Track and field World Athletics Championships 2023 men’s 100m preview: Schedule & stars to watch
Fred Kerley is the defending world champion in the men's 100m, in which Team USA has four athletes. One of them, Noah Lyles, has set a goal of 9.65 seconds in the event. Discover the favourites, event schedule, and how to watch.
Athletics
Who will claim the track and field men's 100m crown at this year's 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary?
Will it be defending champion Fred Kerley? His teammate and 2019 world champion Christian Coleman? World 200m champ Noah Lyles? Or, perhaps, after a return from injury, Olympic gold medallist Marcell Jacobs?
The blue-riband distance of the Championships is one of the first events to get underway in the Hungarian capital on the opening day (19 August), before the final on Sunday (20 August).
But who will be the protagonists? Here's how can you follow and watch the action from the Championships.
Kerley: "I'm Fred Kerley and it's my title"
Defending champion Kerley is convinced of one thing: he will still be the world 100m king heading into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games next year.
Speaking on Friday (18 August) at a Team USA press conference, Kerley was straightforward when asked about his chances in the event.
"I'm Fred Kerley, and it's my title," he said. Referring to Lyles's stated aim of running 9.65 seconds in the event, he addressed his teammate: "Noah, 9.65? I'm running faster."
Lyles, who has also set a goal for himself of breaking Usain Bolt's 200m world record, responded: "That's what they all say until they get beat."
One thing the two men were in agreement about: Marcell Jacobs was not a concern to either.
"I don't think we're too worried about him at the moment," Kerley said. "The question has been answered, I ain't got nothing more to say," Lyles added.
Is that dismissal of the Olympic champion misplaced? While the Italian has struggled with injuries and low confidence since winning gold at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, Jacobs expressed on Thursday that he feels ready, despite having had doubts himself.
"I am in good shape for these Championships, and I am focussed on what I need to do," he said. "Maybe I’ve had too many injuries over the last two years but I have overcome my challenges.
"This is the only medal I'm still missing in my collection so I would like to add it."
And what about Coleman? The 2019 world champion missed out on a medal last year, finishing sixth in a final in which his teammates swept the podium spots. He will undoubtedly be looking for a major improvement.
Other medal hopefuls include the new British record holder Zharnel Hughes, whose 9.83 is also the world lead this year. African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya is also in the mix, while the likes of Akani Simbine and Letsile Tebogo will be aiming to make their mark too.
World Athletics Championships 2023 men's 100m schedule
All times Central European Summer Time (UTC +2 hours, Eastern time +6 hours, Pacific time +9 hours)
Saturday 19 August
- 12:35 – Preliminary round
- 19:43 – Heats
Sunday 20 August
- 16:35 – Semi-finals
- 19:10 – Final
How to watch World Athletics Championships 2023 men's 100m
In the United States, NBC holds the broadcast rights to the World Championships. Coverage will be on NBC's various channels including CNBC and NBC, and streamed on Peacock – check listings for further details.
Track and field fans in Europe can follow and watch the action through Warner Bros. Discovery. The broadcaster signed a deal with World Athletics to air the event live in more than 45 European countries (excluding the Nordic region) on its channels Discovery+, Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, and the Eurosport App.
Athletics fans in the UK can also watch action on the BBC, while in Australia, all the sessions will be broadcast live on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand. CBC has the rights in Canada, and SuperSport and TVMS in Africa.
Sony Liv app and the website will live stream the championships in many countries in South Asia.
A full list of broadcasters is available here.