Time flies when you&rsquo;re having fun and athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is approaching the half-way mark! We&rsquo;ve been treated to some incredible action so far, with more in store on day five (3).
Tuesday&rsquo;s programme offers six finals: the women&rsquo;s 200m, 800m, long jump and hammer, plus the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles and pole vault.
This list is supposed to be five things to follow, but how can we leave out one of the finals? So here are six things to watch on day five&hellip; 
<h2>Duplantis&rsquo; dream</h2>
Men&rsquo;s pole vault final 7:20pm Tokyo time | 12:20pm CEST
Five years ago when watching the action in Rio, <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/mondo-duplantis-pole-vault-legend-in-making" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mondo Duplantis was a 16-year-old with a PB of 5.51m, imagining himself at the Olympics some day</a>.
This day.
Now the Swedish star is the world pole vault record-holder and he&rsquo;s not just going to the Olympics, he&rsquo;s going for gold at the Olympics.
Since winning world silver behind the USA&rsquo;s Sam Kendricks in Doha in 2019, Duplantis has broken the world record twice, clearing 6.17m and then 6.18m just one week later during the February of 2020. Now, in 2021, and at the age of 21, Duplantis has taken his tally of six-metre-plus competition wins to&hellip; yep - 21. He will be looking to add to that list to get his first senior global gold in Tokyo.
But a head-to-head with Kendricks is no longer possible, with the two-time world champion having withdrawn from the competition after testing positive for Covid-19. Among those looking to challenge Duplantis for the title will be Brazil&rsquo;s defending champion Thiago Braz, France&rsquo;s former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie and Poland&rsquo;s multiple world medallist Piotr Lisek.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-pole-vault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Can Thompson-Herah do the double double?</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 200m final 9:50pm Tokyo time | 2:50pm CEST
Some of the stars from what turned out to be one of the greatest sprint races of all-time &ndash; the women&rsquo;s 100m final in Tokyo &ndash; return to the track for the 200m.
After successfully defending her 100m title on Saturday, Jamaica&rsquo;s Elaine Thompson-Herah will look to complete a second successive Olympic double. She ran an impressive&nbsp;21.66 to win her semifinal, but getting gold won&rsquo;t necessarily be an easy task.
Going into the Games, six women had stormed under 22 seconds, led by the USA&rsquo;s Gabby Thomas, who set a world lead in each round at the US Olympic Trials, eventually improving to a remarkable 21.61 to become the second-fastest ever and secure her debut Olympic spot.
Then there&rsquo;s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who claimed 100m silver behind Thompson-Herah at the weekend, plus&nbsp;Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast and Bahamian Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who will be on the hunt for a second Olympic title following her success over double the distance in Rio five years ago.
In the heats and semifinals, 18-year-old Christine Mboma of Namibia improved the world U20 record to 22.11 and then 21.97. Switzerland's&nbsp;Mujinga Kambundji comepletes the line-up for the final.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-200m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Full preview</a> 
<h2>Warholm vs Benjamin</h2>
Men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles final 12:20pm Tokyo time | 5:20am CEST
World record-holder Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin, the man who came so close to the record at the US Trials, met for the first time this year in the Olympic semifinals and now they will go head-to-head proper as they battle for Olympic glory. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6106cdcd140b1b3a1caa6020.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /> 
It was in Oslo on 1 July that Norway&rsquo;s two-time world champion Warholm ran 46.70 to finally eclipse Kevin Young's legendary world record which had been set at the 1992 Olympic Games. That performance was at least in part a reaction to Benjamin's stunning run in Eugene just four days earlier, when he ran 46.83 for a time which moved him, albeit briefly, past Warholm and into the No.2 all-time spot. It may be that it takes another revision of those figures in Tokyo to get the gold.
The pair have raced each other just three times before &ndash; one of those being the semifinals in Tokyo. Warholm has won on all three occasions, but narrowly. At the Weltklasse Diamond League meeting in 2019 Warholm ran 46.92 to Benjamin&rsquo;s 46.98 and at the World Athletics Championships that year it was 47.42 to 47.66.&nbsp; And both have gone up another notch since.
They looked impressive in easing through to the final and joining them there will be Brazil's South American record-holder Alison Dos Santos, Qatar&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Abderrahman Samba and Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, the fourth-place finisher in Doha.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-400m-hurdles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Mu, from prodigy to champion?</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 800m final 9:25pm Tokyo time | 2:25pm CEST
The 800m semifinals saw the elimination of three leading contenders in Uganda&rsquo;s world champion Halimah Nakaayi, Cuba&rsquo;s Rose Mary Almanza and the USA&rsquo;s Ajee Wilson, showing the strength of the field which will line up for the final.
The 19-year-old Athing Mu is the world leader, her 1:56.07 at the US Olympic Trials being the second-fastest ever time for a US woman. In Tokyo she won her semifinal in 1:58.07 and the youth push continued as her fellow teenager Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain won her semifinal in 1:59.12. Jamaica&rsquo;s Natoya Goule was the other semifinal winner (1:59.57) and they will be joined in the final by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Habitam Alemu, Britain&rsquo;s Jemma Reekie and Alex Bell, the USA&rsquo;s Raevyn Rogers and China&rsquo;s Wang Chunyu.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-800m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Hammer time</h2>
Women&rsquo;s hammer final 8:35pm Tokyo time | 1:35pm CEST
Arguably the most dominant athlete of her generation, Poland&rsquo;s Anita Wlodarczyk won back-to-back Olympic titles in 2012 and 2016, notched up four world and European golds, and set six world records, becoming the first woman to throw beyond 80 metres. In Tokyo she will aim to win a record third hammer gold and she led the list of qualifiers for the final with her single throw of 76.99m. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6107c128e2057aa727ad6e6e.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Up until a few weeks ago, Wlodarczyk remained the only woman to have ever produced an 80-metre throw. The USA&rsquo;s DeAnna Price joined her after her 80.31m victory at the US Trials and also qualified for the final in Tokyo but later explained that she had picked up a foot injury shortly after her national title win in Eugene.
Among those also in the final are China&rsquo;s Zheng Wang, the USA&rsquo;s Brooke Anderson and Gwen Berry, France's Alexandra Tavernier and Canada&rsquo;s Camryn Rogers.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-hammer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Close contest</h2>
Women&rsquo;s long jump final 10:50am Tokyo time | 3:50am CEST
This Olympic season has thrown up a number of medal contenders, with six women possessing legal jumps over the still-impressive barrier of seven metres this year, five of whom are in the final in Tokyo.
Nigeria&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Ese Brume has the biggest jump of the year with 7.17m, from the USA&rsquo;s Tara Davis (7.14m) and 2012 Olympic champion Brittney Reese, who leapt 7.13m to win at the US Olympic Trials last month. Chantel Malone of the British Virgin Islands has jumped 7.08m and Serbia&rsquo;s 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Ivana Spanovic 7.00m.
Germany&rsquo;s reigning world champion Malaika Mihambo has not yet found the form that carried her to that title in Doha in 2019 but will be looking to peak on the major stage again.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-long-jump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>

Time flies when you’re having fun and athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is approaching the half-way mark.

Five (okay, six) things to follow on day five in Tokyo

Monday has never looked so good! Five finals highlight day four (2) of the athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with titles in the women&rsquo;s 5000m, discus and 100m hurdles, plus the men&rsquo;s long jump and 3000m steeplechase, up for grabs.
It&rsquo;s set to be a busy day for Sifan Hassan, who has announced that she&rsquo;s targeting a 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m treble in Tokyo.
Here are five things to follow on day four&hellip; 
<h2>First of three for Hassan?</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 5000m final 9:40pm Tokyo time | 2:40pm CEST
After winning world 1500m and 10,000m titles in Doha in 2019, it seemed that Sifan Hassan&rsquo;s focus had turned to a 5000m and 10,000m double for Tokyo. But a 3:53.63 1500m win in Florence last month convinced her to keep her options open and she is now set to contest all three events.
The 5000m final is the first in that treble and will come after Hassan races in the 1500m heats earlier on in the day. The Dutch star went quickest in the 5000m heats, clocking 14:47.89, with all the other main contenders joining her in the final.
In Gudaf Tsegay, Ejgayehu Taye, Senbere Teferi, Hellen Obiri and Agnes Tirop, the final features five of the world&rsquo;s 10 fastest ever 5000m women. Add Hassan &ndash; 12th on that all-time list &ndash; to the mix, and you have the recipe for a mouth-watering Olympic battle.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-5000m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Title there for the taking</h2>
Men&rsquo;s long jump final 10:20am Tokyo time | 3:20am CEST
Based on 2021 form, the men's long jump looks to be one of the most wide open competitions on the Tokyo athletics programme. Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece is the world leader thanks to his 8.60m leap at a domestic competition in late May, but Cuban star Juan Miguel Echevarria sits just 10cm behind him on the 2021 world list now as he soared out to 8.50m in Tokyo during the qualification round. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61069783a273f325523321cf.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="649" />
 US jumping sensation JuVaughn Harrison has made a habit of successfully doubling in the high jump and long jump this year. He&rsquo;s contesting both events in Tokyo and will look to build on his seventh place finish in the high jump final when he returns to the stadium on Monday. In the long jump his best is 8.47m which he achieved to win at the US Olympic Trials, where he also claimed the high jump title.
Jamaica&rsquo;s world long jump champion Tajay Gayle also managed to make the final, despite injuring his left knee on the run up to his first jump in the qualifying round. Heavily strapped, he recorded 8.14m from his third leap to progress.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-long-jump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>&nbsp; 
<h2>Gold for Girma?</h2>
Men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase final 9:15pm Tokyo time | 2:15pm CEST
Athletes from Kenya have won the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase at all but two Olympic Games since 1968 - and those were the two the nation boycotted. But for the first time in recent memory its squad does not include a reigning world or Olympic champion.
It was Ethiopia&rsquo;s world leader Lamecha Girma who led the qualifiers, winning his heat in 8:09.83. Teenager Ryuji Miura broke his own Japanese national record with 8:09.92 to also advance.
Kenya&rsquo;s Abraham Kibiwott is second-fastest so far this year with 8:07.81 behind Girma&rsquo;s 8:07.75 in Monaco and he won the second heat in Tokyo in 8:12.25. The third heat winner was Morocco&rsquo;s Soufiane El Bakkali (8:19.00) who sits third behind Girma and Kibiwott on times this year with 8:08.54 from Florence. They will be joined in the final by athletes including Kenya&rsquo;s Benjamin Kigen and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getnet Wale.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-3000m-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Perkovic targets three-peat&nbsp;</h2>
Women&rsquo;s discus final 8:00pm Tokyo time | 1:00pm CEST
Croatian discus star Sandra Perkovic is vying for a third consecutive Olympic gold medal, having become only the second woman to ever win back-to-back discus golds at the Olympics with her victories in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016.
She faces a loaded field in Tokyo, including world champion Yaime Perez of Cuba and US champion Valarie Allman, who led the qualifiers in Tokyo with a first throw of 66.42m.
Allman is one of two athletes to have thrown beyond 70 metres this year, having produced a throw of 70.01m at the US Trials, but world-leader Jorinde Van Klinken of the Netherlands won&rsquo;t be joining them in the final as she could only manage 61.15m in qualification which was not enough to see her advance.
India&rsquo;s Kamalpreet Kaur achieved 64.00m for the second-best mark in the qualifying round.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-discus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Redemption for Camacho-Quinn</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles final 11:50am Tokyo time | 4:50am CEST&nbsp;
Five years on from the heartbreak of hitting a hurdle and missing out on the final when making her Olympic debut in Rio, world-leader Jasmine Camacho-Quinn is racing for redemption in Tokyo. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610698a1a273f325523321d2.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 A Puerto Rican woman has not yet won an Olympic medal in athletics and Camacho-Quinn showed her intent to make history for her nation by breaking the Olympic record in the semifinals, running 12.26. She now has seven of the 10 fastest wind-legal times recorded in the world so far this year.
Another athlete left disappointed in 2016 was the USA&rsquo;s world record-holder Kendra Harrison (12.20) as she missed out on the Olympic team for Rio. She joins Camacho-Quinn in the final in Tokyo, along with her teammate Gabbi Cunningham, Nigeria&rsquo;s Tobi Amusan and Jamaica&rsquo;s Britany Anderson, who sits second on this season&rsquo;s top list behind Camacho-Quinn with a 12.40 PB to win her semifinal.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-100m-110m-hurdles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>

