TORUN, Poland — A quintet of silvers boosted Team USATF to 10 on the medal table at the World Indoor Athletics Championships on Saturday at the Kujawsko-Pomorska Stadium. The American team also advanced further in the points standings with a score of 90, 54 ahead of the next best country, Jamaica.
Hawker, Mackay sprinted to silver in the 3,000
Britain’s Josh Kerr won the men’s 3,000 two years ago and he used a very smart strategy to regain his title with a strong surge over the final two laps to win in 7:35.56 before a fast finish. Cole’s stoolwho earned silver in 7:35.70. France’s Ian Shroub finished 0.01 behind Hawker in the bronze medal.
There was no apparent interest in running fast over the first kilometer, with Hawker leading the way in 2:38.50 and Jared Nuguse The third was two strides back, but the pace gradually picked up, and the Ethiopian pair of Adisu Yihune and Getnet Wale took the lead, trailing the field by 2K in 5:10.57. Yihune and Weil continued to make progress with three laps to go, and Hawker and Nuguz were joined by Kerr and Shrubb in the race for the medals.
At the bell, Yihune and Kerr were virtually level as Nugus and Hawker battled to stay in the hunt and heading into the final bend, Kerr was in commanding position for gold while Shrubb and Hawker battled for second place. Hawker produced his patented mad dash over the final 50m to overtake Shrubb for silver but couldn’t quite catch Kerr. Nuguse finished fifth with a time of 7:37.08.
Something bad must have happened when the first 1K of the women’s 3,000 went out in 3:15, a slower-than-slow pace that had the 15-woman pack too close together for comfort. A jump in the middle of the pack on lap seven resulted in Ethiopia’s Frewaini Hailu, the defending champion, being forced out onto the track. Hailu got back on her feet as the field hurdled over her bowed form, but it left her with a huge gap to compensate. By 2K, Kazakhstan’s Nora Geruto took the lead in 6:16.42 as the pace picked up quite a bit, and the USATF champion. Emily McKay was fourth and less than two seconds separated the field.
On the next lap, McKay was in second place, but Italy’s Nadia Battocletti overtook her to take the lead by three. Battocletti, Australia’s Jessica Hull and Ethiopia’s Aleshin Baweke were in medal position with two laps remaining before McKay passed Baweke to take third. Battocletti used a 28.54 200 final to take gold in 8:57.64, with Mackay edging Hull for silver by 0.06 seconds in 8:58.12. Margot Appleton posted at 2 p.mth at 9:12.57.
Silver and bronze for US heptathletes behind Ehammer WR
Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer, on world record pace and leading by 38 points after the first day of the men’s heptathlon, put gold out of reach on Saturday morning with a world-best heptathlon time of 7.52 to win the 60 hurdles. Heath Baldwin ran the best race of his life to 7.80 but Kyle Garland bumped into some barriers and battled back to 8.21 to stay further away from Ehammer.
The Swiss star extended her lead with a magnificent 5.30/17-4.5 to win the pole vault, while Baldwin moved into second place with a best of 5.00/16-4.75, while Garland dropped to third after clearing 4.70/15-5.
To qualify for the final event, Ehammer needed to run 2:43.26 or faster in the 1,000 to take the 2012 world record from American legend Ashton Eaton. The near-perfect pace took Ehammer to a lifetime best of 2:41.04 and the Eaton record was history as the Swiss stalwart scored 6,670 points, adding 25 to Eaton’s world record.
Baldwin ran a great race to finish in 2:39.06 and set a lifetime best of 6,337 for silver, while Garland hung on for bronze in 2:43.43 for 6,245. Baldwin’s performance moved him to No. 8 on the all-time US hit list. It was the first two medals for the U.S. heptathlon at the meet since 2010 and only the second time it was done by an American pair.
McRae earns silver in the men’s 400
Mimicking the format used in the finals of the NCAA Indoor Championships, the men’s 400 was run in two divisions for the first time at the World Indoors, with the two fastest semifinal winners in the second division. Christopher Robinson Spinned on the front in the first stretch and grabbed pole position at the break to take the 200 in 21.13, 0.15 ahead of Hungary’s Attila Molnar. That lead was never relinquished en route to a 45.55 victory.
The two fastest men indoors in history and the two fastest semis went mano-a-mano in the next race and Khaleb McRae Set a terrific pace through the 200 in 20.74, which was perhaps a little too much. McRae continued to lead through the 300 in 31.90, but was caught in the final stretch by Canada’s Christopher Morales Williams, who went on to win in a record 44.76, with McRae securing the silver in 45.03 and Jeremy Richards of Trinidad the bronze in 45.39. McRae’s time is the fastest ever by an American at the meet.
Sears won silver in the meet’s deepest women’s 60 ever
The deepest quality finish in the history of the meet saw Italy’s Zeinab Dosso complete her medal collection with a stellar 7.00 for gold, one step up from last year’s podium. USATF champion Jacius Sears Matched his season best with a good technical race, earning silver in 7.03, 0.003 ahead of Olympic 100 champion Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, who also clocked 7.03. It was the US’s first medal at the event since 2022. All eight finalists ran 7.10 or better for the first time.
Dosso was best in the semifinals with a 7.00 in the second segment, and Sears was second to Alfred in the first segment with a 7.04. Jacelyn Gardner Ran 7.27 on international debut and didn’t make the semi-finals.
After the hot heats, Cunningham gets the 60H bronze
Poland’s Jakub Szymanski blew the roof off the field in 7.40 to win gold in the men’s 60 hurdles, giving the hosts their first victory to celebrate. Spain’s Enrique Llopis set a national record of 7.42 for silver, while Trey Cunningham clipped the third and fifth barriers and slowed enough to have to settle for bronze in 7.43.
Cunningham was one of three men to clock a world-leading 7.37 in the 60 hurdles this season, and in the sixth and final heat he stamped his reputation with a 7.45 that was technically nearly flawless and the fastest of any heat. USATF champion Dylan Byrd 7.50 was an easy winner despite a start that left him half a stride behind Nigeria’s Saguiru Badamassi, who eventually set his own national record.
In the semi-finals, Cunningham again had a near-perfect race and lowered his PB to 7.35, moving into No. 5 on the all-time world list and No. 3 on the US all-time list. Bard was probably lucky he didn’t slow down more when he cleared a couple of hurdles in the first stretch, but he pulled through to finish second in 7.46. Unfortunately, Baird was injured in the semi-finals and was eliminated from the final.
Bradford’s Best American at the Mondo Show
As expected, Swedish world record holder Mondo Duplantis dominated the men’s pole vault, winning his fourth consecutive World Indoor title with a championship record of 6.25/20-6. It was the third highest vault in indoor history. Greece’s Emanuel Karalis won the silver medal with a best result of 6.05/19-10.25, and Australia’s Curtis Marshall won the bronze medal with a result of 6.00/19-8.25. USATF champion Zach Bradford was the top American in fifth, clearing 5.95/19-6.25, while Chris Nielsen tie for ninth 5.70/18-8.25.
A mistake in the first exchange dashed the 4×400’s medal hopes
Disaster struck during the first heat of the inaugural 4×400 medley relay when the USATF team Sarah Reifenrath He pushed on the track as 12 athletes tried to pass the baton. Jevon O’Bryant had the second-fastest opening in 47.13, and when she handed the baton to Reifenrath, she pushed the Jamaican runner twice and went down. After he got to his feet, Reifenrath managed a 56.13 to pass. Stephen McElroy five seconds behind the leaders. McElroy had too much but gamely split a 46.13 and Taya Shelby closed it out with a 51.94 to finish sixth in 3:21.35. Jamaica was then disqualified for fouls on the first exchange, relegating the USA to fifth.
Perez Hernandez defends triple jump crown, Moore seventh
Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez defended her title in the women’s triple jump with a second round of 14.95/49-0.75 to hold off three-time champion Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela, who took silver with 14.86/48-9, returning to the championships with the best improvement of her life since a devastating injury in the Senate 20. from Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas. 14.70/48-2.75 for bronze.
American record holder Jasmine Moore opened with a season-best 14.33/47-0.25, a distance only he and two other Americans have ever bettered, and it’s his seventh. Ryan Porter in the second round, he recorded the best result of 13.01/42-8.25 and took 16th placeth.
Lutkenhaus stuns, Wiley sets PB in 800 semis
The child is real, real. Men’s 800, facing the toughest of the three semi-final rounds for the 17-year-olds Cooper Lutkenhaus confidently followed the fast opening pace of Poland’s Maciej Wyderka and cruised through the 400 a quarter of a second behind the local favorite in 50.46. When those two reached the bell at 600, Lutkenhaus powered through and took the lead in 1:16.93. From there, it was a done deal as the young American cruised across the finish line in 1:44.29, the fastest ever by a US athlete at the championships and the third fastest of any runner. His time was also the ninth-fastest ever by an American indoors.
Sean Dolan Acquitted herself very well in the final semifinal, placing second in the 200 in 24.57 and the 400 in 51.55. The USATF Indoors runner-up ran the 600 in 1:19.05, 0.1 behind leader Eliot Crestan of Belgium, but was under pressure from the rest of the field. Off the final turn, Croatia’s Marino Bludek made a blistering finish to overtake a slowing Dolan and take the all-important second place. Dolan held on for third place in 1:46.45, but did not secure a spot in the finals.
USATF champion Keeley Hodgkinson of Great Britain, world indoor record holder and reigning Olympic champion, in women’s 800 semifinal Addison Wiley finished second as they ran a very fast 57.55 in the 400. Both women maintained a fast pace as they established a significant gap over the rest of the field in the 600 in 1:28.22, and they closed out the heat and posted the two fastest times overall, with Hodgkinson winning in 1:58.53 and Wiley posting a best in 1:58.53.
TEAM USATF MEDALS (10)
Gold (2)
Women’s Shot Put – Chase Jackson, 20.14/66-1
Men’s 60 – Jordan Anthony, 6.41
Silver (5)
Men’s 400 – Khaleb McRae, 45.03
Men’s heptathlon – Heath Baldwin, 6337
Women’s 3,000 – Emily McKay, 8:58.12
Men’s 3,000 – Cole Hocker, 7:35.70
Women’s 60 – Jacious Sears, 7.03
Bronze (3)
Men’s 60 – Trayvon Bromell, 6.45
Men’s heptathlon – Kyle Garland, 6245
Men’s 60 Hurdles – Trey Cunningham, 7.43
