Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Tokyo

It's been a long, long road back to this point for Jazmin Sawyers.

After winning her first international long jump title at the European indoors in 2023, jumping seven metres for the first time in the process, she ruptured her Achilles early last year.

That kept the 31-year-old out of action for 20 months before she made her return this summer.

She joined the BBC at the Paris Olympics last summer as a television commentator, but here she is back doing what she loves most. Her opening 6.54m leap ranks second-best in qualifying Group B.

Image source, Reuters

Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith takes to the track in heat two, appearing in her seventh World Championships.

The Brit takes second place behind Jamaica's Tina Clayton, with Ewa Swoboda of Poland third.

The silver medal Asher-Smith won in 2019 remains Great Britain's best performance in the women's 100m at a World Championships.

Colin Jackson
Two-time world 110m hurdles champion on BBC Two

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has been phenomenal all year. When you're recording victories consistently, you're just gaining confidence upon confidence.

At that 60-metre mark, even though there were people around her, she just managed to ease away and accelerate without any effort. That's what you want to do when you're heading for the big prize, which of course is the world title.

She is the favourite in many people's eyes because she hasn't put a foot wrong this year.

Steve Cram
BBC Sport athletics commentator on BBC Two

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden came through that heat so easily. That's how she has been running all year, just making it look so easy.

It looked to me as though that was a half-hearted effort, putting in just enough to be able to glide through that last 30 to 40 metres.

Straight into the action with the first of the women's 100m heats - and we've got one of the favourites in Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in the field.

The 24-year-old looks like she's out for a stroll in the park, taking the heat with a time of 10.99 seconds

Image source, Getty Images

Dina Asher-Smith has Great Britain's best performance in the women's 100m at a world championship, taking silver in 2019. She goes in heat two of seven in today's session.

Daryll Neita, who missed out on an Olympic medal by just 0.04 seconds in Paris last year, follows her in heat five.

Amy Hunt is last out in heat six, having recently won the national title with a personal best of 11.02 seconds.

Image source, Getty Images

We've already talked about Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, but she is one of many exciting contenders for a podium place in the women's 100m.

Julien Alfred will be staging a bid to become the dual Olympic and world champion, after the 24-year-old stormed to victory in Paris, winning a first athletics medal of any colour for Saint Lucia.

Sha'Carri Richardson of the United States is the world champion, but the 25-year-old is yet to break the 11-second mark this season and has had a challenging year off the field.

Perhaps the favourite for the event is Richardson's compatriot Melissa Jefferson-Wooden - she's unbeaten over the distance this year with five of the six best times.

And what of the Brits? Well, more on them in a second...

Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Tokyo

The weather in Tokyo so far this week has been... interesting?

Since team BBC Sport touched down a few days ago we've swung from sweltering heat and stifling humidity to apocalyptic thunderstorms and back again.

Today, although the cloud has provided protection from the sun, the humidity has been well above 90% and we saw the physical toll that can take on athletes during this morning's 35km race walk events.

Many could not finish the race, while others collapsed at the finish line after their gruelling ordeal.

Thankfully, organisers have been well prepared, with medical assistance on hand and plenty of cooling spots dotted around the stadium providing mist sprays and cooling packs to supporters.

Temperatures remained around 30C as we started the first evening session.

Image source, Getty Images

One last dance?

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce dominated the women's 100m for a decade, winning five world titles and Olympic golds in 2008 and 2012.

The 38-year-old is running in her last World Championships - can she pull off a surprise sixth win in this event?

She'll start her campaign in the heats at 10:55 BST, with semi-finals and the final to follow on Sunday.

She'll feature today alongside rivals such as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha'Carri Richardson of the United States, Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia and Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita.

Soufiane El Bakkali, who is looking to win global gold in this event for the fifth consecutive year, takes first place.

World record holder Lamecha Girma recovered from a fall at around 700 metres to finish second.

This is just the second time the Ethiopian has competed since suffering concussion in a horror fall 200m from the end of the Olympic final.

Daniel Michalski of the USA, Ruben Querinjean of Luxembourg and Niklas Buchholz of Germany take the last places in the final.