Monday has never looked so good! Five finals highlight day four (2) of the athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Five things to follow on day four in Tokyo

The action is hotting up in Tokyo and&nbsp;another four gold medals will be claimed on day three of athletics at the Olympic Games on Sunday (1).
The day&rsquo;s programme comes to a close with the men&rsquo;s 100m final, while athletes will also compete for medals in the women&rsquo;s shot put, women&rsquo;s triple jump and men&rsquo;s high jump.
Here are five things to follow on day three&hellip;
<h2> A new 100m champion</h2>
Men&rsquo;s 100m final 9:50pm Tokyo time | 2:50pm CEST
For the first time since 2004, the 100m gold medal will be won by an athlete other than Usain Bolt, who swept three consecutive titles in Beijing, London and Rio, as well as three straight 200m crowns.
With Bolt now in retirement, US sprinter Trayvon Bromell had looked to be the man who could take up the mantle in Tokyo. The 26-year-old clocked a world-leading 9.77 in June in Florida, the seventh-fastest time in history. He then sealed his spot for Tokyo by winning the 100m at the US Olympic Trials in 9.80.
However, he placed fourth in his heat on Saturday (31) and so faced a nervous wait to see if his time of 10.05 would be enough to see him advance. It was and he will now face a stern test from several other top contenders in the next round, including his USA teammates Ronnie Baker and Fred Kerley.
South Africa&rsquo;s Akani Simbine has run 9.84 this year and hopes to become the first African to win the Olympic 100m title since Reggie Walker at the 1908 London Games, while Canada&rsquo;s multiple world and Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse is also sure to be in the mix.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-100m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
<h2> Rojas aims to reign supreme</h2>
Women&rsquo;s triple jump final 8.15pm Tokyo time | 1:15pm CEST
During the current &ndash; and extended &ndash; Olympic cycle, Venezuela&rsquo;s Yulimar Rojas is the only woman in the world to have jumped beyond 15 metres. In fact, she has done so 17 times, including at all six of her competitions this year. She also came close in qualification in Tokyo, as her leap of 14.77m was achieved despite leaping from almost 40cm behind the board and would have been well over 15 metres had she hit the board on take off. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6103f02ccc52e2680e5df19e.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 She will be joined by athletes including Thea LaFond, who leapt a national record of 14.60m to qualify for the final and will aim to win Dominica&rsquo;s first Olympic medal in any sport, and Jamaica&rsquo;s world silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts.
Two-time world champion Caterine Ibarguen struggled to find her rhythm on the runway in qualification and was facing elimination but a third round jump of 14.37m secured her place in the final as the seventh-best qualifier to keep her Tokyo dream alive.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-triple-jump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
<h2> Barshim the man to beat</h2>
Men&rsquo;s high jump final 7.10pm Tokyo time | 12:10pm CEST
After all his achievements so far, gold is the only place left to go for Mutaz Barshim, who claimed Olympic bronze in 2012 (later upgraded to silver) and then silver in 2016 before winning his two world titles.
Widely considered the best high jumper of the past decade, if not of his generation, the 30-year-old has scaled 2.40m 11 times since 2013. But a number of other stars are ready to challenge him for the title in Tokyo. Authorised neutral athletes Ilya Ivanyuk and Mikhail Akimenko, plus Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus and Italy&rsquo;s Gianmarco Tamberi will be among them, while rising US star JuVaughn Harrison will also look to make an impact as he juggles this event with competing in the long jump.
Seeking a strong performance on home soil will be Naoto Tobe, who cleared his PB of 2.35m indoors in 2019.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-high-jump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
<h2> Top shot</h2>
Women&rsquo;s shot put final 10:35am Tokyo time | 3:35am CEST
The first shot putter in history to reach five Olympic finals, New Zealand&rsquo;s Valerie Adams will now aim to become the first woman to win a single individual Olympic athletics event three times.
Bedeviled by a spate of injuries over the past six years, the 36-year-old weathered pandemic restrictions and cancellations well in 2021, throwing 19.75m in July. Four others have thrown farther this year, however, and will also be looking to take that title. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6103f2edef667c76188d153e.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="603" />
 China&rsquo;s Gong Lijiao has topped the world lists in three of the last four seasons and is the best so far this year, throwing 20.39m in June. Jessica Ramsey threw a PB of 20.12m to win the US Olympic Trials and will be out to prove that her performance in Eugene wasn't a one-off. Her teammate Raven Saunders was second at the trials with a 19.96m lifetime best and arrives with big meet experience having finished fifth in Rio. While Portugal's Auriol Dongmo will also be one to watch, having shown good consistency and thrown a national record of 19.75m this year.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-shot-put" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Let the&nbsp;steeplechase begin</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase heats 9:40am Tokyo time | 2:40am CEST
Beatrice Chepkoech (heat two) broke the world record in 2018, clocking 8:44.32, and then went on to win the world title in 2019 with a championship record of 8:57.84. But despite a promising start to her year, which included a world record of 14:43 over 5km and an indoor 3000m PB of 8:31.72 just three days later, the Kenyan hasn&rsquo;t won any of her steeplechase races in 2021. Her season&rsquo;s best of 9:04.94 was set when finishing a distant second at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco.
Her compatriot Hyvin Kiyeng (heat three) was the winner on that occasion, running a season&rsquo;s best of 9:03.82, and the 2016 Olympic silver medallist looks set to be a big threat in Tokyo. The fastest of the entrants, however, is African Games champion Mekides Abebe (heat three), who set an Ethiopian record of 9:02.52 at the Diamond League meeting in Doha. She will be joined by teammates Lomi Muleta, who set a PB of 9:14.03 this year, and Zerfe Wondemagegn, who set a national U20 record of 9:16.95 in Hengelo.
US champion Emma Coburn (heat one) will once again be a medal contender, should all go to plan in the heats.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-3000m-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
&nbsp;

The action is hotting up in Tokyo and another four gold medals will be claimed on day three of athletics at the Olympic Games on Sunday (1).

Five things to follow on day three in Tokyo

There are three titles up for grabs on the second day of athletics action at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Saturday (31).
After the fastest heat times in Olympic history were recorded on Friday, the champion will be crowned in the women&rsquo;s 100m, while the first ever Olympic winners in the mixed 4x400m will be decided and the world&rsquo;s best will battle for men&rsquo;s discus glory.
Here are five things to follow on day two&hellip;&nbsp; 
<h2>More history to be made?</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 100m final 9:50pm Tokyo time | 2:50pm CEST
The women&rsquo;s 100m got off to an expected fast start on Friday as first Elaine Thompson-Herah ran 10.82, then Marie-Josee Ta Lou clocked 10.78, as they <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-day-one-morning-ta-lou-warholm-mu-thompson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">produced the two fastest ever women&rsquo;s 100m Olympic heat times</a>. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6103c8f1e20078d303218f0f.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="635" />
 Combine that with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s 10.84 to win her own heat and a whole host of other strong performances behind them, and the next two rounds of competition are sure to be quite a show.
The semifinals get under way at 7.15pm Tokyo time (12.15pm CEST), with Jamaica&rsquo;s defending Olympic 100m and 200m champion Thompson-Herah heading the first as she lines up alongside Ajla Del Ponte, who with 10.91 in her heat improved Mujinga Kambundji&rsquo;s national record of 10.95 which she had matched a few heats earlier. That semifinal will also feature Britain&rsquo;s world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith and Nigeria&rsquo;s multiple world medallist Blessing Okagbare.
Ta Lou, who equalled the African 100m record in her heat, goes in the second semifinal along with Jamaica&rsquo;s Olympic and world 400m medallist Shericka Jackson.
In the third semifinal, Fraser-Pryce will continue her campaign towards becoming the first woman to win a single individual Olympic athletics event three times, to add to her 100m victories claimed in 2008 and 2012.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-100m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Mixed relay magic</h2>
Mixed 4x400m final 9:35pm Tokyo time | 2:35pm CEST
Making its Olympic debut in Tokyo, the first ever mixed 4x400m medallists will be decided on Saturday.
First tried out at senior level at the 2017 World Relays in Nassau, the mixed relay featured at the World Championships for the first time in Doha in 2019 and proved to be a big hit with its unique and unpredictable format.
The US team of Wil London, Allyson Felix, Courtney Okolo and Michael Cherry won gold in a world record time of 3:09.34 in Doha and the USA again shapes up as the favourites in Tokyo. They clocked&nbsp;3:11.39 to win their heat and although intially disqualified, the team was reinstated with a place in the final secured.
The Poland quartet qualified quickest, running 3:10.44, and they will be joined in the final by the Netherlands, Jamaica, Great Britain,&nbsp;Dominican Republic, Belgium and Ireland.
Strategy and tactics can come into play. While teams can select any order, most have chosen to go with a male lead-off runner, followed by two women over the following two laps, and a man running the anchor leg.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-4x400m-relays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Stahl seeks success for Sweden</h2>
Men&rsquo;s discus final 8:15pm Tokyo time | 1:15pm CEST
Daniel Stahl will aim to become the first Swedish athlete to ever win an Olympic discus title, as he looks to add gold in Tokyo to the world title he won in Doha in 2019. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/7147d93c-e215-4e54-b748-f59e3c7c8541.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="634" />
 The world leader with a best of 71.40m this year, <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-day-one-morning-ta-lou-warholm-mu-thompson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stahl needed just one throw &ndash; from which he recorded 66.12m &ndash; to qualify for the final</a>.
There he will be joined by Slovenia's European U23 champion Kristjan Ceh, who threw 70.35m in Kuortane in June, and Lithuania&rsquo;s 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius. Jamaica&rsquo;s world silver medallist Fedrick Dacres will not feature, as his best of 62.91m in qualification placed him 13th overall as he continues his comeback after surgery on his hand earlier this year.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-discus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Mondo&rsquo;s moment?</h2>
Men&rsquo;s pole vault qualification 9:40am Tokyo time | 2:40am CEST
After becoming the world record-holder in 2020, clearing 6.17m and then 6.18m just one week later, Mondo Duplantis will go for his first senior global gold in Tokyo.
He will seek a smooth qualification during the morning session on Saturday, but his expected head-to-head with the USA&rsquo;s Sam Kendricks will no longer be possible, with the two-time world champion having withdrawn from the competition after testing positive for Covid-19.
&ldquo;I have been basically jumping my whole life for this moment,&rdquo; said world silver medallist Duplantis. &ldquo;Ever since I was a little kid, I've always wanted to compete in the Olympics, and now the time is finally here after 15 years of jumping.&rdquo;
On the withdrawal of Kendricks, he added: "It's hard to react to it because it still doesn't really feel real right now. An hour ago I was still preparing myself for a big battle with Sam.&rdquo;
As well as Duplantis, the field will feature Brazil&rsquo;s defending champion Thiago Braz, France&rsquo;s former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie and Poland&rsquo;s multiple world medallist Piotr Lisek.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-pole-vault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a> 
<h2>Another world record-holder takes to the track</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles heats 9:00am Tokyo time | 2:00am CEST&nbsp;
After finishing second to Dalilah Muhammad&rsquo;s world record performances at both the US Trials and World Athletics Championships in 2019, this time Sydney McLaughlin goes into global competition as the world record-holder.
The 21-year-old clocked 51.90 in Eugene last month to secure her spot on the Olympic team in superb style and now forms part of a top field which will begin their Tokyo journey by racing in the 400m hurdles heats on Saturday morning.
McLaughlin stars in the third heat, while Muhammad is in the fifth and final heat. Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who has reduced her personal best from 53.79 to 52.37 this season and now ranks fourth on the world all-time list, starts in heat four.
Other track action beginning on day two includes the men&rsquo;s 100m and 800m, plus the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-400m-hurdles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
&nbsp;

