Femke Bol Breaks World Record with Stunning 49.17 in Glasgow
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At the World Athletics Indoor Championships held in Glasgow on a Saturday evening, Netherlands' Femke Bol delivered a breathtaking performance in the 400m, setting a new world record with a time of 49.17 seconds to clinch the gold medal.
Earlier in the year, Bol had already improved her own world record, and during this race, she demonstrated her exceptional speed by reaching the halfway mark at 200m in an astonishing 23.5 seconds. Hot on her heels was her compatriot, Lieve Klaver. However, Bol showcased her dominance by accelerating in the last 100m, securing her victory with the new world record time.
Lieve Klaver secured the silver medal with a time of 50.16 seconds, while Alexis Holmes of the United States achieved a new personal best of 50.24 seconds to earn the bronze medal.
Femke Bol: “It’s a dream come true. We have trained so hard together to make this a Dutch one-two."
MEN'S 60M HURDLES
USA's Grant Holloway clinched his second straight world indoor championship in the men's 60 meters hurdles, tying his own record for the championship at 7.29 seconds. Holloway's dominance in the event is undisputed, as he has remained unbeaten in the 60 meters hurdles since a high school competition in 2014 where he finished second.
Following his victory, Holloway expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating, "This morning was a bit of a shake-up, but finishing with a time under 7.3 seconds is excellent. Defending my title feels great, and I'm eager to see what the rest of the year holds. It's been enjoyable, and I'm thrilled to have accomplished my goals. Knowing I'm in top shape for the upcoming summer is encouraging. This being my fifth world title, I'm keen to keep accumulating more. I'm in fantastic shape and ready for what's next."
Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli seized the silver medal, setting a new Italian record for the fourth time this season with a time of 7.43 seconds. The bronze went to France's Just Kwaou Mathey, who clocked in at 7.47 seconds, marking a significant achievement two years after his third-place finish in the 110 meters hurdles at the European Championships in Munich 2022.
Simonelli shared his astonishment at the outcome, saying, "I never envisioned achieving this result. My goal was to make it to the final, but winning a silver medal is beyond my wildest dreams. Competing against Holloway is a challenge, as he seems unbeatable."
During the semifinals of the men's 60 meters hurdles, Holloway posted the quickest time at 7.32 seconds. Jakub Sczymaski broke the Polish record with a time of 7.46 seconds, while Simonelli barely missed his Italian record by 0.02 seconds with a 7.48 seconds finish, advancing as a non-automatic qualifier.
Milan Trajkovic of Cyprus, the 2019 European indoor champion, triumphed in the first semifinal with a time of 7.53 seconds. Trey Cunningham emerged victorious in the second semifinal with a time of 7.49 seconds, edging out Enrique Llopis who finished in 7.53 seconds.
In the heats leading up to the semifinals, Holloway showcased his supremacy by recording the fastest qualifying time of 7.43 seconds. Wilhelm Belocian of France and Just Kwaou Mathey each performed impressively in their respective heats, with Mathey overcoming Jakub Szymanski. Lorenzo Simonelli and Trey Cunningham also claimed victories in their heats, setting the stage for a competitive championship round.
WOMEN'S 60m FINAL
Julien Alfred from Santa Lucia made history in the women's 60 meters final by clinching victory with a stunning time of 6.98 seconds, matching the world-leading time previously set by Ewa Swoboda in the semifinals. This victory marked a monumental achievement as Alfred became the first athlete from Santa Lucia to secure a medal at the World Indoor Championships.
Ewa Swoboda of Poland earned the silver medal with a time of 7.00 seconds, improving on her fourth-place finish at Belgrade 2022. Swoboda had shown exceptional speed throughout the competition, being the quickest in both the heats and the semifinals.
The bronze medal was claimed by Zaynab Dosso with a performance of 7.05 seconds, marking her first international podium finish. This achievement was particularly special for Italian coach Giorgio Frinolli, who celebrated two medals in a short span with his athletes Dosso and Simonelli.