Simon Kiprop Koech of Kenya misses out.

There's an early shout for the fair play award, as Tim van de Velde stops on the final straight to wait for Carlos san Martin, before the two crossed the finish line in last place with their arms around each other.

The third and final heat begins, with event favourites Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia and Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco going head-to-head.

The two have started at the back, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

Salaheddine Ben Yazide wins a dramatic heat two by a whisker.

New Zealand's Geordie Beamish recovered from a fall to finish second, with Samuel Firewu third and Frederick Ruppert fourth.

Kenya's Abraham Kibiwot sneaks through in fifth.

A point of controversy was that Beamish fell and then rolled into Jean-Simon Desgagnes, with the Canadian then failing to recover.

We'll let you know if there are any disqualifications.

Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Tokyo

What a noise that was!

This stadium really amplifies the cheers and applause of the crowd and we get a first taste of the atmosphere that a sell-out crowd here is going to provide as the hosts' Ryuji Miura delivers with qualification in the men's 3,000m steeplechase.

Japan's big gold medal hope here is javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi. The Olympic champion must be getting rather excited about competing next week watching this.

Image source, Getty Images

Heat two gets under way - keep an eye on back-to-back world bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya, recent Diamond League final winner Fredrik Ruppert of Germany, and Olympic silver medalist Kenneth Rooks of the USA.

World under-20 champion Edmund Serum attacks on the final straight to take first place, with Getnet Wale second and home hopeful Ryuji Miura third.

Nicolas-Marie Daru of France and Ahmed Jaziri take the other two qualifying spots for the final.

Final lap in heat one and Getnet Wale of Ethiopia leads the way, with Ryuji Miura second.

Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Tokyo

It's announced to the stadium that night one of the World Championships will be played out in front of a sell-out crowd. That's really great to see.

Huge cheers greet the first athletes to emerge out on to the track, under the bright lights around the top of the National Stadium.

The noise levels are raised further still as home athlete Ryuji Miura is shown on the big screen before the first men's 3,000m steeplechase heat.

Can't help thinking how inviting those water jumps look in this heat...

Right, let's get this show on the road. First up in the evening session is the men's 3,000m steeplechase heats.

Though there no British athletes involved, there's still plenty to keep an eye out for.

Heat one sees reigning world under-20 champion Edmund Serem of Kenya take on Japan’s Ryuji Miura, who does have a quicker PB and took six and a half seconds off the national record in July.

Commonwealth champion Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya headlines heat two, and he'll be looking to build on his back-to-back world bronze medals. Germany's Fredrik Ruppert won the Diamond League Final a fortnight ago.

In heat three there's a head-to-head between the two event favourites: world record holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia and Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who is the only male track athlete to win individual global gold in the same event for four consecutive years. Girma has competed just once since suffering concussion in a horror fall 200m from the end of the Olympic final.

The top five from each heat qualify for the final on Monday.

Jenny Meadows
Former 800m World Championship medallist on BBC Two

At the World Athletics Championships, athletes are able to try different things. If things have gone well in the Olympics then great but if they haven't gone well then this is the opportunity to make up for things.

Those that did do well at the Olympics can relax. They are going to be announced as the Olympic champions all year round and they will want to perform like that.

Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Tokyo

Back in the UK, many of us have very fond memories of London 2012. But for Japan, Tokyo 2020 could not have felt much different.

On the eve of the championships, the president of Japan Athletics, Yuko Arimori, became emotional when discussing the significance of these championships for Tokyo and the nation.

"Sport isn't just about the athletes but about everyone getting energy from it and lifting each other up, and I think that kind of energy is important," she said.

"I think this event will help us wipe away the emotions we felt back then and remind us what sport should be like. Athletics is the mother of sports and I want people to take inspiration from it."

With each sighting of the bright orange Japanese vest cheered loudly by a well-attended first morning session, the streets lined for the 35km race walk events and Hayato Katsuki delivering Japan's first medal, the early signs suggest the host nation is keen to make up for lost time.