Jemma Reekie wins her 800m semifinal in Glasgow (© Getty Images)
And now, sadly, the end is near… but, before the curtain comes down on the wonderful World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, we have the final flourish of goldrush Sunday.
There are 12 titles up for grabs in the Glasgow Arena. Could it be a golden Groundhog Day, a glittering repeat of Belgrade two years ago?
The action in the Serbian capital came to a sensational conclusion with Mondo Duplantis soaring to a pole vault world record, Grant Holloway and Yulimar Rojas also making global marks and Ivana Vuleta landing home gold.
This time Duplantis is back in the arena where he set his second world record and Devynne Charlton has every chance of improving her 60m hurdles world record. As for home glory, Scot Jemma Reekie will carry strong hopes into the women’s 1500m final.
Gunnell pupil Reekie has golden tunnel vision
Jemma Reekie will be aiming to go more than one better than the more celebrated half of the new coaching duo who have revived her fortunes this season. Across the city at the grand old Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Sally Gunnell finished fourth in the 400m final at the European Indoor Championships in 1990.
Reekie, who is also guided by Gunnell’s husband, former international 800m runner John Bigg, stands to raise the roof in the Glasgow Arena if she manages to make the podium in the women’s 800m final. The prospect of the Scottish runner bringing a golden grandstand finish to the final event of the championships look decidedly bright, given the assured fashion in which she passed world leader Habitam Alemu for a hugely impressive semifinal victory. “They’re going to have to run hard to beat me,” she pledged.
In-form Charlton looks to strike big blow for Bahamas
Devynne Charlton’s home country has a population of 400,000. That’s less than a quarter of the size of the Glasgow City region.
The diminutive Bahamian has already struck a mighty blow for her tiny homeland, reducing the world indoor 60m hurdles record to 7.67 in New York last month. That mark has since been equalled by Tia Jones of the US, whose indoor season has been curtailed by injury. Devynne – whose dad Dave took part as a 400m hurdler in the first World Championships, outdoors in Helsinki in 1983 – will be looking to strike gold with an outright world record.
Duplantis out to plant another global mark in Glasgow
It was in the Glasgow Arena four years ago that Mondo Duplantis soared to his second world pole vault record. The spikes he wore for that 6.18m clearance have been on display at the Museum of World Athletics Exhibition in Glasgow. Can the Swede’s latest pair of shoes take him to new heights again in Scotland’s Second City? His seventh and most recent world record was 6.23m at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Oregon last September.
Can Davis-Woodhall bring her Austin powers to Glasgow?
Nine years after leaping to world U18 gold in Cali, Tara Davis-Woodhall can graduate to senior global champion status in the Glasgow long jump. The 24-year-old, who claimed world outdoor silver behind Ivana Vuleta in Budapest last August, is the clear leader of the 2024 world list courtesy of the 7.18m she jumped to take the US indoor title. That eclipsed the 7.14m PB she set outdoors in 2021 at her home track, the Mike Myers Track in Austin, Texas. Expect her to bring her Austin Powers to Glasgow.
Another big Bol finish could claim global double Dutch relay gold
We’ll be in for a treat if the women’s 4x400m is anything like the world outdoor final in Budapest last year. Nine days after dramatically falling just short of the line in the mixed relay final, Femke Bol made up a 10 metre deficit to bring home the unlikeliest of golds for the Netherlands. The Dutch quartet will start favourites in Glasgow.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
