When the Olympic champion met the world indoor champion, something was always going to give. In the end, as Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Samuel Tefera fought towards the line in the men&rsquo;s 1500m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 on Sunday (20), it was the Norwegian star who had no choice but to concede.&nbsp;
Not that Ingebrigtsen ever gave up, the 21-year-old trying to summon something &ndash; anything &ndash; to repel the late charge of Tefera, but it was no use, with the 22-year-old Ethiopian taking gold in 3:32.77, Ingebrigtsen taking silver in 3:33.02, and Kenya&rsquo;s Abel Kipsang the bronze in 3:33.36.&nbsp;
Before the race, the head-to-head record between the big two was 11-0 in favour of Ingebrigtsen, but no one beats Samuel Tefera 12 times in a row, not when this is a distance at which he held the world indoor record at 3:31.04 for the past three years, until Ingebrigtsen broke it earlier this year with 3:30.60.&nbsp;
That race in Lievin, France, in mid-February made the Norwegian the hot favourite for the title in Belgrade, and when the gun fired he adopted similar tactics to the Olympic final in Tokyo, or indeed most races on the circuit.&nbsp;
He made sure it was fast.&nbsp;
With Kipsang rocketing through the opening lap in 27.60, Ingebrigtsen waited until the second to hit the front, stringing the field out behind as he passed 400m in 55.81, 800m in 1:53.9 and 1200m in 2:51.16.&nbsp;
But tracking him all the way, keeping his powder dry, was Tefera, the slightly more measured pace compared to the race in Lievin allowing him to sit in his slipstream into the final bend. Tefera then moved wide off the turn and emptied the tank to edge past his rival up the home straight, retaining his world indoor title with a championship record of 3:32.77.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The race was very tough, but I feel very happy now because I became the champion,&rdquo; said Tefera, who said he had surgery on his achilles tendon last year, an injury picked up during the Tokyo Olympics.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I could not do many activities within the training but now I am completely fit,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I feel normal and I am ready for any kind of races and championships.&rdquo;
Ingebrigtsen was gracious in defeat, not that he was too pleased about his silver.
&ldquo;I came here to fight for the gold and it was a good fight,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t feel that great. Usually I feel a bit tired from 600 to 800 then it starts to loosen up but that didn&rsquo;t happen tonight so I&rsquo;m not 100 percent. Tefera was better than me tonight. I thought I was better than him, having run the record.&rdquo;
Asked if he would do anything different if the race was run again, he said: &ldquo;If I knew that I was completely s*** tonight, then of course I&rsquo;d do a lot of things different, but I didn&rsquo;t have any factors telling me that before the race.&rdquo;
In third, Kipsang claimed the first global medal of his career, having been edged into fourth at the Olympics last year. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Teddese Lemi finished fourth in 3:33.59, with Australia&rsquo;s Ollie Hoare fifth and Britain&rsquo;s Neil Gourley sixth.
The following day, on his return home after not feeling fully fit,&nbsp;Ingebrigtsen shared a photo of a positive Covid test on his social media and wrote: "Just arrived home in Sandnes, and decided to take a health check after a strange feeling last night. Leading up to the race, everything felt normal, with negative PCR test and several rapid tests. Bad timing but in some way unavoidable. Now it's all about recovering and getting back to training."
Cathal Dennehy&nbsp;for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">MEN'S 1500m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Samuel Tefera 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">3:32.77 CR</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Jakob Ingebrigtsen 🇳🇴 NOR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">3:33.02</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Abel Kipsang 🇰🇪 KEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">3:33.36 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/men/1500-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

World Athletics Indoor Championships

When the Olympic champion met the world indoor champion, something was always going to give.

Tefera takes down Ingebrigtsen to retain world indoor 1500m title

Stephenie Ann McPherson, beaten to silver by Dutch rival Femke Bol in the individual 400m the previous day, finished off the track events at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 by anchoring Jamaica home to gold in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m relay.
McPherson took over a decent lead from third-leg runner Roneisha McGregor and had enough left in reserve to push again in the home straight and bring the baton home in 3:28.40 ahead of her statuesque Dutch rival.
Bol, who had not run in the morning&rsquo;s qualifying round, had enough energy to move her team through to silver after taking on the baton in fourth place, coming through on the inside to record 3:28.57.
Lieke Klaver had done her powerful thing in the opening leg, handing over a lead to Eveline Saalberg, but by the close Bol had serious work to do &ndash; and she did it.
Bronze went to Poland, with European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic anchoring them to a time of 3:28.59.
The United States, who had won this title on four of the five previous occasions, were unable to make the podium on this occasion, with Lynna Irby bringing them home in fourth place in 3:28.63.
Great Britain, into the final as non-automatic qualifiers, finished fifth in 3:29.82 ahead of Belgium, who clocked 3:33.61.
Mike Rowbottom&nbsp;for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S 4x400m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">3:28.40</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Netherlands 🇳🇱 NED</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">3:28.57</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Poland 🇵🇱 POL</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">3:28.59</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/women/4x400-metres-relay/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Jamaica gets gold and Netherlands silver in Belgrade.

