Torun, Poland: Armand Duplantis delivered another pole vault masterclass to secure a fourth world indoor title, while Britain’s Josh Kerr produced a composed performance to defeat a strong field in the men’s 3,000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland on Saturday.
In a night of high-quality competition, Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer set a new world record in the men’s heptathlon, while Italy’s Zaynab Dosso clinched gold in the women’s 60m sprint.
Duplantis, returning to the venue where he set his first world record in 2020, dominated the pole vault event with a flawless display. The Swedish star cleared all six of his attempts, registering a championship record of 6.25m to comfortably retain his title.
Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis took silver with 6.05m, but his tactical gamble to pass earlier heights in a bid to challenge Duplantis proved costly. The victory marked Duplantis’ fourth world indoor crown, equalling the record held by Sergey Bubka.
“The arena in Torun has a special place in my heart,” Duplantis said. “It changed my life as this is where I set my first world record. It is great to come back here and compete in front of this crowd.”
Kerr, competing in only his second race since recovering from injury, showed determination and tactical awareness to reclaim the 3,000m title. The Briton surged to the front at the bell and held off a late challenge from American Cole Hocker to secure gold in a tightly contested race.
“I wanted this gold medal so badly,” Kerr said. “It took a lot of work to be standing on the podium today.”
Earlier in the evening, Ehammer stole the spotlight with a historic performance in the heptathlon. The 26-year-old Swiss athlete amassed 6,670 points to break a 14-year-old world record previously held by Ashton Eaton, delivering a series of consistent performances across the seven-discipline event.
“I wanted to improve my European record, but it was difficult to imagine the world record as well,” Ehammer said.
In the women’s 60m, Dosso produced an impressive run to claim gold in 7.00 seconds, overcoming a strong field that included Olympic champion Julien Alfred. The Italian sprinter completed her medal set at the championships, having previously won silver and bronze.
There was disappointment, however, for Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, who fell short in her bid for a fourth world indoor title in the women’s triple jump. The Olympic champion finished second behind Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez, who secured gold with a leap of 14.95m.
Italy celebrated further success in the women’s 3,000m, with Nadia Battocletti delivering a strong finish to take gold in 8:57.64.
Canada’s Christopher Morales Williams set a championship record of 44.76 seconds to win the men’s 400m, while Lurdes Gloria Manuel of the Czech Republic claimed the women’s title in 50.76 seconds.
The home crowd also had reason to celebrate as Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka secured silver in the women’s 400m, before Jakub Szymanski delighted fans with victory in the men’s 60m hurdles, capping a memorable evening of athletics in Torun.
