Tokyo Bound: Athletes and Japan National Stadium Prep for Sept. 2025 World Athletics Championships

On a rainy night at Rio's 2016 Olympic closing ceremony, when Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emerged as the Nintendo plumber renamed "Ma-RIO" to slyly start Tokyo 2020's handover ceremony, I shook off my umbrella and set sights on The Eastern Capital with what seemed a manageable four-year wait for the Games of the XXXIInd Olympiad. 

By that time in my summer Games journeys, Beijing 2008 still felt overwhelming, austerity stood out from London 2012, and Brazil's effort was wrapping up with too many hot mess memories, inspiring dreamy predictions of Japan delivering a Tokyo Olympiad of precision, hospitality, efficiency, modernism and rich culture. 

"Finally, an 'easy' Olympics!" might be possible. Or so I thought. 

After many plans gelled for summer 2020 -- like a cake volunteer gig with the Team USA Welcome Center or solid ticket options confirmed -- COVID happened. And though a year later the USOPC press team generously added my name and the little blog that could to their Tokyo 2020, er, 2021 accredited media list, the last-minute green light quickly resumed Rising Sun red as balls got dropped and deadlines passed -- by a partner outlet's designated "COVID Manager" and myself -- preventing passage to Japan. 

With bleak pre-Games realities, a touch of food poisoning at a 25th Anniversary party for Atlanta 1996 became the July 2021 "icing" on the cake of dismay that the new Tokyo Olympiad would be seen only from far, far away.

This preamble is all to state: It's been a long nine years since Rio, but when Tokyo 2025 emerged as site of the World Athletics Championships, and after a splendid visit to the 2023 version at Budapest, prospects for a track & field "mini-Olympic re-do" inside Japan National Stadium made me smile. 

Now, in three days, it's wheels up from the world's busiest airport (ATL) to the world's largest city. Hooray!

With an International Sports Press Association badge in pocket, and with thanks to USATF's press team for accepting the accredited media request, by Sept. 16 evening I'll next be posting from inside Japan National Stadium and the nearby Shinjuku hotel ... not the Park Hyatt Tokyo of "Lost In Translation" fame (closed for renovations through October) but only blocks away. Suntory Time!

For those who wish to tune in stateside, a blend of Peacock, NBC, CNBC and USA Network broadcasts promise live results. A full roster of international viewing options and Tokyo 2025's 14 session details may be accessed via this guide. 

I also urge anyone to view the outstanding array of eye-popping content via the official Instagram @wchtokyo25. Livestreams and many preview packages are also emerging via YouTube.

Team USA's roster announced Sept. 2 includes many brand names from Paris 2024 and the Hungarian capital event, where from steps away in both stadiums we witnessed Katie Moon win more pole vault medals. I'm eager to see Noah Lyles strive to best his 9.79 of last summer's Stade de France 100m final, and Sha'Carri Richardson should also log memorable sprint results. 

Multiple must-see showdowns exist in the 400 and 400m hurdles lineups including Olympic and World Champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and teammates taking on Team Netherlands including my Dutch Crush, 2023 World Champion and Olympic medalist Femke Bol, a personal favorite seen victorious at Budapest who endured a tougher time in some Paris races.

I'll also be keen to see how intensely the men's javelin takes shape with India's Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem in contention with Germany's Julian Weber. 

And the women's high jump will command my attention and posts with A-list entrants like world record holder/defending World and Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchihk of Ukraine and twice Olympic silver medalist Nicola Olyslagers of Australia (her name has a nice ring to it). Also will be watching for Serbia's Angelina Topic, who struggled at Paris as well as Elena Kulichenko, who earned NCAA Outdoor Champion status for the University of Georgia, again representing Cyprus at the global level. 

Outside the stadium I hoped to experience the new Japan Olympic Museum but got the advance "Sorry, folks. Park's closed"-like missive in response to an advance ticket request. Seriously? Who authorized closing the Olympic Museum exactly when the first Olympic-level competition is back in town at the neighboring stadium? 

Oh, well -- next time, and I'll busy myself with Shinjuku hikes, a visit to the Tokyo Olympic Village, a national art museum or two, the Sky Tree and a potential day trip in the direction of either Mount Fuji or the former Olympic surfing venue, which I understand is a two-hour beach-bound bus ride. Exploring at least one historic cinema and/or owl cafe round out the wish list for eight days in Japan.

If there was time, and golf was a passion, trekking to discover the iconic spot of Bill Murray's golf swing (see below) would also fit. Way more chill than "Mount Fuji In Red" from Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams" sequence. 

Two of my maternal cousins each contributed personal "Tales of Old Japan" inspiration to this journey. Larry Campell -- who was many decades my senior, a newspaperman, author, entrepreneur and decorated Marine Corps pilot of Korea and Vietnam -- cheerfully shared when I was 16 and he was 50-something his reporting duties at Tokyo '64 (my recollection is he filed reports for Oklahoma City's newspaper back in the day). Most of my journalism aspirations launched at Minnesota State University-Mankato, and later the creation of this blog, are thanks to Larry. Domo arigato, Rary-san!

And Kris Ladusau, another Sooner State native, more recently shared notes from her many visits to Japan as a student, judoka and later professional roles in sharing the rich wisdom and lessons of Buddhism. Kokorokara kansha shimasu, Kurisu!

So, an eye on their recommendations is also part of the plan. 

See you in Japan!

Images via World Athletics / Tokyo 2025; Abe photo by David Ramos/Getty. Bol photo via World Athletics and Getty. Mahuchikh photo via AP/Matthias Schrader. "Lost In Translation" still via Focus Features/Sophia Coppola.