Six alumni of the California track & field team will close out their 2025 season over the next several days at Tokyo's National Stadium, joining a group of over 2,000 of the world's top athletes from approximately 200 countries to seek glory at the World Athletics Championships. Forty-nine events will be contested across nine days from Sept. 13-21, with the full slate of competition set to show on Peacock and select events on CNBC.
 
Canadian Olympic hammer champion Camryn Rogers, who won her first world title two years ago, will look to defend her crown against some of the best throwers in history. The United States' Brooke Anderson has thrown the farthest distance of any competitor this season with a mark of 79.29m (260-1), one spot ahead of Rogers' PR and new Canadian record of 78.88m (258-9) thrown in July. Americans Rachel Richeson (78.80m/258-6) and DeAnna Price (78.53m/257-7), the latter of whom claimed gold at the USA Track & Field Championships in July, have likewise crossed the 78-meter barrier this season, while world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland, who has a PR of 82.98m (272-3), will appear in her seventh World Championships. Rogers will be joined in the hammer field by former Cal teammate and two-time British Champion Anna Purchase, who likewise made the World Championships final in 2023 and has a best mark this year of 72.96m (239-4), just two inches behind her personal best of 73.02m (239-6). On the men's side, 2024 NCAA Champion and Olympic Finalist Rowan Hamilton will enter a stacked field that includes fellow Canadian Ethan Katzberg, the reigning World and Olympic champion with a personal best of 84.38m (276-10), 2024 Olympic silver medalist Bence Halász of Hungary (83.18m/272-10) and American record-holder Rudy Winkler (83.16m/272-10).
 
Discus world record-holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania, who graduated from Cal this past spring, is fresh off his first Diamond League title and seeks his first gold medal on the senior world stage. He previously claimed silver in 2022 and bronze in 2023 but will be the favorite to win next week as the only man in history to throw the discus over 75 meters, recording his personal best of 75.56m (247-10) in April of this year. Alekna will be challenged by the likes of Sweden's Daniel Ståhl, the reigning world champion with a PR of 71.86m (235-9), as well as all-time No. 2 thrower Matty Denny of Australia (74.78m/245-4) and 2022 World champion Kristjan Čeh of Slovenia (72.36m/237-5). Jamaica's Ralford Mullings, who has defeated Alekna twice this year, will also be in attendance after throwing a PR of 72.01m (236-3) in August. In the women's competition, 2024 Olympian Caisa-Marie Lindfors (Sweden) will look to win her first World medal after a successful season in which she posted the third-farthest mark in Swedish history (62.57m/205-3) but faces a group of tough challengers such as American record-holder Valarie Allman (73.52m/241-2) and 2023 World champion Laulauga Tausaga (USA, 70.72m/232-0).
 
Cal's only runner at the 2025 World Championships is Great Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell, who will enter the 800m after taking bronze in the 1500m at last summer's Olympic Games. She ran a personal-best 1:55.96 just two weeks ago in Zürich, Switzerland, which ranks as the third-fastest time in the world this season (behind fellow Brit Keely Hodgkinson's 1:54.74 and Audrey Werro of Switzerland's 1:55.91) as well as the second-fastest time in British history. 2023 World champion Mary Moraa of Kenya will also be returning to the big stage but has not raced in the event since late July and will enter the competition with a season's-best 1:57.83.
 
 
Cal Alumni at the World Athletics Championships – Pacific Standard Time (PST) Schedule
Friday, Sept. 12
Women's Discus Qualifier (Caisa-Marie Lindfors) – 5 p.m. (Group A)/6:40 p.m. (Group B)
 
Saturday, Sept. 13
Women's Hammer Qualifier (Anna Purchase, Camryn Rogers) – 5 p.m. (Group A)/6:45 p.m. (Group B)
 
Sunday, Sept. 14
Women's Discus Final (if qualified: Caisa-Marie Lindfors) – 3:12 a.m.
Men's Hammer Qualifier (Rowan Hamilton) – 5 p.m. (Group A)/6:45 p.m. (Group B)
 
Monday, Sept. 15
Women's Hammer Final (if qualified: Anna Purchase, Camryn Rogers) – 5 a.m.
 
Tuesday, Sept. 16
Men's Hammer Final (if qualified: Rowan Hamilton) – 5:01 a.m.
 
Thursday, Sept. 18
Women's 800m Heats (Georgia Hunter Bell) – 3:58 a.m.
 
Friday, Sept. 19
Women's 800m Semifinal (if qualified: Georgia Hunter Bell) – 4:43 a.m.
Men's Discus Qualifier (Mykolas Alekna) – 5 p.m. (Group A)/6:35 p.m. (Group B)
 
Sunday, Sept. 21
Women's 800m Final (if qualified: Georgia Hunter Bell) – 3:35 a.m.
Men's Discus Final (if qualified: Mykolas Alekna) – 4:10 a.m.
 
 
Bears at the World Athletics Championships – Japan Standard Time (JST) Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 13
Women's Discus Qualifier (Caisa-Marie Lindfors) – 9 a.m. (Group A)/10:40 a.m. (Group B)
 
Sunday, Sept. 14
Women's Hammer Qualifier (Anna Purchase, Camryn Rogers) – 9 a.m. (Group A)/9:45 a.m. (Group B)
Women's Discus Final (if qualified: Caisa-Marie Lindfors) – 7:12 p.m.
 
Monday, Sept. 15
Men's Hammer Qualifier (Rowan Hamilton) – 9 a.m. (Group A)/10:45 a.m. (Group B)
Women's Hammer Final (if qualified: Anna Purchase, Camryn Rogers) – 9 p.m.
 
Tuesday, Sept. 16
Men's Hammer Final (if qualified: Rowan Hamilton) – 9:01 p.m.
 
Thursday, Sept. 18
Women's 800m Heats (Georgia Hunter Bell) – 7:58 p.m.
 
Friday, Sept. 19
Women's 800m Semifinal (if qualified: Georgia Hunter Bell) – 48:43 p.m.
 
Saturday, Sept. 20
Men's Discus Qualifier (Mykolas Alekna) – 9 a.m. (Group A)/10:35 a.m. (Group B)
 
Sunday, Sept. 21
Women's 800m Final (if qualified: Georgia Hunter Bell) – 7:35 p.m.
Men's Discus Final (if qualified: Mykolas Alekna) – 8:10 p.m.
 
                                                                                                                                                                            
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal track & field, follow the Bears on X (@CalTFXC), Instagram (@caltfxc) and Facebook (@Cal Cross Country/Track and Field).