Tokyo World Championships: Isaac Nader Pulls Off a Portuguese Heist in the 1500 m
17/09/2025 17:11In Tokyo, the men’s 1500 m unfolded like a thriller. Jake Wightman appeared poised to claim his second world title, but Portuguese runner Isaac Nader surged in the final meters to snatch the gold, leaving a stunned Briton and a field disrupted by mishaps and injuries.
It was a move reminiscent of Gressier or Beamish—take your pick. Portuguese Isaac Nader executed a perfect coup on Tokyo’s track during Wednesday’s 1500 m final. Everything seemed set for Jake Wightman, the surprise 2022 world champion, to secure a second crown, but Nader burst forward in the last 30 meters to overtake everyone. His finishing time: 3:34.10, just two hundredths of a second ahead of Wightman (3:34.12). Completing the podium was Kenyan Reynold Cheruiyot, who took bronze in 3:34.25 in the slowest 1500 m final since Matthew Centrowitz’s masterclass at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
| A Race Full of Twists
The race played out in several acts. Niels Laros, finishing fifth in 3:34.52—sixth at the Paris Olympics and winner of the last two Diamond League meets—positioned himself near the front alongside Timothy Cheruiyot (fourth in 3:34.50). Between 500 m and 700 m, the pace eased, almost too much, before the experienced Kenyan ramped it up again, setting the stage for a thrilling final battle. At 500 meters from the finish, Wightman launched his attack, evoking memories of his 2022 Eugene breakthrough: the Briton surged to the front, appeared unstoppable, and seemed destined for a second world title.
But in the curve before the last lap, his compatriot Josh Kerr suffered a calf injury and lost all hope. At the back of the pack, the defending world champion fought to the end, limping across the line in 14th place (4:11.23). On the final straight, the unexpected winner—recently victorious in the Oslo Diamond League mile—emerged like a sprinter launched, denying Wightman the glory. Astonishment for someone who had never finished higher than fourth at the World Indoor Championships (2024 and 2025) and had run 3:36.50 at age 23, despite a season best of 3:29.37.
| Portugal’s 24th World Championship Medal
“In the last 100 meters, I fully believed in myself,” said Nader, bronze medalist at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn earlier this year. “I knew Jake (Wightman) would fight until the end, so I dived in. It was probably the first time I ever did that, but I couldn’t risk losing a world title. It paid off! I have no words for what happened. Some people doubted me, said I would never make it, but here I am, world champion. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear the Portuguese team cheering me on because the crowd here is so loud. This is one of my dreams fulfilled; the next one will have to wait until 2028. Winning gold in Los Angeles isn’t a promise, it’s simply a dream.”
Nader’s victory gives Portugal its first medal in Tokyo and cements his place in history. The Benfica athlete becomes his country’s eighth world champion and adds the 24th medal to Portugal’s overall tally. In the 1500 m, Nader follows in the footsteps of Carla Sacramento (gold in Athens 1997, bronze in Gothenburg 1995) and Rui Silva (bronze in Athens 2004 and Helsinki 2005), securing Portugal’s fourth medal in what has become a national specialty.
| A Podium Without Giants or French Contenders
Several top athletes had already fallen by the wayside, including two accomplished Norwegians. Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen was eliminated in the heats, fatigued and without legs. His compatriot Narve Gilje Nordås fared no better, stopped in the semifinals. On the American side, Paris Olympic champion Cole Hocker was disqualified in the semis for elbowing in the final sprint. And the French? None of the 14 finalists made it through. Season best performer Azeddine Habz (3:27.49) and Paul Anselmini failed to advance from the heats, while Romain Mornet fell in the semifinals.
| A Final That Shakes Up the World Rankings
With a single sprint, Isaac Nader transformed his status: from an ambitious finalist (12th in Budapest 2023) to world champion. Wightman, narrowly defeated, leaves frustrated but a major protagonist of the race. At just 20, Reynold Cheruiyot confirms he is the new Kenyan locomotive in the distance. The 1500 m has now become a race as eagerly anticipated as the 100 m in every competition.
This Tokyo final proved one thing: the 1500 m remains a race where hierarchies can crumble at the slightest misstep. Wightman learned this the hard way, Kerr at the expense of his body, and Nader seized the moment to inscribe his name in the history books—with flair.
Dorian VUILLET
Journalist
