USA's Lyles, Jefferson-Wooden strike golds in 200m finals at World Championships

Noah Lyles stormed to his fourth consecutive title in the men's 200 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Friday.

The American sprinter looked confident on the starting line and never left any doubt. The 28-year-old crossed the line first in 19.52 seconds, ahead of compatriot Kenny Bednarek, who took silver in 19.58. Jamaica's Bryan Levell claimed bronze after clocking a personal best of 19.64 seconds.

The victory moves Lyles level with Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt, who also won four straight golds in the 200 meters from 2009 to 2015.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden added to the USA's celebrations by completing a sprint double. After her victory in the women's 100 meters earlier in the week, the 24-year-old struck gold in the 200 meters with the fastest time of the year – 21.68 seconds. Britain's Amy Hunt earned silver, while Jamaica's Shericka Jackson, the two-time defending champion, settled for bronze.

In the men's 400 meter hurdles, Olympic champion Rai Benjamin overcame a scare after being briefly disqualified due to his foot hitting the final obstacle and slightly dislodging a hurdle in a neighborning lane. Following a successful appeal, protesting that the minor disruption did not affect the standings, he was reinstated and captured his first world title in 46.52 seconds.

The women's 400 meter hurdles final proved less dramatic. Femke Bol of the Netherlands retained her crown in a world-leading 51.54 seconds, capping off a remarkable season for the 25-year-old.

In the men's triple jump, Portugal's Pedro Pichardo leaped 17.91 meters on his final attempt to secure the gold medal. China's Su Wen finished 10th at 16.66, while compatriot Zhu Yawen placed 11th with a mark of 16.51 meters.

China's Wang Zhaozhao strode to silver in the men's 20 kilometer race walk, with gold going to Brazil's Caio Bonfim to highlight Saturday morning's events.

Wang was part of the leading group from the start, along with compatriots Qian Haifeng and Li Chenjie. Just past the hour mark, Japan's world record holder and race leader Toshikazu Yamanishi received his third red card and a two-minute penalty. That allowed Spain's Alvaro Lopez to move into first place, with Wang close behind.

But Bonfim, who had already picked up silver in the 35 kilometer race walk in the Japanese capital, surged past both Lopez and Wang to grab the gold in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 35 seconds. Wang crossed the line eight seconds later to secure silver, with Spain's Paul McGrath garnering bronze, another two seconds off the pace.

Qian finished sixth while Lopez faded to 21st and Li placed 24th.

In the women's 20 kilometer race walk, Spain's Maria Perez maintained her dominance in the race. After topping the podium at the 35 kilometer distance last weekend, she added the 20 kilometer title with a season best time of 1 hour, 25 minutes and 54 seconds.

Perez successfully defended both titles, repeating her double triumph from Budapest in 2023. Mexico's Alegna Gonzalez took silver, while Japan's Nanako Fujii collected bronze in a national record time. China's world record holder and reigning Olympic champion Yang Jiayu placed sixth, while Wu Quanming finished eighth and Ma Li crossed the line ninth.