The second half of our countdown of the World’s Top 10 Male Sprinters in 2025 dives into the athletes who truly defined the sprinting landscape this year. From dominant global campaigns to historic medal runs, these are the men who set the standard this season. In continuation of Part 1, here is Part 2 of the World’s Top 10 Male Sprinters in 2025 (Nos. 5 – 1).
5. Collen Kebinatshipi
Botswana’s newly crowned Prince delivered one of the standout stories of the season. Before 2025, Kebinatshipi had never won an individual title at any international meet, yet he stunned the world at the World Championships. His first major outing of the year was at the Grand Slam Track Meet in Kingston, where he placed 4th in the 400m in 45.15s and 6th in the 200m.
He followed that with back-to-back 3rd place finishes at the Xiamen and Keqiao Diamond Leagues respectively. A month later, he secured another 3rd place, this time running a Season’s Best (SB) of 44.51s at the Rome Diamond League. His final race before Worlds was the Zurich Diamond League Final, where he placed 7th in 45.40s. Based on his form, he was not seen as a major contender going into the Championships.
Kebinatshipi proved everyone wrong. He went under 44s twice for the first time in his career, breaking the Botswana National Record (NR) with 43.61s in the semis and lowering it again to 43.53s in the final to win the GOLD medal. He became Botswana’s first male World Champion, following in the footsteps of Amantle Montsho, who won the women’s 400m world title in 2011.
He completed his golden run by anchoring Botswana to victory in the men’s 4x400m final. Kebinatshipi ended the championships with two GOLD medals and became the 10th fastest man of all time.
4. Rai Benjamin
From being labelled a Silver Surfer to becoming a reliable source of GOLD, Rai Benjamin has fully lived up to expectations over the last two seasons. The Olympic champion opened his year with a world-leading 46.57s at the Stockholm Diamond League. He backed it up five days later at the Paris Diamond League with another sub-47 clocking of 46.93s. He placed 2nd in Eugene in 46.71s and won the US Trials in 46.89s.
Benjamin won his first World title in Tokyo in dramatic fashion. Although he initially got disqualified after crossing the line first in 46.52s ahead of Alison dos Santos and Abderrahman Samba, he was reinstated after an appeal, winning the one medal that had eluded his trophy cabinet all along – an individual world title. He also anchored the US men’s 4x400m to a Silver medal to round out his campaign.
3. Oblique Seville
After several frustrating years at global championships, Oblique Seville finally delivered his breakthrough and ended Jamaica’s ten-year wait for a male World Champion in the short sprints. His outdoor season began at the Grand Slam Track Meet in Kingston, where he finished 2nd in the 100m in an SB of 10.08s, and 5th over 200m.
He followed that with another 2nd place finish in the 100m (9.84s) and 200m (20.13) at the Miramar Invitational, the latter being a Personal Best (PB). Seville was 2nd at the Jamaican Trials in an SB of 9.83s. He then claimed back-to-back Diamond League wins in London (9.86s) and Lausanne (9.87s) respectively.
At the World Championships in Tokyo, a poor start in his 100m heat created early tension and the Jamaican sprinter had to play catch-up, finishing 3rd in his heat. However, he regrouped and dominated the remaining rounds. He won the final in a PB of 9.77s, finally stepping onto the global podium after finishing 4th in both the 2022 and 2023 editions of the World Championships.
2. Noah Lyles
Noah Lyles, one of the defining sprinters of this decade, once again proved why his name carries so much weight. His season did not start smoothly after an injury that kept him out for three months, but he returned in July and immediately reminded everyone of his quality. He won the Monaco Diamond League 200m in an SB of 19.88s ahead of Letsile Tebogo. A week later, he finished 2nd in the 100m in 10.00s at the London Diamond League.
Lyles defended his 200m US title in a World Lead (WL) of 19.63s. He added another 200m Diamond League title in Zurich, running 19.74s, which brought his career tally to six. He is now one title short of the all-time record of seven, held by Renaud Lavillenie and Christian Taylor.
At the World Championships, Lyles won Bronze in the 100m in 9.92s thanks to his strong top-end speed. He then achieved an incredible milestone by winning his fourth consecutive World 200m title in 19.52s, matching Usain Bolt’s record. His 19.51s WL from the semifinals returned him to the top of the seasonal rankings after leading the world for six straight years from 2018 to 2023.
He closed out his championship by leading the US men’s 4x100m team to GOLD. Lyles left Tokyo with three medals and finished as the most decorated male athlete of the competition.
1. Cordell Tinch
With Grant Holloway absent from the scene for the first time in six years, Cordell Tinch stepped up and ensured that the 110m hurdles remained under American control. He set an early WL of 13.08s in April at the Xiamen Diamond League after opening his season at the Grand Slam Track meet in Kingston, where he placed 5th.
Tinch delivered a huge PB of 12.87s at the Shanghai and Keqiao Diamond Leagues respectively, making him the joint fourth-fastest man in history. He lost some momentum in the middle of the season, finishing 2nd at multiple meets including the Rome and Monaco Diamond Leagues, the Grand Prix Brescia, and the US Trials.
He regained top form toward the end of the season with major wins in Silesia (13.03s), Lausanne (12.97s), and the Diamond League Final in Zurich (12.92s).
Tinch entered the World Championships as the favourite and lived up to the expectation. He claimed the world title in 12.99s, his fourth legal sub-13 of the season, and secured a fourth straight World Championships win for the United States in the event.
