GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, March 01–03 — Our coverage of World Indoor Championships XIX is presented in four composite articles: men’s track, men’s field, women’s track, women’s field.
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60 Meters: Julien Alfred (St. Lucia) 6.98 =WL
Alfred was widely predicted to give the Caribbean island of St. Lucia its first-ever global athletics title and the two-time NCAA 100 champion and 2023 NCAA indoor 60m winner duly delivered with a sparkling run to cross the line in 6.98.
It wasn’t quite as quick as some of the entries in her famed series last winter when, wearing Texas Longhorn apparel, she became the first collegiate sprinter to go under the 7-second barrier — firstly running 6.97 at the Big 12 Champs and then taking the NCAA crown in 6.94. But that couldn’t dull Alfred’s sense of satisfaction.
“I think losing last season at the World Championships and coming that close to a medal in both the 100m and the 200m [she finished 5th and 4th respectively in Budapest] gave me a boost,” reflected Alfred.
“I was very hungry coming to the next season. I feel like I was disappointed last season. My coach [UT Head Coach Edrick Floréal came all the way from Austin to be with me here, so I wanted to make him proud.”
Alfred was the equal-fastest woman in the morning heats with 7.02, the same time as Poland’s 2019 European indoor champion Ewa Swoboda who won her continental title in the same arena five years ago.
In the semis, Swoboda emerged as a serious threat with a 6.98 NR to Alfred’s semi win in 7.03 after a sluggish start.
However, in the final Alfred got the best start of her three outings and although the quick-starting Pole was ahead for two-thirds of the race, the former Longhorn came good over the final 20 meters with Swoboda 2nd in 7.02.
Both U.S. representatives made the final but Mikiah Brisco was 5th in 7.08 while Aleia Hobbs injured herself while warming up and, sadly, scratched from the final just before the gun. /Phil Minshull/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 02)
1. Julien Alfred (StL) 6.98 (=WL);
2. Ewa Swoboda (Pol) 7.00;
3. Zaynab Dosso (Ita) 7.05;
4. Zoe Hobbs (NZ) 7.06 NR;
5. Mikiah Brisco (US) 7.08;
6. Rani Rosius (Bel) 7.14;
7. Patrizia van der Weken (Lux) 7.15;
… dnc[inj]—Aleia Hobbs (US).
(lanes: 1. van der Weken; 2. Rosius; 3. Dosso; 4. Alfred; 5. Swoboda; 6. A. Hobbs; 7. Brisco; 8. Z. Hobbs)
(reaction times: 0.139 Z. Hobbs, 0.146 Swoboda, 0.147 Brisco, 0.148 Dosso, 0.158 van der Weken, 0.159 Alfred, 0.168 Rosius)
SEMIS (March 02)
I–1. Swoboda 6.98 NR (WL);
2. Rosius 7.12 =PR; 3. van der Weken 7.13; 4. Celera Barnes (US) 7.14; 5. Boglárka Takács (Hun) 7.21; 6. Audrey Leduc (Can) 7.21 PR; 7. Maria Isabel Pérez (Spa) 7.26; 8. Anthonique Strachan (Bah) 7.36.
II–1. A. Hobbs 7.04; 2. Dosso 7.05; 3. Z. Hobbs 7.09 NR; 4. Tristan Evelyn (Bar) 7.14; 5. Shashalee Forbes (Jam) 7.15; 6. Oliere 7.18; 7. Jael Bestue (Spa) 7.24; 8. Magdalena Stefanowicz (Pol) 7.37.
III–1. Alfred 7.03; 2. Brisco 7.10; 3. Géraldine Frey (Swi) 7.16; 4. Briana Williams (Jam) 7.19; 5. Delphine Nkansa (Bel) 7.21; 6. Gina Bass (Gam) 7.21; 7. N’ketia Seedo (Neth) 7.29; 8. Õilme Võro (Est) 7.31.
