Great Britain's Olympic silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith missed out on the men's 400m final, along with fellow British hopefuls Charlie Dobson and Samuel Reardon.

Here's how the semi-finals played out on Tuesday.

Image source, Getty Images

Predict the winner of the men's 400m final if you dare.

After Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith suffered a surprise exit in the semi-finals, American Jacory Patterson will look to take advantage.

That said, the world's second fastest 400m runner of 2025 came fourth in his semi-final and only progressed as the second fastest of the non-automatic qualifiers.

Botswana's Collen Kebinatshipi ran a world leading 43.61 seconds as the fastest semi-finalist, while Zakithi Nene looked strong with a time of 44.20.

Jereem Richards clocked the third fastest time of the qualifiers, though the Trinidadian 2022 world indoor champion was pipped to second place by Jamaica's Rusheen McDonald.

The crowd inside Tokyo's National Stadium should be in fine form, as home hopeful Yuki Joseph Nakajima lines up in lane nine.

We are guaranteed a new world champion, as 2023 winner Antonio Watson failed to progress from the heats.

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill
Three-time world heptathlon champion on BBC TV

Image source, Getty Images

Max Burgin looked fantastic. He ran a great race, very much in control. He's had so many years of injuries and had so much potential as a junior athlete. For him now to be on a global stage performing the way we know he is capable, it's fantastic to see.

Spain's Mohamed Attaoui wins the third semi, followed by 2024 Olympic medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya.

GB's Max Burgin is overall third quickest from the semis, and stands a real chance of a medal in the final.

The athletes in the third semi-final - featuring Bryce Hoppel of the USA and Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela, who were fourth and seventh respectively in the Olympic final last summer - are out on track.

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GB's Ben Pattison speaking to BBC Sport after missing out on a spot in the men's 800m final: "It was awful to be honest. Tactically a nightmare. I thought I'd run close to the rail and it would open up, but it didn't. I've got myself to blame, very frustrating as I had a lot more running in my legs. Very disappointed.

"I should be good enough to get through a race like that. It's hard to get in a World final, but I'm good enough. I got it completely wrong today and that's my fault."

BBC One

If you're wondering why the World Athletics Championships have been replaced on BBC Two by the Hairy Bikers, it's because we've moved over to BBC One.

Switch over and join us for the day's last two finals - the men and women's 400m finales.

Can Amber Anning get a medal for Great Britain?

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill
Three-time world heptathlon champion on BBC TV

Image source, Getty Images

A massive PB, and to do it here in the semi-finals. Amy Hunt ran beautifully, she had a great lane. She didn't allow Shericka Jackson to slow down.

That was a tricky race - the fancied American Donavan Brazier has a nervous wait having finished third in the second semi, after being shut out in an aggressive, physical field.

Max Burgin did well to stay out of trouble and safely reach the final.

A sensational run by Ireland's Cian McPhillips, who steams through the field to win his semi in a new national record.

Behind him, Max Burgin comfortably comes home second, and will compete for medals in the final.

Max Burgin hits the front into the final 200m.

Does he have enough to hold on?

Away they go in semi-final two, two laps of a very wet track.

Plenty of barging out there, the men running aggressively. But Max Burgin has avoided all that and is sat second at the halfway point.

The rain is now absolutely bucketing down in Tokyo. Sheets of water descending on the stadium.

Given how hot the opening few days of the championship have been, the athletes may be rather thankful for the wet weather.

The second semi-final featured the two quickest athletes in the heats - and one of them is a Brit.

Max Burgin said after winning his heat: “I think anything less than a medal and I’ll be slightly disappointed.” Can he take another step towards living up to those lofty words?

Burgin has been beset by injuries in his senior career, but that's nothing compared to 2019 world champion Donavan Brazier, also in this semi-final.

Brazier has returned better than ever this season after three years out, and the American has his eyes on a medal.

And indeed, it is the 2024 Olympic medallists Marco Arop of Canada and Algeria's Djamel Sedjati who take the two automatic qualification places for the final.

Ben Pattison finishes fifth, so the Brit is eliminated.

It’s a loaded semi-final for Britain's 2023 world bronze medallist Ben Pattison, on track now.

He’s up against two of the three Paris Olympic medallists – Marco Arop and Djamel Sedjati.

Reigning world champion Marco Arop only just escaped from his heat in third place, as his time of 1:45:39 would not have been enough to see him through as one of the three fastest non-automatic qualifiers.

Reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi will be expecting to reach the final, as will Algeria's Olympic bronze medallist Djamel Sedjati.

Great Britain have quality in the shape of Olympic finalist Max Burgin and Ben Pattison, who came second in his heat.

Donovan Brazier will look to continue his stunning return from a three-year injury absence after he clocked the fastest time in the heats (1:44:6).

The American only resumed training in February and returned to action on 7 June, 1,054 days on from his previous race after suffering foot injuries.

Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Tokyo

Max Burgin has long been tipped for greatness since he bulldozed his way to world, European and British records as a junior.

It has not been an easy road since.

The 23-year-old was breaking through at the same time as Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, but their careers have taken rather different paths after a combination of injuries and bad luck led Burgin to fear his early promise was "slipping away".

Speaking to BBC Sport about that earlier this year, Burgin said: "There were a lot of parallels in our development. Obviously her career has absolutely taken off and maybe mine has stalled a little bit.

"But, looking at what she's achieved and knowing that I have that same sort of ceiling, that definitely gives me confidence.


"Knowing that, one day, I'll be able to get up there."

After a consistent year of progress, is this the championships where Burgin gets his big breakthrough?

We move straight on now to men's 800m semis.

Here's how Max Burgin and Ben Pattison made it through the men's 800m heats on Tuesday.

They'll go again on the track shortly.