Team Kenya head coach Julius Kirwa has described the changes in schedule for the opening three days as a blessing in disguise.
Due to expected elevated heat conditions that could pose a health and safety risk to competing athletes, all road events on the first three days of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 will start 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.
Kirwa said for them, the earlier the events start, the better. “We have a marathon in the opening three days, and I guess the humidity will pose a great challenge.
The new start time for the women’s and men’s 35 Kilometres Race Walk on Saturday, women’s marathon on Sunday and men’s marathon on Monday is now 07:30am.
The start time for the road events had originally been set at 08:00am in consideration of climate conditions, operational aspects, and maximising spectator attendance.
However, despite the World Championships being scheduled for mid-September when temperatures were expected to be lower than during the summer in Tokyo, levels this year have remained constant.
The coach said 30 minutes in a marathon can make a huge difference, and that is why he is seeing the move as a blessing in disguise.
Reflecting the current environment, World Athletics (WA) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), in consultation with the World Athletics Health & Science Department, have taken this decision that puts the highest priority on athletes' health and safety, and it has been communicated to the athletes as early as possible to allow them to prepare and adjust to the new start time.
Both WA and the LOC are fully committed to making the World Championship the best possible experience for athletes and a successful event. Please note that the in-stadium competition start times on each of the three days are not affected.
Kirwa said the secret to the current conditions is to train smart and take a lot of water. “If it will be hot, it will be for all of us, so we must play smart,” he added.