400: Femke Bol (Netherlands) 49.17 WR
Heading into the women’s 400 final, a Netherlands’ 1-2 seemed like a strong bet if not guaranteed. But which orange vest would cross the line first? Could the steadily improving Lieke Klaver best her more established training partner Femke Bol for the first time since 2020? Could the flat 400 specialist top the elite hurdler?
Not on this day.
Bol, with her trademark effortless glide, firmly fortified her flat running credentials with an 0.07 improvement on the World Indoor Record she had set two weeks earlier at her nation’s indoor championships. Klaver, 25, seemed to have a smidgen of hope coming off the curve, but Bol, 24, pulled away in the stretch with unflagging stamina. Ultimately, Klaver was almost a full second behind (50.16) and it was all she could do to hold off fast-closing American Alexis Holmes (50.24 PR).
The final’s other American, Talitha Diggs, finished 5th in 51.23.
The ease and confidence with which Bol ran, both during the final and through the rounds, telegraphed what was coming. Her 52.00 wasn’t the fastest in the opening round, but it looked far easier than the four quicker times. Then she laid down the gauntlet in the semis with a 50.66, well clear of Holmes’ 50.99. (Klaver, meanwhile, had a false-start scare in her semi, but was shown only a yellow warning card.)
Bol ran the final with a sense of ownership. The Dutch women had the two outside lanes and Bol erased the stagger on Klaver coming around the second curve. Pole position at the break was decisively hers and the remainder of the race was just a matter of how long Klaver could hang on.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Bol of the Dutch double. “We’ve trained so hard together to make this a Dutch one-two.” /Lee Nichols/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 02)
1. Femke Bol (Neth) 49.17 WR (old WR 49.24 Bol ’23) (11.89, 11.72 [23.61], 12.45 [36.06], 13.11) (23.61/25.56);
2. Lieke Klaver (Neth) 50.16 (23.66/26.50);
3. Alexis Holmes (US) 50.24 PR (3, 3 A) (24.06/26.18);
4. Laviai Nielsen (GB) 50.89 PR;
5. Talitha Diggs (US) 51.23;
6. Susanne Gogl-Walli (Aut) 51.37 NR.
SEMIS (March 01)
I–1. Klaver 51.18; 2. Diggs 51.28; 3. Gogl-Walli 52.47; 4. Stacey-Ann Williams (Jam) 52.72; 5. Amandine Brossier (Fra) 53.26;… dq—Sharlene Mawdsley (Ire).
II–1. Bol 50.66; 2. Holmes 50.99; 3. Nielsen 51.44; 4. Henriette Jæger (Nor) 51.48; 5. Andrea Miklos (Rom) 51.83; 6. Lada Vondrová (CzR) 52.48.
800: Tsige Duguma (Ethiopia) 2:01.90
It was simple. Break 2 minutes in the semi-finals and you’ll make the final and those who don’t will watch from the stands.
Ethiopian Tsige Duguma took heat 1 with a 1:58.35 PR, while Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie led the qualifiers with her 1:58.28 ahead of Ethiopian world leader Habitam Alemu’s 1:58.59 in heat 2. The field was rounded out by Kenya’s Vivian Chebet, Benin’s Noélie Yarigo and 2019 world outdoor champion Halimah Nakaayi, the only finalist with a global medal.
The wish for a fast final soon fizzled after the first 200 was covered in 29.39 by Duguma, with all the players tightly in tow. It was evident no one wanted to press the issue after a 34.00 2nd lap brought the field by 400 in 63.39, with Duguma separated by Reekie, Yarigo, Alemu, Kiprotich and Nakaayi by just 0.31.
The pace immediately increased at the beginning of lap 3 as Reekie rubbed shoulders with Duguma to her inside and Yarigo and Alemu ran side by side just behind. They crossed 600 in 1:33.99 (30.60).
Reekie knew she had the Scottish home crowd behind her and made her move down the backstretch, but Duguma would not yield. With 100 to go Duguma stepped on the accelerator and pulled away from Reekie completing her final lap in 27.91 to finish in 2:01.90, the slowest winning time since 2008.
