World indoor pentathlon champion Noor Vidts (© Getty Images)
The women’s pentathlon proved to be a perilous test of endurance on day one of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24. After two of her principal rivals bit the dust, Noor Vidts was left standing as the history-making champion on Friday (1).
Winner in Belgrade two years ago, the 27-year-old Belgian became the first woman to mount a successful title defence, her 2:12.99 for third place in the last of the five events – the 800m – securing what was ultimately a convincing victory with 4773 points, a 2024 world lead.
The precociously talented young Finn Saga Vanninen took the silver medal with 4677, a national record by the 20-year-old. In a thrilling tussle for bronze, Sofie Dokter of the Netherlands edged out Italy’s Sveva Gerevini by 12 points.
“It’s quite crazy,” said Vidts, celebrating her back-to-back success. “I’m really happy. It’s been a long, hard day.”
Sadly, the two combined eventers who went into the competition at the top of the world list were unable to finish it.
Spain’s Maria Vicente made a heartbreaking departure, wheeled out of the arena with a ruptured achilles – the same painful setback that halted her progress after world U20 heptathlon victory in 2019.
Back in form with a 4728 world lead in Aubiere in January, the 22-year-old was in pole position when she was injured in the second event of the day, the high jump.
Hungary’s Szabina Szucs, No.2 on the 2024 list, was already off the pace when she retired after an opening effort in the penultimate event, the long jump.
Compounding the agony for Vicente was the fact that she had got off to an impressive start, leading the field after storming to a decisive 60m hurdles victory in 8.07.
That gave her a 20-point lead on former US indoor champion Chari Hawkins, who won the first heat in 8.16m.
Vicente was going strongly in the high jump, clearing 1.67m and 1.70m at the first time of asking. Attempting 1.73m, she ducked under the bar clutching the bottom of her left leg.
The competition was held up as the anguished Vicente received medical attention. She was eventually wheeled out of the arena holding her head in a mixture of agony and despair but managed to find the composure to face the media.
“The competition is over for me,” the European U23 triple jump champion confirmed. “We have seen the doctors and I have a complete rupture of the achilles tendon.
“The same doctor who operated on me the last time will operate on me again in Barcelona.
“Thank you very much for the support. I will return for sure, as I already did before.”
Having opened with 8.27m in the 60m hurdles, Vidts proceeded to move up the order from fourth to fifth with a 1.79m season’s best in the high jump.
Only two rivals managed that height: Vanninen, the two-time world U20 heptathlon champion, and Swede Bianca Salming, the latter going on to clear 1.82m.
Hawkins, who jumped 1.76m, stayed next in the order, 13 points down on Vidts with 2021, sharing second spot with Vanninen.
The Finn proceeded to nudge ahead, thanks to a final effort of 15.01m in the shot, her best of 2024. Vidts also landed a season’s best 14.26m.
All of which left Vanninen on top with 2883 points going into the afternoon break, with Vidts second of 2845 and Hawkins hanging on to third with 2773 after a 13.37m throw.
Given Vidts’ superiority as an 800m runner – a gap of nine seconds on PBs – the young Finn needed the defending champion to mess up in the long jump to have a realistic shot at an upset gold.
That didn’t materialise, Vidts nailing a 6.50m jump with her final attempt, a 13cm improvement on her best of 2024. Vanninen also rose to the occasion, a third round 6.41m representing a season’s best of her own by 16m.
That brought the gap down to just nine points, with Dokter, the European U23 heptathlon silver medallist, moving up to third with a mark of 6.20m and Gerevini into fourth with the third best mark of the competition, a season’s best 6.26m.
The final outcome was never in serious doubt. Vidts shot into third in the 800m while Vanninen trailed third from the back.
Dokter almost fell to the ground with the home straight effort that took her past Gerevini to claim the event win in 2:11.89, a personal best.
Second place in 2:12.07 was not quite enough to get the gallant Gerevini on to the podium.
Vanninen finished eighth in 2:20.54, fittingly a PB, and became the first Finnish woman to win a world indoor medal. The country's only previous podium placing was Mika Halveri's victory in the men's shot back in 1995.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
| WOMEN'S PENTATHLON MEDALLISTS | ||
| 🥇 | Noor Vidts 🇧🇪 BEL | 4773 WL |
| 🥈 | Saga Vanninen 🇫🇮 FIN | 4677 NR |
| 🥉 | Sofie Dokter 🇳🇱 NED | 4571 |
| Full results | ||