McPherson earns final track gold as she anchors Jamaica home in 4x400m in Belgrade

Mondo Duplantis had promised &ldquo;something higher&rdquo; than his latest world record of 6.19m when he returned to the Stark Arena for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 and he duly delivered as he cleared 6.20m* with his third and final attempt on Sunday (20).
The 22-year-old Swede had already secured his first world title with a clearance of 6.05m but looked a little dejected during his first two unsuccessful attempts at the new height.
Genius that he is, he found it within himself to rekindle the competitiveness that has characterised his career.
Thus the Olympic pole vault champion won world indoor gold in the same arena where he had excelled in his most recent competition less than a fortnight earlier.
The gold was secured with what was, for him, a routine jump of 6.05m, his fourth consecutive first-time clearance following previous heights of 5.60m, 5.85m and 5.95m.
Silver went to Brazil&rsquo;s Rio 2016 Olympic champion Thiago Braz, who cleared an area indoor record 5.95m, with 24-year-old US vaulter Chris Nilsen, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist, earning bronze on 5.90m.
"To break the world record two times in two weeks, I can't complain," said Duplantis, who earned a $50,000 world record bonus. "Sometimes there are just things that you can't explain, they're just feelings and it seems like when I'm in Belgrade I have this feeling that I'm going to go high and do something really special."
As it so often appears nowadays, Duplantis looked to be competing at a calmer, more rarified level than the main throng of competitors, but he was given a run for his money on the night by two other hugely talented operators.
Braz moved into silver medal position at Nilsen&rsquo;s expense with a third-time clearance of 5.95m. Nilsen, who cleared up to and including 5.90m with only one blemish, could progress no further.
It was arguable whether Duplantis, who set world records of 6.17m and 6.18m in 2020, was the strongest favourite to win his event at these championships. In the end, such speculation became unimportant.
While Duplantis dipped into the competition, Nilsen &ndash; who set a US indoor record of 6.05m earlier this month - took the steady course, going over &ndash; also without fault &ndash; at 5.45m, 5.60m, 5.75m, 5.85m and at his second attempt, 5.90m &ndash; at which height his rival had passed.
Less expected was the arrival alongside them of Valentin Lavillenie, younger brother of former world record-holder Renaud, who was not competing here but is still heading for Paris 2024 with hope in his heart.
Valentin Lavillenie bashed his chest in glee after achieving an ideally timed lifetime best of 5.85m at his second attempt.
But after failing to clear 5.90m he had the bittersweet feeling of fourth as Braz moved above him on countback after himself clearing 5.85m at the second attempt.
Braz, like Duplantis, passed at 5.90m. The latter cleared 5.95m at his first attempt.
The Brazilian finally managed 5.95m, but 6.05m proved a bar too far.
Mike Rowbottom&nbsp;for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px; width: 100%;" colspan="3">MEN'S POLE VAULT MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Mondo Duplantis 🇸🇪 SWE</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">6.20m WR</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Thiago Braz 🇧🇷 BRA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">5.95m AIR</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Chris Nilsen 🇺🇸 USA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">5.90m</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px; width: 100%;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/men/pole-vault/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Mondo Duplantis had promised “something higher” and he duly delivered at the World Indoor Championships

Duplantis breaks world record with superb 6.20m to get gold in Belgrade

For the first time in World Indoor Championships history, the line up for the men's 4x400m final did not include a US quartet.
Ten-time winners and previously medal-less only when dropping the baton in Budapest in 2004, and after a retrospective DQ in Lisbon in 2001, their quest to regain the title they lost to the inspired Poles in Birmingham four years ago came to grief in the morning heats.
Isaiah Harris was closing on Belgium&rsquo;s Kevin Borlee on the anchor leg when his right hamstring cramped with 150 metres remaining. The 800m finalist dug deep to keep his team in the qualification reckoning, hobbling across the line still in second place, though distantly so.
A time of 3:09.11 was not enough to secure one of the three non-automatic spots for the stricken Harris and his team-mates Noah Williams, Donavan Brazier and Amerre Lattin.
And so the evening final turned out to be an all-European affair.
Some burn up it proved to be, too, the one Borlee brother in the Belgian quartet &ndash; Kevin &ndash; securing gold with a storming 46.06 anchor leg.
Jonathan dropped out of the squad injured before the championships and Dylan was replaced by Jonathan Sacoor in the final after doing his job in the morning heats.&nbsp;
That left the Belgians with three of the four runners who finished fourth in the Olympic final in Tokyo last year: Alexander Doom on leg two, Sacoor on three and Borlee on four, with Julien Watrin leading off.
It was Spain who led on the opening leg in the shape of Bruno Hortelano-Roig, Nick Smidt edging the Netherlands in front on leg two, with Belgium back in fourth, and then Manuek Guijarro regaining pole position for the Spaniards on the penultimate leg.
Bernat Erta took off with a big lead for Spain on the anchor leg but Borlee narrowed the gap before kicking to victory in the home straight in 3:06.52.
Erta held on to second place for Spain in 3:06.82 with Tony van Diepen securing bonze for the Netherlands in 3:06.90.
Simon Turnbull&nbsp;for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">MEN'S 4x400m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Belgium 🇧🇪 BEL</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">3:06.52 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Spain 🇪🇸 ESP</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">3:06.82 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Netherlands 🇳🇱 NED</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">3:06.90 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/men/4x400-metres-relay/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

For the first time in World Indoor Championships history, the line up for the men's 4x400m final did not include a US quartet.

