Every Athletics season produces new stars, and 2025 was no different, with the World Championships providing the stage where several athletes truly broke through. This second part of our toplist on the World’s Breakout Athletes in 2025 continues the countdown, focusing on athletes ranked 5 to 1 whose performances turned them from rising prospects into globally recognised names. Click here for the previous part.
5. Ezekiel Nathaniel
It was a season to remember for Ezekiel Nathaniel as he catapulted himself onto the global stage. He began his campaign indoors over the 400m flat by breaking the Nigerian Record held by the late Sunday Bada and the African Record owned by Uganda’s Eugene Omalla, twice. His 44.74s ranked him as the eighth-fastest performer of all time and offered a clear glimpse of what was to come outdoors in his primary event, the 400m hurdles.
Nathaniel opened his outdoor season with an effortless 48.99s in the 400m hurdles before returning to the flat weeks later, clocking another sub-45 performance of 44.75s. The real turning point came at the Big 12 Conference Championships, where Nathaniel became the first Nigerian to break the 48s barrier in the 400m hurdles, achieving the feat twice in one meet with 47.90s in the heats and 47.89s in the final.
Arriving at the NCAA Championships, Nathaniel tore through the field in 47.86s, finishing well clear of his rivals, none of whom managed to break 48s. He sealed the title in emphatic fashion with a massive Personal Best (PB) and National Record (NR) of 47.49s, the third-fastest time ever recorded by a collegiate athlete.
Turning professional, Nathaniel made his debut at the Prefontaine Classic, finishing 3rd against a stacked field. The following month, he ran another NR of 47.31s to place 2nd at the Silesia Diamond League. He followed that with victory in wet conditions in Lausanne and a 3rd-place finish in 47.56s at the Diamond League Final in Zurich.
At the World Championships, Nathaniel reached the final, becoming the first Nigerian 400m hurdler to do so since Henry Amike in 1987. He placed 4th in a PB and NR of 47.11s, narrowly missing the African Record by just 0.01 seconds. His performance marked the highest finish by a Nigerian male athlete at the World Championships since Olusoji Fasuba’s 4th-place finish in the 100m in 2007.
4. Bryan Levell
Bryan Levell emerged as one of the clearest signs of Jamaica’s sprint resurgence following a period of decline that had left the world questioning the island’s dominance. His role in Jamaica’s Silver-winning mixed 4x100m relay team at the World Relays proved to be a major confidence boost and set the tone for a season of rapid improvement.
At the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, Levell caught global attention after clocking a wind-assisted 19.79s in the 200m. Two weeks later, he produced a breakthrough moment at the Jamaican Trials, running a PB of 9.94s in the 100m semis. Despite opting out of the final and scratching the 200m, the message was clear.
Levell continued his upward trajectory on the European circuit. He stormed to victory at the Austrian Open with a huge PB of 9.82s in the 100m, before blazing to another lifetime best of 19.69s in the 200m at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial.
Making his maiden appearance at the World Championships, the Jamaican delivered when it mattered most. He won the Bronze medal in the 200m with a time of 19.64s, becoming the first Jamaican male sprinter to medal in the event at the World Championships since Usain Bolt in 2015.
3. Tina Clayton
With the golden era of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shericka Jackson approaching its twilight, Jamaica once again found reassurance in Tina Clayton.
After battling injuries, the Clayton twin spent much of the previous season on the sidelines, watching her sister Tia shine as the only Jamaican woman to reach a short sprint final at the Paris Olympics.
Tina’s return in 2025 was immediate and emphatic. She opened her season with victory at the Velocity Fest, followed by a 2nd-place finish at the Doha Diamond League and a narrow win at the Racers Grand Prix. Each race added momentum, but her defining breakthrough came at the Jamaican Trials.
Facing established veterans, Clayton stunned the field, defeating Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to claim the national title in a massive PB of 10.81s. At the World Championships in Tokyo, she ensured Jamaica’s two-decade-long medal streak in the event continued, taking Silver in another PB of 10.76s. She capped off her championships with a second Silver medal as part of the women’s 4x100m relay team.
2. Collen Kebinatshipi
Botswana’s new Golden boy delivered one of the most remarkable performances of the season. Before 2025, Collen Kebinatshipi had yet to win an individual event at any international competition. His season opened at the Grand Slam Track meet, where he placed 6th in the 400m in 45.15s—hardly a result that hinted at what was to come.
He went on to record 3rd-place finishes at the Xiamen and Keqiao Diamond League meets, before improving to another 3rd-place finish with a Season’s Best (SB) of 44.51s at the Rome Diamond League. At his final competition before the World Championships, he finished 7th in 45.40s at the Zurich Diamond League Final, doing little to suggest he was either a favourite or even a podium contender.
In Tokyo, Kebinatshipi tore the script apart. He broke Botswana’s NR twice—running 43.61s in the semis and 43.53s in the final—to claim the GOLD medal. The victory made him Botswana’s first-ever male world champion, following in the footsteps of Amantle Montsho’s historic women’s 400m title in 2011.
He completed a dream championships by anchoring the men’s 4x400m relay team to victory, leaving Tokyo with two GOLD medals and cementing his place as the 10th-fastest man in history.
1. Lilian Odira
Lilian Odira produced one of the most compelling stories of the 2025 season. She began the year indoors with victory in the 800m in Lyon before an unfortunate fall in the World Indoor Championships semis ended her medal hopes. Rather than derail her season, the setback became a turning point.
Outdoors, Odira announced her arrival at the Kip Keino Classic, winning the 800m in a new PB of 1:58.31. From there, she took complete control, sweeping the Kenyan National Championships and World Championships Trials before lowering her PB again at the Silesia Diamond League to 1:56.52.
At the World Championships in Tokyo, Odira was flawless. She was the fastest athlete across all heats, cruised through the semis, and delivered when the stakes were highest. In the final, she ran the race of her life—patient through the bell, devastating in the closing stages—storming to GOLD in a lifetime best and Championship Record (CR) of 1:54.62, shattering the previous CR that stood for 42 years.
Her performance lifted her to 7th on the all-time list in one of the greatest 800m races ever witnessed. What made Odira’s triumph extraordinary was the journey. A former junior standout who stepped away from the sport after 2019, she returned after two pregnancies with renewed focus and ultimately conquered the world.
