Simon Ehammer (Photo Getty Images/World Athletics)
Simon Ehammer regained his heptathlon title with a world record score of 6670 at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze.
Apart from the world record by Ehammer, there were also championship records by pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and 400m sprinter Christopher Morales Williams in a thrilling second day of action.
Duplantis, meanwhile, earned his ninth senior global title in the pole vault, clearing a championship record of 6.25m in a competition where he was pushed all the way by Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis.
Morales Williams, the fastest man in history for the 400m indoors, is now a world indoor champion over the same distance as the Canadian triumphed in a championship record of 44.76.
Elsewhere on a busy Saturday, hosts Poland claimed a full set of medals as Jakub Szymanski won the men’s 60m hurdles, Natalia Bukowiecka took 400m silver behind Lurdes Gloria Manuel and Poland earned bronze in the mixed 4x400m as Belgium claimed the inaugural world indoor title for the discipline.
Zaynab Dosso continued her ascent up the women’s 60m podium at the World Indoors by claiming gold in 7.00 in a competitive final, while Josh Kerr and Nadia Battocletti claimed gold in the men’s and women’s 3000m finals.
On the infield, Leyanis Perez Hernandez retained her title in the women’s triple jump.
Ehammer makes heptathlon history
Ehammer, the world indoor gold medallist in 2024 and silver medallist last year, produced a stunning series of marks across two days, including a world heptathlon best of 7.52 in the 60m hurdles. His winning tally added 25 points to the world record set by USA’s Ashton Eaton at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.
Ehammer got off to a flying start in the opening discipline, speeding to a 60m PB of 6.69 – comfortably the quickest of the day. The next nine athletes posted times between 6.91 and 7.00, and USA’s world bronze medallist Kyle Garland was among those, running 6.93.
Ehammer extended his overall lead in the long jump, his best discipline and the event in which he earned world bronze in 2022. He opened with 8.08m, followed it with 7.99m and then improved to 8.15m – just one centimetre shy of the championship best performance.
Garland was the second-best performer in that discipline but, as was the case in the 60m, was some way behind Ehammer. The US athlete jumped 7.58m to move into second place overall.
Garland made inroads on Ehammer’s lead in the shot put, throwing 16.21m to the Swiss athlete’s 14.87m. Estonai’s Rasmus Rooseleht was the best overall performer in that event, unleashing a season’s best of 16.44m.
Ehammer continued his good form and maintained his overall lead after clearing a season’s best of 2.02m in the high jump, giving him a day-one tally of 3698. Garland continued to apply pressure with a 2.14m clearance in the high jump, while Garland’s US compatriot Heath Baldwin ended the day in third place overall.
Ehammer started the second day in even better form than the first, flying to a world heptathlon best of 7.52 in the 60m hurdles – a time that would have been good enough to take silver in that discipline at last year’s World Indoors. Garland was some way off his best, though, and clocked 8.21 while Baldwin closed the gap on his teammate with a 7.80 clocking.
The margins widened in the pole vault as Ehammer soared over 5.30m, which was perhaps the most significant contribution towards putting him on track to break the world record. That discipline also marked a change in the standings behind Ehammer as Baldwin cleared 5.00m to Garland’s 4.80m, switching the order of the two US combined eventer.
Ehammer needed a 2:43 clocking in the final discipline to break the record and he achieved his target comfortably, finishing with a PB of 2:41.04, bringing his score to 6670. Baldwin held on to second place with a score of 6337 while Garland matched his position from last year’s World Championships, claiming bronze with 6245.
Duplantis takes world indoor title No.4
Swedish pole vault superstar Duplantis improved his own championship record to 6.25m to secure his fourth successive world indoor title.
For the first time in history, three athletes surpassed six metres in the same indoor contest – Emmanouil Karalis of Greece cleared 6.05m for silver, while Australia’s Kurtis Marschall equalled his PB by clearing 6.00m for bronze.
After entering the competition at 5.50m and clearing that on his first try, Duplantis continued to clear 5.85m, 6.00m, 6.10m, 6.15m and then 6.25m – all on his initial attempts.
He decided to call it a day at that point – earning another gold back in the arena where he cleared his first world record of 6.17m in 2020.
Morales Williams cracks 45
Canada’s Morales Williams smashed the championship record to win gold in the men’s 400m.
In a clash between two of the three fastest short track 400m runners in history, Morales Williams clocked 44.76 to take the title ahead of USA’s Khaleb McRae, who chased him over the finish line in 45.03.
All three medallists came from the second section of the final and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards – the 2022 world indoor champion and former championship record-holder – clinched bronze in 45.39.
Szymanski claims Poland’s first gold
Szymanski completed an undefeated indoor season in the best possible way – by winning gold on home soil.
The European indoor champion had entered the championships as one of the medal favourites for the men’s 60m hurdles. After USA’s Trey Cunningham won his semifinal in 7.35, it appeared as though Szymanski would have his work cut out in the final.
But he kept his cool and crossed the line in 7.40 to take gold ahead of Spain’s Enrique Llopis (7.42). Cunningham had to settle for bronze with 7.43.