Belgium takes men's 4x400m relay gold in Belgrade

After equalling his own world 60m hurdles record of 7.29 in the semifinals at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, Grant Holloway of the United States was unable to go faster in the final, but despite having to re-set himself after whacking hurdle three his time of 7.39 was still amply sufficient to deliver him his first big international indoor title.
Having missed out on Olympic gold last summer, the world outdoor champion looked perfectly pleased with his performance in what was his 57th successive 60m hurdles win, a sequence that began eight years ago when he was 16. As well he might.
If anything, however, the celebrations of the silver medallist were more raucous, as France&rsquo;s 30-year-old European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde rose to the challenge as so often before to finish second in 7.50 after finishing fast and smoothly over the two final hurdles.
Bronze went to Holloway&rsquo;s compatriot Jarret Eaton on 7.53m, ahead of Spain&rsquo;s Asier Martinez, who clocked 7.57.
It was a second peak of achievement for Holloway after equalling the world indoor 60m hurdles record mark of 7.29 he set last year as he won his semifinal by a huge margin.
The 56th consecutive 60m hurdles win for the world champion and Olympic silver medallist initially showed up with a winning time of 7.31, but it was soon confirmed as 7.29 to match the figures he achieved in Madrid on 24 February 2021.
But as he strode away to prepare for his final it was medals, rather than times, he appeared to have on his mind &ndash; and one in particular.
The title defence of Britain&rsquo;s Andy Pozzi came to an end as he finished fourth in the first semifinal in 7.60.&nbsp;
The three semifinals produced their own mini-drama as Japan&rsquo;s Shusei Nomoto, third in the first race, and Britain&rsquo;s Dave King, third in the last, both clocked 7.565 as they contested the last qualifying place.&nbsp;
Another British athlete, Michael Rosswess, was involved the last time a similar turn of events occurred in these Championships, when he finished level with Marc Blume of Germany in the men&rsquo;s 60m semifinal at the 1995 edition in Barcelona, with both clocking 6.619.
It was decided by the toss of a coin &ndash; Rosswess lost, Blume went into the final, where he finished fifth.
On this occasion the means of deciding, eventually, took the form of the two hurdlers&rsquo; vest names which, under the gaze of the athletes involved, were solemnly folded up and sellotaped and put into a bag, from which a volunteer selected the lucky athlete &ndash; who turned out to be King, going through therefore to his first international championship final in unique fashion after equalling his personal best.
King made decent use of his luck of the draw, finishing sixth in 7.62.&nbsp;
Nomoto, meanwhile, was left to wander off into a corridor, hands to his face, desolate.
Mike Rowbottom&nbsp;for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">MEN'S 60m HURDLES MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Grant Holloway 🇺🇸 USA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">7.39</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Pascal Martinot-Lagarde 🇫🇷 FRA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">7.50</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Jarret Eaton 🇺🇸 USA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">7.53</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/women/800-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Grant Holloway runs 7.29 and then wins world indoor gold.

Holloway earns first world indoor gold after matching 7.29 world record in 60m hurdles semifinal

Home long jumper Ivana Vuleta, who under her maiden name of Spanovic electrified a Belgrade crowd five years ago when she cleared 7.24m to win the European indoor title, rose to the home challenge once again. This time she delivered a global indoor gold with a fifth-round best of 7.06m &ndash; comfortably the best distance seen this season &ndash; at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22.
The 31-year-old had staked her claim with a second-round effort of 6.89m, but the field gradually crept closer to her before she produced her second, decisive and hugely popular flourish.
Silver went to Ese Brume of Nigeria thanks to her third-round effort of 6.85m, one of the warning shots that prompted Vuleta to up her game still further.
And while Britain&rsquo;s Lorraine Ugen, who took silver behind Spanovic in 2017 with a British record of 6.97m, only managed two scoring efforts, her 6.82m and 6.78m was enough to earn her bronze ahead of Tiffany Flynn of the United States, who had a best of 6.78m.
Once Brume had landed at 6.67m with her final jump, the stadium erupted with noise and Vuleta was able to set off for a warmly-acclaimed lap of honour wrapped in the national flag.
After a first round in which only five of the 15 finalists managed to record a distance, Vuleta achieved the result she and the bulk of the spectators desired as she moved into the lead with an effort of 6.89m &ndash; a centimetre farther than her previous 2022 best, which put her second on the list behind the 6.96m achieved by Germany&rsquo;s Olympic and world champion Malaika Mihambo, absent from Belgrade.
Before the championships, Vuleta rued the absence of Malaika from Belgrade &ndash; but she could only beat those around her. And would Mailaka have beaten 7.06m?
Ukraine&rsquo;s world silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, who had won an emotional silver earlier in the day in her second best event of the triple jump, reached sixth place with her fourth-round jump of 6.73m and appeared to have gone well beyond that with her next effort, only to see it rule a foul.
The frustration showed as her final big effort also lit up red.
In the end, she finished sixth in her top event and second in her back-up &ndash; a glorious day&rsquo;s work in the traumatic circumstances.
Sweden Khaddi Sagnia, who has been a potent force on the circuit this year, was unable to earn a second sequence of three jumps after failing to make the top eight with her first three efforts, having to settle for 12th place on 6.42m.
Mike Rowbottom&nbsp;for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S LONG JUMP MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Ivana Vuleta 🇷🇸 SRB</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">7.06m WL</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Ese Brume 🇳🇬 NGR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">6.85m SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Lorraine Ugen 🇬🇧 GBR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">6.82m SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/women/long-jump/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Ivana Vuleta rose to the home challenge once again.