Behind Reekie’s 2:02.72, 38-year-old Yarigo bested Chebet with her 2:03.15 to claim bronze and Benin’s first global medal.
Duguma said afterward, “This race was really amazing and it is hard for me to find proper words. The tactic I used was to push it forward and that is why I was able to get first place.
“It is true that the home crowd was pushing their athlete. I was confident coming into this race because I know how hard I was training, so I was ready to fight for the gold. Now, the focus is on the Olympics, and there is no doubt that I want to bring this medal home.”
Reekie summed up her effort, “I knew those girls were going to throw something at me and they were just better than me today. I made some mistakes, but I’ve learned some lessons. It’s always going to be unpredictable and it’s what’s going to happen if all these girls are running so fast, but it’s my first senior medal so I’m not too disappointed.” /Brian Russell/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 03)
1. Tsige Duguma (Eth) 2:01.90 (63.39/58.51) (13.61);
2. Jemma Reekie (GB) 2:02.72 (63.44/59.28) (14.30);
3. Noélie Yarigo (Ben) 2:03.15 (63.52/59.63) (14.53);
4. Vivian Chebet (Ken) 2:03.76 (63.54/60.22) (14.65);
5. Habitam Alemu (Eth) 2:03.89 (63.52/60.37) (15.31);
6. Halimah Nakaayi (Uga) 2:05.53 (63.70/61.83) (16.40).
HEATS (March 01)
IV–4. Allie Wilson (US) 2:01.66. V–3. Addy Wiley (US) 2:02.69.
SEMIS (March 02)
I–1. Duguma 1:58.35 PR; 2. Yarigo 1:59.45; 3. Chebet 1:59.65 PR; 4. Lore Hoffmann (Swi) 2:00.06 NR; 5. Catriona Bisset (Aus) 2:00.13; 6. Natoya Goule-Toppin (Jam) 2:01.41.
II–1. Reekie 1:58.28; 2. Alemu 1:58.59; 3. Nakaayi 1:58.91; 4. Eloisa Coiro (Ita) 2:00.13; 5. Audrey Werro (Swi) 2:00.16 PR; 6. Lorea Ibarzabal (Spa) 2:00.73.
1500: Freweyni Hailu (Ethiopia) 4:01.46
The Ethiopians came to Glasgow as the overwhelming favorites, and there was talk of a podium sweep. Indeed, Freweyni Hailu emerged from a tactical race to claim her country’s third straight title (and sixth of the last 10), but the 1-2-3 finish was denied when upstart Americans Nikki Hiltz and Emily MacKay came through for silver and bronze.
Initially it looked like the race might turn into a time trial, with Hailu coming through 200 in 30.83 with teammate Diribe Welteji on her heels and a big gap on the rest of the field. Alas, a lap later they hit the brakes and the pack bunched up.
The third Ethiopian, Birke Haylom, took over and hit 800 meters in a conservative 2:11.66. (Hailu, as World Indoor Tour winner, gave Ethiopia a trio of entrants.) Welteji, silver medalist outdoors last year, took over at that point but the pace still lagged. With two laps to go MacKay made an audacious surge and seized control of the race.
She would hold the lead until just before the final curve, when Hailu came flying by. The Ethiopian covered her last lap in 28.62 and won easily in 4:01.46.
“This result is very good for me and the key to this result is that we help each other in our team and in our training group,” said Hailu, who took silver in the 800 in Belgrade two years ago and was 7th in the 5000 last summer in Budapest. “The harder we work, the better we get on the track.”
Hiltz (4:02.32) came on strong down the final stretch and caught MacKay (4:02.69) with 30 meters to go to take the silver. These were the first U.S. medals in the event since 2003.
“In the 15 you can go in with a race plan and it’s not going to look like anything you imagined,” Hiltz said. “We thought it was going to be really fast from the gun. The best part of the 15 is that you have to think on your feet, you have to be prepared for anything.”
