Athletes in action in Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena Toruń
Last three sets of world indoor medallists
2022 - 1. Jereem Richards (TTO) 45.00; 2. Trevor Bassitt (USA) 45.05; 3. Carl Bengtström (SWE) 45.33
2024 - 1. Alexander Doom (BEL) 45.25; 2. Karsten Warholm (NOR) 45.34; 3. Rusheen McDonald (JAM) 45.65
2025 - 1. Christopher Bailey (USA) 45.08; 2. Brian Faust (USA) 45.47; 3. Jacory Patterson (USA) 45.54
Fastest winning times
Jereem Richards (TTO) – 45.00 (2022)
Christopher Bailey (USA) - 45.08 (2025)
Nery Brenes (CRC) – 45.11 (2012)
Slowest winning time
Daniel Caines (GBR) – 46.40 (2001)
Biggest winning margin
0.50s - 1989: Antonio McKay (USA) 45.59, Ian Morris (TTO) 46.09
Smallest winning margin
0.04s - 1991: Devon Morris (JAM) 46.17, Samson Kitur (KEN) 46.21
0.04s - 2004: Alleyne Francique (GRN) 45.88, Davian Clarke (JAM) 45.92
Fastest times on Polish soil
45.24 1 Pavel Maslak (CZE) - Sopot (World Indoors) 08.03.2014
45.58 2 Chris Brown (BAH) - Sopot (World Indoors) 08.03.2014
45.59 1 Bralon Taplin (GRN) - Torun 10.02.2017
Repeat winners
3 - Pavel Maslak (CZE) 2014, 2016, 2018
2 - Antonio McKay (USA) 1987, 1989
2 - Alleyne Francique (GRN) 2004, 2006
By country
6 - United States
3 - Czechia
2 - Grenada
2 - Great Britain & NI
1 - Trinidad & Tobago
1 - Costa Rica
1 - Belgium
1 - Nigeria
1 - German Democratic Republic
1 - Canada
1 - Bahamas
1 - Jamaica
Fastest times in rounds
R1 Christopher Bailey (USA) 45.70 - 2025
SF Bralon Taplin (GRN) 45.38 - 2016
Top eight entrants (based on final entries)
Khaleb McRae (USA) 44.52
Christopher Morales Williams (CAN) 44.80
Attila Molnár (HUN) 45.01
Chris Robinson (USA) 45.36
Delano Kennedy (JAM) 45.52 o
Matheus Lima (BRA) 45.54 o
Jereem Richards (TTO) 45.56
Muhammad Abdallah Kounta (FRA) 45.62
Historic facts
- The United States are the most successful nation with six victories although American athletes have only won this title twice this century: Tyree Washington in 2003 and Christopher Bailey in 2025
- The United States achieved a 1-2-3 in this event in 2025, just the second clean sweep in World Indoor Championships history (Ethiopia took the clean sweep in the women’s 1500m in 2022)
- Jereem Richards (TTO) became Trinidad & Tobago's first ever world indoor champion when he won 400m gold in 2022 (all seven of Trinidad & Tobago's world indoor medals have been won in either the men's 400m or 4x400m)
- Pavel Maslak (CZE) won a record three world indoor 400m titles in Birmingham in 2018 albeit in unusual circumstances after the initial gold and silver medallists were both DQ’d for lane infringements
- In the same edition, the entire field in the third 400m heat was DQ’d for lane infringements
- Matheus Lima (BRA) became the first ever South American to reach a world indoor 400m final in 2025
- All 35 (!) sub-45 second indoor 400m performances have all been recorded in the United States. The fastest indoor 400m set elsewhere was Jereem Richards' (TTO) championship record of 45.00 set in Belgrade in 2022
Potential storylines and notes
- Will we see the first ever sub-45 second winning time in World Indoor Championships history? Oscar Husillos (ESP) did break the 45 second-mark in the final in 2018 but was DQ’d for a lane infringement
- The entry-list is headed by the fastest and joint second fastest 400m runners in history: Christopher Morales-Williams (CAN) 44.49 and Khaleb McRae (USA) 44.52. Note: Morales-Williams' time was not ratified as a world record. Morales-Williams has run the fastest ever times at the World Indoor Championships in both the heat (45.51) and semifinal (45.35) en route to the final
- At 32y/67d (age on race day if he makes the final, can Jereem Richards (TTO) become just the fourth two-time winner of the world indoor 400m title as well as the oldest winner of the title? "At 32, honestly I feel like 27 so thank God for blessing me with health and strength, and thank my family for the genes. I don’t really think about age. I just think about having fun and trying to compete. I’ll keep on pushing," he said.
- Can Attila Molnar (HUN) improve on his fourth-place finish from 2025? He broke the European indoor 400m record with 45.01 in Ostrava, improving the record of 45.05 jointly held by Thomas Schonlebe (GDR) and Karsten Warholm (NOR)
- Tomas Horak (CZE), who only turned 18 on 5 March, has already broken three European indoor U20 records this year: 20.74 and 20.65 over 200m and 45.64 over 400m, both outright PBs. He becomes the youngest ever world indoor 400m finalist at 18y/13d