There are three titles up for grabs on the second day of athletics action at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Saturday (31).

Five things to follow on day two in Tokyo

Four years, 11 months and nine days after the action in Rio came to a close, Olympic Games athletics will make its highly anticipated return at Tokyo&rsquo;s Olympic Stadium on Friday (30).
There is one final &ndash; the men&rsquo;s 10,000m &ndash; taking place on the first day of the athletics programme, while a series of heats and qualification rounds will set the scene for all that is to come.
Here are five things to follow on day one. 
<h2>A new champion</h2>
Men&rsquo;s 10,000m final 8:30pm Tokyo time | 1:30pm CEST
With two-time winner Mo Farah missing from the field, a new Olympic men&rsquo;s 10,000m champion will be crowned in Tokyo for the first time since 2012.
Two Ugandan stars &ndash; world record-holder Joshua Cheptegei and world-leader Jacob Kiplimo &ndash; shape up as the men to beat in an event in which some of the sport&rsquo;s all-time greats have won consecutive golds dating back to 1996. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/9fea4c20-b9e2-411d-b45b-07721dbc9fd1.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 The last time the Olympics were held in Tokyo, the men&rsquo;s 10,000m produced one of the greatest athletics upsets in Games history. Unheralded US runner Billy Mills, a Native American, sprinted past the leaders in the final straight of an epic race to claim gold at the 1964 Games &ndash; the first, and still only, US athlete to win the event.
Fans can look forward to what should be a thrilling competition in Tokyo, even without the reigning champion on the start line.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-10000m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
<h2> Warholm takes to the track</h2>
Men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles heats 11:25am Tokyo time | 4:25am CEST
After two world title wins, this time Karsten Warholm will stand on a global start line and be introduced as the world record-holder.
In 2016, the Norwegian was just settling into his first full year as a 400m hurdles specialist. Rai Benjamin, at 18 and two years Warholm's junior, had just wrapped up his first year of NCAA competition. In Tokyo they'll co-star in one of the Games' most eagerly awaited showdowns as two of the three fastest 400m hurdlers of all-time.
Warholm &ndash; who ran 46.70 to break Kevin Young's long standing world record in Oslo &ndash; goes in heat three at 11:41am local time. Benjamin &ndash; who clocked 46.83 less than a week earlier at the US Olympic Trials &ndash; races in heat five at 11:57am.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-400m-hurdles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
<h2> Relay exciting debut</h2>
Mixed 4x400m heats 8:00pm Tokyo time | 1:00pm CEST&nbsp;
There is one event on this athletics programme that has no previous Olympic medallists, no Olympic records and, in fact, no Olympic history at all. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/608effbec20b044c15aecea0.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="698" />
 The mixed 4x400m relay makes its debut in Tokyo, a discipline featuring teams of two men and two women competing against each other in any order they choose.
Fans will get an early taste of the new event on the first day of action, with the final set for the next evening.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/tokyo-olympics-preview-4x400m-relays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
<h2> Sprint stars align</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 100m heats 12:15pm Tokyo time | 5:15am CEST
The women&rsquo;s 100m is an event on fire right now, with eight women having gone sub-10.90 in 2021 and three athletes on the Tokyo entry list &ndash; Jamaica&rsquo;s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson &ndash; all having run under 10.80.
Multiple global gold medallist Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s 10.63 to become the second-fastest 100m sprinter of all time leads the list, while defending Olympic 100m and 200m champion Thompson-Herah is just 0.01 off her 10.70 PB from 2016 so far this season. Meanwhile, Olympic and world 400m medallist Jackson, who is concentrating on the shorter sprints this year, has run a PB of 10.77. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60e592261f5996c4407f4e7c.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 The 100m entries joining them in having dipped under 10.90 in 2021 are multiple world medallists Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast and Nigeria&rsquo;s Blessing Okagbare, while Britain&rsquo;s Dina Asher-Smith has clocked 10.91.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/tokyo-olympics-preview-100m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full preview</a>
<h2> Field focus</h2>
Men&rsquo;s high jump,&nbsp;men&rsquo;s discus,&nbsp;women&rsquo;s triple jump,&nbsp;women&rsquo;s shot put&nbsp;
The qualification rounds for the men&rsquo;s high jump (9:15am Tokyo time/2:15am CEST), men&rsquo;s discus (9:45am &amp; 11:20am Tokyo time/2:45am &amp; 4:20am CEST), women&rsquo;s triple jump (7:05pm Tokyo time/12:05pm CEST) and women&rsquo;s shot put (7:25pm Tokyo time/12:25pm CEST) all take place on the first day.
Stars in action include Qatar&rsquo;s two-time world champion Mutaz Barshim in the high jump, Sweden&rsquo;s world champion Daniel Stahl in the discus, Venezuela&rsquo;s two-time world champion Yulimar Rojas in the triple jump and New Zealand&rsquo;s shot put star Valerie Adams.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/previews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full previews</a>
&nbsp;

Four years, 11 months and nine days after the action in Rio came to a close, Olympic Games athletics will make its highly anticipated return at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium on Friday (28).

