The full tally of a long track and field campaign can finally be calculated as Team USA — and some of its individual stars — finish the season looking just as in tact as the group was coming out Paris last year.
Last week’s world championships in Tokyo felt like more of the same formula as the team hauled away more gold than any other nation.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden dominated all year and a pair of golds were the result, while Ryan Crouser made his sole appearance in the shot put in Tokyo after dealing with injury and was golden. Katie Moon won another pole vault title in a suspenseful final as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone proved she could shift to another event and dominate seamlessly in the women’s 400m.
Noah Lyles fed off of the crowd energy at Japan National Stadium and captured the men’s 200m and Anna Hall made it clear that she was the definitive queen of the heptathlon.
The numbers tell the full story, and Team USA was mostly in command, racking up 26 medals in Tokyo — the most at world championships — including 16 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze.
And on the way to those medals were records, world leads and standards that continue to push the sport as track and field now steps aside for the fall marathon season and road races.
16
Gold Medals
5
Silver Medals
5
Bronze Medals
141
Total number of athletes on the roster
16
Most gold medals ever won by Team USA at a world championships
15
Finishes of fourth or fifth place
2
American records broken by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
5
Gold medals won by Ryan Crouser, who has won gold at all five world championships
1st
American woman to win 100m and 200m gold at world championships (Melissa Jefferson-Wooden)
47.78
Second-fastest time ever in the women’s 400m (Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone)
60%
Nearly 60 percent of American athletes made the finals of their events
10.61
Meet record in the women’s 100m (Melissa Jefferson-Wooden)
47.78
Meet record in the women’s 100m (Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone)
3:16.61
Meet record in the women’s 4x400m relay (Isabella Whittaker, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Aaliyah Butler and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
2026
Next year’s inaugural World Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary
