The Budapest World Athletics Championships of 2023 laid bare the gulf in scale between the United States and Japan on the global stage. The American squad dominated with 29 medals, 12 gold, 8 silver, and 9 bronze, while Japan managed only two podium finishes, courtesy of Haruka Kitaguchi’s javelin gold and Masatora Kawano’s 35 km race walk bronze. Those figures revealed contrasting positions for the United States and Japan.

Yet in September 2025, the circumstances will differ dramatically. The World Athletics Championships return to Tokyo for the first time since 1991. Unlike the pandemic-disrupted Olympics four years ago, the Japanese capital will host packed stands, sweltering heat, and national expectations. Home athletes such as Kitaguchi, Kawano, and rising stars like Kiryū Yoshihide

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