Five things to follow on day one in Tokyo

<h2>Women's 100m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;countryCode=&amp;disciplineCode=100&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/100m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
Despite all she has achieved in the sport, Jamaican sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is still working through her to-do list. She continues to tick things off in sensational style.
One of her goals was to break 10.70 for 100m, a feat she accomplished in Kingston on 5 June when she ran 10.63 to become the second-fastest 100m sprinter of all time. &ldquo;I have never run 10.6 before, and what a time for that to happen," she said the following month.
What a time, indeed.
One of the sport&rsquo;s greats, Fraser-Pryce claimed her first global gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and has gone on to become a nine-time world champion, winning her most recent title in Doha in 2019. Coincidentally, the reason she missed the 2017 World Championships was because she was having her first child, son Zyon, with whom she went into labour while watching the women&rsquo;s 100m final.
The 34-year-old is now running faster than ever and the next target on her list will be to become the first woman to win a single individual Olympic athletics event three times, to add to her 100m victories claimed in 2008 and 2012. Valerie Adams in the shot put, Sandra Perkovic in the discus, Barbora Spotakova in the javelin and Anita Wlodarczyk in the hammer are all in a similar position, currently possessing two golds each in their events, but the women's 100m final takes place before all of those throws event finals, so Fraser-Pryce will be the first to attempt claiming a record third gold.
She faces a strong challenge, however, and is one of an impressive eight women to have gone sub-10.90 in 2021.
"I'm excited about women's sprinting,"&nbsp;Fraser-Pryce said. "I've been competing for a good while! And I have seen so many sprinters that have come along in the sport and have done so much work and accomplishment and I think it raises the game. Female sprinting has never been 'off', it's always 'on', and I'm glad that this year is one of those years that they have taken it to another level. I'm excited to see what Tokyo brings for female sprinting and females overall."
Second-quickest this year is Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah, the defending champion in both the 100m and 200m who was third at the Jamaican Championships and is just 0.01 off her 10.70 PB from 2016 so far this season. That 10.71 was achieved in&nbsp;Szekesfehervar where she finished top in a strong field.
Splitting them at the Jamaican Championships was Olympic and world 400m medallist Shericka Jackson, who is concentrating on the shorter sprints this year and ran a PB of 10.77 in her semifinal in Kingston. All three are entered for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m in Tokyo.
The 100m entries joining them in having dipped under 10.90 in 2021 are multiple world medallists Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast, who won at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Oslo and ran&nbsp;10.86 in Szekesfehervar, and Blessing Okagbare, who ran a wind-assisted 10.63 (2.7m/s) to win the Nigerian trials and also clocked 10.89 in&nbsp;Szekesfehervar. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/0c8fabc1-d177-4101-bd70-894926ca1035.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="659" />
 Two years ago in Doha, Britain&rsquo;s Dina Asher-Smith won the world 200m title and also claimed silver in the 100m and 4x100m. Entered for all three events in Tokyo, she will again have her mind on a medal treble. Unbeaten this year, her first 100m race since the 2019 World Athletics Championships was the Diamond League meeting in Gateshead on 23 May, which she won in 11.45 (-4.4m/s) in horrendous weather conditions. Since then she has improved to 10.91, while her PB is 10.83 from that 2019 world final. While the British athletics team captain will be hoping to lead by example, she&nbsp;is keeping an open mind as to what she might be able to achieve.
"When we started 2019 you might not have necessarily pegged me for a gold and a silver in Qatar when I started running in May," she said. "In terms of where your chances are, always just wait and see. Even though I am relatively young I have enough experience to know that championships are very unpredictable, so who knows where your chances are, you have just got to stay in shape and stay focused and perform well on the day. I want to put together a good performance in the Olympic Games."
The US trio includes Javianne Oliver, who ran a PB of 10.96 in June, Teahna Daniels and 2015 world 4x100m silver medallist Jenna Prandini, while Dutch two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers is entered for both the 100m and her specialist event.
European indoor 60m champion Ajla Del Ponte has improved to 11.07 this season and joins world 200m bronze medallist Mujinga Kambundji on the Swiss team, while Germany&rsquo;s Alexandra Burghardt makes her Olympic debut in a season in which she has set a PB of 11.01. Pan American Games 200m bronze medallist Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas is also just outside 11 seconds this year, with a PB of 11.02 run in Florida in April.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 100m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;countryCode=&amp;disciplineCode=100&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/100m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
After a historic run of dominance by a certain Jamaican sprinter, the time has come to hail a new Olympic men&rsquo;s 100m champion.&nbsp;
For the first time since 2004, the gold medal in the marquee event will be won by an athlete other than Usain Bolt, who swept three consecutive 100m titles in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro, as well as three straight 200m crowns.
With Bolt now in retirement, US sprinter Trayvon Bromell has emerged as the man to take up the mantle in Tokyo and succeed Bolt at the top of the 100m podium. The 26-year-old clocked a world-leading 9.77 in June in Florida, the seventh-fastest time in history. He then sealed his spot in Tokyo by winning the 100m at the US Olympic Trials in 9.80 ahead of Ronnie Baker (9.85) and Fred Kerley (9.86).
It&rsquo;s been a remarkable comeback for Bromell, who was carried off the track in a wheelchair after rupturing his achilles during the 4x100m relay at the 2016 Rio Games, where he had earlier finished eighth in the 100m final. The injury threatened to end the career of the 2016 world indoor 60m champion and world 100m bronze medallist. Bromell thought he might never run again and he went into a deep depression as he suffered a series of setbacks during an extended period away from the track.
&ldquo;In 2018, I didn&rsquo;t feel any reason to even still live,&rdquo; Bromell said. &ldquo;I came into a sport that I felt saved my life and I lost it all. I felt like I was in a dark environment. I felt like I was a shadow to the world.&rdquo;
Bromell credits friends and coaches with dragging him back from the wilderness. And, over the past two years, he has surged to the top of the sport and now stands poised to claim the biggest prize of all.
Bromell has won 15 of his last 16 races over 100m, running under 10 seconds in 10 of those events. He was riding a 14-race winning streak until he finished fifth in Monaco in June in 10.01, his first race in Europe since 2016. Bromell bounced back four days later with a victory at the Diamond League meet in Gateshead in 9.98.
&ldquo;Coming back to where I am is a lot to think about,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Just trying to stay stable and humble as possible, not to count anybody out. I don&rsquo;t want to get complacent.&rdquo;
The soft-spoken Bromell doesn&rsquo;t like to talk about being the Olympic favourite. Nor does he want to predict what time will be needed to win in Tokyo. &ldquo;The time doesn&rsquo;t matter,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the medal, the opportunity, the race itself. At the end of the day, if you win with 10.0, it&rsquo;s still a gold medal regardless if you go that fast or go 9.7 or 9.6. I&rsquo;m going into the race just wanting to be the first person to the line.&rdquo;
Bromell, who emphasizes his spiritual faith, said he is not chasing fame, glory or riches. He said he wants to use the spotlight to be a role model spreading a message of hope and resilience.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m motivated for something bigger than just a medal,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s beyond the material side of it. There&rsquo;s a bigger purpose behind all this. The message is going to shake the world. My biggest thing is being able to be a voice. Obviously if I win that gold medal, that&rsquo;s going to give me that opportunity.&rdquo;
Bromell will face a stern test in Tokyo from several other top contenders, including his USA teammates.
Baker has also battled back from injuries in impressive fashion to post eight victories this season, including Diamond League wins in July in Stockholm (10.03) and Monaco (9.91). His only defeats came in the semifinal and final at the US trials.
Kerley, the former US champion at 400m, surprised many when he dropped down to race the 100m and 200m but showed his talent with his third-place finish in the 100m at the trials.
Akani Simbine of South Africa clocked the second-fastest time of the year with an African record 9.84 in&nbsp;Szekesfehervar. The 27-year-old, who finished fifth in Rio (9.94) and fourth in Doha (9.93), is aiming to become the first African to win the Olympic 100m title since South Africa&rsquo;s Reggie Walker at the 1908 London Games.
Simbine, who won gold in the 4x100m relay at the World Relays in Poland this year, was undefeated in 18 races over 100m going back to 2020 until a third-place finish in Monaco in 9.98.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had quite the journey, I've made it to the finals of the Olympics and the World Championships, but now it feels like everything is coming together," Simbine said. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60e0c85fe440169f82aaaf5b.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 Canada&rsquo;s multiple world and Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse is always a threat. He won the 100m bronze in 9.91, silver in the 200m and bronze in the sprint relay in Rio and followed with bronze in the 100m (9.90) and silver in 200m in Doha.
De Grasse ran a season's best 9.92 in May in Jacksonville, but has run under 10 seconds only twice in seven races this year.
Also in the mix is Jamaica&rsquo;s 31-year-old Yohan Blake, the 2011 world 100m champion who won silver at the 2012 Olympics and finished fourth in Rio. The two-time Olympic relay gold medallist has won 10 out of 13 races over 100m this year, including a fastest time of 9.95.
The field includes local favourite Ryota Yamagata, who clocked a Japanese record 9.95 on 6 June in Tottori, becoming the fourth Japanese sprinter to go sub-10 seconds. Yamagata, a member of the Japanese team that claimed the 4x100m relay silver medal in Rio, will be running in his third Olympics.
Steve Wilson for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 100m

Tokyo Olympics preview: 100m

<h2>Men's 200m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=200&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a> | <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/200m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/200-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/200-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
For the first time since 2004, the men&rsquo;s Olympic 200m title will be awarded to someone not named &lsquo;Usain Bolt&rsquo;.
Following the Jamaican legend&rsquo;s retirement in 2017, USA&rsquo;s Noah Lyles has stepped up as the man to beat over the half-lap distance. As a teenager in 2016, Lyles narrowly missed out on making the US Olympic team after finishing fourth at the US Trials. Injury ruled him out of the 2017 US Championships, meaning he also missed the World Championships that year. But he rebounded later in the season to take the Diamond trophy.
He established himself as the world&rsquo;s No.1 200m sprinter in 2018, winning all of his races over the distance and notching up a series of sub-19.7 times. He continued his streak of sub-20-second finals in 2019, setting a PB of 19.50 in Lausanne and then winning the world title in Doha.
While he hasn&rsquo;t been quite as dominant this season, Lyles heads to Tokyo undefeated in finals in 2021. In fact, his last defeat in a 200m final came at the hands of Michael Norman at the Diamond League meeting in Rome in June 2019. He tops the world list with the 19.74 he ran to win the US Trials, but says that, based on the work he&rsquo;s put in this past year, he feels a big performance is just around the corner.
The last time USA won this event &ndash; back in 2004 &ndash; was also the last time they swept the medals. The same could happen again in Tokyo.
Kenny Bednarek has pushed Lyles close this year, finishing just 0.04 adrift in both of their 200m clashes. The 22-year-old, who first came to prominence in 2019 when running a wind-assisted 19.49, is one of the few men in history to have broken 10 seconds for 100m, 20 seconds for 200m and 45 seconds for 400m.
Bednarek pulled up with a slight injury in the heats of the 2019 World Championships, but will have high hopes for Tokyo after showing that he&rsquo;s in the form of his life with his 19.78 PB at the US Trials. A fast starter, expect him to have a slight lead on the fast-finishing Lyles at the half-way point.
As exciting as the Lyles-Bednarek clash was in Eugene last month, Erriyon Knighton was talk of the Trials in this event. The 17-year-old set a world U18 best of 20.04 in the heats, a world U20 record of 19.88 in the semifinal and then improved on it in the final with 19.84 to finish third, securing his place in Tokyo. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60d9b8256153404114f35410.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 He also held his own on his first overseas outing just nine days later, finishing third in a close race in Szekesfehervar, beating many other sprinters who&rsquo;ll be heading to the Games. If he makes the top three in Tokyo, he&rsquo;ll become the youngest ever medallist in a men&rsquo;s athletics event (not including discontinued disciplines).
But while the US trio are the fastest entrants, they&rsquo;re not the only medal contenders.
Liberia&rsquo;s Joe Fahnbulleh has impressed on the collegiate circuit this year and stormed to the 200m title at the NCAA Championships. The long-striding teenager produced a stunning late-race charge to win in a PB of 19.91.
He hasn&rsquo;t raced since then, but maybe the rest following his busy collegiate season will work in his favour.
Canada&rsquo;s Andre De Grasse will no doubt be in the mix. A consistent performer, he claimed 100m bronze and 200m silver at the 2016 Olympics and 2019 World Championships. He set his 200m PB of 19.80 in Rio five years ago and has come close to it already this year with 19.89.
South Africa&rsquo;s Shaun Maswanganyi, Trinidad &amp; Tobago&rsquo;s 2017 world bronze medallist Jereem Richards and 200m stalwart Alonso Edward of Panama have all been knocking on the door of the 20-second barrier this year and could be a factor through the rounds.
World 400m champion Steven Gardiner is also entered, though he&rsquo;ll face a punishing schedule if he decides to double up. The first two rounds of the 400m are on 1 and 2 August, the heats and semifinals of the 200m are on 3 August with the final one day later, then the 400m final is set for 5 August. The Bahamian may leave it to the last minute to decide whether to line up for the 200m.
Yohan Blake, the second-fastest man in history, features on the Jamaican team. He has doubled up at the past three global championships, but has fared better in the 100m, missing out on the 200m final in Rio, London and Doha.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Women's 200m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=200&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a> | <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/200m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/200-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/200-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;windReading=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
For the first time in history, six women have stormed under 22 seconds for 200m in the same year. Before 2021, the previous all-time record had been five, back in 1988, and such is the standard that one of this year&rsquo;s six &ndash; Tamara Clark &ndash; missed out on an Olympic 200m place despite running a 21.98 PB at the US trials. That time saw her finish fourth in just the second-ever race where four women went sub-22.00. The first was the 1988 Olympic final.
Going by the entry list, that stat doesn&rsquo;t look likely to last past Tokyo. The field is stacked.
First, a look at the five entered 2021 sub-22 women. The list is topped by the USA&rsquo;s Gabby Thomas, who set a world lead in each round at the US Olympic Trials, eventually improving to a remarkable 21.61 to become the second-fastest ever and secure her debut Olympic spot.
&ldquo;I am still in shock,&rdquo; the 24-year-old said afterwards. &ldquo;I can't believe I put up that time. I just want more from myself. My dream was to make the Olympic team. I am just going to set higher goals.&rdquo;
Second quickest this year is Jamaican sprint great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who returns to global championship 200m action for the first time since 2013, when she won one of the nine world titles she now has to her name. Since then, she has also claimed a second Olympic 100m title, become a mother and got even quicker &ndash; her 21.79 to win the Jamaican Championships improving on her previous best of 22.09 from the 2012 Olympics.
Next is Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s Jamaican teammate, Shericka Jackson. The Olympic and world 400m medallist is concentrating on the shorter sprints this year and like Fraser-Pryce is set to double up in the 100m and 200m in Tokyo. In the longer event she has run 21.82 which placed her second at the Jamaican Championships. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/ee44e8ae-e9ed-4d70-94d0-a3a5728e4f97.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> 
Jenna Prandini, the 2015 NCAA champion and world 4x100m medallist, and Anavia Battle are fourth and fifth on this season&rsquo;s 200m list, having run PBs of 21.89 and 21.95 to finish second and third respectively behind Thomas at the US trials.
But the quality doesn&rsquo;t end there. Just off that sub-22 season list is a trio filled with talent &ndash; Jamaica&rsquo;s reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, Britain&rsquo;s world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith and Bahamian Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who have all gone well under 22 seconds in the past few years and clearly know how to time their peaks to perfection.
Thompson-Herah is the third member of Jamaica&rsquo;s team doubling up in the women&rsquo;s 100m and 200m in Tokyo, five years after she became the first woman in 28 years to complete the Olympic sprint double in Rio. She was third at the Jamaican Championships but won her last race before the Olympics &ndash; the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Gateshead.
British record-holder (21.88) Asher-Smith &ndash; who finished fifth in the 200m in Rio five years ago &ndash; restricted her racing in 2020 to just three low-key 150m outings but is unbeaten this year, with one of her two 200m wins coming at the Diamond League in Florence where she ran 22.06.
While a number of athletes &ndash; including Asher-Smith &ndash; are targeting a 100m and 200m double, two &ndash; Miller-Uibo and Ireland&rsquo;s Phil Healy &ndash; are entered for both the 200m and 400m. The 200m is Miller-Uibo&rsquo;s focus, however, and after finishing second behind Jackson in Szekesfehervar earlier this month &ndash; her first loss over the distance since the 2017 World Championships &ndash; the 27-year-old rebounded to win the Monaco Diamond League, her last race before the Olympics. She also ran 22.03 in Florida in April and is relishing the current high standard of the event.
&ldquo;The girls out there are running great times at the minute but there is nothing I love more than great competition,&rdquo; said the 2017 world 200m bronze medallist. &ldquo;The current level we see out there is very motivating and I am very happy to see women on top of the sport now and making the headlines.&rdquo;
Given Miller-Uibo&rsquo;s achievements and experience, she will be a favourite to lead those headlines from Tokyo as she hunts for a second Olympic title following her 400m success in Rio five years ago.
Also among the entries are the Netherlands&rsquo; two-time world gold medallist Dafne Schippers, Nigeria&rsquo;s 2013 world medallist Blessing Okagbare, Switzerland&rsquo;s 2019 world bronze medallist Mujinga Kambundji, Ivory Coast&rsquo;s multiple world medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou and world sixth-placer Gina Bass, who could become the first Gambian sportsperson to reach an Olympic final.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 200m

