Great Britain&rsquo;s Georgia Hunter Bell produced a world-leading 4:00.04 in the women&rsquo;s 1500m at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe &ndash; the fifth World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold fixture of the year &ndash; on Sunday (8), while Ukraine&rsquo;s Yaroslava Mahuchikh produced the highlight of the meeting on the infield.
Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Hunter Bell followed the pacemaker through 800m in 2:08.60 before taking control of the race. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Birke Haylom remained within striking distance for much of the second half, but the Briton&rsquo;s decisive finishing speed &ndash; capped by a 28.82-second final lap &ndash; secured victory in a world-leading 4:00.04, just 0.2 shy of the indoor PB she clocked when earning world indoor bronze last year.
Haylom finished second in 4:00.88, while European indoor champion Agathe Guillemot set a French short-track record of 4:02.12 in third.
&ldquo;I was trying to look up at the screen to see what's going on, but I wanted to try to lead the whole race,&rdquo; said Hunter Bell, the world 800m silver medallist. &ldquo;When the pacemaker dropped out, I tried to just hold that position.
&ldquo;I'm getting used to frontrunning, it's a new thing for me; I wanted to practice something different,&rdquo; added Hunter Bell, who will be targeting her first global gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 next month. &ldquo;I wanted to get the world lead, I wanted to try to go sub-4:00 and win. So I achieved two out of three: I won and got the world lead.&rdquo;
Three weeks after opening her 2026 campaign with a world-leading 2.03m in Lviv, Mahuchikh claimed the women&rsquo;s high jump with a second-time clearance of 2.01m.
The Olympic champion and outdoor world record-holder cleared 1.94m, 1.96m and 1.98m prior to her eventual winning height. She rounded out her series with three attempts at 2.04m. Her compatriot Yuliya Levchenko finished second with 1.96m.
&ldquo;I am happy I jumped over two meters again, but of course I wanted to clear 2.04m,&rdquo; said Mahuchikh. &ldquo;It was so close, especially the third attempt. But I am happy to come back to international level and start my season in Europe. I know I'm in really good shape, so I'm ready to fight at the World Indoor Championships in Poland.&rdquo;
In what was her first indoor race in almost four years, Gabriela Debues-Stafford returned to winning ways to take the women&rsquo;s 3000m in highly convincing fashion.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yenawa Nbret had led for much of the race, then USA&rsquo;s Elise Cranny had a brief stint at the front, but Debues-Stafford moved decisively to the head of the pack with just under two laps remaining and quickly established an unassailable lead.
The Canadian surged clear to win in 8:35.94 &ndash; the second-fastest time of her career and just two seconds shy of her PB &ndash; finishing ahead of Cranny (8:37.06) and Nbret (8:38.90).
By contrast, the men&rsquo;s 3000m was a much closer contest, with the top four separated by just 0.62. The field passed 1000m in 2:30.76 and 2000m in 5:08.37. Getnet Wale took a stint at the front, but the Ethiopian later faded to eighth. Instead it was Stefan Nillessen of the Netherlands who timed his finish best, winning in 7:38.48 ahead of Kenya&rsquo;s Jacob Krop (7:38.64) and Uruguay&rsquo;s Valentin Soca (7:38.90).
<h2>Victories for Stark and Guttormsen</h2>
World bronze medallist Grace Stark won the women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles in 7.86 in her first race of the year, but it wasn&rsquo;t plain sailing for the US athlete.
France&rsquo;s Laeticia Bapte was level with Stark until the final strides but stumbled slightly before the finish, taking second place in 7.95, just ahead of compatriot Sacha Alessandrini, who clocked a personal best of 7.95 for third. In the heats, Bapte had narrowly edged Stark, with both credited with 7.93. The heats had been delayed due to the high jump running longer than scheduled.
Norway&rsquo;s Sondre Guttormsen won the men&rsquo;s pole vault with a first-time clearance at 5.84m before ending his competition with three attempts at 5.90m. USA&rsquo;s Cole Walsh cleared 5.78m for second, while Ernest John Obiena finished third with 5.70m less than 24 hours after winning the Asian indoor title in Tianjin.
Diamond League champion Larissa Iapichino won the women&rsquo;s long jump with 6.84m, having taken the early lead with 6.77m in the opening round before producing her winning mark in round three. France&rsquo;s Hilary Kpatcha finished second with 6.73m, while two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo placed fourth with 6.45m.
France&rsquo;s Azeddine Habz &ndash; the outdoor world leader in 2025 &ndash; took to the track for the first time this year and was rewarded with victory in the men&rsquo;s 1500m. He followed the pacemaker through 800m in 1:53.95 before maintaining the tempo to the finish, crossing the line in 3:33.36, just 0.28 short of the meeting record set by Daniel Kipchirchir Komen in 2005. Italy&rsquo;s Federico Riva closed strongly but finished second in an Italian short-track record of 3:33.94.
The men&rsquo;s 60m produced one of the closest finishes of the meeting, with the top four &ndash; representing four different continents &ndash; separated by just three hundredths of a second. Cameroon&rsquo;s Emmanuel Eseme won in 6.53 ahead of Oman&rsquo;s Ali Al Balushi (6.54), Germany&rsquo;s Owen Ansah (6.55) and Jamaica&rsquo;s Odaine McPherson (6.56).
Elsewhere, Germany&rsquo;s Alexander Stepanov produced a late surge to win the men&rsquo;s 800m in a personal best of 1:46.17, while Egypt&rsquo;s Bassant Hemida was the fastest winner of the three women&rsquo;s 400m races, clocking 51.97.

INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe

Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell produced a world-leading 4:00.04 in the women’s 1500m at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe

Hunter Bell clocks world-leading 1500m in Karlsruhe as Mahuchikh clears 2.01m

Global medallists across the jumps, throws and sprints will be in action at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting &ndash; a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold fixture &ndash; at the Serbian capital&rsquo;s Atletska dvorana on Wednesday (11).
One of the highlights of the programme will be the men&rsquo;s shot put, where a deep international field brings together world and continental medallists.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/watch/live" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/698b39adba7042dabbe1ef4e.jpg" alt="Belgrade WIT 2026 where to watch" /></a>
In-form US thrower Jordan Geist, who has produced a world-leading 22.04m in two separate competitions this year, takes on a high-quality field that includes world indoor silver medallist Roger Steen, Mexico&rsquo;s world silver medallist Uziel Mu&ntilde;oz, 2022 world bronze medallist Josh Awotunde, European indoor silver medallist Wiktor Petersson, three-time African champion Chukwu Enekwechi and 2022 European silver medallist Armin Sinancevic of Serbia.
The World Indoor Tour has already had several close contests in the men&rsquo;s long jump this year, and that trend looks set to continue in Belgrade.
Miltiadis Tentoglou, winner of numerous global and European titles, takes on European indoor champion Bozhidar Saraboyukov of Bulgaria, who recently jumped a world-leading 8.39m PB in Metz. Sweden&rsquo;s Thobias Montler &ndash; a multiple medallist at major indoor championships &ndash; and Japan&rsquo;s Shunsuke Izumiya, fourth at the 2025 World Indoor Championships, add further depth.
Tentoglou still holds the meeting record with his 8.25m from 2022, but he&rsquo;ll be out for redemption after finishing fourth in Belgrade last year in a competition won by Montler.
On the track, the women&rsquo;s 800m brings together Diamond League champion Audrey Werro, who has won both of her races so far this year, world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso of South Africa and world indoor bronze medallist Patricia Silva of Portugal.
<h2>Sprints and hurdles take centre stage</h2>
The women&rsquo;s 60m features European indoor champion Zaynab Dosso alongside world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt and 2021 European indoor champion Ajla Del Ponte. Belgian record-holder Rani Rosius is also entered, as are Jael Bestue of Spain and Australia&rsquo;s Torrie Lewis, both of whom impressed over 200m in Metz on Sunday.
Several accomplished 200m runners step down in distance for the men&rsquo;s 60m. Joshua Hartmann, the German 200m record-holder, lines up alongside European 200m champion Timoth&eacute; Mumenthaler of Switzerland and South Africa&rsquo;s 2023 World University Games 200m champion Tsebo Matsoso. They will face strong opposition from Italy&rsquo;s 2023 European indoor champion Samuele Ceccarelli and Ireland&rsquo;s Bori Akinola.
World bronze medallist Grace Stark opened her 2026 campaign in Karlsruhe on Sunday with a 7.86 victory in the 60m hurdles. In Belgrade the US athlete will take on compatriot Alaysha Johnson, who has been a consistent performer on this year&rsquo;s World Indoor Tour.
Poland&rsquo;s European indoor champion Jakub Szymanski heads the men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles field after an unbeaten start to his season, having won all six of his races so far this year across heats and finals. He faces a strong US contingent that includes world and Olympic medallist Daniel Roberts, Jamal Britt &ndash; who was third in Boston and Madrid, clocking a PB of 7.51 in the latter &ndash; and Eric Edwards, runner-up in Ostrava.
South Africa&rsquo;s Tshepo Tshite, a former 800m specialist, had never contested the 3000m indoors before this year. In two races last week, he set a national short-track record of 7:38.17 when finishing second in Ostrava, then won in Madrid in 7:39.11.
The 29-year-old will start as favourite when he races the distance again in Belgrade, where he&rsquo;ll face Kenya&rsquo;s Ishmael Kipkirui, fourth over 10,000m at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Hailemariyam Amare, the 2022 African champion at both 5000m and steeplechase.
<h2>Serbian stars lead women&rsquo;s jumps</h2>
Home fans will have plenty to cheer in the women&rsquo;s field events.
Serbia&rsquo;s Ivana &Scaron;panović, the 2023 world champion in the long jump, has made notable recent progress in the latest chapter of her career, now specialising in the triple jump. At the end of January, competing in the same arena where the Belgrade Indoor Meeting will be held, the 35-year-old set a national indoor record of 14.41m.
She will be keen to continue that momentum in Belgrade as she takes on a field that includes Sweden&rsquo;s Maja &Aring;skag, another athlete who excels at both horizontal jumps.
Angelina Topić is another Serbian jumper who has started her season well. The world bronze medallist opened her 2026 campaign with an indoor PB of 1.98m, equalling her own outright national record. The 20-year-old will face Ukraine&rsquo;s 2021 Olympic bronze medallist Iryna Gerashchenko, who recently returned to action after a maternity break, 2024 world indoor bronze medallist Lia Apostolovski and European U20 champion Lilianna Batori.
In the women&rsquo;s long jump, Serbia&rsquo;s home hope Milica Gardasevic takes on 2023 world bronze medallist Alina Rotaru-Kottmann, 2022 world bronze medallist Leticia Oro and Burkina Faso&rsquo;s Marthe Koala.
</div>

Belgrade Indoor Meeting

Global medallists across the jumps, throws and sprints will be in action at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting

