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≡ WORLD INDOOR CHAMPS ≡
The final day of the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun (POL) had tons of energy and intensity, and a big day for the U.S. with an impressive 18 total medals.
But it was a 17-year-old Texan who shined brightest, in the men’s 800 m. American champ Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17, had been the best through the heats, and took the lead of the start. Belgian Elliott Crestan, the 2025 runner-up, had a small lead at 400 m – 51.91 to 52.02 – then Lutkenhaus took over again.
But Crestan pushed – along with Australia’s Peter Bol – and Crestan took the bell in 1:18.06. Lutkenhaus waited, then went to the lead and was not headed, holding on to the finish in 1:44.24 to 1:44.38 over Crestan.
Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui passed Bol around the turn and was third (1:44.66), with Bol fourth (1:45.14).
Lutkenhaus’ win is the third straight for the U.S., after Bryce Hoppel and Josh Hoey, and he’s now the youngest individual medalist in World Indoors history! He ran with poise way beyong his years. He now has three of the 10 fastest indoor 800s in American history.
The rest of the meet was just as dramatic:
● Men/1,500 m: Spain’s Mariano Garcia, the 2022 World 800 m champ, was at the front of a close pack with three laps to go and Garcia and World Champion Isaac Nader (POR) led with 400 m left.
Garcia and Nader took the bell and the leader extended the down the backstraight, and no one could catch either of them. Garcia’s form almost failed in the final straight, but he flailed his arms and kept his balance to win in 3:39.63 to 3:40.06.
Australia’s Adam Spencer got third over Sweden’s Sam Pihlstrom, 3:40.26 to 3:40.59. American champ Nathan Green was sixth in 3:40.78.
● Men/4×400 m: The morning heats saw the U.S. lead the first race with Elija Godwin, Demarius Smith and Chris Robinson, but T.J. Tomlyanovich was passed on the final lap by both the Dutch (3:04.66) and Portugal (3:04.75) to finish third in 3:04.85, but advanced as a time qualifier. Belgium (3:05.25) won heat two over Hungary (3:05.67).
The U.S. subbed in Justin Robinson to start and world-record man Khaleb McRae for the anchor in the final. Belgium (Jonathan Saccor: 45.83) and the U.S. were 1-2 after the first leg (46.15 for Robinson), with Chris Robinson taking the lead with a lap to go and gave a huge lead (45.16) to Smith. But as Belgium’s Julien Watrin closed, Smith pushed away (45.56) and McRae had a clear lead on the anchor.
Belgian star Alexander Doom was chasing, but McRae rolled to the win in a dominant in 3:01.52 (and 44.65), the no. 7 performance in history. The Belgians ran 3:03.29 for silver and Jamaica was third in 3:05.99.
● Men/Long Jump: Defending champion Mattia Furlani opened with a quality 8.16 m (26-9 1/4) jump, but was quickly passed by world leader Bozhidar Saraboyukov (BUL) at 8.22 m (26-11 3/4). Then Gerson Balde (POR) passed Furlani, at 8.17 m (26-9 3/4).
Furlani improved in round two to 8.25 m (27-0 3/4) to re-take the lead, but he was passed again, first by Cuban Jorge Hodelin (8.26 m/27-1 1/4) and then Saraboyukov again, at 8.31 m (27-3 1/4).
Fulani finally got back to the lead in the fifth round, equaling his lifetime best at 8.39 m (27-6 1/2), but Balde – eighth in this meet last year – exploded in round six, taking over at a world-leading – and lifetime best! – 8.46 m (27-9 1/4). Furlani had the last chance, but could not respond and settled for silver. Balde is now equal-8th all-time indoors. Wow.
Americans Jeremiah Davis moved up to fifth in round five at 8.21 m (26-11 1/4) and that’s where he finished. Teammate Steffin McCarter (7.89 m/25-10 3/4) finished 12th.
● Men/Shot: New Zealand’s Tom Walsh was looking for a fourth Indoor gold, after wins in 2016, 2018 and 2025, but he was second after three rounds to American Jordan Geist after three rounds, 21.64 m (71-0) to 21.21 m (69-7). U.S. champ Roger Steen was a close third at 21.17 m (69-5 1/2) in round three.
Walsh was improving, however, to 21.28 m (69-9 3/4) in round four, then took the lead at 21.66 m (71-0 3/4) in round five. Geist had two more fouls – four in a row – then did not improve and Walsh was the winner for a fourth time! He finished with his best of the day – 21.82 m (71-7 1/4) – for a finishing touch.
Steen also improved, to 21.22 m (69-7 1/2) in round five and 21.49 m (70-6 1/4) in the final round, but had to settle for bronze. Third American Josh Awotunde reached 20.96 m (68-9 1/4) for sixth.
● Women/800 m: What would Olympic champ Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) do? Already the world-record holder indoors at 1:54.87, and she took the lead right away. Nigist Getachew (ETH), Audrey Werro (SUI) and American Addy Wiley were in line, but Hodgkinson was running away at the bell.
She was unchallenged to the bell in 1:55.30 – the second-fastest time in history – and Wiley was in third with 100 m to go, with Werro the clear silver medalist in 1:56.64 and then Wiley with the bronze in 1:58.36, a lifetime best and no. 3 all-time U.S. Getachew was fourth in 1:59.73.
Hodgkinson claimed Britain’s first-ever win in this event in World Indoor Champs history.
● Women/1,500 m: Paris 1,500 m runner-up Jessica Hull got out to the lead right away, but then Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom sailed away, taking a lead of more than two seconds by the 600 m mark. At 800, Haylom was 3.31 up at 2:05.30 over Paris Olympic bronzer Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR) and Hull.
