The men are under the microscope in Rory Jiwani's second preview for the World Athletics Championships, with three more bets in his staking plan.
World Athletics Championships betting tips: Men's track & field
2pts Noah Lyles to win 100m at 5/2 (General)
2pts Niels Laros to win 1500m at 11/10 (Unibet)
0.5pt Luiz Mauricio Da Silva to win javelin at 40/1 (William Hill)
Onto the men at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and I feel like several of these events have been priced up correctly. Perhaps it’s just that the hot favourites in the majority of events aren’t worth taking on.
I feel like we’ve been here before but betting against NOAH LYLES at a major championships is a brave move. The American is the man for the big occasion, and rewarded my faith at last year’s Paris Olympics in the 100m (although he went off a far bigger price than advised).
Just five-thousandths of a second separated Lyles from Kishane Thompson at the line on that occasion after he rallied spectacularly in the closing 30m. The Jamaican is clearly the form sprinter this season after just one defeat, and a 9.75 at his national championships which leaves him sixth on the all-time list.
But Lyles gave a glimpse of what was to come at the Silesia Diamond League which was their first meeting since Paris. Lyles crawled out of the blocks and gave himself too much to do, but fairly rattled home to clock a season’s best 9.90 in second behind Thompson. We know Lyles will be fully tuned up for Tokyo, and he showed enough there in Poland to suggest he could catch Thompson when medals are on the line.
Oblique Seville looks to be the only other genuine contender for gold and scorched to victory over Lyles in the rain in Lausanne last month. However, it’s hard to remove the memory of his eighth in the Paris final after he had looked so impressive previously. And fourth-place finishes at the previous two World Championships suggest he may not be able to deliver when it matters most.
Of the two protagonists, I’d rather be on Lyles at 5/2 generally than Thompson (top price 11/10 with Paddy Power and Betfair Sportsbook). And, this time, I won’t be afraid to go in again if his price takes a walk after the heats.
My wait for the 1500m to be priced up is over and NIELS LAROS is a shade of odds-against. I guess the delay was due to doubts over Jakob Ingebrigtsen with the Norwegian off the track for almost six months after an Achilles injury.
Laros was sixth in the Olympic final last year, behind Cole Hocker, but had given notice of his talent by winning 1500m and 5000m gold at the 2023 European U20 Championships. Later that year, he reached the 1500m world final.
This year, the Dutchman – who only turned 20 in April – has been nothing short of sensational. I was fortunate enough to see him in the flesh at June’s European Team Championships in Madrid where he finished strongly to win the 5000m. My son has just reminded me that he threw up shortly after taking victory.
A week later, he came from the clouds to pip Yared Nuguse in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene and has not been beaten since. He completed the 800m/5000m double at the European U23 Championships in Bergen before securing further Diamond League 1500m wins in Brussels and Zurich. After flopping at the US Trials, Nuguse – ranked number one in the world – needed to win in the Zurich Diamond League Final to earn a wildcard for Tokyo, but Laros was far too good.
While Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr have been largely absent, the manner of Laros’ wins has been eye-catching. Put simply, he can seemingly outkick his rivals regardless of the pace of the race.
Ingebrigtsen, who was turned over at short prices at the last two World Championships by Kerr and fellow Briton Jake Wightman before that, has been back in full training for a couple of months. Laros has been liking his Instagram comments regarding his recovery, and it will be great for the pair to meet in Tokyo.
However, I think this version of Laros could beat even a fully-fit Ingebrigtsen. He’s a freak of nature and can dominate the middle-distances for years to come, and longer distances should he choose to step up. He has the finishing speed of an 800m runner, showing it in Bergen, and has no problem with heats and semi-finals. He’s a very confident pick at 11/10 with Unibet.
I haven’t been able to find too many bets in the field. I was a little surprised to see Hamish Kerr as second favourite to Woo Sang-hyeok in the high jump, but there could easily be a shock so I am happy to steer clear. However, the javelin is interesting.
Julian Weber is a short-priced favourite and rightly so. Having broken the magic 90m-barrier for the first time early in the season, he went even further at the Zurich Diamond League Final and possesses the best two throws of 2025. But the German, who I didn’t realise we were almost sitting next to in Madrid (he’s a very big bloke!) until we saw him on the TV a few weeks later, has disappointed in major championships until now. He was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, and the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, and then sixth at last year’s Paris Games.
Weber’s one defeat this season came at the Paris Diamond League to India’s Neeraj Chopra. The Olympic champion from Tokyo broke 90m for the first time this year and is sure to be there or thereabouts.
But splitting Weber and Chopra in the year’s top throws list is LUIZ MAURICIO DA SILVA. An Olympic finalist last year, Da Silva was third in the Paris Diamond League behind the big two, but last month smashed the South American record with 91.00m at the Brazilian Championships.
While he is largely inexperienced in major championships, he has shown enough to be in with a chance. William Hill are offering 40/1 and that is too big for a 90m-thrower.
Reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem has competed just once this season, winning the Asian title in May. He has been out with a calf injury since, but will take his place in the Tokyo field. Quotes of around the 5/1 mark look a little short, however, and I’d rather have a small flutter on Da Silva at big odds.
Preview published at 1535 BST on 10/09/25
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