Tokyo Olympics preview: 200m

<h2>Women's 400m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;countryCode=&amp;disciplineCode=400&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/400m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
The women&rsquo;s 400m in Tokyo looks wide open and there will be many athletes looking to make the most of the opportunity.
There is uncertainty regarding 2016 Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas, who won silver in Doha with the fifth-fastest time ever (48.37) and posted the second-best time this year (49.08) in breaking the stadium record in Eugene, Oregon.
Miller-Uibo has said she is likely to run the 200m, where she is unbeaten this season, and not the 400m, going for only one event in Tokyo because the schedule does not easily allow for the double. However, she remains entered in both events and could still decide to opt for the 400m.
If Miller-Uibo does run the 400m, she will be considered the favourite, and it would set up a compelling Olympic rematch against the USA&rsquo;s Allyson Felix.
Miller-Uibo delivered one of the most lasting images of the Rio Games, diving at the line to edge Felix by 0.07 for the gold.
The 35-year-old Felix qualified for her fifth and final Olympics, and first as a mother, by using a strong finishing burst to place second at the US Olympic Trials in 50.02 behind Quanera Hayes&rsquo; 49.78.
&ldquo;It has been a fight to get here, and one thing I know how to do is to fight,&rdquo; Felix said. &ldquo;I just did it all the way home.&rdquo;
Felix owns nine Olympic medals (six gold and three silver). Just one more medal and she will match Jamaica&rsquo;s Merlene Ottey in being the most decorated female track and field athlete in Olympic history, and equal Carl Lewis for most medals by a US track and field athlete.
Still chasing an elusive individual 400m Olympic gold, Felix qualified for Tokyo less than three years after giving birth to her daughter,&nbsp;Camryn, via an emergency delivery that threatened the life of both mother and child.
US trials winner Hayes is also the mother of a two-year-old child. She brought her son, Demetrius, on the track to celebrate along with Felix and her daughter after the 400m final in Eugene. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60fd53ffe208f5dc0745ecab.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="611" />
 Hayes and Wadeline Jonathas, who finished third at the trials in 50.03, will be making their Olympic debuts in Tokyo.
Another leading contender is Stephenie-Ann McPherson, who ran a personal best of 49.61 in winning the Jamaican trials in Kingston on 27 June. McPherson, who finished sixth in Doha, won a 4x400m relay silver medal in Rio and relay bronze in Doha.
She heads to Tokyo off the back of a series of wins, her most recent being at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Gateshead on 13 July. &ldquo;I came out here to Gateshead to work on my technique and other areas,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Now the preparation begins and watch out for Stephenie McPherson.&rdquo;
Also in the mix could be the in-form Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, who set a national record of 49.99 in June and is unbeaten in nine races over the distance this year. She also earned a bronze medal in the mixed 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays in Poland.
The 2019 European indoor silver medallist Cynthia Bolingo, who set three Belgian records in the lead-up to Tokyo, now has a best of 50.29 and will be targeting a place in the final.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Shericka Jackson, bronze medallist in the 400m and silver in the 4x400m relay in Rio and a two-time world bronze medallist at the distance, decided to move down to the 100m and 200m for Tokyo. Athing Mu, the 19-year-old American middle-distance star, produced the fourth-fastest 400m this year (49.57) but has chosen to run the 800m in Tokyo.
Steve Wilson for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 400m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;countryCode=&amp;disciplineCode=400&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/400m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;timing=electronic&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
For so long, US runners had dominated the Olympic men&rsquo;s 400m, winning gold in seven straight Games from 1984 to 2008. Then Grenada&rsquo;s Kirani James broke the streak in 2012 and South Africa&rsquo;s Wayde van Niekerk claimed gold &ndash; and the world record &ndash; in 2016.
The time may have come for the USA to reclaim the one-lap throne.
Michael Norman, considered one of the faces of the future of US track and field, shapes up as the favourite for gold in Tokyo. His USA teammates Randolph Ross and Michael Cherry are also title contenders in a highly-competitive field that also includes Van Niekerk and reigning world champion Steven Gardiner of Bahamas.
The 20-year-old Ross, son of former Olympic hurdler Duane Ross, has the world&rsquo;s fastest time this year after winning the NCAA title in June in 43.85, putting him 13th on the world all-time list.
But it was Norman who prevailed at the US Olympic Trials nine days later, clocking 44.07 for the year&rsquo;s second-best time. Cherry, a world relay gold medallist, finished second in a personal best of 44.35, fourth-best this year, and Ross was third in 44.74.
The 23-year-old Norman is viewed by many as the potential heir apparent to US 400m greats such as Lee Evans, Quincy Watts and Michael Johnson.
&ldquo;In terms of the pressure, do I feel obligated to live up to these hypes?&rdquo; asked Norman, who is coached by 1992 Olympic champion Watts.&nbsp;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t feel obligated to live up to them. I would like to live up to them.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/e096558a-c435-411f-a399-27f89420a765.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> 
This will be the first Olympics for Norman, who narrowly missed qualifying for the 2016 Rio Games when, as an 18-year-old high school student, he made a name for himself by beating Justin Gatlin in the 200m semifinals at the US trials.
Norman went on to claim the world U20 200m title later that year and captured four NCAA titles at the University of Southern California. He posted the world&rsquo;s fastest 400m times in 2018 and 2019, and is joint fourth on the all-time list with a personal best of 43.45. He also holds the indoor 400m world record of 44.52.
Hobbled by a lingering hamstring injury, Norman failed to make the final at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. But he has been flashing top form in this Olympic year. He has won five of seven races this season, including the Diamond League meeting in Doha in May where he ran 44.27. He finished third in his most recent 400m race, clocking 44.65 on 6 July in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.
Norman and Van Niekerk are the only two men who have run under 10 seconds in the 100m, 20 seconds in the 200m and 44 seconds in the 400m.&nbsp; Many experts believe Norman is the man who will break Van Niekerk&rsquo;s world record and become the first to go under 43 seconds.
Competing in Tokyo has special significance for Norman, whose mother, &nbsp;Nobue Saito, was born in Japan and set a national middle school record in the 100m. Norman, who enjoys celebrity status in Japan, has been learning some Japanese ahead of the Games.
Winning a gold medal in Tokyo would elevate him to superstar status in both countries.
What about the defending Olympic champion and world record-holder?
Since breaking Michael Johnson&rsquo;s 17-year-old world record in Rio, Van Niekerk&rsquo;s career has been beset by injuries. The two-time world champion tore his ACL in a charity touch rugby match in 2017 and has competed very little since.
Van Niekerk left it late to qualify for Tokyo, running 44.56 in Madrid on 20 June in a race where he finished second to Colombia&rsquo;s Anthony Jose Zambrano, the Doha world silver medallist. It was the first time Van Niekerk has run under 45 seconds in four years.
While the South African may not be in his 2016 form, Americans Ross and Cherry figure to be in the thick of the medal chase.
Gardiner, who took gold in Doha in 43.48, has won five of his six 400m races this year, including a run of 44.47 in Szekesfehervar on 6 July when he finished ahead of Bryce Deadmon, Norman and Cherry. In fact, his only loss was when he fell during a race in Fort Worth.
As well as his world title win in a national record, he also claimed world silver in London in 2017.
Zambrano won three of four races this season, including a best time of 44.51 in Madrid in June.
Also in contention could be Isaac Makwala of Botswana, who posted a season's best 44.47 in Chorzow, Poland, in June.
Ten years after his stunning win as a teenager at the London Games, James has flown under the radar but he did run a season&rsquo;s best 44.61 in Doha in May.
Steve Wilson for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 400m