Vuleta plays it again in Belgrade with another long jump gold in 7.06m

This time Ajee Wilson didn&rsquo;t have to settle for a silver lining.&nbsp;
Beaten to the world indoor 800m title on home ground in Portland in 2016 and in Birmingham in 2018, the 27-year-old from the United States finally found a Midas touch on the closing night of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22.
She did so with a vengeance, putting the hammer down at the bell and destroying her rivals with a 29.19 final circuit of the Stark Arena.
Sweeping into the lead with a devastating burst of acceleration, Wilson surged relentlessly clear, crossing the line with a 1.45 cushion in 1:59.09.
It was a perfectly timed effort, rendering Freweyni Hailu&rsquo;s late charge from the back of the field worthy of only silver.
Fourth in the Olympic 1500m final last year, the Ethiopian passed three rivals in the home straight to finish a well-beaten runner up in 2:00.54.
"It feels amazing to finally come home with the gold after coming so close so many times," said Wilson.
"I've been working on that last phase of the race and I knew if I was close I had a good chance of running away with it and when I went I wanted to make sure it was convincing and power through the line."
Uganda&rsquo;s world outdoor champion Halimah Nakaayi took bronze in 2:00.66, with early leader Natoya Goule of Jamaica fourth in 2:01.18 and Australian Catriona Bisset fifth in 2:01.24.
&ldquo;Maybe my reaction was too slow and that cost me the gold medal,&rdquo; said Nakaayi, reflecting on Wilson&rsquo;s decisive break.
&ldquo;Right now I am glad for a medal despite the fact that my tactics were prepared to win gold.&rdquo;
Having missed the qualifying cut for the Olympic final last year, Wilson&rsquo;s consummately executed victory was all the sweeter.
The world U18 champion in Lille in 2011 and world U20 winner in Barcelona the following year, the native of Neptune, New Jersey, has finally made it to global gold standard at senior medal.
Bronze medallist at the outdoor world championships in London in 2017 and in Doha in 2019, she will be looking for something better at the World Athletics Championships Eugene22 &ndash; when world leader Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain, who withdrew injured before the heats on Saturday, and US Olympic champion Athing Mu will be back in the mix.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S 800m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Ajee Wilson 🇺🇸 USA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">1:59.09 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Freweyni Hailu 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">2:00.54 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Halimah Nakaayi 🇺🇬 UGA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">2:00.66</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/women/800-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Multiple world medallist adds a gold to her silver claimed in 2016 and 2018.

