World Athletics Championships
Athletics · World Athletics (the IAAF until 2019)
Also called: the World Championships, "Worlds"
The World Athletics Championships are athletics' own world title, first held at Helsinki in 1983.
- Next
- Beijing 2027, 10 to 19 September
- Most golds (nation)
- United States, 211 (1983 to 2025)
- Most golds (athlete)
- Allyson Felix (United States), 14
- India
- 3 medals: Anju Bobby George, long jump bronze (2003); Neeraj Chopra, javelin silver (2022) and gold (2023)
- Cycle
- Every two years since 1991; 2022 and 2023 were held a year apart
Events by edition
1983Events: 41 · Edition: 2005Host: Helsinki
- Host
- Helsinki
- Events
- 47
1987Events: 43 · Edition: 2007Host: Rome
- Host
- Osaka
- Events
- 47
1991Events: 43 · Edition: 2009Host: Tokyo
- Host
- Berlin
- Events
- 47
1993Events: 44 · Edition: 2011Host: Stuttgart
- Host
- Daegu
- Events
- 47
1995Events: 44 · Edition: 2013Host: Gothenburg
- Host
- Moscow
- Events
- 47
1997Events: 44 · Edition: 2015Host: Athens
- Host
- Beijing
- Events
- 47
1999Events: 46 · Edition: 2017Host: Seville
- Host
- London
- Events
- 48
2001Events: 46 · Edition: 2019Host: Edmonton
- Host
- Doha
- Events
- 49
2003Events: 46 · Edition: 2022Host: Saint-Denis
- Host
- Eugene
- Events
- 49
Edition: 2023
- Host
- Budapest
- Events
- 49
Edition: 2025
- Host
- Tokyo
- Events
- 49
World Athletics' results for 2001 to 2015 also list exhibition races (wheelchair, para and masters events), which are not championship titles and are left out.
India at the World Championships
| Edition | Event | Athlete | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Denis 2003 | Long jump (women) | Anju Bobby George | Bronze |
| Eugene 2022 | Javelin throw (men) | Neeraj Chopra | Silver |
| Budapest 2023 | Javelin throw (men) | Neeraj Chopra | Gold |
All three agree with World Athletics' result pages. India's places outside the medals are not yet loaded.
More about this tournament
Tokyo 2025 champions
The holders until Beijing 2027.
| Event group | Event | Champion | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 100 m | Oblique Seville | Jamaica |
| Men | 200 m | Noah Lyles | United States |
| Men | 400 m | Collen Kebinatshipi | Botswana |
| Men | 800 m | Emmanuel Wanyonyi | Kenya |
| Men | 1500 m | Isaac Nader | Portugal |
| Men | 5000 m | Cole Hocker | United States |
| Men | 10,000 m | Jimmy Gressier | France |
| Men | 110 m hurdles | Cordell Tinch | United States |
| Men | 400 m hurdles | Rai Benjamin | United States |
| Men | 3000 m steeplechase | Geordie Beamish | New Zealand |
| Men | 4 × 100 m relay | United States | United States |
| Men | 4 × 400 m relay | Botswana | Botswana |
| Men | Marathon | Alphonce Simbu | Tanzania |
| Men | 20 km walk | Caio Bonfim | Brazil |
| Men | 35 km walk | Evan Dunfee | Canada |
| Men | High jump | Hamish Kerr | New Zealand |
| Men | Pole vault | Armand Duplantis | Sweden |
| Men | Long jump | Mattia Furlani | Italy |
| Men | Triple jump | Pedro Pichardo | Portugal |
| Men | Shot put | Ryan Crouser | United States |
| Men | Discus throw | Daniel Ståhl | Sweden |
| Men | Javelin throw | Keshorn Walcott | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Men | Hammer throw | Ethan Katzberg | Canada |
| Men | Decathlon | Leo Neugebauer | Germany |
| Women | 100 m | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden | United States |
| Women | 200 m | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden | United States |
| Women | 400 m | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone | United States |
| Women | 800 m | Lilian Odira | Kenya |
| Women | 1500 m | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya |
| Women | 5000 m | Beatrice Chebet | Kenya |
| Women | 10,000 m | Beatrice Chebet | Kenya |
| Women | 100 m hurdles | Ditaji Kambundji | Switzerland |
| Women | 400 m hurdles | Femke Bol | Netherlands |
| Women | 3000 m steeplechase | Faith Cherotich | Kenya |
| Women | 4 × 100 m relay | United States | United States |
| Women | 4 × 400 m relay | United States | United States |
| Women | Marathon | Peres Jepchirchir | Kenya |
| Women | 20 km walk | María Pérez | Spain |
| Women | 35 km walk | María Pérez | Spain |
| Women | High jump | Nicola Olyslagers | Australia |
| Women | Pole vault | Katie Moon | United States |
| Women | Long jump | Tara Davis-Woodhall | United States |
| Women | Triple jump | Leyanis Pérez | Cuba |
| Women | Shot put | Jessica Schilder | Netherlands |
| Women | Discus throw | Valarie Allman | United States |
| Women | Javelin throw | Juleisy Angulo | Ecuador |
| Women | Hammer throw | Camryn Rogers | Canada |
| Women | Heptathlon | Anna Hall | United States |
| Mixed | 4 × 400 m relay | United States | United States |
Medal tables
Nations as they competed.
1983 to 2025 (top 15 of 110 nations)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 211 | 139 | 119 | 469 |
| 2 | Kenya | 72 | 59 | 50 | 181 |
| 3 | Russia | 44 | 55 | 47 | 146 |
| 4 | Jamaica | 41 | 67 | 51 | 159 |
| 5 | Germany | 40 | 40 | 48 | 128 |
| 6 | Ethiopia | 35 | 40 | 34 | 109 |
| 7 | Great Britain | 33 | 43 | 50 | 126 |
| 8 | Cuba | 23 | 25 | 18 | 66 |
| 9 | Soviet Union | 22 | 27 | 28 | 77 |
| 10 | Poland | 21 | 20 | 25 | 66 |
| 11 | China | 20 | 29 | 29 | 78 |
| 12 | East Germany | 20 | 18 | 15 | 53 |
| 13 | Australia | 16 | 14 | 19 | 49 |
| 14 | France | 15 | 19 | 24 | 58 |
| 15 | Czech Republic | 15 | 5 | 9 | 29 |
India: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze. The conflicts listed above touch about 23 of these medals.
Tokyo 2025 (top 10 of 53 nations with a medal)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 16 | 5 | 5 | 26 |
| 2 | Kenya | 7 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 3 | Canada | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Botswana | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Sweden | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Spain | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | Portugal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Jamaica | 1 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
The 53 nations agree with World Athletics' release on the Tokyo medal table.
History
How it began
The IAAF held its first World Championships at Helsinki in 1983, with 41 events.
From four years to two
The championships were held every four years from 1983 to 1991 and every two years from 1991; there was no edition in 2021, and 2022 and 2023 were held a year apart.
Champions by era
The United States lead with 211 golds, about three times Kenya (72). Jamaica have 159 medals, the third most; Russia's 146 medals stop in 2015.
India's story
India's first medal at the championships was Anju Bobby George's long jump bronze in 2003. Neeraj Chopra added a silver in 2022 and India's first world title in 2023.
Firsts and facts
- Most golds by an athlete: Allyson Felix (United States), 14; then Usain Bolt (Jamaica), 11.
- First edition: Helsinki 1983; Helsinki hosted again in 2005.
- A women's 50 km walk was held in 2017 and 2019; from 2022 the 50 km walks gave way to 35 km walks for men and women.