Dosso dashes to 60m glory
After earning bronze in 2024 and silver in 2025, Italy’s Zaynab Dosso made it on to the top of the women’s 60m podium.
In a highly competitive final where the top seven women were separated by just 0.07, Dosso stormed to victory in 7.00 to take gold ahead of USA’s Jacious Sears and Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred, both timed at 7.03.
It was the first 60m race in history in which seven women have bettered 7.10.
Manuel takes 400m title
Rising Czech talent Gloria Manuel upstaged her more experienced rivals to claim the women’s 400m title.
Held under the new format, whereby the eight finalists are split between two races and the three fastest performers awarded medals, Manuel triumphed in the second heat in an indoor PB of 50.76.
Norway’s Henriette Jaeger, the 2025 silver medallist, stumbled on the final bend and dropped from second to fourth. The two other medallists came from the first heat, where home favourite Natalia Bukowiecka set a Polish indoor record of 50.83 to take silver ahead of Lieke Klaver (51.02).
Kerr regains 3000m gold
Two years after winning gold in this discipline on home soil in Glasgow, Kerr repeated his 3000m triumph in Kujawy Pomorze.
The Briton bided his time throughout as Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker led through the first 1000m before Ethiopian duo Getnet Wale and Addisu Yihune took up the running in the latter stages. Kerr hit the front on the final lap and held off a strong challenge from Hocker and French record-holder Yann Schrub.
Kerr crossed the line in 7:35.56 – the second-fastest time in World Indoor Championships history – to win his third global title as Hocker closed well to take silver in 7:35.70, just 0.01 ahead of Schrub.
Battocletti triumphs over 3000m
Nadia Battocletti earned her first global gold with consummate ease in a tumultuous women’s 3000m final. The 25-year-old Italian secured her place atop a world podium with a perfectly judged move to the front over the final 100 metres, floating home in 8:57.64.
Australia’s Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull had led at the bell with Battocletti at her shoulder. But after the Italian had moved past her, she was beaten to silver as Emily Mackay of the United States, world indoor 1500m bronze medallist in 2024, proved even more determined over the final few strides, clocking 8:58.12 to Hull’s 8:58.18.
Pérez Hernández rises to the occasion once more
Cuba’s Pérez Hernández equalled the world lead to retain her triple jump title.
Soaring 14.95m in the second round, she matched the best mark in the world so far this year that had been set by world record-holder Yulimar Rojas last month. The Venezuelan star continued her comeback by securing silver this time with a best of 14.86m.
Senegal’s Saly Sarr had the performance of her life for bronze, jumping 14.70m to claim her first global medal.
Final Day Action
The final day of the championships will close with a packed programme of 12 thrilling finals, where titles will be decided and the last medals awarded across a range of disciplines.
Long jump stars take centre stage
The men’s long jump has been one of the most competitive disciplines of the indoor season so far, so Sunday’s final could feature huge jumps and tiny margins.
Among the contenders are world indoor and outdoor champion Mattia Furlani, two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, 2019 world champion Tajay Gayle, European indoor champion Bozhidar Saraboyukov and 2017 world champion Luvo Manyonga – all of whom have shown the ability to deliver big performances on the international stage.
One well-timed jump is all that’s needed to secure the title.
Four frantic laps to glory
Championship 800m racing – especially indoors – often comes down to positioning and timing, and the women’s final here should be no different.
Pre-event favourite and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will hope to steer clear of any jostling, though, as she aims to win her first world title. A month after breaking the world short track record, the Briton’s main focus will be on medals, not times.
How the race unfolds – whether fast from the gun or a more tactical affair – will play a crucial role in determining who comes out on top.
Middle-distance madness
As is the case in the 800m, the men’s 1500m indoors is an event where anything can happen and tactical awareness is key.
World champion Isaac Nader will be looking to add an indoor global crown to his medal collection, but he’ll be up against 2022 world indoor 800m champion Mariano Garcia and European indoor 800m champion Samuel Chapple, among others.
Expect a tightly contested race that could be settled in the final metres.
Clash of world champions in sprint hurdles
The women’s 60m hurdles was one of the closest contest at last year’s World Indoors, and the top two finishers from that race will renew their rivalry in Kujawy Pomorze.
Two-time world champion and world record-holder Devynne Charlton takes on outdoor world champion Ditaji Kambundji in one of the most mouth-watering contests of the championships. Add in home favourite Pia Skrzyszowska and two-time European indoor champion Nadine Visser and it could go down as a race for the ages.
Clean hurdling and a sharp start will be essential for anyone hoping to reach the podium.
Hosts hopeful for final flourish in relays
The championships will conclude with the always-entertaining 4x400m relays, with both the men’s and women’s titles up for grabs.
The mixed 4x400m took place on Saturday, which brought hosts Poland their first medal of the championships. They will be hopeful of securing at least one more relay medal, if not two, in the men’s and women’s events.
It sets the stage for a fitting finale to the championships, with one last opportunity for athletes to deliver a memorable performance.