Wilson brings her A game to claim global 800m gold in devastating fashion

Every so often in sport, an athlete comes along with a level of talent so otherworldly, and a biological composition so perfectly suited to an event, that it seems, as the old cliche goes, they were simply born to do it.&nbsp;
Yulimar Rojas is that kind of athlete.&nbsp;
When she takes to the triple jump runway the Venezuelan, who stands at 1.92m, holds thousands of fans captive in her grasp &ndash; her speed, power and astonishing elasticity offering up the promise of something ridiculous, something absurd, as she bounces off the board and bounds towards the sand.&nbsp;
On the final day of the&nbsp;World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, that&rsquo;s exactly what occurred, Rojas setting an outright world record with her 15.74m in the sixth round.&nbsp;
Her closest rival was a full metre behind.&nbsp;
That sense of timing, showmanship and electrifying entertainment has become Rojas&rsquo;s trademark. She did the same in Tokyo, saving her best for the final round, where she smashed the world record with 15.67m.&nbsp;
So, what is it about saving her best for last?
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you the truth, I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t feel any different, but it is the jump for glory. Maybe one day I&rsquo;ll be known as 'the girl of the sixth jump'.&rdquo;
She&rsquo;s 26 now, and Rojas has already done it all, won it all. What&rsquo;s left? One specific number.
&ldquo;I was born to jump 16 metres,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;This is what inspires me to inspire others to achieve their dreams, and help athletics remain the best sport in the world.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62374cd4994d2a65836cdd48.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 At the Stark Arena in Belgrade on Sunday, it was hard to disagree with her assessment, Rojas&rsquo;s feat the highlight of a remarkable morning of athletics. As she sat underneath the stadium an hour later, trying to make sense of what she&rsquo;d done, she said the day &ldquo;has been like living a dream&rdquo;.&nbsp;
What makes her story all the more inspiring is how high she has climbed from such humble beginnings. Born in Caracas, Rojas grew up in Pozuelos, an underprivileged area outside the coastal town of Puerto la Cruz.&nbsp;
She started her athletics journey as a high jumper, clearing 1.81m at the age of 15. She turned to the long jump in 2013, leaping a Venezeulan U20 record of 6.23m and the following year she started triple jumping, leaping 13.65m at the age of 18.&nbsp;
Her link-up with current coach Ivan Pedroso is owed, in essence, to the Facebook algorithm that suggested the four-time world long jump champion and 2000 Olympic gold medallist as a friend. Rojas wrote to Pedroso about how much she admired him, and he invited her to train with him at his base in Guadalajara, Spain.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It was destiny,&rdquo; says Rojas.&nbsp;
That was in 2015 and she&rsquo;s been improving ever since, winning world outdoor titles in 2017 and 2019 and world indoor titles in 2016, 2018 and, of course, 2022. Rojas has been undefeated in the triple jump for two and a half years, stringing together a series of performances that&rsquo;s never been witnessed in the sport.&nbsp;
She has changed the game, and it in turn has changed her.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Athletics is my whole life,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s made me the person I am, put so many amazing people in my life: my coach, my training partners. It made me a better person.&rdquo;
Pedroso&rsquo;s group includes a horde of other world-class jumpers, and the vibe there is a blend of laid-back fun and serious, resolute commitment to perfecting their craft.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re like a family,&rdquo; says Rojas. &ldquo;We all have individual goals, but we all work together and support one another.&rdquo;
In Belgrade, Rojas got a vivid reminder of the power of sport &ndash; just how deeply it can enrich the lives of both participants and those watching.&nbsp;
Finishing second to her in the triple jump with a jump of 14.74m was Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, one of six Ukrainian athletes competing in the Serbian capital as a war rages on in their native country. &nbsp; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62374e31df311fc08f529d31.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 &ldquo;I&rsquo;m particularly happy for Maryna,&rdquo; said Rojas. &ldquo;I am happy because women have stood up. In Ukraine there is a war which does not make sense. It shouldn&rsquo;t be like this, but I&rsquo;m happy to see Ukrainian athletes competing here, showing they can be successful.&rdquo;
Rojas&rsquo;s home nation has had its own issues for many years, and while the severity of such crises might trivialise the importance of sport, what it also does is highlight how much of a welcome distraction, an uplifting euphoria, it provides to so many.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I know the people back in my country should be celebrating,&rdquo; says Rojas. &ldquo;Yes, there have been difficult moments there, but I&rsquo;m very happy to show what Venezuelan people can achieve.&rdquo;
Coming to Belgrade, Rojas knew she could achieve something special.&nbsp;
Her first triple jump competition of the year, when she jumped 15.41m in Madrid, proved as much. In her first few jumps in Belgrade, she &ldquo;made some mistakes&rdquo; and looked utterly displeased after opening with 15.19m, a jump that would still have easily won gold.&nbsp;
But such is Rojas&rsquo;s brilliance that, these days, she competes not so much against her rivals as with herself, and with history.&nbsp;
Such is her relationship with Pedroso that during Sunday&rsquo;s final, little needed to be said, Rojas knowing intuitively when the technical aspects of her run-up or three jumping phases was slightly askew.
&ldquo;Ivan and I are very connected, we are one person,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t even need to talk. We know what the other is thinking.&rdquo;
And after she unleashed the best triple jump in history by a woman, she quickly deflected praise to her long-time coach. &ldquo;He deserves just as much credit as I do for this jump,&rdquo; she says.&nbsp; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62370dada8627eaa82745101.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 One of her next goals is to surpass her mentor. Pedroso won four world outdoor long jump titles, five world indoor titles, and one Olympic gold. Rojas wants more.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He knows I can get there,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;He knows I will do it.&rdquo;
Those who witnessed Rojas float over the track and out, up and away into that sand were treated to a sight that will stick with them forever &ndash; as indeed will the legacy of Rojas&rsquo;s performances.
She&rsquo;s an athlete who took her physical gifts and used them to transform her life, transcend her sport, and her years of work and dedication are now taking the women&rsquo;s triple jump into the stratosphere.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Nothing is impossible, that is my motto, and it&rsquo;s what I believe in,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;If you work with your heart, your belief, your love of the sport, nothing is impossible.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

Every so often in sport, an athlete comes along with a level of talent so otherworldly, that it seems they were simply born to do it. 