Field stars and sprint showdowns set for Belgrade Indoor Meeting

Italy&rsquo;s Mattia Furlani and Bulgaria&rsquo;s Bozhidar Saraboyukov produced the standout field performance at the Meeting Metz Moselle Athl&eacute;lor Cr&eacute;dit Mutuel &ndash; a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting &ndash; on Sunday (8), both soaring to world-leading marks of 8.39m in the men&rsquo;s long jump.
The highlights on the track, meanwhile, came courtesy of Yann Schrub, who delighted the home crowd by setting an outright French record to win the men&rsquo;s 3000m, and 400m hurdles specialist Femke Bol, who made her highly anticipated debut in the women&rsquo;s 800m, coming away with a highly promising 1:59.07 victory.
The men&rsquo;s long jump developed into a compelling duel between Furlani, the world indoor and outdoor champion, and Saraboyukov, the European indoor champion. Furlani first took control in the second round with 8.38m and consolidated his position with 8.33m in round three. Saraboyukov responded in the fourth round with 8.37m to move within one centimetre of the lead.
Both athletes then produced identical winning marks of 8.39m in the fifth round. They remained closely matched in the final round too, Furlani jumping 8.23m and Saraboyukov 8.24m, but neither could improve further as Furlani claimed victory on countback.
Their shared winning distance places them jointly 23rd on the world indoor all-time list and equal seventh on the European indoor all-time list. It is also just the seventh occasion in history that two men have surpassed 8.39m in the same indoor competition.
Schrub delivered one of the performances of the meeting in the men&rsquo;s 3000m. The 2023 European cross-country champion tracked the pacemaker for most of the way, then took up the running in the closing stages before going on to win comfortably in a meeting record and outright national record of 7:29.38. Luxembourg&rsquo;s Ruben Querinjean was second in 7:40.64.
Schrub&rsquo;s winning mark moves him to third on the European short track all-time list, second on the world list for 2026, and 16th on the world short track all-time list.
Much of the pre-meeting attention centred on the women&rsquo;s 800m, where two-time world 400m hurdles champion Bol was making her debut over the distance. The Dutch athlete, looking remarkably comfortable throughout for a debutante at the distance, followed the pacemaker through 400m in about 57 seconds and passed 600m in 1:28.86.
Swiss duo Valentina Rosamilia and Lore Hoffmann closed slightly on Bol in the closing stages, but Bol held on to win in 1:59.07, taking almost a second off the Dutch short-track record that had stood since 2001. Rosamilia (1:59.90) and Hoffmann (1:59.91) finished second and third respectively, both setting short-track personal bests.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always a pleasure to race here,&rdquo; said 25-year-old Bol, who holds the world short track record for 400m. &ldquo;It was nice. A bit long but I&rsquo;ll get used to it.&rdquo;
<h2>Meeting records tumble</h2>
Several meeting records were set elsewhere in Metz. Algeria&rsquo;s Mohamed Ali Gouaned won the men&rsquo;s 800m in a meeting and national record of 1:44.67, moving to 17th on the world indoor all-time list.
Just days after setting a European short track record of 45.01, Hungary&rsquo;s European indoor champion Attila Molnar set a meeting record of 45.57 in the men&rsquo;s 400m.
Slovenia&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Tina Sutej cleared 4.80m to win the women&rsquo;s pole vault with a meeting record, while Czechia&rsquo;s Amalie Svabikova cleared 4.75m.
Poland&rsquo;s Pia Skrzyszowska won the women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles in 7.82 ahead of Switzerland&rsquo;s Ditaji Kambundji (7.87), whose runner-up finish marked her fastest season opener and first race since winning the world title in Tokyo last year.
Luxembourg&rsquo;s world indoor bronze medallist Patrizia van der Weken ran a season&rsquo;s best of 7.08 to win the women&rsquo;s 60m, with the Netherlands&rsquo; Minke Bisschops finishing second in a personal best of 7.11.
Norway&rsquo;s world indoor bronze medallist Henriette Jaeger clocked 50.62 to win the women&rsquo;s 400m ahead of Slovakia&rsquo;s world 400m hurdles bronze medallist Emma Zapletova, who set an outright national record of 50.78, and Czechia&rsquo;s Lurdes Gloria Manuel, who ran a personal best of 51.03.
Spain&rsquo;s Jael Bestue set a national record of 22.69 in the women&rsquo;s 200m A race, while Australia&rsquo;s Torrie Lewis clocked 22.70 to win the B race.

Italy’s Mattia Furlani and Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov produced the standout field performance at the Meeting Metz Moselle Athlélor Crédit Mutuel

Furlani and Saraboyukov leap 8.39m in Metz, while Schrub and Bol impress on the track

