Ever since Tokyo was selected in July 2022 to host the 20th World Athletics Championships this year, I have been excited about it and began my preparation for it two years ago by going to see my first ever track and field event in Yokohama. That was followed by a Japanese competition at the National Stadium just a couple of months ago. Both gave me a good idea of what it was actually like to see the sport in the flesh but they really were just warm-up competitions for the main event.

The World Athletics Championships have given the public a second chance to actually see some top-level athletes compete in the Japanese capital after the ill-fated Tokyo 2020 Olympics which were delayed by a year with spectators also not being allowed in due to the global pandemic of the time.

Tokyo being given the World Athletics Championships may have seemed like something of a consolation to try and make ammends for the disaster that was Tokyo 2020 (and maybe that did play a part in the decision!) but it was actually about time for the tournament to return to Japan following previous hosting stints in Osaka in 2007 and Tokyo in 1991.

The heat and humidty of Tokyo summer is probably not the best condition for the athletes to compete in, and that may explain why the events were split into two sessions last weekend with one happening in the morning and the other taking place in the evening. There’s no action in the afternoons but for all I know that may be as much to do with American and European TV scheduling as it is the temperature!

There was sadly no time for my wife and I to experience anything outside Japan National Stadium so we went straight in and took our seats on the front row in the upper tier. Such a fine view was reward for booking the tickets over a year ago as soon as they went on sale I guess! They were the cheapest category of ticket though so still not the best view for some of the action but as ever I had my trusty binoculars with me to help out!

The track action began at 6:35 pm on the dot with the 400 metres heats. There were 12 in total (6 for each sex) and they took up much of the first two hours or so.

Throughout the evening the field events like high jump, discus throw and long jump were taking place, often whilst the track action was happening simultaneously. It’s a shame that they don’t always get the attention they deserve but it can’t be helped I guess. Luckily, if you’re watching on TV the director selects the most relevant activity.

Just the 400 yen for that bottle of cola!

The women’s long jump final began just after 7:00 pm with Paris 2024 gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall of the USA. She cleared seven metres on the first jump of the evening and that was pretty much for it in that event as very few others managed to go beyond that distance. Once we’d gone through the motions of each of the 12 athletes doing multiple rounds of jumps she was the clear winner.

There is a long jump athlete in there somewhere!

There was a nice variety of running events through the evening and the 1500 metres women’s semi final was something different from the sprint-based races prior to it.

By the time the 10,000 metres men’s final began at 9:30 pm I was really starting to feel tired so took a short break to freshen up. I only missed the first few laps but this event was perhaps the most exciting of the night, and the atmosphere was incredible.

The fans went wild each and every time the group of athletes passed each section of the crowd. There was even a time when two Japanese runners led the pack which had the spectators very excited. They sadly faded away as the race progressed and it was a spectacular sprint for the finish line as Frenchman Jimmy Gressier stunned some of the African frontrunners to win gold.

This race was also interesting for the runners having the option to take on some refreshments on the back straight. Breaking off from the pack to grab a cup, drink or pour it on yourself whilst losing a second or two of time is not such an easy thing to do.

The 100 metres was of course the heavyweight event of the evening, if not the whole competition. We saw the semi finals and finals for both the men’s and women’s events.

There was a sprinkling of British athletes taking part throughout the night but I sadly didn’t know of any of them. One person I do know of was Dina Asher-Smith who qualified for the women’s 100 metre final as one of the fastest third place finishers in the three heats. Sadly she was no match for American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden who won the gold with an absolutely sensational time.

The men’s final was won by Jamaica’s Oblique Seville as the fastest man of all time watched on from the stands. No, not me but Usain Bolt! Having seen Seville in the heats the previous day have an absolutely terrible start it was a surprise for me to see him take gold when he almost didn’t even get to the semi-finals! Fine margins and all that!

This was my 15th visit (9 football, 4 rugby and 1 athletics) to Japan National Stadium which is a reasonably good total I guess given that it’s only been open for just over five years. It certainly won’t be too long before that tally increases as I’ll be back for the ninth and final day of action which promises to be even more exciting than this one.

Click here to read ‘Is Attending 2 Live Sports Events In One Day Really Worth The Effort?’

Click here to read ‘How Many Different Sports Did I Manage To Go & Watch Live In 2024?’

Click here to read ‘I Had A Golden Time At This Athletics Event In Yokohama’

Click here to read ‘5 Different Sports On 5 Separate Visits To A Multi-Purpose Venue In Tokyo’s Sporting Mecca’