Tokyo Olympics preview: 400m

<h2>Men's 800m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=800&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391&amp;countryCode=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/800-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/800m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/800-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/800-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/800-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
A new champion will be crowned in Tokyo for the first time since 2012, with two-time winner David Rudisha not returning to defend his title, and a number of athletes could take the step up to succeed the Kenyan great.
After breaking the world record with 1:40.91 to win his first Olympic gold in 2012, Rudisha became the first man since New Zealand&rsquo;s Peter Snell in 1964 to win consecutive 800m titles thanks to his win in Rio four years later. But injury has prevented the 2011 and 2015 world champion from competing since 2017 and during that time the major medals have been split.
France&rsquo;s Pierre-Ambroise Bosse won the 2017 world title but finished seventh in his semifinal two years later in Doha, where Donavan Brazier became the first US athlete to win a world 800m gold. The world indoor title in 2018, meanwhile, was claimed by Poland&rsquo;s Adam Kszczot.
Bosse is the only athlete from that trio in Tokyo, with Brazier finishing a shock last in the final at the US Olympic Trials. Winner on that day was Clayton Murphy, returning to the sort of form which saw him claim Olympic bronze as a 21-year-old behind Rudisha and Algeria&rsquo;s Taoufik Makhloufi.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve become a lot more confident in myself,&rdquo; said Murphy, when reflecting on his development over the past five years. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s less about &lsquo;can I do this?&rsquo; or getting excited about doing it; it&rsquo;s more &lsquo;I want to be here, I deserve to be here&rsquo;.
&ldquo;Now it&rsquo;s time to I guess show off what I have been working hard for,&rdquo; added the 2019 world eighth-place finisher, who ran his PB of 1:42.93 in Rio and clocked 1:43.17 to win the US title. &ldquo;I know I can do it, now it&rsquo;s about going there and doing it.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/548d11bb-0879-476c-a435-5bd3cfbec53c.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 There will be multiple other athletes in the field with that same mind-set, though. Murphy placed seventh at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco, which was won by Botswana&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos.
For Amos, that win in Monaco was a superb return to top form after injury struggles, including that which forced him to miss out on the 2019 World Championships. He had only raced the 800m twice since then but at the Stade Louis II stadium the 27-year-old stormed to a world lead of 1:42.91 to beat some of the rivals he will face in Tokyo, including Kenya&rsquo;s Emmanuel Korir (1:43.04), Canada&rsquo;s Marco Arop (1:43.26) and Kenya&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Ferguson Rotich (1:43.57).
&ldquo;I had an injury when I was supposed to race Doha, but running 1:42 today shows that things are going in the right direction towards the Olympics,&rdquo; Amos said.
In a race which could mirror the Olympic final, Britain&rsquo;s Elliot Giles finished fifth behind that quartet in Monaco, while Poland&rsquo;s former 400m hurdles specialist Patryk Dobek was sixth, Murphy seventh and Bosnian two-time world medallist Amel Tuka eighth.
Giles raced at the 2016 Olympics, just two years after being left barely able to walk after a motorcycle crash, and since then he has competed at every global championships. He has set PBs indoors and out in 2021, with his 1:43.63 in February breaking Seb Coe&rsquo;s British indoor 800m record and launching him to second on the world indoor all-time list.
Dobek, meanwhile, only started racing the 800m this year but quickly made an impact, winning the European indoor title in what was only his fourth competition at the distance. He set his outdoor PB of 1:43.73 in June.
Clayton&rsquo;s US teammate Isaiah Jewett, the NCAA champion, is a committed front-runner and will no doubt make the rounds interesting.
Michael Saruni joins Korir and Rotich on the Kenyan team after his win at the national trials, while Bryce Hoppel completes the US trio. Others to watch out for include Jesus Tonatiu Lopez, who ran a Mexican record of 1:43.44 earlier this month, plus Australian champion Peter Bol, NCAA indoor champion Charlie Hunter and Britain&rsquo;s Oliver Dustin.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Women's 800m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=800&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391&amp;countryCode=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/800-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/800m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/800-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/800-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/800-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
Athing Mu doesn&rsquo;t mind being called a prodigy. In fact, she embraces it.
&ldquo;Being a prodigy is something I&rsquo;ve always wanted to be,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old US middle-distance star, who has been lighting up the track with a flurry of records. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s awesome to be called that.&rdquo;
Mu&rsquo;s next wish: becoming an Olympic champion.
That goal is in sight in Tokyo, where she is among the favourites in the 800m and vying to become the first US woman to win gold at the distance in more than 50 years.
&ldquo;I was made for this,&rdquo; she said.
Mu (pronounced &ldquo;Mo&rdquo;) won the 800m at the US Trials in 1:56.07, the second-fastest time ever for a US woman and the fastest time in the world this year.
Mu burst on to the scene when she was just 16, setting a senior US indoor 600m record of 1:23.57. The athlete from Trenton, New Jersey, has gone on to break a string of high school, collegiate and age-group records from the 400m to the 800m. She was silver medallist in the 800m at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
This year, as a freshman at Texas A&amp;M, Mu broke six collegiate records, including the indoor 600m and 800m and outdoor 400m and 800m marks. She also set a world U20 indoor 800m record of 1:58.40 in February and followed it outdoors with five North American U20 records over 400m and 800m. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Carousel2/e8618579-83d7-4e5b-9b89-a3b681b710ec.jpg?cachebuster=7013b9fc-6a0a-467b-9177-b34790b7f328" alt="" width="100%" />
 Mu is the second youngest of seven siblings whose parents moved to the US from Sudan 20 years ago. She dreams of emulating Madeline Mims, who won the 800m at the 1968 Mexico City Games and remains the only US champion in the event.
&ldquo;Whenever someone asks, &lsquo;Who do you want to be?&rsquo; I say I want to be a professional athlete and I want to be an Olympian,&rdquo; Mu said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s now a reality. This is exactly where I&rsquo;m supposed to be. I&rsquo;ve worked for this.&rdquo;
Mu will face a field in Tokyo that is loaded with top contenders, including four other women who have run sub-1:57 times this year.
Rose Mary Almanza notched up a trio of 800m victories at home in Cuba and claimed victory in the 4x400m at the World Relays in Silesia. She then racked up three more wins on the European circuit, including a PB of 1:56.42 in Ordizia, which she then improved to 1:56.28 when winning at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Stockholm.
She committed to the swift early pace in Monaco and paid the price on the second lap, eventually finishing ninth, but still came away with a 1:58.51 clocking.
Almanza has competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and the past four World Championships but has never advanced beyond the semifinals.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Natoya Goule, the 2019 Pan American Games champion, ran a close second to Almanza in Stockholm in 1:56.44. She set a Jamaican record of 1:56.15 in 2018 and went on to finish sixth at the 2019 World Championships.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Werkwuha Getachew set a national record of 1:56.67 to win the Ethiopian trial race in Hengelo. That remains her only ever race outside of her home country, so it will be difficult to know what to expect from her when she steps up to the Olympic stage.
Laura Muir broke the Scottish 800m record, winning the Diamond League meet in Monaco in 1:56.73, but she has decided to run only the 1500m in Tokyo.
Britain will still be well represented, though, in Jemma Reekie, who placed second to Muir in Monaco in 1:56.96, and Keely Hodgkinson, who won the European indoor title in March and improved to 1:57.51 outdoors in her final race before the Games.
World champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda posted a national record of 1:58.03 while finishing seventh in Monaco, so is rounding into form. Raevyn Rogers and Ajee Wilson, who took silver and bronze respectively behind Nakaayi at the 2019 World Championships, will also be in contention.
France&rsquo;s Renelle Lamote, Oceanian record-holder Catriona Bisset and Canada&rsquo;s Melissa Bishop-Nriagu are among the other contenders.
Steve Wilson for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 800m

