Skotheim claims heptathlon gold in Nanjing

Sander Skotheim ended 2024 with world and continental silver medals. Three months into 2025, the 22-year-old Norwegian has already gone one better by earning world and European titles.

Two weeks after winning the European indoor title with a European indoor record of 6558, Skotheim once again put together a remarkable series across two days of competition to take the heptathlon title in Nanjing with 6475.

Johannes Erm, who just missed the podium at the European Indoors, this time claimed silver with an Estonian record of 6437, while Germany’s Till Steinforth claimed bronze with 6275.

Steinforth got off to a strong start with a 6.82 run in the 60m, but Erm (6.94) and Skotheim (6.97) were close behind. An 8.00m leap in the long jump catapulted Skotheim into the overall lead and that’s where he stayed for the duration of the competition.

Steinforth jumped 7.61m and Erm sailed out to 7.77m, putting them in second and third overall respectively, but their positions switched after the shot put where Erm threw 15.27m to Steinforth’s 14.36m. Skotheim maintained his lead with 14.68m, and USA’s Heath Baldwin moved into medal contention thanks to a 16.00m heave.

Skotheim and Baldwin both cleared 2.13m in the high jump, putting them in first and second respectively at the end of the first day. Erm (1.98m) and Steinforth (2.01m) were still in contention, though, with everything to play for heading into day two.

As he had done on day one, Steinforth started day two with a victory, clocking 7.85 in the 60m hurdles, moving him back up into third. Erm also moved up a place thanks to his 7.91 run, while Skotheim’s 7.93 kept him on top with a comfortable margin.

Erm ate into that points cushion in the pole vault with the Estonian clearing 5.30m to Skotheim’s 5.00m, reducing the gap to 52 points. Steinforth’s 5.20m boosted his medal chances as Baldwin managed a vault of 4.80m, a solid enough vault by his own standards but not enough to stay in medal contention against such quality opposition.

Skotheim went into the 1000m with a comfortable enough points margin, and he managed to survive a barge from Erm on the final lap to finish in 2:36.08, giving him the title with 6475. Erm, who crossed the line in 2:34.91, took silver with 6437 and Steinforth held on for bronze, 6275.

Baldwin took fourth with a season’s best of 6188 ahed of Vilem Strasky (6104). In sixth, Brazil’s Jose Fernando Ferreira set a South American record of 6010.

“It's been a very good month,” said Skotheim, who, in the space of seven weeks, has produced three of the 13 best scores of all time in the heptathlon. “I’ve been very motivated in the winter to get the work in after what happened in Paris, so I feel like the indoor season has been a success. Now moving to outdoors, I want to show that I'm back in the decathlon as well. I definitely feel the fatigue of the body after a long indoor season, so I'm ready for some rest now.”

Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics