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≡ WORLD INDOOR CHAMPS ≡
Domination continued for American hurdles star Grant Holloway and Swedish vault supremo Mondo Duplantis over the first two days of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing (CHN). They were two of three champions to repeat from 2024 (so far), with both winning their third straight indoor golds:
● Men/60 m hurdles: Grant Holloway (USA) ~ also 2023
● Men/Pole Vault: Mondo Duplantis (SWE) ~ also 2023
● Women/Shot Put: Sarah Mitton (CAN)
Holloway entered with a streak of 82 straight wins (40 finals) from 2015 on, and won his heat in 7.49, then his semi in 7.48 and took the final easily in 7.42, ahead of Wilhem Belocian (FRA: 7.54) and Junxi Liu (CHN: 7.55).
Duplantis won the men’s vault on his fifth jump of the day at 6.10 m (20-0) and then cleared 6.15 m (20-2) for the final height. Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis got second with a lifetime best (all conditions) of 6.05 m (19-10 1/4), moving to no. 5 all-time. Three-time World Indoor silver winner Sam Kendricks of the U.S. got the bronze, clearing 5.90 m (19-4 1/4).
Mitton got her second straight win essentially on her second throw of 20.36 m (66-9 3/4), then improved to 20.48 m (67-2 1/4) in the final round. Jessica Schilder (NED) got a big second-round throw of 20.07 m (65-10 1/4) to get second and two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. was third at 20.06 m (65-9 3/4) in the final round. Maggie Ewen of the U.S. was seventh (18.63 m/61-1 1/2).
Through the first two days of the meet, world-leading marks were set in both triple jumps:
● Men/Triple Jump: 17.80 m (58-4 3/4), Andy Diaz (ITA)
● Women/Triple Jump: 14.93 m (48-11 3/4), Leyanis Perez (CUB)
Improbably, both ex-Cuban Diaz and Cuba’s Perez got their winning marks in the first round. They both jumped again and fouled, then passed three of their remaining four jumps and had no other legal marks! Diaz moved to no. 5 all-time with the win.
China’s Yaming Zhu was second in the men’s event with a third-round 17.33 m (56-10 1/4) and defending champ Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR) got third at 17.15 m (56-3 1/4). Russell Robinson was the top American in eighth (16.50 m/54-1 3/4) and two-time winner Will Claye was 10th (16.31 m/53-6 1/4).
Perez led a Cuban 1-2, ahead of Liadagmis Povea at 14.57 m (47-9 3/4), with Olympic champ Thea LaFond (DMA) finishing fourth at 14.18 m (46-6 1/4).
Elsewhere on the first two days, the other American winner was world 400 m leader (and Olympic sixth-placer) Chris Bailey, leading a U.S. sweep in 45.08, ahead of Brian Faust (45.47) and Jacory Patterson (45.54).
In the men’s 3,000 m, Norwegian 5,000 m Olympic champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) got his first career World Indoor gold, winning in 7:46.09, passing Ethiopia’s Paris 2024 10,000 m runner-up Berihu Aregawi (ETH: 7:46.25) on the home straight. Australian Ky Robinson (7:47.09) was third, passing American Sam Gilman (7:47.19) at the line, with U.S. teammate Dylan Jacobs in fifth (7:48.41).
Korea’s Sang-hyeok Woo won his second World Indoor gold in the men’s high jump, as the only one to clear 2.31 m (7-7), over Olympic and defending champ Hamish Kerr (NZL), Raymond Richards (JAM) and American Eli Kosiba, who finished 2-3-4, all at 2.28 m (7-5 3/4).
The women’s 60 m was a second World Indoor gold for Swiss star Mujinga Kambundji, who got to the line in 7.04, barely ahead of Italy’s rising star Zaynab Dosso (7.06) and Luxembourg’s Patrizia van der Weken (7.07).
Britain’s Amber Anning, the 2024 NCAA Indoor champ for Arkansas, won the women’s 400 m in 50.60 by running down Alexis Holmes of the U.S. (50.63) at the line. Henriette Jager (NOR: 50.92) got third and Rosey Effiong of the U.S. was sixth in 52.90.
Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu, the 2024 World Indoor champ at 1,500 m, won the women’s 3,000 m, running away from Australia’s Paris 1,500 m silver winner Jess Hull (AUS) on the final lap and winning in 8:37.21. Hull was passed by comebacking American Shelby Houlihan right at the line for second, 8:38.26 to 8:38.28. American Whittni Morgan was fourth (8:39.18).
European outdoor bronze winner Marie-Julie Bonnin (FRA) won the women’s vault, clearing 4.75 m (15-7) on her second try, beating Slovenian star Tina Sutej and Swiss Angelica Moser, who were 2-3 at 4.70 m (15-5).
Finn Saga Vanninen moved from second in 2024 to take the women’s pentathlon with 4,821 points, ahead of Kate O’Connor (IRL: 4,742), and American Taliyah Brooks (4,669), who won her first international medal! Teammate Timara Chapman was fifth (4,476).
Prize money is available at $40,000-20,000-10,000-8,000-6,000-4,000 for the top six placers.
The meet finishes on Sunday, shown live on Peacock, with highlights on CNBC (3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.), with an NBC highlights show on Sunday at noon Eastern.
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