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≡ WORLD INDOOR CHAMPS ≡
The second day of the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun (POL) had the women’s 60 m and the men’s 60 m hurdles as the featured events, running all three rounds on the same day!
In the women’s 60, the morning qualifying was led by Jamaica’s Brianna Lyston (heat six) and Olympic 100 m champ Julien Alfred (LCA: heat 4), both in 7.06. Just behind were Italy’s Zaynab Dosso, American Jacious Sears and Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, all at 7.07. American Jaslyn Gardner was fourth in heat one (7.27) and was eliminated.
In the semis, 2024 World Indoor winner Alfred was behind Sears at 40 m, but sped up and leaned at the line for first in 7.04, with Sears also in 7.04, then Lyston at 7.05. The second semi was fast, with Dosso winning in 7.00 and impressive, with Asher-Smith (7.03) equaling her lifetime best (and the national indoor record). Jamaica’s Jonielle Smith got a lifetime best of 7.03 to emerge in the final 20 m to win semi three, ahead of Patrizia van der Weken (LUX: 7.05).
Alfred was in five for the final, with Smith outside in six and Dosso, Asher-Smith and Sears inside. Dosso had the best start in the middle of the track and was being pressured by Sears, with Alfred coming. At the line, Dosso leaned hard, Sears continued though and they were 1-2 in 7.00 and 7.03, with Alfred leaning to get the bronze, also in 7.03.
It’s a third straight medal for Dosso: bronze in 2024, silver in 2025 and now gold. Sears won her first international championship medal.
In the men’s 60 m hurdles, the morning qualifying was led by American Trey Cunningham, the 2022 Worlds 110 m hurdles runner-up, at 7.45 by winning heat six. Fellow American Dylan Beard won heat two in 7.50. In the semis, Wilhem Belocian (FRA) – the World indoor 2025 runner-up – got out well in race one and won easily in 7.42, with Beard second in 7.46, but appeared to hurt his right leg at the finish. Cunningham was in semi two and raced away from the field, winning in 7.35. That’s a lifetime best and now no. 5 all-time and no. 3 all-time U.S.! Jamaica’s Demario Prince was a distant second in 7.53.
Polish fans cheered for Jakub Szymanski in semi three, taking the lead after hurdle two and finishing in 7.42. Beard was hurt and scratched out of the final.
In the final, Cunningham was in lane four, with Belocian in three and Szymanski in five. Szymanski was out well, Cunningham hit the first hurdle and Szymanski held on to win on the lean in 7.40. Spain’s Enrique Llopis was out well and got the silver in 7.42, with Cunningham in third in 7.43. The top five were within 0.05.
● Men/400 m: In the two-section final, it was Chris Robinson of the U.S. getting out in front and holding on from Attila Molnar (HUN), 45.55 to 45.71.
Khaleb McRae of the U.S., the world-record holder, was in lane five with Christopher Morales Williams (CAN) – the fastest ever – outside of him in six. McRae was out well and had the lead at the bell. McRae moved away on the backstraight, but Morales Williams came on hard on the straight and won in 44.76. McRae held on for silver in 45.03, then Jereem Richards (TTO: 45.39) was a clear third and on time, won the bronze.
● Men/3,000 m: World 5,000 m champ Cole Hocker of the U.S. was one of the favorites, but this was a loaded field, including American teammate and 2024 runner-up Yared Nuguse and Britain’s 2024 winner Josh Kerr.
There were 12 in contention with three laps left and Addisu Yihune (ETH) in the lead. At the bell, it was Yihune, Kerr and Ethiopian Steeple star Getnet Wale leading, then Kerr burst to the lead and Hocker moved up to third. On the final turn and to the line, it was Kerr sprinting and getting to the finish first in 7:35.56. Hocker sprinted hard and just got past France’s Yann Schrub at the line, in 7:35.70 to 7:35.71, with Nuguse fifth in 7:47.08.
A second World Indoor 3,000 m gold for Kerr and Hocker got his second World Indoor silver; he was second in the 2024 World Indoor 1,500 m.
● Men/High Jump: European Indoor champ Oleh Doroshchuk (UKR) cleared four straight bars up to and including 2.30 m (7-6 1/2) and that was good enough for the gold medal. The only other man to clear 2.30 was Mexico’s Erick Portillo, who got a lifetime best on his third try and took the silver. Both missed all three tries at 2.33 m (7-7 3/4).
Tying for third were Sang-hyeok Woo (KOR) and Raymond Richards (JAM), both getting over 2.26 m (7-5).
● Men/Vault: All eyes were on world-record holder Mondo Duplantis (SWE), but Australia’s two-time Worlds bronzer Kurtis Marschall and Greek Worlds silver winner Manolo Karalis were also perfect through 5.85 m (19-2 1/4).
Things started shaking up at 5.95 m (19-6 1/4), with Karalis clearing right away and Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen and American champion Zach Bradford also clearing. Four other missed and passed to 6.00 m (19-8 1/4), and Duplantis made only his third jump of the day at 6.00, a make that placed him in the lead.
Marschall cleared on his first to equal his lifetime best, Karalis on his second and no one else could clear, although Guttormsen passed (!). Bradford finished fifth. Now to 6.05 m (19-10 1/4), with Karalis over right away and Duplantis passing; Marschall and Guttormsen both missed their tries, with Marschall taking the bronze.
