Noah Lyles goaded Kenny Bednarek when they went toe-to-toe in the 200m last month, turning – owl-esque – to face him moments before he crossed the line in 1st, before celebrating as pointedly as he dared. Bednarek did well to limit his response to a shove in the back and a stern exchange of words.
Bednarek won’t just want to beat Lyles in Tokyo this week, but really bruise his ego. He might not even mind too much if Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo pips them both to the line. Lyles tops the 2025 world list with a 19.63s, 0.04s quicker than Bednarek’s season best and 0.13s quicker than Tebogo’s. Both Lyles and Tebogo have punched in significantly better times before, but how much faster can Bednarek go?
Elsewhere, all eyes will be on Australia’s teenage sensation Gout Gout. At just 17, he’s already running faster than Usain Bolt was at the same age and edging ever closer to that elusive sub-20 barrier. With his rapid rise through the ranks, Gout could do more than just soak up the experience, he might just shake up the established order.
If Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas’ withdrawal through an achilles injury tentatively raised rivals’ hopes, Julien Alfred’s hamstring injury has busted things wide open. The Olympic 100m champion and 200m silver medalist hurt herself trying to chase down Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in the 100m, and it’s the American who looks best-placed to capitalize in the 200m.
Of the remaining contenders, Jefferson-Wooden tops the 2025 world list with a personal best of 21.84s. Mckenzie Long is the only sprinter who’s got close to that this year, having run a 21.93s. However, reigning champion Shericka Jackson has got faster and faster as she’s recovered from the hamstring issue that ruled her out of the Olympics. The absences of Thomas and Alfred should also bring Dina Asher-Smith into play.
Read on for our guide on where to watch 200m final live streams online, on TV and potentially for free wherever you are. We’ve also listed the schedule for the heats and semi-finals.
Yes! In some countries around the world you can watch the 200m finals for FREE, along with the entirety of the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Tokyo 2025 is free-to-air, with English language commentary, on BBC iPlayer in the UK, RTÉ Player in Ireland, CBC Gem in Canada and SBS on Demand in Australia. You can find direct links to all of those streaming services below.
Use a VPN to watch the 2025 200m finals for free on your usual streaming service if you are away from home.
Wednesday, September 17
6.30am – Women’s 200m heats
7.15am – Men’s 200m heats
Thursday, September 18
8.02am – Men’s 200m semi-final
8.24am – Women’s 200m semi-final
Friday, September 19
9.06am – Men’s 200m final
9.22am – Women’s 200m final
(All times ET)
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the 200m finals on your usual subscription?
You can still watch Tokyo 2025 live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It’s the best on the market:
Using a VPN is incredibly simple:
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you’re visiting the US and want to view your usual UK service, you’d select a UK-based server from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to your usual local streaming service and watch the 200m.
The 200m finals, along with all of the heats and semi-finals, is being shown on both Peacock and USA Network in the US.
Peacock is providing the most comprehensive World Athletics Championships coverage. You’ll need at least a Peacock Premium subscription to tune in, with the Peacock price starting at $10.99/month or $109.99/year.
USA Network is available with most cable plans and OTT cable replacement services, such as Sling TV. Sling carries USA on its Blue plan, costing from $45.99/month.
Outside the US during Tokyo 2025? Use NordVPN to tap into Peacock’s 200m live stream.
CBC Sports is showing the 200m finals for FREE in Canada.
Head to its online CBC Gem streaming platform for comprehensive live and on-demand coverage of the World Athletics Championships. You’ll need a TV provider login, however, to access the free live stream.
If you aren’t in Canada for the Championships, simply use a VPN to tune in from overseas.
The 200m finals are free-to-air in both the UK and Ireland, courtesy of BBC iPlayer and RTÉ Player respectively.
With World Athletics Championships coverage going out on BBC and RTÉ channels, you can use BBC iPlayer and RTÉ Player to watch all of the 200m heats, semi-finals and finals for free.
Use NordVPN if you’re out of Blighty or Ireland during the athletics meet.
The 200m finals on the free-to-air SBS Viceland and 9Gem channels in Australia.
That means you can also tune in online for free through their respective SBS On Demand and 9Now streaming platforms.
If you’re currently out of Australia but want to watch free 200m final coverage, you’ll need to get yourself a VPN as per the instructions above.
Both the men’s and women’s 200m finals take place on Friday, September 19.
The men’s race is set to start at 9.06am ET / 2.06pm BST / 11.06pm AEST, with the women’s race set to follow at 9.22am ET / 2.22pm BST / 11.22pm AEST.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Noah Lyles goaded Kenny Bednarek when they went toe-to-toe in the 200m last month, turning – owl-esque – to face him moments before he crossed the line in 1st, before celebrating as pointedly as he dared. Bednarek did well to limit his response to a shove in the back and…