Mikiah Brooks, the world indoor silver medalist from Belgrade 2022, secured fourth place with a time of 7.07 seconds, leading Rani Rosius of Belgium who finished in 7.14 seconds and Patrizia Van der Weken from Luxembourg with a time of 7.15 seconds.
Aleia Hobbs, the US indoor champion and second fastest woman in history with a time of 6.94 seconds, unfortunately sustained a calf injury just before the start of the race.
In the women's 60 meters semifinals, Ewa Swoboda showcased her speed by winning the first semifinal and improving her own Polish record to a world-leading time of 6.98 seconds. Rani Rosius from Belgium reached the final in second place, equaling her personal best with 7.12 seconds.
Aleia Hobbs secured her spot in the final after winning a tightly contested race in the semifinals with a time of 7.04 seconds, narrowly beating Italian record holder Zaynab Dosso by 0.01 seconds. Zoe Hobbs from New Zealand set a new Oceanian record with a time of 7.09 seconds.
Julien Alfred advanced to the final after winning the third semifinal in 7.03 seconds, outpacing Mikiah Brisco who finished in 7.10 seconds.
MEN'S 400m FINAL
The men's 400m final delivered a surprising outcome. Alexander Doom from Belgium shattered the national record by finishing in 45.25 seconds, narrowly defeating the favored competitor from Norway, Karsten Warholm. Warholm, renowned for his mastery in the 400m hurdles, secured the silver medal with a close time of 45.34 seconds, just ahead of Rusheen McDonald from Jamaica, who claimed the bronze. This unexpected turn of events became a focal point of the championships, igniting conversations on the unpredictable nature of indoor athletics competitions.
WOMEN'S POLE VAULT
At her second major international competition, Molly Caudery of Great Britain soared to victory in the women's pole vault, securing the gold medal by outperforming Eliza McCartney of New Zealand on countback with a leap of 4.80 meters.
Having previously clinched a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and finishing fifth at the World Championships in Budapest with a jump of 4.75 meters, Caudery has now ascended to the pinnacle of her sport. Her journey to the top was highlighted by setting world-leading marks of 4.85 meters at the British Championships and 4.86 meters in Rouen.
Olympic gold medalist Katie Moon claimed the bronze with a jump of 4.75 meters but was unable to surpass the 4.80 meters mark after three attempts.
McCartney initially took the lead by clearing 4.75 meters on her first try, while both Caudery and Moon required two attempts for the same height. McCartney struggled with 4.80 meters, clearing it on her third attempt, while Caudery succeeded on her second try. McCartney's attempts to surpass 4.85 meters and then 4.90 meters were unsuccessful, solidifying Caudery's victory.
Angelica Moser of Switzerland matched her personal best with 4.75 meters to finish fourth, while two-time world indoor champion Sandi Morris came in fifth with a clearance of 4.65 meters on her first attempt.
MEN'S LONG JUMP
In the men's long jump, Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece secured his second consecutive world indoor gold with a leap of 8.22 meters, narrowly defeating Mattia Furlani of Italy on countback in a tightly contested battle. Both athletes recorded jumps of 8.22 meters in the opening round. Furlani momentarily led with his second-best jump of 8.10 meters in the fourth round, but Tentoglou immediately reclaimed the lead with a jump of 8.15 meters.
Tentoglou candidly reflected on his performance, remarking, "I jumped terribly today and feel fortunate to win. This competition was not to my liking, especially competing in the morning. Nonetheless, I hope the spectators enjoyed the excitement towards the end."
Furlani's final attempt seemed poised to clinch victory, but was invalidated for a foul. Despite this, he made history as the youngest medalist in the World Indoor Championships long jump event.
Tentoglou concluded the competition with jumps of 8.11 meters and 8.19 meters, extending his indoor winning streak to 13 competitions since January 2022.
Carey McLeod of Jamaica won the bronze with a jump of 8.21 meters, building on his fourth-place finish at the World Championships in Budapest.