Rojas adds to her legend with another world record in Belgrade

Another global high jump final; another shared place on the podium for Gianmarco Tamberi.
This time, however, the great Italian showman had to settle for bronze at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 rather than gold as Korea&rsquo;s Woo Sanghyeok stepped into the spotlight &ndash; and into the footsteps of the man with whom Tamberi shared Olympic glory in Tokyo seven months ago.
Engagingly generous soul that he is, Tamberi was the first to applaud as Woo swooped from fifth place to snatch the gold with a first-time clearance at 2.34m, a height that proved too far for the 25-year-old&rsquo;s rivals.
Having missed out on a medal of any description in Tokyo, where he finished fourth, Woo had good reason to fully celebrate his success in becoming the first Korean winner of a world indoor title. He&rsquo;s also only the second Asian winner of the title after the Qatari Mutaz Barshim, who prevailed in Sopot in 2014.
Tamberi, the 2016 champion, also had reason to congratulate himself on playing such a major part in a gripping contest, having only decided last weekend to shake off the rust of winter training to take a shot at regaining the crown.
Only last month he was enjoying the off-season, stealing the show at the NBA All Star Celebrity basketball match in Cleveland with a stunning put-back slam dunk.
The success of a warm-weather training camp in Mauritius persuaded him to accept an invitation to compete in Belgrade.
For fellow bronze medal winner Hamish Kerr, it was not just a season&rsquo;s debut indoors but a career competition first. The New Zealander decided to make the trip after jumping 2.30m outdoors in Auckland last month
Like Tamberi, who was fleetingly in the gold medal position as the first man over 2.28m, &lsquo;the Flying Kiwi&rsquo; earned his prize with a second-time success at 2.31m.
Switzerland&rsquo;s Loic Gasch also nailed 2.31m at the second attempt but his clean card up to that height secured the silver. Tamberi needed two shots at 2.24m, while Kerr fluffed his first at the opening height, 2.15m.
Woo, the 2013 world U18 champion, started the competition as the clear favourite with an unbeaten record for the season and a clear spot at the top of the world list courtesy of a 2.36m jump at Hustopece in the Czech Republic, backed up with a 2.35m success in Banska Bystrica.
He had two attempts at 2.37m in the Stark Arena before settling for his gold medal winning jump.
Poor Thiago Moura finished empty handed, despite nailing 2.31m at the second time of asking. It was a South American indoor record for the Brazilian, and a nine-centimetre indoor PB, but with four first-time failures in all, he had to be content with fifth place.
The only other finalist to clear 2.28m was Thomas Carmoy, the Belgian finishing sixth.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">MEN'S HIGH JUMP MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Woo Sanghyeok 🇰🇷 KOR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">2.34m</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Loic Gasch 🇨🇭 SUI</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">2.31m SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Gianmarco Tamberi 🇮🇹 ITA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">2.31m SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Hamish Kerr 🇳🇿 NZL</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">2.31m NIR</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/men/high-jump/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Korea’s Woo Sanghyeok stepped into the spotlight