Rodrigue Kwizera successfully defended his title &ndash; and that of his club &ndash; to win at the Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor, the penultimate World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting of the season, in Albufeira on Sunday (8).
The Burundian, competing in the colours of Playas Castellon as the event once again doubled as the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country, was a comfortable winner of the senior men&rsquo;s race, while Kenya&rsquo;s Mirriam Cherop produced an equally decisive victory in the women&rsquo;s contest. Both senior races were held over 9.28km on the Algarve course.
A large lead pack formed early in the men&rsquo;s race, covering the opening lap in 5:52 with Kwizera prominent alongside Kenya&rsquo;s Charles Rotich and Uganda&rsquo;s Oscar Chelimo. The pace remained steady through the second lap (11:20), but the front group began to thin as the leading trio continued to dictate proceedings.
By the end of the third lap (16:46), the contenders had been reduced to five athletes: Kwizera, Chelimo, Rotich, Kenya&rsquo;s Victor Kimosop and Spain&rsquo;s European cross-country champion Thierry Ndikumwenayo. The decisive move began to take shape shortly after the 6km mark when Kwizera and Chelimo broke clear of the others.
They reached the lap-four checkpoint in 22:02, holding an eight-second advantage over Kimosop and Rotich. Chelimo stayed close to Kwizera through the latter stages, but the defending champion found another gear inside the final kilometre to secure his third victory in Albufeira in 27:19.
Chelimo followed 10 seconds later in 27:29, with Rotich completing the podium in 27:32 after winning the battle for third.
The team standings reflected the individual outcome with Playas Castellon &ndash; led by Kwizera &ndash; winning gold ahead of Chelimo&rsquo;s ATL Casone.
The women&rsquo;s race also began with a sizeable lead group, covering the first lap in 6:50 with Cherop and Jackline Rotich setting the early tempo. Burundi&rsquo;s Elvanie Nimbona remained well positioned, while Portugal&rsquo;s Carolina Robles and Great Britain&rsquo;s Lucy Jones were also part of the early contention.
By lap two (13:09), the lead group had reduced to nine athletes, with Cherop, Rotich, Nimbona and Robles still prominent. The race continued to stretch out on the third lap (19:27), the leading quartet gradually asserting control. The same four athletes remained at the front at the end of lap four (25:43).
Cherop made the decisive move at about the 8km mark. Rotich initially attempted to respond, but Nimbona and Campos were unable to maintain contact as the Kenyan surged clear.
Cherop went on to win convincingly in 31:36, becoming the first Kenyan winner in Albufeira since 2020. Rotich secured second place in 31:50, just ahead of Nimbona (31:52), while Robles finished fourth in 32:01.
In the team standings, SC Braga retained their title ahead of Fenerbahce.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women (9.28km) 1 Mirriam Cherop (KEN) 31:36 2 Jackline Rotich (KEN) 31:50 3 Elvanie Nimbona (BDI) 31:52 4 Carolina Robles (ESP) 32:01 5 Idaira Prieto (ESP) 32:10 6 Mariana Machado (POR) 32:17 7 S&uuml;meyye Erol (TUR) 32:26 8 Derya Kunur (TUR) 32:30
Men (9.28km) 1 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 27:19 2 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 27:29 3 Charles Rotich (KEN) 27:32 4 Victor Kimosop (KEN) 27:42 5 Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP) 27:45 6 Abdessamad Oukhelfen (ESP) 27:48 7 Miguel Angel Mart&iacute;nez (ESP) 27:51 8 Luca Alfieri (ITA) 28:23

Rodrigue Kwizera successfully defended his title – and that of his club – to win at the Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor

Kwizera and Cherop dominate in Albufeira

World Athletics and the LA28 Organising Committee have&nbsp;<a href="https://la28.org/en/games-plan/olympics.html#olympic-competition-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published the updated athletics competition timetable by session and event</a>&nbsp;for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.&nbsp;
The detailed schedule builds on the competition framework announced in November and reflects ongoing coordination between World Athletics, LA28 and broadcast partners.&nbsp;
A small number of refinements have been made to the women&rsquo;s 400m and 400m hurdles schedule, while&nbsp;round one of&nbsp;the men&rsquo;s&nbsp;1500m has moved from the morning to the afternoon session on day two of competition (Sunday 16 July). Minor start-time adjustments have also been made in consultation with broadcast partners.&nbsp;
As with the&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/los-angeles-28-olympics-athletics-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original timetable announced in November</a>, the schedule has been developed through close collaboration between World Athletics, LA28 and key stakeholders, balancing athlete preparation and recovery considerations, competition presentation, venue&nbsp;operations&nbsp;and global broadcast requirements.&nbsp;
World Athletics will continue working with LA28 in the lead-up to the Games to ensure the athletics programme delivers the best possible experience for athletes,&nbsp;fans&nbsp;and broadcasters.&nbsp;
The updated athletics competition schedule can be&nbsp;<a href="https://la28.org/en/games-plan/olympics.html#olympic-competition-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">viewed on the LA28 website</a>.
World Athletics

The XXXIV Olympic Games

World Athletics and the LA28 Organising Committee have published the updated athletics competition timetable by session and event

LA28 Olympic Games athletics session timetable published

A US quartet of Clay Pender, Luke Houser, Luciano Fiore and Sean Dolan took a second off the world short track 4x800m record* with their winning time of 7:10.29 at the Penn Classic in Philadelphia on Friday (6).
Their performance was a 1.01-second improvement on the previous mark of 7:11.30 set by another US squad in 2018 the rarely contested discipline.
The race was close in the early stages as the University of Pennsylvania&rsquo;s home team led for the first leg with Joseph Socarras reaching the first exchange in 1:49.06, ahead of Pender (1:49.69).
World indoor 1500m bronze medallist Luke Houser then took up the running for the US team and gained the lead on the second of his four laps. Houser completed his leg in 1:47.47, building up a two-second lead and giving his team a shot at breaking the record.
Luciano Fiore extended their lead on the third leg thanks to his 1:47.35 split. By the time Sean Dolan took the baton for the final leg, the US quartet had a six-second lead. The NACAC U23 silver medallist extended that to 12 seconds, thanks to his 1:45.79 anchor leg, bringing the team home in 7:10.29.
The University of Pennsylvania finished a distant second in 7:22.43.
World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

A US quartet of Clay Pender, Luke Houser, Luciano Fiore and Sean Dolan took a second off the world short track 4x800m record with their winning time of 7:10.29 at the Penn Classic

