dip his toe further into such waters.
22 Jamaican sprint queens to bounce back
There was something that felt wrong about seeing only one Jamaican in the women’s 100m final in Paris – Tia Clayton, who finished seventh – and none in the 200m final. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (38), Elaine Thompson-Herah (32) and Shericka Jackson (30) may be on the home stretch of their careers, but the sprint world is more fun when they’re contending. Let’s hope they get back there in 2025.
Eliud Kipchoge (Getty)
23 Kipchoge to be king for a day
Speaking of ageing legends, 2024 was a poor year for the greatest marathoner of all time. Eliud Kipchoge finished 10th at the Tokyo Marathon in March before dropping out of the Olympic marathon in Paris. In 2025, the 40-year-old will hope to prove that rumours – and mounting evidence – of his demise have been greatly exaggerated and to score another major marathon win.
24 More athletics on TV
Yes, this may be the social media age and, yes, live streaming is an extremely useful way for athletics fans to follow events. But if the sport is to connect with the masses, there’s no denying that the old-school approach – putting it in front of them on a mainstream TV channel – remains by far the most effective method. Sadly, it’s happening less and less.
25 Ditch the pacers
We know times are important to athletes: personal bests; national records; world ranking points. But unless it’s a world record attempt, do fans really care about a 1500m won in 3:29 or a 5000m in 12:48? Wouldn’t a tactical chess match between the world’s best, a race that might be won in 3:29 or 3:49, be more fun? I think so, and I hope more race organisers agree and ditch the pacers in 2025, letting things play out as they do at championships. Because that’s when the sport is at its finest.
