In 2021, Tokyo was witness to the Olympics, which saw sports persevere despite fans having to stay away, confined to their homes. Four years later, the same National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, is packed and vibrant as the fans welcome back their favorite track and field icons for the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

In the next 8 days, records will be challenged, history will be rewritten, and along the way, we will see the athletes turn into part entertainers for their beloved fans. But don’t let that fool you. These global sporting superstars are here for the medals, and they will be competing for every millimeter and every millisecond. And to take us through all these, we will have some notable names in the commentary box who are not just here to be the expert voice for the fans, but to leave us with an enriching experience of a lifetime. So, let’s see what the on-air lineup looks like.

Who are the lead play-by-play commentators?

The American viewers will catch the action on NBC Sports. And the famous Paul Swangard and Bill Spaulding join in as the play-by-play announcers, making it yet another high-profile assignment together. The two are the most reputed voices when it comes to covering track and field competitions. Both of them were on duty at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Paul Swangard is the well-known voice you hear at Hayward Field, while the Paris Olympics were Spaulding’s fifth Olympics as a play-by-play commentator with NBCU. So, they have plenty of experience—and they’ll get help from some former World Athletics stars during the Tokyo Championships coverage.

Expert analysts and former athletes

The NBC Sports broadcast team is ably complemented by Ato Bolton, a four-time Olympic medalist. That kind of pedigree is absolutely distinguished, which brings first-hand experience of being in similar high-voltage situations, a relatable aspect that Bolton can bring to his analysis while covering the Tokyo event now. And he is not alone. There’s Trey Hardee, the 2012 London Olympic decathlon silver medalist, and two-time Olympic distance runner Kara Goucher joining the NBC team.

And Lewis Johnson fills in as reporter, bringing his rich experience of working with ABC, NBC, and CBS. And he was a runner himself in his college days. So, when it comes to putting together a coverage crew for the World Athletics Championships, NBC has done it quite neatly.

The past accolades of Bolton, Hardee, and Goucher bring credibility to their analysis, which the fans would love to hear. And while watching the competitions unraveling in real time, the insights of these former athletes – be it relating to the mental strategies, tactical choices, or even the biomechanics of block setup, drive phase, relaxation in the last 30m, etc., which they will easily notice, insights that truly make the fan’s viewing experience quite educational, too, not to mention engaging.

How to watch the World Athletics Championships 2025

In the USA, the Tokyo Championships is being covered not just by NBC Sports, but also across Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC. This includes broadcasting and streaming (Peacock). Check out the session-by-session schedule and where to watch it from World Athletics’ website. Outside the USA, the BBC (TV channels and BBC iPlayer) brings live coverage for the fans in UK. In Canada, it is being covered by CBC.

European coverage is being supported by Warner Bros. Discovery (Eurosport/Discovery+) and Eurovision Sport (streaming by Discovery+ and HBO Max). Australia has dual free-to-air access to the Tokyo Championships for its fans, whereby Channel Nine and SBS deliver live and on-demand content via the 9Now and SBS On Demand/SBS Viceland.

World Athletics has a “Where to watch” hub that lists local broadcasters by country. You can check it out to confirm which platform has the Championship coverage rights in your territory. World Athletics also sometimes streams select events or highlights via their official YouTube channels and World Athletics Plus service.

Featured athletes to watch

This is what you have come for, isn’t it? And two days down, the Championships have gotten off to a smooth start. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is here, and the headline is her open 400m debut at the World Championships ever. She is the 400m hurdles queen, but this transition and her chances at making yet another world record (she has broken the world record in hurdles six times) are what make the true athletics fans turn up in anticipation.

Goku is here, and he’s possessed Noah Lyles — his opponents can’t exactly breathe easy, can they? 100m heat, and on September 14, he defends his title, reviving the rivalry with Paris Olympic Champion Letsile Tebogo. And Lyles has his historic fourth 200m title to chase.

Then there’s Grant Holloway (110mH), Masai Russell (100mH), Rai Benjamin (400mH and 4x400m relay), Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (100m), and Sha’Carri Richardson (100m). All of them are either Paris Olympics medalists or defending World Champions. Ryan Crouser came in as the two-time defending Shot put champion and claimed his third straight title on September 13. And this is just the US contingent.

You would just expect Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) to claim his pole vault title, the way he has monopolized that event and even the world record. Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) and Josh Kerr (Great Britain) will be highlights in the 1500m race. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) in the 5000m, Femke Bol (Netherlands) in the 400mH, and Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic) in the 400m are some other names you should keep an eye on.

But let’s not limit our gaze. This is the World Athletics Championships. This is the stage where superstars announce their arrival.