USA breaks world short track 4x800m record

Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Attaoui thrilled the home crowd at the Madrid World Indoor Tour Gold meeting on Thursday (6), breaking the European short track 1000m record with 2:14.52. Agate de Sousa&rsquo;s meeting record of 6.97m in the long jump, meanwhile, was one of three world leads achieved in the Spanish capital.
The men&rsquo;s 1000m had been billed as an assault on Ayanleh Souleiman&rsquo;s world short track record of 2:14.20. Attaoui was on course to break that mark for much of the way; though he ultimately missed that mark by just 0.32, the 24-year-old was still rewarded with a European record &ndash; breaking Wilson Kipketer&rsquo;s mark of 2:14.96 from 2000 &ndash; and the third-fastest indoor performance in history.
Perfectly paced by Poland&rsquo;s Filip Ostrowski, Attaoui went through the opening lap in 26.75 and reached 400m in 53.22. The cadence slowed slightly during the next laps as the pacesetter dropped out just before 800m, which was covered in 1:47.58, just 0.03 outside the required record pace.
Over the closing lap, the European silver medallist could not accelerate enough to recover that loss and finished in 2:14.52. Fellow Spaniards Mariano Garc&iacute;a and Adri&aacute;n Ben finished some way behind in second and third in 2:16.40 and 2:16.80 respectively.
&ldquo;I regret announcing the record attempt as I was quite nervous,&rdquo; said Attaoui. &ldquo;But I also know that without that I wouldn&rsquo;t have performed in front of a capacity crowd &ndash; they pushed me throughout. I missed the record, but I&rsquo;m satisfied with my performance and the European record.&rdquo;
De Sousa was similarly dominant in the women&rsquo;s long jump. The European bronze medallist from Portugal took an early lead with 6.76m before fouling her next two attempts. She then extended her lead in round four with 6.97m, an indoor PB and world-leading mark.
The World Championships sixth-place finisher didn&rsquo;t improve in the final two rounds but finished comfortably ahead of Spain&rsquo;s Irati Mitxelena (6.70m) and Sweden&rsquo;s Khaddi Sagnia (6.67m).
The other world-leading mark of the meeting came from USA&rsquo;s Jordan Geist, who equalled his season&rsquo;s best of 22.04m to win the men&rsquo;s shot put.
It was a thrilling contest throughout, between Geist, US compatriot Roger Steen and Jamaica&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell. Geist took the lead in the opening round with 21.56m, but Steen responded with 21.80m in round two.
The fireworks came in round four when Campbell produced a season&rsquo;s best of 21.94m to move into the lead, but Geist regained first place with 22.04m, equalling the world-leading mark he set in Ostrava three days ago.
After two high-quality races in the 60m hurdles heats &ndash; won by France&rsquo;s world indoor silver medallist Wilhem Belocian (7.51) and Spain&rsquo;s Enrique Llopis (7.49) &ndash; the final didn&rsquo;t disappoint.
Llopis not only emerged victorious &ndash; much to the delight of the home crowd &ndash; he also set a national record by three hundredths with 7.45, the second-fastest performance on this season&rsquo;s world list. Llopis, who will be chasing his first medal at a global championships next month at the World Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26, prevailed over Italy&rsquo;s European champion Lorenzo Simonelli (7.50), USA&rsquo;s Jamal Britt (7.51) and Belocian (7.54).
<h2>Haylom and Werro win again</h2>
Just days after notching up victories in other World Indoor Tour meets, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Birke Haylom and Switzerland&rsquo;s Audrey Werro triumphed again in the middle-distance events.
In the women&rsquo;s 1500m, Haylom tracked the pacemakers for most of the way. She was briefly overtaken by world and Olympic medallist Nadia Battocletti with about 320m to go, but Haylom regained the lead and went on to win comfortably in 4:02.37. Battocletti held on for second, equalling Marta Zenoni&rsquo;s Italian record of 4:03.59, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Saron Berhe was third (4:04.39).
The women&rsquo;s 800m may not have been as fast as anticipated, but it ended with a close finish between Werro and world indoor silver medallist Nigist Getachew. Neither athlete followed the pacemaker, reaching halfway just inside 59 seconds with Getachew ahead. Werro eventually passed the Ethiopian on the home straight to win narrowly, 2:00.68 to 2:00.76.
Spain&rsquo;s European U23 silver medallist Roc&iacute;o Arroyo was the fastest athlete overall, winning the earlier B race in a lifetime best of 1:59.97.
The men&rsquo;s 3000m was won by South Africa&rsquo;s Tshepo Tshite on his second appearance over the distance in 7:39.11, ahead of Uruguay&rsquo;s Valentin Soca (7:39.98), who edged Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getnet Wale (7:39.98) in the closing stages.
European indoor champion Lieke Klaver had suggested at the pre-event press conference that she could produce a strong performance following her 51.00 season debut three days earlier in Ostrava. The 27-year-old Dutch athlete went out aggressively, passing halfway in 23.25. She slowed significantly in the second half but still won comfortably in 51.26, while Spain&rsquo;s Blanca Herv&aacute;s finished second in 51.59.
Elsewhere, France&rsquo;s Laeticia Bapte won the women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles by the narrowest of margins over USA&rsquo;s Alaysha Johnson, both timed at 7.90. USA&rsquo;s Charity Hufnagel then won the women&rsquo;s high jump with a second-attempt clearance at 1.96m, a career best, ahead of Poland&rsquo;s Maria Zodzik (1.94m). In the men&rsquo;s 60m, Oman&rsquo;s Ali Anwar Al-Balushi won in 6.53 ahead of Cuba&rsquo;s Jenns Fernandez (6.56).
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<ul>
<li><a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/calendar-results/7229626/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a></li>
</ul>

Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui thrilled the home crowd at the Madrid World Indoor Tour Gold meeting

Attaoui breaks European short track 1000m record in Madrid as De Sousa leaps to world lead