By the bell, the gap had closed to 0.26 with Hunter Bell and Hull moving in and then they took over on the turn. Hunter Bell had the lead with a half-lap left and was unchallenged to the line in a world-leading 3:58.53 – no. 9 all-time – with Hull at 3:59.45. American Nikki Hiltz used her usual late charge to get third at the line in 3:59.68 – no. 3 all-time U.S. – over Agathe Guillemot (FRA: 3:59.71). Haylom finished fifth in 4:01.34 and American Gracie Morris in seventh in 4:03.75.
● Women’s 60 m hurdles: Two-time European champ Nadine Visser (NED) led the heats at 7.82 along with world-record holder (and two-time defending champ) Devynne Charlton (BAH). Americans Alia Armstrong (7.85) and Danae Dyer (7.90) both advanced easily. In the semis, Visser won the first race in 7.82, then home favorite Pia Skrzyszowska (POL) and World 100 m hurdles winner Dita Kambundji (SUI) were 1-2 in a fast 7.76, taking the 2026 world lead! Dyer was fourth (7.92).
Charlton blasted out of the blocks and won heat three – taking back the world lead while looking relaxed – at 7.74, with Armstrong second in 7.84.
Charlton was in lane six in the final, with Skrzyszowska inside her in five and Kambundji in four and Charlton was out and never headed, blasting to the finish and equaling her own 2024 world record in 7.65! It’s her third World Indoor gold in a row, the first time ever in this event!
Behind her, Visser was second but Skrzyszowska rushed to the line and Visser got the silver as both timed 7.73 (7.723 to 7.728), and Kambundji was fourth 7.75. Armstrong finished sixth in 7.85. Visser won her second Worlds Indoor medal, after a bronze in 2018.
● Women/4×400 m: Poland won heat one over the Netherlands, 3:28.06 to 3:28.11, while the U.S. – Paris Peoples, Brianna White, Abbey Glynn, Shamier Little – won heat two in 3:28.36 over Great Britain (3:29.31).
For the final, the U.S. had Bailey Lear, Rosey Effiong, Peoples and Little, with Lear and Effiong back from the 2025 winning team. Lear got to the lead early and the U.S. passed second (51.47) to Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka. Effiong (50.83) settled into second behind Myrte van der Schoot (NED) and took the lead with 100 m to go and she passed to Peoples in the lead.
Peoples (52.02) led Nina Franke (NED) by a meter with 50 m to go but passed to Little by … only a little. Little had three chasers and was steady through the first lap and she held everyone off for the win with a final push in the final 20 m to take gold in 3:25.81 (50.99). Dutch anchor Eveline Sallberg was a clear second in 3:26.00 and Spain passed Poland for bronze in 3:26.04 to 3:26.17.
● Women/Vault: Things cleared up at 4.80 m (15-9) as 2024 World Indoor champ Molly Caudery (GBR) and 2025 World Indoor runner-up Tina Sutej (SLO) both cleared on their first attempts and took the lead. No one else cleared and there was a three-way tie for the bronze among Amalie Svabikova (CZE), Imogen Ayris (NZL) and 2025 bronzer Angelica Moser (SUI).
The bar went up to 4.85 m (15-11) and Caudery got over on her second try for the win, with Sutej missing her tries and getting silver. American Jessica Mercier got a lifetime best of 4.70 m (15-5) and finished ninth. U.S. champ Chloe Timberg was 12th at 4.35 m (14-3 1/4).
● Women/Long Jump: World leader and 2024 European bronze medalist Agate de Sousa (POR) took the lead in round three at 6.82 m (22-4 1/2), then backed that up with a 6.81 m (22-4 1/4) in the fourth. Just behind, with a seasonal best of 6.80 m (22-3 3/4) was Natalia Linares (COL), but Italian star Larissa Iapichino, the 2025 European Indoor champ, got untracked in round five and took the lead at 6.84 m (22-5 1/4)!
That did not faze de Sousa, who responded at the end of the round with her best of the day at 6.92 m (22-8 1/2). Iapichino improved to 6.87 m (22-6 1/2) on her last try, but had to settle for silver. American Jasmine Moore, the Olympic bronzer in 2024, was seventh at 6.70 m (21-11 3/4) and Monae Nichols was eighth (6.66 m (21-10 1/4).
● Women/Pentathlon: American Anna Hall, the 2025 World Heptathlon champ, led the 60 m hurdles at 8.18, was second in the high jump at 1.84 m (6-0 1/2) and fifth in the shot (14.23 m/46-8 1/4) to stand second after the morning session at 2,926 points. Dutch star Sofie Doktor, the 2024 Worlds bronze winner, was second in the hurdles and won the high jump and shot.
In the long jump, Dokter won again at 6.52 m (21-4 3/4) with Hall in fifth (6.21 m (20-4 1/2), so the Dutch leader had a 3,956 to 3,878 lead on Kate O’Connor (IRL) and 3,841 for Hall in third, with one event left.
The 800 finale was going to Hall against the clock and she won in 2:06.32, the fastest ever in the World Indoor pent, with Ireland’s 2025 runner-up Kate O’Connor closest in 2:10.26. Doktor was fifth in 2:12.27 and that was enough for Doktor to win with a world-leading 4,888 to 4,860 for Hall for silver. O’Connor took the bronze at 4,839.
Allie Jones of the U.S. did not finish, scoring 2,994 through four events, then did not start in the 800 m.
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This was a strong American team, but hardly the best, but the U.S. dominated with 18 total medals (5-7-6) with the next best performance from Australia (0-2-3), Spain (1-2-2) and Italy (3-2-0) with five each.
On the placing table, scoring all events from first to eighth (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1), the American squad scored 156 points to 52 for Jamaica, 48 for Poland and 47 each for the Dutch and Italy.
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