Britain’s Georgia Bell (4:03.47) swept by Welteji (4:03.82) in the closing strides to place 4th. New Zealand’s Maia Ramsden, the NCAA 1500 champion for Harvard last year, finished 10th in 4:06.88 after 4:06.51 in the heats to move to No. 2 on the all-time collegiate list. /Rich Sands/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 03)
1. Freweyni Hailu (Eth) 4:01.46
(14.49, 28.62, 58.96);
2. Nikki Hiltz (US) 4:02.32 PR (3, 5 A)
(14.84, 29.28, 60.05);
3. Emily MacKay (US) 4:02.69 PR (4, 6 A)
(15.64, 30.33, 60.61);
4. Georgia Bell (GB) 4:03.47
(15.03, 30.06, 61.14);
5. Diribe Welteji (Eth) 4:03.82; 6. Revee Walcott-Nolan (GB) 4:04.60; 7. Agathe Guillemot (Fra) 4:04.94; 8. Salomé Afonso (Por) 4:06.18 PR; 9. Birke Haylom (Eth) 4:06.27;
10. Maia Ramsden (NZ-Harv) 4:06.88 (x, 3 C);
11. Lucia Stafford (Can) 4:08.90; 12. Esther Guerrero (Spa) 4:12.33.
HEATS (March 01)
II–1. Hiltz 4:04.34 PR (5, x A);… 3. Ramsden 4:06.51 NR (2, 2 C).
3000: Elle St. Pierre (US) 8:20.87 AR
A year after giving birth, Elle St. Pierre conclusively proved she is back among the world’s best after winning the 3000 gold in a stunning record-smashing race that upended heavily-favored Gudaf Tsegay.
The race was always going to be fast: steeple WR-holder Beatrice Chepkoech made sure of that, the Kenyan taking it out from the start and leading through the first K in 2:48.83. Behind her, Tsegay tucked in, and the midrace laps looked much like a rabbited race.
After that first kilometer, Tsegay moved to the front when she felt Chepkoech’s pace slip. Australian Jessica Hull stayed with her, hoping that her kick would prove useful in the closing stages. St. Pierre ran 4th. The one key figure not in the mix was Scotswoman Laura Muir, who got out with the trailing pack and struggled, ultimately unsuccessfully, to catch up to the lead group.
Tsegay passed 1600 in 4:29.06 and 2K in 5:35.78. St. Pierre, still in 4th, passed that post in 5:36.41 (among Americans only Mary Slaney is faster). The tight pack of four stayed in order until 300 to go, when Chepkoech moved to pass Hull.
As the bell rang, St. Pierre swung wide and pulled even with Chepkoech. On the backstretch, her momentum carried her to Tsegay’s shoulder. She launched into a full sprint around the turn and came off in attack mode, pulling ahead of the 5000 WR holder with 25m to go and celebrating with joy and disbelief on her face as she crossed the line.
Her 8:20.87 broke not just the championship record, but also Alicia Monson’s American Record of 8:25.05, a mark that St. Pierre had scared a month earlier. Behind her, Tsegay clocked 8:21.13 and Chepkoech broke the Kenyan record at 8:22.68. Hull ran an Aussie record 8:24.39 in 4th, as Muir made her way to 5th in 8:29.76. Josette Andrews placed 11th in 8:41.93.
“It’s all I ever dreamed of,” said a teary-eyed St. Pierre. “It’s been a big year for me. It’s really emotional to think of, but a year ago my son was born. To be here as a world champion, I can’t imagine it. I feel like a new person, a new athlete.” /Jeff Hollobaugh/
RESULTS
(March 02)
1. Elle St. Pierre (US) 8:20.87 AR, absolute AR (old records 8:25.05 Alicia Monson [OAC] ’23) (3, 4 W; in/out: 9, 9 W)
(14.69, 29.76, 61.69, 2:10.56, 4:24.59);
2. Gudaf Tsegay (Eth) 8:21.13 (x, 5 W; in/out: x, 10 W)
(15.04, 30.02, 61.95);
3. Beatrice Chepkoech (Ken) 8:22.68 NR (4, 8 W)
(16.13, 31.60, 63.57);
4. Jessica Hull (Aus) 8:24.39 NR (8, x W)
(32.86, 65.43);
5. Laura Muir (GB) 8:29.76; 6. Lemlem Hailu (Eth) 8:30.36; 7. Hirut Meshesha (Eth) 8:34.61; 8. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 8:36.03 NR; 9. Teresia Gateri (Ken) 8:38.96; 10. Marta García (Spa) 8:40.34; 11. Josette Andrews (US) 8:41.93; 12. Hannah Nuttall (GB) 8:48.24; 13. Ludovica Cavalli (Ita) 8:48.46; 14. Agueda Marques (Spa) 8:48.57; 15. Roisin Flanagan (Ire) 8:53.02 PR; 16. Emeline Imanizabayo (Rwa) 9:28.58 PR.
