Hotshots Gunning for Grand Finale

Energised Lyles among stars out to leave marks at season-ending Tokyo world meet

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TOKYO - Noah Lyles and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone lead the US medal charge at the World Athletics Championships that get underway in Tokyo on Sept 13, while Armand Duplantis is expected to cement his legacy as the greatest pole vaulter in history.

They will be among some of the sport's biggest names, such as Faith Kipyegon, Karsten Warholm and Femke Bol, who will be seeking to etch their names into the history books over nine days of action.

These world championships will close a 2025 season that has featured 15 thrilling Diamond League meets and Michael Johnson's fledgling Grand Slam Track series.

Grand Slam was launched in the hope of bringing the top track performers together, but it floundered and the last of the four-meet series was cancelled due to financial difficulties.

Paris Olympic 100m champions Lyles and Julien Alfred opted out of the series, instead focusing on the Diamond League, and both notched up morale-boosting victories at the circuit's Finals in Zurich in August.

Lyles said he would head to Tokyo "with a lot of energy (and) I will use that to my advantage", after outstripping Botswana's Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo over the longer sprint.