Now to 6.10 m (20-0), with Duplantis over immediately and Karalis passing. On to 6.15 m (20-2), and Duplantis cleared. So Karalis came back at 6.20 m (20-4), a height he had never cleared. He missed as he hit the bar with his chest and then passed to the next height, with two tries left.
Duplantis kept the pressure on, clearing 6.25 m (20-6) on his first try, and Karalis missed twice to settle for the silver medal. So, Duplantis had his fourth World Indoor gold – 2022-24-25-26 – and decided not to try for more.
American Chris Nilsen, the Tokyo 2020 runner-up, cleared 5.70 m (18-8 1/4) and was ninth.
● Men/Heptathlon: Leader Simon Ehammer (SUI) won the 60 m hurdles with a heptathlon-world best of 7.52, with American Heath Baldwin next best at 7.80, a lifetime best. Ehammer then led the vault at 5.30 m (17-4 1/2) and was set to challenge the world indoor record in the 1,000 m, of 6.645 by Ashton Eaton of the U.S. in 2012.
Going into the final event, Ehammer had 5,808 points to 5,453 for Baldwin and 5,409 for fellow American Kyle Garland. Ehammer paced evenly and won in style, finishing fourth in the race and finishing with a world-record 6,670!
Baldwin finished third in the 1,000 and grabbed the silver medal at 6,337, and Garland won the bronze at 6,245. It’s Baldwin’s first international medal; Garland got a bronze to go along with his Worlds decathlon bronze last year.
● Women/400 m: This was a two-section final and the home crowd roared for Pole Natalia Bukowiecka as she passed by 2024 runner-up Lieke Klaver (NED) to win in 50.83, to 51.02.
Heat winner Lurdes Manuel (CZE) got to the lead in the second semi and rolled to the line to win in 50.76, a lifetime best and good for the gold medal! Haiti’s Wadeline Venlogh was second in 51.07 as Norway’s Henriette Jaeger faded on the turn and Bukowiecka and Klaver ended up with silver and bronze.
● Women/3,000 m: The race immediately slowed to a tactical crawl, Micol Majori (ITA) passing 1,500 m 4:48.03. By 2,000 m, Steeple star Norah Jeruto (KAZ) was just in front of Australian Olympic 1,500 m runner-up Jess Hull, but still slow. So slow, in fact, that Hull was tripped and fell into Ethiopia’s defending champ Freweyni Hailu at the 1,250 m mark (Spain’s Marta Garcia was eventually disqualified).
Hailu regained contact quickly by 1,700 m, with Jeruto continuing to lead Hull at 2,000 m. Italian star Nadia Battoclietti – the Olympic 10,000 m silver medalist – went by Jeruto on the inside at 2,300 m, and took the lead from Hull, with American Emily Mackay in third.
Battoclietti, Hull, Mackay and Alishign Bawerke (ETH) were at the front with two laps left and Hull took over with 300 m to go. At the bell, it was Hull and Battoclietti and Mackay, with Battolcetti taking over on the turn and she rolled home to win in 8:57.64 and Mackay holding off Hull at the line for silver, 8:58.12 to 8:58.18.
American Margot Appleton was 14th in 9:12.57. Mackay won the bronze in this event in 2024 and now has silver.
● Women/Triple Jump: Venezuela’s world-record holder Yulimar Rojas was back in action, but it was Cuba’s Lleyanis Perez, the 2025 World Indoor and outdoor champ, to the front in round one at 14.88 m (48-10). And Perez extended to 14.95 m (49-0 3/4) – equaling Rojas’ world lead – in round two.
Rojas fired up into second in round four to reach 14.86 m (48-9), with Senegal’s Saly Sarr into third at 14.70 m (48-2 3/4). Neither could improve and Perez was the winner for a second straight year and with a medal for the third straight year.
American Jasmine Moore, the Olympic bronzer, finished seventh at 14.33 m (47-0 1/4) in the first round. Teammate Ryann Porter was 16th at 13.01 m (42-8 1/4).
● Mixed 4×400 m: Belgium’s Jonathan Saccor got out to the lead on the first leg and passed first, but behind him, American Jevon O’Bryant passed to Sara Reifenrath, who was flattened in a collision with Jamaica and the Netherlands. That essentially eliminated the U.S. and the Dutch, who finished 4-5.
The Belgians ran away and won with a world-best 3:15.60, with Spain second in 3:16.96. Jamaica finished third, but was disqualified for a lane violation on the first exchange, so Poland took the bronze in 3:17.44. The U.S. ended up fifth in 3:21.35.
Not a lot of qualifying on Saturday, but the performances were impressive:
● Men/800 m: American star Cooper Lutkenhaus was the fastest qualifier, winning semi two in a fast 1:44.29, ahead of Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui (1:44.48). Sean Dolan of the U.S. was third in heat three in 1:46.45 and did not advance to the final.
● Women/800 m: World-record holder Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) and American Addy Wiley were the top two in qualifying, both in semi one, in 1:58.53 and 1:58.75. Swiss Audrey Werro, the Diamond League winner last year, won semi three in 1:59.27 and was next fastest.
One more day to go, as the World Indoors concludes on Sunday; the meet is being shown in the U.S. on NBCD’s Peacock streaming service and NBCSN (where available).
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