Hailu wins world indoor 3000m title in Nanjing

Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu won the second world indoor title of her career, and her third world indoor medal across as many disciplines, at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25 on Saturday (22).

The 24-year-old clocked 8:37.21 to win the 3000m ahead of USA's Shelby Houlihan and Australia's Jessica Hull.

Hailu's first world indoor medal came in 2022 when she claimed 800m silver. She won 1500m gold in Glasgow two years later and now has a 3000m crown to add to her set. This latest victory returns Ethiopia to winning ways in the discipline after USA’s Elle St. Pierre paused the nation’s winning streak in the event last year, with athletes from Ethiopia having won 10 of the last 12 titles on offer.

Hailu had already shown her intent by arriving to the WIC Nanjing 25 as the fastest woman in the world over the 3000m, having set a world lead and personal best of 8:19.98 in Lievin where she beat three-time global champion Gudaf Tsegay to move to third on the world indoor all-time list

Competing at Nanjing’s Cube, Hailu bided her time as the race took off, remaining behind the rest of the field while Olympic 1500m silver medallist Hull took the opposite position, making her way to the front of the pack. 

However, the Ethiopian began to move to the middle of the pack with eight laps to go, as Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka took over the lead, with Hull on her shoulder. Their positions mostly remained the same until Hull tried to stride out with three laps to go, and that was when Hailu began to make her move, taking the bell in the lead.

The 2018 world U20 800m finalist surged away and was unstoppable, crossing the line first as Hull and Houlihan engaged in an intense battle for silver behind her. However, it was Houlihan who pipped Hull on the line to claim her first global medal, having finished fourth and fifth respectively in her previous outing at the 2018 World Indoors where she competed in the 1500m and 3000m. 

“To win this event, I prepared myself strongly, and I feel very happy that I won the race,” said Hailu. “I was sick at home just before coming to Nanjing, so I stayed at the back to conserve myself before making my push. I'm healthy now, and I came here to win. 

“Last year I won the 1500m, now I've won the 3000m, and I'm so happy about that. I try my best, and God helped me with the rest. I don't know how I will celebrate – my happiness is beyond me.”

World 2000m record-holder Hull was delighted with her historic bronze as she became Australia’s first medallist in the women’s 3000m after finishing fourth in Glasgow and sixth in Belgrade.

Yemi Galadima for World Athletics