MEN'S TRIPLE JUMP
Fabrice Hugues Zango from Burkina Faso etched his name into the history books as the first athlete from his country to secure a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships, achieving a remarkable distance of 17.53 meters in the men's triple jump. Zango surpassed early leader Yasser Tricki of Algeria, who had set a challenging mark of 17.35 meters in his sole valid attempt.
Zango's journey to victory began with an initial jump of 16.99 meters, followed by an improvement to 17.33 meters in the second round, culminating in his triumphant leap of 17.53 meters in the fifth round.
Tiago Pereira of Portugal made a significant final-round jump of 17.08 meters to secure the bronze medal.
Zango reflected on his victory, stating, "Winning a championship is always challenging. I came here hoping to achieve something significant, despite the season not going as planned. On my fifth attempt, everything clicked, and jumping 17.53 meters is truly remarkable. I'm overjoyed for Burkina Faso."
MEN'S HEPTATHLON DAY 1
On the first day of the men's heptathlon, world indoor silver medalist Simon Ehammer started strong with a win in the 60 meters, posting a seasonal best of 6.73 seconds, just shy of his personal best. Ehammer continued his dominance with a first-round long jump of 8.03 meters, his preferred event, extending his overall lead. He maintained his position with a solid shot put throw of 14.39 meters, ending the morning session on top with 2800 points.
Sven Jansons from the Netherlands and Ken Mullings from the Bahamas were among Ehammer's closest competitors, with Jansons in second place overall after matching performances in the 60 meters and long jump, and Mullings in third following his results in the same events.
Significantly, five decathletes set personal bests in the shot put, with Mackenson Gletty of France and Johanes Erm of Estonia making notable improvements to climb the overall standings.
Mullings took the overnight lead with an impressive high jump of 2.16 meters, ending the first day with 3637 points, ahead of Ehammer and Andreas Erm, who also showed strong performances in the high jump to secure their places in the top standings.
WOMEN'S AND MEN'S 800m SEMI-FINALS
Hometown favorite Jemma Reekie delivered a spectacular performance, securing her victory in the second semifinal with the fastest time of 1:58.28 across both heats. Reekie executed a strategic race, shadowing the lead runner Alemu for the majority of the race before making her decisive move to take the lead in the last 15 meters. Alemu crossed the finish line in second place with a time of 1:58.59, while Halimah Naakayi from Uganda, the 2019 world champion, clinched the third automatic qualifying spot with a time of 1:58.91.
Reekie expressed confidence in her race strategy, stating, "It was perfect planning. I'm in really good shape. The final is going to be challenging, but my competitors will have to work hard to surpass me on my own track."
Eloisa Coiro of Italy achieved the second fastest time in her career with 2:00.13, while Audrey Werro from Switzerland, the European under 20 champion, set a personal best of 2:00.16.
The first heat saw Tsige Dugume from Ethiopia emerge victorious with a time of 1:58.45, outpacing Noelle Yarigo of Benin who finished in 1:59.45 and Vivian Chebet Kiprotich from Kenya with 1:59.65. This season marks Dugume's debut indoor campaign.
In the men's 800 meters semifinals, Mariano Garcia, the reigning world indoor champion, triumphed in the first heat with a time of 1:47.83, defeating Catalin Tecuceanu of Italy, the national indoor record holder, who clocked in at 1:48.13, and Andreas Kramer from Sweden with a time of 1:48.14.
The second semifinal was highly competitive, with five athletes finishing faster than Garcia's winning time from the first heat. Bryce Hoppel of the United States claimed victory with a seasonal best of 1:45.08, narrowly beating Elliot Crestan from Belgium by just four-thousandths of a second. Benjamin Robert secured his place in the final with a third-place finish, setting a personal best of 1:45.28, ahead of Abdelati El Guesse from Morocco and Mohamed Atttaoui from Spain, who finished in 1:45.45 and 1:45.68, respectively.
