• World record under threat as two of the fastest men in short track history go for gold
• 2022 champion Jereem Richards aiming to reclaim title
• New rules set to change dynamic in medal decider

Two of the three fastest short track 400m runners in history – Christopher Morales Williams of Canada and USA’s Khaleb McRae – are set to clash as they chase their first individual global medals.

But in a race loaded with quality, they’ll face a stiff challenge from the new European indoor record holder, Attila Molnar of Hungary, along with the 2022 world indoor champion Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago.

The battle for gold will have an intriguing new element given the revised format for the indoor 400m, with a maximum of four athletes in each race, using lanes three to six – a change aimed at reducing the disadvantage previously experienced by athletes drawn in lanes one and two.

As a result, the 400m final will be split into two sections, with four in each race and the three fastest overall times determining the medallists.

McRae will go into the event as the favourite after a hugely impressive season. The 25-year-old clocked a world short track record, pending ratification, of 44.52 in Fayetteville in February. He also produced a convincing win at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Boston in January, clocking 45.38.

Having helped USA to 4x400m silver at the World Championships in Tokyo last year, he looks poised to claim his first individual global medal in Kujawy Pomorze, although nothing is assured when it comes to the indoor 400m. The US challenge is especially strong given the presence of his teammate Chris Robinson, the 2023 NCAA 400m hurdles champion who was runner-up to McRae at their national indoor championships, clocking an indoor PB of 45.36 to McRae’s 45.01.

Morales Williams is also sure to be in contention, having run 44.80 on his most recent outing in Clemson in mid-February. His indoor PB of 44.49 from 2024 puts him atop the world short track all-time list, but that was not ratified as a world record due to an issue with the starting blocks.

The 21-year-old finished fifth in the world indoor final last year in Nanjing but should improve on that if he can bring his recent form to Kujawy Pomorze.

The same is true for Molnar, the 24-year-old Hungarian who has taken a step forward in 2026, breaking the European short track record with 45.01 in Ostrava last month. The European indoor champion was fourth in last year’s world indoor 400m final and fifth in 2024. Having helped Hungary to world indoor 4x400m bronze last year, he looks capable of winning his first individual global medal here.

Jereem Richards has vast experience at this level, having won the world indoor 400m title in 2022, and the 32-year-old is coming off a breakthrough year after setting a national record of 43.72 to earn 400m silver at the World Championships in Tokyo. The US-based athlete produced a solid showing on his sole indoor outing over 400m this season, clocking 45.56 in Fayetteville last month.

France’s Muhammad Abdallah Kounta, Czechia’s Tomas Horak and Kenya’s Brian Onyari Tinega will also have their eyes on a place in the final, with respective season’s bests of 45.62, 45.64 and 45.68. Brazil’s Matheus Lima, who was sixth in last year’s world indoor final, will hope for a similar showing, having won the national indoor title in 45.54 in January.

Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

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