Tokyo Olympics preview: 800m

<h2>Women's 1500m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=1500&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391&amp;countryCode=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/1500m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
The outcome of the women&rsquo;s 1500m may be most influenced by whether world champion Sifan Hassan decides to do the event or not.
At the time of writing, Hassan was still considering which combination of the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m she would take on in Tokyo.
Having become the first person to combine the 1500m and 10,000m successfully at the World Championships in Doha in 2019, Hassan has made it clear that she is seeking a fresh challenge in Tokyo.
At first, that appeared to be the 5000m-10,000m double but that combination has been done before and after defeating Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon over 1500m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence in June, the Ethiopian-born Dutchwoman began to consider taking on an unprecedented distance treble.
For an athlete who has yet to win an Olympic medal, that would be an extraordinarily brave choice, particularly given that the 1500m and 5000m schedules cross over. The 1500m heats will be held on the morning of August 2, with the 5000m final that evening.
But Hassan does seem willing to take on this monumental challenge. The 1500m remains close to her heart as the event in which she made her name internationally but it will not offer her an easy ride. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/b832775b-915f-4b2b-a6eb-3556e7527749.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 The resurgent Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will be a much tougher opponent than she was in Doha, which was just a year after she gave birth to her first child.
On that occasion Kipyegon (3:54.22) finished a well-beaten second to Hassan (3:51.95) but with almost two more years of training behind her, the determined Kenyan finally turned the tables at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco earlier this month, when she produced a brilliant performance to win in 3:51.07, the fourth fastest time in history.
This underlines the danger for Hassan: that she will be picked off by specialists on fresh legs in each of her three events if she embarks on the high-risk strategy of tripling.
The 27-year-old Kipyegon has an exceptional championship record, having won or finished second in every major 1500m championship final she has contested since 2014, and has demonstrated that she is in career-best form.
Such is the pool of talent in this event that she is not the only one in that situation. Britain&rsquo;s ever-reliable Laura Muir has been on the cusp of a global championship breakthrough in this event for some years and is near her best with a 3:55.59 clocking this year that makes her the third-ranked contender.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s world indoor record-holder Gudaf Tsegay has elected to focus on the 5000m, leaving Freweyni Gebreezibeher Hailu as her country&rsquo;s top contender (3:56.28 for third place in Monaco) in this event. Her sister Lemlem Hailu and world U20 800m champion Diribe Welteji, who set an Ethiopian U20 record of 3:58.93 in Hengelo, make up the rest of the Ethiopian team.
Two other Tokyo-bound women have broken four minutes this year &ndash; US champion Elle Purrier St Pierre (3:58.03) and Australian Linden Hall (3:59.67). Both will come into medal contention if the Olympic final develops into a typical &lsquo;sit-and-kick&rsquo; championship race, which is more likely if Hassan opts out as she tends to run aggressively to bring her superior endurance into play.
The complexion of the event will change immediately based on her decision.
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 1500m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=1500&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391&amp;countryCode=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/1500m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
In recent years, there's been no stopping 1500m sensation Timothy Cheruiyot who'll start as the man to beat when competition gets underway on Thursday 3 August.
The 25-year-old Kenyan was unbeaten over the distance in 10 races over two years, a streak that included the Diamond League final and World Championships in 2019. An off day at the Kenyan Trials last month put an end to that win streak, but he bounced back quickly, logging convincing victories at the Oslo and Monaco stops on the Wanda Diamond League. At the latter he produced a sensational 3:28.28 lifetime best to pad his hold on the No.7 spot on the all-time list &ndash; and, more importantly, to illustrate to Kenyan team selectors that he did indeed deserve a spot on the Tokyo-bound squad.
His penchant for running fast from the front has electrified the event and could turn this year's final into an all-time classic &ndash; a fast, furious and feverish battle forcing the field to leave absolutely everything on the track.
For the fourth time in the past five years, Monaco's Herculis produced the year's fastest race. Cheruiyot was first across the line each time, and often had some fast company.
This year that included Jakob Ingebrigtsen, one of the sport's most precocious talents in recent memory. The Norwegian star has been one of the finest 1500m runners on the planet since 2018, making it easy to forget that he's just 20 years old. He won the 1500m/5000m double at the 2018 European Championships at just 17 and last year, before his 20th birthday, broke the European record in the event, clocking 3:28.68 to become the eighth-fastest man of all time. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/77a077f4-14c9-40e7-9350-e6a9f5689b31.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Ingebrigtsen was nearly as fast in Monaco earlier this month, clocking 3:29.25 to finish third &ndash; despite missing the previous two weeks of training due to a bacterial infection in his throat.
&ldquo;I didn't know what to expect but I managed to run fast for the entire race,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So as long as I can train well the next couple of weeks I know I'll be even better in Tokyo.&rdquo;
His goal?
"To win of course.&rdquo;
The only thing that may work against him is the fact he&rsquo;ll have potentially two rounds of the 5000m to contend with in and around the three rounds of the 1500m.
Another runner capable of having an impact in the "fast and furious" narrative is Stewart McSweyn, the 26-year-old Australian who lowered the Oceania record with his 3:29:51 run in Monaco. He's raced well all season, winning the mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo with 3:48.37, also an area record, and finishing second at the Doha Diamond League.
Others to consider in the medal hunt include Samuel Tefera, the world indoor champion, who leads the Ethiopian squad. The 21-year-old will arrive in Tokyo in the shape of his life after a 3:30.71 lifetime best in Monaco. He'll be joined by trials winner Teddese Lemi, who has improved to 3:31.90 this season.
Cheruiyot will be joined by Charles Simotwo, the Kenyan Trials winner who lowered his career best to 3:30.30 in Monaco to give Kenya a solid 1-2 punch.
Don't rule out Pole Marcin Lewandowski, who manages to snatch medals at most major championships, most recently at the 2019 World Championships where he fought his way to bronze. The 34-year-old doesn't have an Olympic medal to his credit, but a 3:30.42 national record, also in Monaco, suggests he's in form to finally collect one.
Meanwhile, Josh Kerr, a 2019 World Championships finalist, is the fastest Briton this year with 3:31.55. He'll team with Jake Wightman, who joined the sub-3:30 club in Monaco last year, clocking 3:29.47.
Matthew Centrowitz, who famously controlled the tactical 2016 Olympic final almost from the gun, will be back to defend his title, but history won't be on his side. Only one man has ever managed a successful Olympic title defence over the distance: Sebastian Coe in 1980 and 1984. If the pace is fast, speed won't be on his side either &ndash; Centrowitz hasn't dipped under 3:32 since 2018. But that wasn&rsquo;t an issue in Rio.
USA&rsquo;s best hope could lie with the fast-finishing and Cole Hocker, who won the NCAA indoor mile and 3000m double on the same day back in March, then won the outdoor NCAA 1500m title just a few days after his 20th birthday and then claimed victory at the US Trials. The versatile runner has a PB of just 3:35.28, but if the race becomes a sit-and-kick affair &ndash; which, given Cheruiyot&rsquo;s presence, may not be the case &ndash; Hocker&rsquo;s chances will improve.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 1500m

Tokyo Olympics preview: 1500m

<h2>Men's 5000m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=5000&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391&amp;countryCode=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/5000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/5000m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/5000-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/5000-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/5000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
Four of the main contenders in the men&rsquo;s 5000m will enter the event off the back of competing in another discipline.
Ugandan duo Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo are entered for the 10,000m, held four days before the first round of the 5000m. Jakob Ingebrigtsen is entered for the 1500m, the heats of which take place on the same day as the 5000m heats, while the semis and final are respectively held one day before and after the 5000m final. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getnet Wale, meanwhile, will potentially have two rounds of the steeplechase in his legs before turning his attention to the 5000m.
But Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir, one of the breakthrough sensations of the year, will start the 12-and-a-half-lap event with fresh legs, which could give him the slight advantage.
In terms of pure speed, Cheptegei tops the bill as he owns the world record for the distance with his 12:35.36 clocking from 2019. The 10,000m has been his focus at recent major championships and he won the world title for that distance in 2019. He is no stranger to doubling up, too, as he contested the 5000m and 10,000m in Rio and claimed gold in both events at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
In his only 5000m race of the year, Cheptegei was a well-beaten sixth at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence in 12:54.69, the second-fastest of his career. But in 2019 he rebounded from similar early-season results to win the Diamond League title against a high-quality field.
Compatriot Jacob Kiplimo, still only 20 years of age, hasn&rsquo;t been beaten on the track since the 2018 World U20 Championships. Last year he set a Ugandan 3000m record of 7:26.64, clocked a 5000m PB of 12:48.63 to win in Ostrava, won the world half marathon title in Gdynia and then set a national half marathon record of 57:37 in Valencia.
The versatile Kiplimo has raced sparingly this year but won both of his races, clocking a world-leading PB of 26:33.93 over 10,000m and winning over 5000m in Lucerne in 12:55.60. He has never doubled up at a major championships, but he has the ability and endurance to be a big contender in both the 5000m and 10,000m.
Ingebrigtsen is no stranger to a distance double &ndash; or, as was the case at the 2017 European U20 Championships, a triple. The 20-year-old Norwegian won the European 1500m and 5000m titles in 2018 at the age of 17, and earlier this year he claimed 1500m and 3000m gold at the European Indoor Championships.
He finished fourth and fifth over 1500m and 5000m at the 2019 World Championships, but has improved in both events since then. In fact, he&rsquo;ll head to Tokyo as the European record-holder over 1500m (indoors and out), 2000m and 5000m. His latest continental record-breaking performance came when winning the 5000m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence in a world-leading PB of 12:48.45.
But the field of athletes he beat in that race was more significant than the time itself. Cheptegei, Katir, two-time world champion Muktar Edris and Canadian duo Moh Ahmed and Justyn Knight all finished in Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s wake, giving the Norwegian a significant psychological advantage heading into the Games.
Katir finished fourth in Florence in a Spanish record of 12:50.79. He then went on to set national records over 1500m (3:28.76) in Monaco and 3000m (7:27.64) in Gateshead. Still relatively new on the international circuit, Katir will be making his global championships debut in Tokyo. But his finishing speed in all of his Wanda Diamond League performances this year suggests he can be a major factor in championship-style racing. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60edfe4816290989cabdbd19.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Before this year, Getnet Wale was better known as a steeplechaser. But after some strong performances indoors &ndash; including a 7:24.98 run over 3000m to move to second on the world indoor all-time list &ndash; the Ethiopian started to focus more on flat events. He won the Ethiopian Olympic Trial race over 5000m, clocking a PB of 12:53.28 to book his place in Tokyo in that discipline. He has also been named in the steeplechase, though, and will be just as big a factor in that event. But this will be the first time he&rsquo;s had to double up at a major event.
Nibret Melak, a two-time Ethiopian cross-country champion, and world U20 cross-country champion Milkesa Mengesha join Wale on Ethiopia&rsquo;s 5000m team.
Canada&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Moh Ahmed finished third in Florence this year in 12:50.12, just ahead of compatriot Justyn Knight (12:51.93). They head to Tokyo as the second- and fourth-fastest entrants in the 5000m and will likely be in the medal hunt.
Trials winner Nicholas Kimeli leads the Kenyan team. Daniel Simiyu, who finished a close second to Kiplimo in Lucerne, is also Tokyo-bound.
USA&rsquo;s 2016 Olympic silver medallist Paul Chelimo and Bahrain&rsquo;s Asian champion Birhanu Balew, a finalist at the past three global championships, are also ones to watch.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Women's 5000m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=5000&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391&amp;countryCode=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/5000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/5000m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/5000-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/5000-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/5000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
In Gudaf Tsegay, Ejgayehu Taye, Senbere Teferi, Hellen Obiri and Agnes Tirop, the Tokyo entry list features five of the world&rsquo;s 10 fastest ever 5000m women. Add Sifan Hassan &ndash; 12th on that all-time list &ndash; to the mix, and you have the recipe for a mouth-watering Olympic battle.
Tsegay goes into the race as world leader thanks to her 14:13.32 PB to win the Ethiopian Trials in Hengelo on 8 June, with Taye and Teferi just behind her on that all-time list courtesy of their respective 14:14.09 and 14:15.24 PBs in the same race.
Also on that night, Letesenbet Gidey broke the world 10,000m record but despite having the world 5000m record of 14:06.62 from Valencia last October to her name too, the world 10,000m silver medallist has decided to focus on the longer event in Tokyo.
Since contesting the 800m at the Rio Olympics five years ago, exiting in the heats, Tsegay has gone on to take world 1500m bronze. She also broke the world indoor record for that distance in February, blazing over the finish line in 3:53.09 to take two seconds off the mark which had been set by her compatriot Genzebe Dibaba in 2014. She has less experience in the 5000m but also won the Ethiopian Championships in the event in April, clocking 14:49.7 at the altitude of Addis Ababa. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/20d035dd-451a-4d5b-9bcd-ce8800d8a427.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 When it comes to major championships, Obiri &ndash; the only woman to have ever won a set of world titles indoors, outdoors and at cross country &ndash; has been the dominant force in recent years, winning world 5000m titles in both 2017 and 2019 after her runner-up finish to her compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot in Rio five years ago. She may have finished second at the Kenyan Trials behind Lilian Kasait Rengeruk but Obiri &ndash; who is also entered for the 10,000m &ndash; went on to win at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Oslo. The 31-year-old knows how to peak and will be on the hunt for a first Olympic title.
So too will Hassan. After winning world 1500m and 10,000m titles in Doha in 2019, her focus had seemed to switch to a 5000m and 10,000m double for Tokyo, but the world mile record-holder&rsquo;s 3:53.63 1500m win in Florence last month convinced her to keep her options open and she is entered for all three events. The 5000m would be the first in a potential treble, with the heats on 30 July and final on the evening of 2 August, following the 1500m heats earlier that day.
&ldquo;I say life is not about medals, it is not about gold, it is also about history,&rdquo; the Dutch runner has said. &ldquo;I made the decision to run the 1500m (in Doha) even though I didn&rsquo;t know if it was possible because nobody before had done it (the 1500m-10,000m double).&rdquo;
She could complete the first part of another historic performance with 5000m success in Tokyo. Her European record of 14:22.12 was set in 2019 and she has run 14:35.34 this year but her focus has been on getting a range of experiences over the different distances. She took more than 10 seconds off the world 10,000m record with her 29:06.82 run in Hengelo in June, a mark which was improved by Gidey just two days later.
Joining Obiri and Rengeruk on the Kenyan team in Tokyo will be Tirop, who makes her senior major championships 5000m debut after having claimed bronze medals in the 10,000m at the past two World Championships. Third at the Kenyan trials, she ran her PB of 14:20.68 in 2019.
Nozomi Tanaka, who has broken Japanese records in the 1500m and 3000m this year, is on the host nation team alongside national champion Ririka Hironaka, while Eilish McColgan returns to 12.5-lap action after breaking Paula Radcliffe&rsquo;s British 5000m record with 14:28.55 in Oslo. Two-time NCAA champion Karissa Schweizer is the quickest of the USA&rsquo;s trio (14:26.34 PB from 2020), while Norway's Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal ran 14:47.67 in Oslo and also clocked a non-record eligible 14:39 for 5km on the road in May.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 5000m

