In the first four heats, Gift Leotlela, Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, and Kenny Bednarek led dominant runs, setting up thrilling semifinals.

Noah Lyles is in line to defend his 100m title at the 2025 World Athletics Championships after a dominant performance in the heats on Saturday.

The American star glided through Heat 3 with ease, crossing the line in 9.95 seconds and looking well within himself. His smooth execution and relaxed finish suggested that he has more to unleash in the semifinal and final rounds.

The races began with fireworks as South Africa’s Gift Leotlela exploded from the blocks in Heat 1 and powered to a massive personal best of 9.87 seconds, the fastest time of all the heats.

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Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi followed closely in 9.88 seconds, also setting a personal best, while Jamaica’s Oblique Seville recovered from a poor start to secure third in 9.93 seconds.

Romell Glave of Great Britain finished just outside the top three with 10.00 seconds, leaving him to rely on his time to qualify for the next round. China’s Zhenye Xie and the Netherlands’ Taymir Burnet also clocked identical times of 10.21 seconds, putting them on the bubble for advancement.

Heat 2 saw Kishane Thompson demonstrate his class, matching Lyles’ mark with a controlled 9.95 seconds to comfortably take the win. His effortless stride pattern and measured run placed him among the top contenders heading into the semifinals.

Canada’s Eliezer Adjubi crossed in 10.19 seconds for second place, and Colombia’s Ronal Longa held on for third in 10.21 seconds.

Henrik Larsson of Sweden and Simon Hansen of Denmark were locked together at 10.22 seconds, creating a tense wait as they hope to progress on time.

The final heat of the day brought another standout moment, this time from Kenneth Bednarek, who is better known for his 200m exploits.

Bednarek powered through the line in 10.01 seconds, showing he has the top-end speed to compete over the shorter distance. Canada’s Jerome Blake was close behind in 10.05 seconds, and Britain’s Jeremiah Azu secured the final automatic qualifying spot with 10.10 seconds.

Thailand’s Puripol Boonson and Australia’s Rohan Browning clocked 10.15 and 10.16 seconds respectively, leaving them to hope that their times would be enough to squeeze into the semifinals.

Further back, Owen Ansah of Germany, Carlos Florez Angulo of Colombia, and Favoris Muzrapov of Tajikistan were eliminated from contention.