• Georgia Hunter Bell in flying form as she targets first global gold
• Ethiopian trio of Birke Haylom, Saron Berhe and Haregeweyni Kalayu look to continue recent dominance
• Jessica Hull and Nikki Hiltz among leading contenders in field of formidable depth

Ethiopia has enjoyed remarkable dominance in this event in recent years, winning eight women’s 1500m titles at the last 11 editions. Their hopes of making it nine from 12 at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 will rest with Birke Haylom, Saron Berhe and Haregeweyni Kalayu, and all three will have medal ambitions.

Haylom was fifth over 3000m at last year’s World Indoor Championships and she’s been in strong form this indoor season, winning at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava in 4:00.62 and earning a wild card spot at this event by taking overall victory in the World Indoor Tour.

As a result, Ethiopia will have three athletes competing. Berhe, the 2024 African champion and world U20 champion, lowered her PB to 3:57.72 outdoors last year and clocked an indoor PB of 4:01.23 when finishing second to Haylom in Ostrava last month. Kalayu was just behind in third with an outright PB of 4:01.92. 

However, the favourite is likely Georgia Hunter Bell, the 32-year-old British athlete who won bronze in this event in Nanjing last year and finished third in the 2024 Olympic 1500m final. She dropped down to 800m for last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, winning silver there, and has been in impressive form this year, setting an indoor PB of 1:57.80 in Glasgow and winning over 1500m in Karlsruhe and Liévin, clocking 4:00.04 and 4:00.21.

Australia’s Jessica Hull went second on the world 2000m short track all-time list when clocking 5:26.68 at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Liévin last month and after winning world indoor bronze over 3000m in Nanjing last year, the Olympic 1500m silver medallist will be keen to add another medal to her collection. She’s set to have a busy weekend given she’s also contesting the 3000m, which will take place on Saturday evening, with the heats of the 1500m on Friday and the final on Sunday.

It’s more than two decades since the US won this title but in Nikki Hiltz, they have a big-kicking athlete who looks capable of striking gold. The 31-year-old won 1500m silver in Glasgow two years ago and was fifth in last year’s world 1500m final in Tokyo. Hiltz was highly impressive when winning the Wanamaker Mile in New York last month in 4:19.64 and when taking the US indoor 1500m title in early March. 

France’s Agathe Guillemot has also been in fine form this year, the European indoor champion setting a national indoor 1500m record of 4:00.64 to win at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Toruń. She will feel confident of improving on her seventh-place finish in the world indoor 1500m final two years ago in Glasgow. 

Portugal’s Salome Afonso finished eighth in the last two world indoor 1500m finals. After winning two medals at the European Indoor Championships last year, and setting a national indoor record of 4:01.98 in Ostrava last month, she looks capable of a much higher finish in 2026.

Kenya’s Susan Lokayo Ejore-Sanders was sixth in the 2024 Olympic final in a PB of 3:56.07 and fifth in last year’s world indoor 1500m final. She recently showed solid form with a 3000m PB of 8:37.84 in Winston-Salem, USA. 

Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

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