Tokyo 2025 World Championships: Champion vs Challengers, Veterans, and Underdogs (women's 100m event)

The women's 100m event at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships will arguably be the most competitive in recent years and one for the history books.

From the defending champion Sha'Carri Richardson to her top challengers in Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Julien Alfred, and Tina Clayton, the veterans - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith, and underdogs - Kayla White, Shericka Jackson, and Dina Asher-Smith, they're all capable of victory in the event.

Defending champion Sha'Carri Richardson has struggled to regain the form that saw her win the women's 100m title at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

She has not broken 11 seconds this season and withdrew before the final at the US Championships, but will compete in Tokyo courtesy of the wildcard afforded to the defending champion.

Notwithstanding, Richardson will aim to prove that a champion shows up to defend her crown no matter what, and considering her precedents as a championship performer, she's definitely capable of producing her best performances this season in Tokyo.

Julien Alfred

Saint Lucia's golden girl Julien Alfred will aim for her first world title, seeking to add to her history-making Paris 2024 Olympic victory.

Her debut appearance at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest saw her finish fifth in the final. Ever since, she has risen to the pinnacle of the sport with an undefeated 2024 season, as well as claimed all major championship titles she participated in.

Now more experienced and basking in high confidence, Alfred will be gunning to overcome all odds with her eyes set on another gold medal and write her name in Saint Lucia's history books again.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden

US champion Jefferson-Wooden is definitely in the best shape of her career, and on paper stands as the favourite for the world title, being the world leader and undefeated this year.

The Paris Olympics bronze medallist will be Alfred and Richardson's biggest challenger, having defeated the Olympic champion once this year at the Eugene Diamond League in a narrow 10.75s to Alfred’s 10.77s running into a -1.5m/s headwind.

A podium finish in Paris gave Jefferson-Wooden a taste of global success, and brewing in high confidence this season, highlighted by clocking a world-leading 10.65s to win the US Championships, which lifted her to No.5 on the world all-time list, confirmed that she would be the woman to beat in Tokyo.

Tina Clayton

Rising star Tina Clayton will lead Jamaica’s charge and is the only other woman with a top-10 time this year (10.81s).

Despite the absence of her twin, Tia Clayton (10.82s this year), who competed in the Olympic final last year, Tina will aim to showcase her own prowess that she has matured into her own and is capable of continuing Jamaica's medal-winning streak in the event at the world championships.

Five-time world champion Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce will have the chance to bid farewell to global athletics as she wished, by competing in the 100m at her ninth World Championships.

She may not be the favourite for the world title in Tokyo, but she is certainly not a pushover to get to the final. With her historic track record of always winning medals in major finals, the Jamaican sprint legend will be focused on the podium to wrap up her illustrious career.

Likewise, Ivorian legend Ta Lou-Smith through the course of the season, gave flashes of brilliance as one to keep an eye on for a possible podium placement.

As a two-time world championships medallist, the 36-year-old will also be having her final career dance in Tokyo, and will gun to make it memorable with another medal in her name.

Also a veteran in the women's sprints but will be in Tokyo as an underdog, Shericka Jackson is one to keep an eye on for her first world title in the women's 100m event.

The Jamaican sprint queen won a silver medal behind Richardson in Budapest, and despite not being at her best since then, she remains a force capable of a stunning upset.

Kayla White, the runner-up at the highly competitive US Championships, and British record holder Dina Asher-Smith are also noteworthy names that should never be underestimated.