Tokyo Olympics preview: 5000m

<h2>Women's 10,000m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;countryCode=&amp;disciplineCode=10K&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/10000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/10000m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/10000-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/10000-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/10000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
Two world records, just two days apart, and now the world&rsquo;s all-time top two are preparing to go head-to-head on the biggest stage of them all. The women&rsquo;s 10,000m looks set to be quite a show.
In one of the most highly anticipated clashes of the Games, Dutch star Sifan Hassan, the double 2019 world champion and multiple world record-holder, will take on Ethiopia&rsquo;s Letesenbet Gidey, the world silver medallist who now has both the world 5000m and 10,000m records to her name, as they look to build on the history they made in Hengelo earlier this summer.
First it was Hassan in the spotlight. Racing on home soil at the FBK Games on 6 June, the 28-year-old ran 29:06.82 to take more than 10 seconds off the world 10,000m record of 29:17.45 which had been set by Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana five years earlier at the Rio Olympics.
But just two days later it was Gidey&rsquo;s turn to take to the Hengelo track for the Ethiopian Trials. Running 29:01.03, the 23-year-old improved the record by a further five seconds. Could another world record at the Olympic Games be on the cards?
&ldquo;I was happy that it was broken after two days because I want the 10,000m to become exciting and for me it also gives me more motivation to work hard,&rdquo; said Hassan. &ldquo;I know the Games is not going to be easy.&rdquo;
And Hassan&rsquo;s campaign will be even more of a challenge due to the fact that the 10,000m could be the final of three events she contests in Tokyo as she is also entered for the 5000m and 1500m in Japan. Having previously suggested that her focus would be on the 5000m and 10,000m double, the world mile record-holder&rsquo;s 3:53.63 1500m win in Florence last month convinced her to keep her options open. Should Hassan decide to do all three, and progress to each final, the 10,000m would fall on her fifth day of competition, after the 5000m heats on 30 July and final on 2 August, and the 1500m heats on 2 August, semifinals on 4 August and final on 6 August, before the 10,000m on 7 August.
Gidey, however, would be racing on fresh legs, with the 10,000m her sole focus in Tokyo. The pair have only clashed once before over the distance and that was at the 2019 World Championships where Hassan beat Gidey to gold, 30:17.33 to 30:21.23, and with a 3:59.09 last 1500m. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/a9063180-7ce2-48ba-83ae-8660317e95b4.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Behind them, the race for bronze looks open. Kenya&rsquo;s team features the greatly experienced Hellen Obiri, the two-time world 5000m champion who may choose to take on the 10,000m after her main event, plus Sheila Chelangat and Irene Cheptai.
Joining Gidey on the Ethiopia team for Tokyo are world U20 3000m and cross country bronze medallist Tsigie Gebreselama, who was second behind Gidey (30:06.01) in Hengelo, and world 5000m fourth-place finisher Tsehay Gemechu. World 1500m bronze medallist Gudaf Tsegay is the athlete to have gone closest to Gidey and Hassan in 2021 with 29:39.42 in Maia in May, but she looks set to contest the 5000m in Tokyo.
Behind Tsegay in Portugal, Bahrain&rsquo;s Kalkidan Gezahegne clocked a national record of 29:50.77 to finish second, while the 2010 world indoor 1500m champion has also run a 5000m PB of 14:52.92 this season.
Starring for the host nation is Hitomi Niiya, who won the 2007 Tokyo Marathon as an 18-year-old and raced at the London 2012 Olympics before stepping away from the sport two years later. She returned in 2018 and set national records for the 10,000m (30:20.44) and half-marathon (1:06:38) in 2020. Ririka Hironaka (31:11.75) and Yuka Ando (31:18.18) have both run PBs this year.
The USA&rsquo;s two-time NCAA champion Karissa Schweizer improved her 10,000m best to 30:47.99 in February, while the field also features Norway&rsquo;s Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal, Germany&rsquo;s world 5000m bronze medallist Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Eilish McColgan, who broke Paula Radcliffe&rsquo;s British 5000m record with 14:28.55 in Oslo on 1 July and is getting ready to compete in the city where her mother and coach, Liz, won the world 10,000m title 30 years ago.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 10,000m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;countryCode=&amp;disciplineCode=10K&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/10000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/10000m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/10000-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/10000-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/10000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
With two-time winner Mo Farah missing from the field, a new Olympic men&rsquo;s 10,000m champion will be crowned in Tokyo for the first time since 2012.
Two Ugandan stars &ndash; world record-holder Joshua Cheptegei and world-leader Jacob Kiplimo &ndash; shape up as the men to beat in an event in which some of the sport&rsquo;s all-time greats have won consecutive golds dating back to 1996.
The men&rsquo;s 10,000m is the first track-and-field medal event of the Tokyo Games, with the 25-lap final being contested on the opening day of the athletics programme on 30 July.
The last time the Olympics were held in Tokyo, the men&rsquo;s 10,000m produced one of the greatest athletics upsets in Games history. Unheralded USA runner Billy Mills, a Native American, sprinted past the leaders in the final straight of an epic race to claim gold at the 1964 Games &ndash; the first, and still only, US athlete to win the event.
Fans can look forward to what should be a thrilling competition in Tokyo, even without the reigning champion on the start line.
Farah, who swept the 5000m and 10,000m at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, failed to make the British team for Tokyo. The 38-year-old missed the qualifying time in an invitational 10,000m race at the British Championships, clocking 27:47.04, nearly 20 seconds off the time he needed to secure his spot at a third Games.
Farah was the third man in a row to win back-to-back 10,000m titles, following Ethiopian greats Haile Gebrselassie in 1996-2000 and Kenenisa Bekele in 2004-2008.
Tokyo will see a new face atop the podium.
Ugandan teammates Cheptegei and Kiplimo are both attempting the 5000m-10,000m double in Tokyo.
This is the second Olympics for the 24-year-old Cheptegei, who finished sixth in the 10,000m and eighth in the 5000m in Rio.
He has since risen to the top of the sport, earning silver at the 2017 World Championships in London and gold in Doha in 2019. He also completed the 5000m-10,000 double at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
Then came Cheptegei&rsquo;s spectacular year in 2020. He broke the 5000m world record in Monaco with a time of 12:35.36, beating Bekele&rsquo;s 16-year-old record by two seconds. Less than two months later, Cheptegei shattered the 10,000m record, running 26:11.00 in Valencia to shave more than six seconds off Bekele&rsquo;s 15-year-old mark.
On top of all that, within a spectacular span of 10 months, Cheptegei also broke world records in the 5km and 10km road races.
It is difficult to gauge Cheptegei&rsquo;s current 10,000m form. He hasn&rsquo;t run the distance this year, competing only in three races, at 1500m, 3000m and 5000m.
The 20-year-old Kiplimo, meanwhile, stated his Tokyo intentions in stunning fashion by clocking a world-leading 26:33.93 in Ostrava on 19 May, the second-fastest time over the distance since 2008 and elevating him to seventh on the world all-time list. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60fbef73aa2c55aaf69f56ba.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Kiplimo&rsquo;s time was nearly a full 15 seconds faster than that recorded by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Selemon Barega, who ran this year&rsquo;s second-best time of 26:49.51 at his national trials in Hengelo on 8 June.
Kiplimo was just 15 when he competed in Rio as the youngest ever Olympian from Uganda, running in the heats of the 5000m. That was the launch pad for his dazzling rise through the ranks: He claimed the world U20 cross-country title at age 16, claimed silver at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships and became world half-marathon champion in 2020. He missed the 2019 World Championships in Doha through injury.
Kiplimo qualified for the Olympic 5000m by running 12:55.60 at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Stadion Allmend in Luzern, Switzerland on 30 June, setting him up for the long-distance double in Tokyo.
The Ethiopian 10,000m challenge is led by Barega and Yomif Kejelcha, the world silver medallists over 5000m and 10,000m respectively.
Kenya has not won Olympic gold in the men&rsquo;s 10,000m since Naftali Temu at the 1968 Mexico City Games. The country&rsquo;s chances in Tokyo received a blow when 2015 world silver medallist Geoffrey Kamworor was forced to pull out with an ankle injury. His place will now be filled by world bronze medallist Rhonex Kipruto, while the other Kenyan contenders are Rodgers Kwemoi, who finished fourth in Doha, and Weldon Kipkirui Langat.
The USA entrants are Woody Kincaid, Grant Fisher and Joe Klecker. They finished 1-2-3 at the US Trials, with Kincaid running a blistering final lap to win in 27:53.62.
Steve Wilson for World Athletics

OLYMPIC GAMES

Five to follow on day 10 at the Games

(More than) five things to follow on day nine at the Games

(At least) five things to follow on day eight in Tokyo

Five things to follow on day seven in Tokyo

Five things to follow on day six in Tokyo