Woo whoops it up in Belgrade with high jump gold for Korea

Venezuela&rsquo;s world and Olympic triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas improved her own world indoor and outright records to 15.74m with her sixth and last effort at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22.
Just as she did in Tokyo last summer, she saved her best until last &ndash; and this jump in a packed and enraptured Stark Arena surpassed the outdoor world mark of 15.67m she achieved on that occasion.
Silver was also decided in the final round as 2019 world long jump silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk took inspiration from the previous day&rsquo;s gold medal high jump performance by her Ukrainian teammate Yaroslava Mahuchikh to move into second place in her second-best event with a final effort of 14.74m.
After the morning&rsquo;s track final &ndash; the men&rsquo;s 3000m &ndash; had seen Selemon Barega add Belgrade gold to his 2018 Birmingham silver ahead of Ethiopian teammate Lamecha Girma, there was more concluding drama in the men&rsquo;s high jump as Korea&rsquo;s Woo Sanghyeok won his country&rsquo;s first ever world indoor title with a first-time clearance of 2.34m to thwart the title ambitions of Italy&rsquo;s Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi.
Rojas, who now has three successive world indoor golds, had set her original world indoor record in Madrid on 21 February 2020. She missed that record by just two centimetres in her last competition before these championships on 2 March as she returned to Madrid for the concluding World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of the season, but it was a clear hint of what was to come.
The rangy Venezuelan phenomenon &ndash; she is 1.92m (6ft 2in) tall &ndash; became outdoor world record-holder last year after surpassing the mark of 15.50m set at the 1995 World Championships by Ukraine&rsquo;s Inessa Kravets.
But after establishing an unassailable lead with her first, almost misfiring, effort of 15.19m, the hunt was on the record &ndash; and it being Rojas, it was a noisy and high energy enterprise.
Rojas&rsquo;s second effort looked huge as she landed close to the 16-metre mark, but the red light registered a foul, and while she screwed her face up after her third attempt it was still 15.04m.
After a fourth-round foul, the fifth round drew a welcome green light and figures of 15.36m &ndash; equalling the championship record. But there was more to come&hellip;
Bekh-Romanchuk&rsquo;s silver came under final threat from Kimberly Williams, whose opening effort of 14.59m had been demoted to bronze, but while the Jamaican improved to 14.62m it was not enough to alter the final medal order. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SkuROrHlBlQ" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 Woo, fourth at the Olympics last year, was in a commanding position to set that right and become the second Asian winner of this event after Qatar&rsquo;s Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim &ndash; not present in Belgrade &ndash; for most of the competition as he proceeded to 2.31m without blemish.
He was joined there by five others, however, including Tamberi, whose late decision to compete had lifted the profile of the event.
At this point, however, the 25-year-old Woo lost the initiative as he required three attempts to clear, dropping down the order as Loic Gasch of Switzerland and Tamberi took over the top two positions after making 2.31m at the second attempt.
Hamish Kerr of New Zealand and Thiago Moura of Brazil also managed 2.31m at the second attempt to remain in the mix, setting respective national indoor and area indoor records in the process.
But the competition tipped again, decisively, as Woo &ndash; who had stood with hands over his face after his second failure at 2.31m &ndash; sailed over 2.34m at his first attempt.
Nobody else could reach him, and Gasch took silver on countback with Tamberi and Kerr sharing bronze. Moura wound up fifth.
Woo, with only one failure, had the opportunity to move back into gold position with his second attempt at 2.31m, but he failed again, standing momentarily stricken on the mat with his hands to his face.
The event had been energised by the news that Tamberi, who had been in doubt over his fitness to regain the title he won in Portland six years ago, had given the event the thumbs-up after two days in which he had been operating as a one-man PR machine for the sport as he interacted and posed with fans around the Stark Arena. Socially speaking, this is a man for whom the Covid-19 pandemic hit particularly hard&hellip;
Tamberi, who was holding an icepack on a troublesome hamstring in between jumps, had a first failure at 2.24m but cleared at the second attempt and then went over 2.28m at his first attempt, bouncing contentedly on the mat to mark the achievement. He was back up and running.
But Woo was there too. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6237210cf82e9a31fe75106d.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Ethiopian hopes in this morning&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s 3000m final of matching the medal sweep achieved by its women 1500m runners on the previous evening had disappeared once Berihu Aregawi, who topped the 2022 world list with 7:26.20, failed to make it out of the heats.
But being able to call upon the 22-year-old Olympic 10,000m champion Barega and the 21-year-old Olympic steeplechase silver medallist Girma made their chances of a 1-2 look healthy &ndash; and lo, it came to pass.
The race pace rose and fell in the opening half, with Barega moving to the front then dropping back.
As the final 1000m approached it was the tall figure of Girma who led from Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Ebenyo and his compatriot Barega, who moved ahead again.
At the bell a group of seven were in the medal hunt. Barega went for broke and held on to win gold in 7:41.38 ahead of Girma, who took silver in 7:41.63.
Britain&rsquo;s US-based Marc Scott, who set a European indoor 5000m record of 12:57.08 earlier this year, raced smart throughout and moved through to earn his country&rsquo;s first medal at these championships as he won bronze in 7:42.02. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6237103ca8627eaa82745107.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Four years after winning the world indoor 60m hurdles title at his home venue of Birmingham, Andrew Pozzi lined up to defend it with the figure of world indoor record-holder and world champion Grant Holloway immediately to his left.
That state of affairs soon altered as Holloway bolted clear to win the fifth heat in 7.40, easily fastest ahead of the next best qualifying time of 7.55 set very smoothly by France&rsquo;s Wilhem Belocian. But Pozzi, after a hesitant start, rallied to take the second of three automatic qualifying places in 7.60.
Olympic bronze medallist Ronald Levy of Jamaica failed to progress to this evening&rsquo;s semifinals.
Isaiah Harris, anchor leg runner for the United States in the opening men&rsquo;s 4x400m relay heat, staggered home in obvious discomfort over the final 100 metres after clearly being stricken with a hamstring problem and had to be helped from the track after hanging on to second place behind Belgium, who claimed the automatic qualifying place in 3:07.43.
Would the US time of 3:09.11 achieved by the agonised Harris be enough to claim one of the three additional qualifying places? Sadly for the gallant, if perhaps unwise, Harris, the answer was no.
Spain was the top qualifier with 3:06.98 ahead of the Czech Republic on 3:07.25 and then Belgium.
In the women&rsquo;s 4x400m heats the United States were fastest in 3:28.82 ahead of the Netherlands &ndash; still to call upon individual silver medallist Femke Bol &ndash; on 3:29.36 and Poland on 3:30.51.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

Venezuelan makes history yet again

Rojas raises world triple jump record to 15.74m as Woo wins high jump gold in Belgrade

The Ethiopian domination of the men&rsquo;s 3000m continued with an eighth gold and a second successive 1-2 in the event, Selemon Barega emerging victorious from a last-lap sprint with compatriot Lamecha Girma in the final morning session at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22.
Four years ago in Birmingham in 2018, Barega had to settle for silver behind Yomif Kejelcha but that was when he was an 18-year-old junior still learning his craft.
Four years on, with an Olympic 10,000m gold and world 5000m silver back home, the 22-year-old had too much strength and speed when Girma attempted to launch an attack on the back straight of the final lap, crossing the line 0.25 clear in 7:41.38.
As in the Olympic steeplechase final in Tokyo last year, and over the barriers in the 2019 world final in Doha, Girma finished in the silver position again, clocking 7:41.63, with Marc Scott timing his effort to perfection to claim Britain&rsquo;s first medal in Belgrade &ndash; and their first in the event since Rob Denmark&rsquo;s bronze in Seville in 1991.
It was a slow burner of a contest, Barega moving to the front after the opening lap and leading the field to 800m in 2:04.20. At that point, however, he was content to drift back as Kenyans Daniel Ebenyo and Jacob Krop assumed the lead but without ever threatening to make a decisive break.
At the bell Barega was back in front with six others still in the hunt but none of them could match him &ndash; even Girma, who had got the better of him earlier in the season in Lievin and Torun.
&ldquo;We came to Belgrade aiming to make history for Ethiopia,&rdquo; said Barega. &ldquo;I have had a good season, so I was ready both physically and mentally to fight for gold. With Girma we discussed the possibility of helping each other make the podium. Our tactic has paid off.
&ldquo;It was a tough race in which we were focused mostly on the Kenyan guys,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;I decided to lead the race from the beginning because many runners in this final are 1500m specialists. I just wanted to make the pace fast and comfortable. Then I slowed down to save some energy for the finishing kick. It was a good plan and another great experience for me.&rdquo;
And so the Ethiopian with the awesome range found himself emulating his celebrated compatriots Haile Gebreslassie and Kenenisa Bekele as an Olympic champion at 10,000m and a world indoor winner at 3000m
Gebrselassie, of course, also struck world indoor gold as a 1500m runner in Maebashi in 1999 &ndash; as well as taking the 3000m crown in 1997, 1999 and 2003.
The other Ethiopian 3000m golds came from Bekele in 2006, Tariku Bekele in 2008, and Kejelcha in 2016 and 2018.
Scott took the bronze in 7:42.02, 0.95 ahead of Ebenyo in fourth, with Krop in fifth, Zouhair Talbi of Morocco in sixth and Spain&rsquo;s Adel Mechaal seventh.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; height: 110px;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">MEN'S 3000m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Selemon Barega 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">7:41.38</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Lamecha Girma 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">7:41.63</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Marc Scott 🇬🇧 GBR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">7:42.02 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/men/3000-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Olympic champion takes 3000m crown