60m Hurdles: Devynne Charlton (Bahamas) 7.65 WR
Devynne Charlton, your moment has arrived.
The 28-year-old Bahamian got within spitting distance of global titles in recent years — outdoor finals in Tokyo, Eugene and Budapest, and indoor silver in Serbia in 2022.
As she steadily pulled away from the field in Glasgow, it was clear no competitor and not even history could keep her from gold this time. Her 7.65 shaved 0.02 off the World Record and put her firmly atop the podium. Even solid efforts from defending champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France (7.74) and Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska (7.79) looked pedestrian in comparison.
Charlton kept a clean sheet through the rounds, winning her heat in 7.93 and then an intimidatingly easy 7.72 in the semis.
It’s been a heady indoor campaign for Charlton, the Bahamas’ first champion in this event. The former Purdue Boilermaker took her first two trips under 7.80 before shocking the world with a 7.67 WR at Millrose, knocking Susanna Kallur’s 7.68 from the books after 16 years.
That mark was matched only 5 days later by Tia Jones in the USATF heats, but a tantalizing clash of the titans never materialized because Jones injured herself after the Albuquerque final.
For the United States, Masai Russell looked promising, smoothly winning her heat in 7.89 and equaling her 7.79 season’s best in her semi. But in the final the 100H Collegiate Record holder clipped the first hurdle — the only downed hurdle for the entire field — and that doomed her medal hopes. She finished just off the medal stand in 7.81.
Said Charlton, who now will try to match her current form over the outdoor hurdles on the road to Paris, “This means a whole lot because I have set myself goals. I have not changed my technique much — just a few tweaks — but I have been working hard off the track — making sure my mental health is good and working with a sports psychologist. Just taking care of myself. Indoors really plays well to my skill set too.“ /Lee Nichols/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 03)
1. Devynne Charlton (Bah) 7.65 WR (old WR 7.67 Charlton ’24 & Tia Jones [US] ’24);
2. Cyrena Samba-Mayela (Fra) 7.74;
3. Pia Skrzyszowska (Pol) 7.79;
4. Masai Russell (US) 7.81;
5. Sarah Lavin (Ire) 7.91;
6. Charisma Taylor (Bah) 7.92;
7. Cindy Sember (GB) 7.92;
8. Luca Kozák (Hun) 8.01.
(lanes: 1. Kozak; 2. Taylor; 3. Russell; 4. Charlton; 5. Samba-Mayela; 6. Skrzyszowska; 7. Lavin; 8. Sember)
(reaction times: 0.129 Lavin, 0.139 Taylor, 0.141 Samba-Mayela, 0.142 Skrzyszowska & Russell, 0.150 Kozak, 0.152 Charlton, 0.164 Sember)
SEMIS (March 03)
I–1. Charlton 7.72; 2. Skrzyszowska 7.78 =PR; 3. Sember 7.95; 4. Christina Clemons (US) 7.99; 5. Karin Strametz (Aut) 8.00 PR; 6. Xenia Benach (Spa) 8.12; 7. Stanislava Škvarková (Svk) 8.16; 8. Diana Suumann (Est) 8.22.