There are two weeks to go until the opening of the MOWA Indoor Athletics Exhibition, a month-long celebration of indoor track &amp; field staged in partnership with the local organising committee of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 and TORUŃ PLAZA, the region&rsquo;s largest shopping centre.
The exhibition opens on Friday 20 February and runs through to Sunday 22 March 2026, during the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 (20-22 March 2026).
The exhibition will be officially opened on the evening of Friday 20 February by a host of Polish and international stars, led by current Polish Athletics Association president Sebastian Chmara, the first Pole to win an individual world indoor title, and race walking legend Robert Korzeniowski &ndash; a four-time Olympic champion, three-time world champion, and silver medallist at the 1993 World Indoor Championships.
The exhibition &ndash; which is open to the public and free to enter from Saturday 21 February &ndash; brings together MOWA&rsquo;s unique indoor athletics collection of competition clothing, shoes, medals and equipment donated by many of the world&rsquo;s all-time greatest indoor track and field performers. Supported by original photographs, video and narrative panels, the display traces the history of indoor track and field from 1970 to 2025.
New attractions on display include:
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<li>the complete competition kit of the &lsquo;Indoor Queen&rsquo; Nelli Cooman (NED) from the 1985 European Indoor Championships, where she claimed the first of her eight European and world titles at 60m;</li>
<li>the singlet and spikes <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/marcus-osullivan-indoor-1500m-mile-ireland-1987" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marcus O&rsquo;Sullivan (IRL) wore at the 1987 World Indoor Championships</a>, marking the first of his three world titles over 1500m;</li>
<li>the competition suit worn by Devynne Charlton (BAH) when she won the world title and set the world record in the 60m hurdles at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.</li>
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<h2>Polish athletics history</h2>
In addition to the athlete artefacts, the exhibition reflects on the rich history of Polish athletics. As a result, visitors will be greeted by hammer and discus throw displays, disciplines that have defined some of the finest successes of Polish athletics, and previously unseen archival material, including the official 1919 application letter from the Polish Athletics Association seeking admission to the international federation.
MOWA also brings athletics into the architectural scale of TORUŃ PLAZA: life-size vertical-jump cutouts (men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s high jump and pole vault world records) will be displayed on the shopping-centre lift to give visitors a visceral sense of &ldquo;where the bar sits&rdquo;. A hands-on shot-put activation will showcase the actual implements used by champions and a to-scale projection of championship record distances will cross the mall&rsquo;s central hall so visitors can experience the space that world-class throws cover.
A donation ceremony will be hosted at the exhibition at 3pm on Saturday 21 March by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, alongside Michael H Burke, the Founding Patron of MOWA, and will welcome champions who have left a lasting mark on the history of indoor athletics.
Pierre-Jean Vazel for World Athletics Heritage
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<h3>MOWA exhibition details</h3>
Date: Friday 20 February &ndash; Sunday 22 March 2026 Location: Toruń PLAZA, Centrum Handlowo&ndash;Rozrywkowe, ul. Broniewskiego 90, 87-100 Toruń Opening hours: 9:00 &ndash; 21:00 daily Admission: Free
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World Athletics Indoor Championships

There are two weeks to go until the opening of the MOWA Indoor Athletics Exhibition

MOWA Indoor Athletics Exhibition opens 20 February in Torun

If Eamonn Coghlan was Ireland&rsquo;s &lsquo;Chairman of the Boards&rsquo;, then Marcus O&rsquo;Sullivan was the Chief Executive.
Between them, the two Irishmen were the masters of the indoor mile and its metric equivalent from the middle of the 1970s right through to the early 1990s. Both were products of that vaunted Stateside finishing school of Irish middle-distance maestros, Villanova University, and the trajectory of their careers intersected over the course of two compelling indoor seasons in the mid-1980s.
O&rsquo;Sullivan, the junior by nine years, got the better of his celebrated compatriot in an unbeaten 1986 campaign, inflicting Coghlan&rsquo;s first indoor mile loss for five years.
At the age of 34, a rejuvenated Coghlan regained the upper hand in the opening months of 1987, beating his young compatriot to claim a record seventh Wanamaker Mile win and clocking a world indoor best at 2000m before heading to the inaugural World Athletics Indoor Championships in Indianapolis as favourite for the 1500m.
As fate would have it, though, the native Dubliner who struck gold at the first outdoor World Championships in Helsinki in 1983 failed to make it beyond the heats in the Hoosier Dome. After making up a 30-metre loss from a mid-race tumble, Coghlan paid a heavy price for easing up before the line, losing a qualifying slot as two rivals nipped past.
It was left to O&rsquo;Sullivan to grasp the hand of history. The 25-year-old from Cork produced a textbook performance in the final to become his country&rsquo;s first world indoor champion &ndash; proudly sporting the green Irish vest that he has kindly donated to the <a href="https://tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Museum of World Athletics</a>, together with the spikes that carried him to victory that day, 7 March 1987.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6985db224a2ca21610469ea9.jpg" alt="Marcus O'Sullivan's singlet and spikes from the 1987 World Indoor Championships" />
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Marcus O'Sullivan's singlet and spikes from the 1987 World Indoor Championships
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Watched by a crowd of 20,023 &ndash; a record for an indoor athletics event at the time &ndash; O&rsquo;Sullivan bided his time, second from the back of the nine-man field. Meanwhile, Jim Spivey &ndash; a big local hope, as the star of the Indiana University team &ndash; cut out the early pace.
<h2>Building an indoor champion</h2>
The slightly built Irishman glided through the field when Jose Abascal made his break approaching the 1000m mark, then nipped inside Spivey at the bell before slugging out a thrilling duel with the Spaniard who had taken Olympic 1500m bronze in 1984. The pair were locked together, side by side, until O&rsquo;Sullivan edged ahead in the final 10 metres to win by 0.09 in 3:39.04.
&ldquo;My legs were coming from under me,&rdquo; he told a trackside interviewer, reflecting on the home-straight scrap. &ldquo;I gave everything I could. I just didn&rsquo;t want to lose, more than wanting to win.&rdquo;
O&rsquo;Sullivan had to work hard to make the grade as a middle-distance man. He left school as a 4:25 miler and spent a year grafting as a sailmaker before emerging as a 4:05 exponent worthy of a Villanova scholarship.
For his first six months, he was guided by Jumbo Elliott, the veteran coach who moulded Ron Delany into an Olympic champion. After Elliott&rsquo;s sudden death in 1981, Tom Donnelly assumed stewardship and proceeded to steer O&rsquo;Sullivan to a hat-trick of world indoor 1500m titles, a world indoor 1500m record, five Wanamaker Mile wins, and a quartet of Olympic appearances.
Above all of his accomplishments, O&rsquo;Sullivan treasures most the collection of 101 sub-four-minute miles that he racked up between 1983 and 1998.
&ldquo;It means so much to me because it represents who I was as an athlete,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I was a flogger who kept on going to work every day.&rdquo;
For the past 27 years, O&rsquo;Sullivan has been going to work as track coach at Villanova. At the age of 64, he still holds a share of the 4x1mile global best of 15:49.08 achieved in 1985. O&rsquo;Sullivan clocked the fastest split, 3:55.3, the baton having passed from the Chairman of the Boards to the future Chief Executive.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage 
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If Eamonn Coghlan was Ireland’s ‘Chairman of the Boards’, then Marcus O’Sullivan was the Chief Executive.