Barega upgrades to 3000m gold in Belgrade in one-two for Ethiopia

Yulimar Rojas was already on the brink of creating even more history, set to become the first athlete to win three world indoor triple jump titles. But that wasn&rsquo;t enough for the Venezuelan jumps superstar. With the final leap of the competition on Sunday (20), she soared to a sensational outright world record of 15.74m*.
Some of her previous attempts at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 had been close to the board, but this one was different. It was clearly a legal leap as she moved from her hop and into her step and jump, landing in the sand further than she ever has before, indoors or out.
Springing back up, she started to celebrate. And then it was confirmed - 15.74m to improve her own world record of 15.67m that she achieved to win the Olympic title in Tokyo. Her previous indoor best had been the 15.43m she recorded in Madrid in February 2020.
"I achieved my third indoor title here, crowned with the world record. I cannot be more thankful," said Rojas,&nbsp;who earned a $50,000 world record bonus. "Coming here, I knew it was the right time to achieve this and I took the chance.
"Looking back to 2018, I am the same person but I improved a lot technically and also got the mental strength. Now, I want to focus on the World Athletics Championships in Oregon and I think there is a big chance of making a double, in the long jump and triple jump. If I am in shape and the conditions are good, I can do both.
"The 16-metre mark is my big goal. Every day, I am trying to add one more centimetre to get closer to it." 
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 The 26-year-old had set a safe looking 15.19m in the first round in Belgrade and then fouled in the second. In the third she was beyond 15 metres again, but such is her standard that after the attempt she stayed sitting in the sand, clearly frustrated to not have gone further.
She had another big jump in round four &ndash; landing at a mark that looked near her own world lead of 15.41m &ndash; but that was judged a foul.
The next was not. Soaring through the air, she landed and leapt straight back up, watching the scoreboard in anticipation. First came the green light and then the distance &ndash; 15.36m to match the championship record set in 2004 and miss her own world indoor record by just 7cm.
She wasn&rsquo;t done. Taking to the runway one last time, she engaged the crowd and was roared to her fifth consecutive global gold medal, winning by exactly a metre. She adds it to her world indoor wins in 2016 and 2018, the two world outdoor titles she claimed in 2017 and 2019, and her Olympic triumph last year.
Ukraine&rsquo;s world long jump silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk also had the triple jump competition of her life, leaping 14.74m in the final round to move from eighth place to second. It was just her second triple jump competition since 2013 and she is also due to line up in the long jump final on Sunday afternoon.
"It was my first triple jump competition at international level and I was so lucky to be part of a world record event and to win the silver for my country," she said. "I devote this medal to all Ukrainian people, to the Ukrainian armed forces that defend our country.
"I don't know if will continue with triple jump, but I really enjoyed it today. Anything is possible. Now I need a little rest before the long jump."
The bronze was claimed by Jamaica&rsquo;s two-time Commonwealth champion Kimberly Williams, who jumped an indoor PB of 14.62m to add another world indoor medal to the silver she secured in Birmingham in 2018 and the bronze claimed in Sopot in 2014.
In a competition of impressive depth, it is just the second time in any indoor competition that 10 women have jumped beyond 14 metres.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure 
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<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; height: 22px;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S TRIPLE JUMP MEDALLISTS</td>
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<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">Yulimar Rojas 🇻🇪 VEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968; height: 22px;">15.74m WR</td>
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<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk 🇺🇦 UKR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9; height: 22px;">14.74m PB</td>
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<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center; height: 22px;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">Kimberly Williams 🇯🇲 JAM</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e; height: 22px;">14.62m PB</td>
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<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left; height: 22px;" colspan="3"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/belgrade22/results/women/triple-jump/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
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&nbsp;

Venezuelan wins third successive world indoor triple jump title with an outright world record

His own hurdles cleared, Eaton is ready for the next chapter

From Olympic heartbreak to world indoor delight for Samba-Mayela

World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 ends on a high

No complacency as Duplantis continues to create history

Duplantis closes the golden Belgrade show with stratospheric 6.20m vault