II–1. Samba-Mayela 7.73 NR; 2. Lavin 7.90 =PR; 3. Kozák 7.95; 4. Mariam Abdul-Rashid (Can) 7.99 =PR; 5. Reetta Hurske (Fin) 8.00; 6. Viktória Forster (Svk) 8.04; 7. Mette Graversgaard (Den) 8.07; 8. Nika Glojnarič (Slo) 8.17.
III–1. Russell 7.79; 2. Taylor 7.91 =PR; 3. Megan Tapper (Jam) 8.00; 4. Solenn Compper (Fra) 8.04; 5. Michelle Jenneke (Aus) 8.05; 6. Gréta Kerekes (Hun) 8.12; 7. Giada Carmassi (Ita) 8.27; 8. Nadine Visser (Neth) 8.42.
4 x 400: Netherlands 3:25.07 WL
Prior to Glasgow only U.S. teams had ducked below 3:30 in 2024. Eight bettered that time in the heats.
At the front in the first heat, surprising few onlookers, open 400 WR star Femke Bol’s 50.89 anchor carry took the Netherlands from a meter down to U.S. anchor Bailey Lear at the exchange to about 2½m ahead at the end. Bol’s final 35m made all the difference in the 3:27.70–3:28.04 outcome. Just 0.75 covered all four teams and all advanced.
The second heat was a duel between Britain and Jamaica, with the home nation leading from the second leg to win with a NR 3:26.40, 0.95 clear of Jamaica.
Of the six finalists, only Ireland’s foursome remained unchanged for the final. Klaver and Laviai Nielsen initially battled for the lead, with the Dutchwoman clear at 200m (23.7). Klaver covered her 400m in 50.26, uniquely the only time that the fastest split in a World Indoor final has come on the opening leg. Thomas (51.19) was second ahead of Nielsen, and Quanera Hayes’ 52.33 split brought the U.S. baton across 5th.
On leg 2 the up-front order was maintained as Cathelijn Peeters of Holland kept the lead at 4 meters, with Andrenette Knight of Jamaica holding off Talitha Diggs, whose 50.50 was the best second leg of the day. Surprisingly, Lisanne de Witte (52.28) kept ahead of Bailey Lear on the third leg, with Femke Bol taking over the baton 3 meters ahead of Alexis Holmes. Behind them Charokee Young of Jamaica and Arna Pipi of Britain brushed together with 100m of the leg remaining, with the result that the baton slid out of the Jamaican’s hand, leaving Great Britain with the bronze medal.
Up ahead Bol controlled proceedings with a 50.54 leg to hold off an excellent run by Holmes who closed in the finishing straight with 50.49. The winning time of 3:25.07 was a WL for the Dutch, with the U.S. squad well clear of Britain’s second NR of the day (3:26.34) with their 3:25.34.
“I feel so tired,” said Bol of churning out 5 races and a pair of golds over 3 days. “But the championships are like this. These girls give me so much energy to run and especially if they give me the baton in 1st place. It is such a great team, you cannot let them down. If I was alone on the track, I would probably not have enough power but I just did it for these girls.” /Richard Hymans/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 03)
1. Netherlands 3:25.07 NR (WL) (9 W) (#3 nation)
(Lieke Klaver 50.26, Cathelijn Peeters 51.99, Lisanne de Witte 52.28, Femke Bol 50.54);
2. United States 3:25.34 (10 W; 3 A)
(Quanera Hayes 52.33, Talitha Diggs 50.50, Bailey Lear 52.02, Alexis Holmes 50.49);
3. Great Britain 3:26.36 NR (#5 nation)
(Laviai Nielsen 51.43, Lina Nielsen 51.58, Ama Pipi 51.99, Jessie Knight 51.36);
4. Belgium 3:28.05 NR
(Naomi Van Den Broeck 52.79, Helena Ponette 51.26, Camille Laus 53.08, Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo 50.92);
5. Ireland 3:28.92
(Phil Healy 52.05, Sophie Becker 52.74, Roisin Harrison 53.66, Sharlene Mawdsley 50.47);
… dnf—Jamaica
(Lanae-Tava Thomas (51.19, Andrenette Knight 51.52, Charokee Young, Stacey Ann Williams). ◻︎