Green, white and gold in abundance: O’Sullivan’s indoor legacy

Rodrigue Kwizera defends his title against Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Charles Rotich and Oscar Chelimo when the top four from last year&rsquo;s senior men&rsquo;s race clash again at the Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor &ndash; the penultimate World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting of the season &ndash; in Albufeira on Sunday (8).
Three-time winner Likina Amebaw, who currently sits second in the World Cross Country Tour standings, leads the entries for the women&rsquo;s race.
As has been the case many times in the past, the Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor again doubles as the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country.&nbsp;
Kwizera clinched his second victory in Albufeira last year, racing for his Spanish club Playas de Castellon. Making his season debut, the 26-year-old will renew his rivalry with Spain&rsquo;s Ndikumwenayo, the European cross-country champion who is a two-time winner in Albufeira and who finished runner-up to Kwizera last year.
Kwizera heads into the race in second place on the overall tour standings. He finished first or second in four Cross Country Tour Gold races &ndash; in Seville, Soria, Atapuerca and Alcobendas &ndash; in November and the event in Albufeira is his first since then.
Ndikumwenayo, meanwhile, followed his European cross-country title win in Lagoa in December with an eighth-place finish at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee last month. He then placed fourth at the Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in Elgoibar.
The clubmates star in a rematch with Kenya&rsquo;s Rotich and Uganda&rsquo;s 2022 world 5000m bronze medallist Chelimo, who completed the top four in Albufeira last year.
Also joining them on the start line is Kwizera&rsquo;s compatriot Egide Ntakarutimana, who won at the Campaccio last month.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Amebaw will target her fourth win in Albufeira when she lines up for the senior women&rsquo;s event, also racing for Playas de Castellon.
She returns to cross-country action after running a 10km PB of 29:29 &ndash; a time that places her sixth on the world all-time list &ndash; in Valencia last month. Before that, she won the 5km at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona and at Cross Country Tour Gold events in Soria and Amorebieta-Etxano.
She didn&rsquo;t race in Albufeira last year but T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s Bahar Yildirim did, finishing second. Yildirim returns, seeking another strong run, and she again faces Portugal&rsquo;s Mariana Machado and Spain&rsquo;s Carolina Robles, who respectively finished third and fifth behind Yildirim last year.
They will be joined by Burundi&rsquo;s Elvanie Nimbona, who was third at the Campaccio, plus Spain&rsquo;s Idaira Prieto and Kenya&rsquo;s Jackline Rotich, who finished fifth in Hannut.
Among those entered for the mixed relay are home stars Isaac Nader, the world 1500m champion, and Salom&eacute; Afonso, the double European indoor medallist.
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Past winners Rodrigue Kwizera, Thierry Ndikumwenayo and Likina Amebaw return to the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting

Kwizera defends title against Ndikumwenayo in Albufeira

World record-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh and home star Malaika Mihambo make their World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold season debuts when the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe returns on Sunday (8).
For many athletes, this season&rsquo;s World Indoor Tour is an important part of the journey to the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 and, beyond that, an outdoor season that includes the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/watch/live" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6984ed53c24a29de2105c50e.jpg" alt="Karlsruhe WIT 2026 where to watch" /></a>
Ukraine&rsquo;s Mahuchikh has already qualified for the Ultimate Championship as the Olympic high jump champion and she will want to maintain momentum following her strong start to the season in Lviv. There, Mahuchikh cleared an early world lead of 2.03m &ndash; the 24-year-old&rsquo;s best clearance since the world record height of 2.10m she achieved in July 2024.
She returns to Karlsruhe for the first time since 2020, when the then 18-year-old Mahuchikh set a world U20 indoor record of 2.02m. Her rivals that day included her compatriot Yuliya Levchenko and the pair meet again on Sunday, Levchenko fresh from a 1.94m clearance to win in Cottbus. They will be joined by German champion Christina Honsel, Sweden&rsquo;s European indoor bronze medallist Engla Nilsson and Czechia&rsquo;s Michaela Hruba.
The long jump will feature a clash between Germany&rsquo;s Olympic and two-time world gold medallist Mihambo and Italy&rsquo;s Olympic fourth-place finisher Larissa Iapichino.
Mihambo matched her indoor PB and broke a 31-year-old meeting record when she jumped 7.07m to win in Karlsruhe last year and now she defends her title, looking to build on her 6.56m season opener last month in D&uuml;sseldorf.
She will face strong competition, as Iapichino has already cleared 6.93m this year in Ancona. Like Mahuchikh, Iapichino is also back in Karlsruhe for the first time since 2020.
&ldquo;I'm very happy to be back in Karlsruhe, as I gained my first international experience here as a junior athlete,&rdquo; said Iapichino, who jumped 7.06m outdoors last year. &ldquo;I hope I can enjoy it even more this time and thrill the audience.&rdquo;
The field features a third athlete who has surpassed seven metres, Hilary Kpatcha of France, as well as Dutch record-holder Pauline Hondema and Serbia&rsquo;s Milica Garda&scaron;ević.
The men&rsquo;s pole vault pits two-time world medallist Ernest John Obiena against European indoor gold medallists Menno Vloon and Sondre Guttormsen, while 2024 world indoor silver medallist Yasser Triki heads the triple jump field.
<h2>Competitive track clashes in store</h2>
Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell races for the first time this year in the 1500m and faces her British compatriot Jemma Reekie, the 2024 world indoor 800m silver medallist, plus Ethiopia&rsquo;s Birke Haylom, who won in Ostrava in a world lead of 4:00.62. Her 18-year-old compatriot Saron Berhe was second in that race in 4:01.23 &ndash; a time which improved the official world U20 short track record of 4:01.57, subject to ratification &ndash; and they clash again in Karlsruhe.
Britain&rsquo;s two-time world indoor medallist Laura Muir makes her season debut in the 3000m, back at the meeting where she set the European indoor record of 8:26.41 in 2017. She goes up against Ethiopia&rsquo;s two-time world 1500m silver medallist Axumawit Embaye, 2022 world indoor 1500m bronze medallist Hirut Meshesha and 17-year-old Marta Alemayo, who retained her world U20 cross-country title in Tallahassee last month, as well as USA&rsquo;s Elise Cranny and Canada&rsquo;s Gabriela DeBues-Stafford.
The men&rsquo;s race features defending champion Stefan Nillessen, one year on from his Dutch short track record of 7:37.10 in Karlsruhe, against Kenya&rsquo;s world 10,000m fourth-place finisher Ishmael Kipkurui, who finished fifth at the World Cross Country Championships last month, and two-time world 5000m medallist Jacob Krop.
The men&rsquo;s 1500m includes France&rsquo;s multiple European indoor medallist Azeddine Habz and Sweden&rsquo;s defending champion Samuel Pihlstr&ouml;m, who topped the overall World Indoor Tour standings last year, against Belgium&rsquo;s Pieter Sisk, who finished third in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 2000m in Boston, plus Italy&rsquo;s Federico Riva and Germany&rsquo;s Karl Bebendorf.
The 800m will see Great Britain&rsquo;s 2023 world bronze medallist Ben Pattison, who finished third at the Millrose Games in New York last weekend, take on Kenya&rsquo;s two-time Commonwealth Games champion Wyclife Kinyamal.
USA&rsquo;s world 100m hurdles bronze medallist Grace Stark and Alaysha Johnson are set to go head-to-head in the 60m hurdles, in a field that includes Finland&rsquo;s Reetta Hurske and Ireland&rsquo;s Sarah Lavin.
Egypt&rsquo;s Bassant Hemida and Austria&rsquo;s Susanne Gogl-Walli, who finished in the top two in the second 400m final in Ostrava, race again over two laps, while the men&rsquo;s 60m stars USA&rsquo;s Ronnie Baker, Oman&rsquo;s Ali Al Balushi, Germany&rsquo;s Owen Ansah and Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme.
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World record-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh and home star Malaika Mihambo make their World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold season debuts

Mahuchikh and Mihambo among strong Karlsruhe cast

It was the afternoon everything came together in a glorious crescendo for Kajsa Bergqvist. The setting was the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sporthalle in Arnstadt, the German town where Johann Sebastian Bach spent four years as organist at the Neue Kirche (New Church).
The occasion, on Saturday 4 February 2006, was the 30th edition of Hochsprung mit Musik &ndash; the annual indoor international &ldquo;High Jump With Music&rdquo; meeting. As Mamma Mia blasted over the public address system and the crowd clapped in the tight confines of the hall, Bergqvist slapped her thighs and urged herself on &ndash; &ldquo;Here I go again,&rdquo; perhaps.
<h2>From achilles agony to an unbeaten high-jump streak</h2>
Just 19 months after the agony of an achilles rupture that shattered her Athens Olympic ambitions and threatened to curtail her career, the 28-year-old Stockholmer had found a golden groove in a gilded era for Swedish athletics.
In 17 competitions since the cruel tear in B&aring;stad in July 2004, her only defeats came in two low-key javelin contests: third place, with a personal best of 36.80m, at the Swedish Club Championships in May 2005, and second place, with 34.92m, at a local meeting during a training camp in Stellenbosch in January 2006. In her specialist discipline, however, the Swedish comeback queen was undefeated, a run that included the women&rsquo;s high jump title at the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69835a848e299ad15dad2660.jpg" alt="Kajsa Bergqvist in Helsinki" />
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Kajsa Bergqvist in Helsinki (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
<h2>Helsinki confidence, then the world indoor record within reach</h2>
In Helsinki she beat USA&rsquo;s Chaunt&eacute; Howard with a first-time clearance at 2.02m and, buoyed by confidence, raised the bar to 2.10m, producing a strong second attempt at Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova&rsquo;s world record of 2.09m.
In Arnstadt, after securing victory with a first-time success at 2.03m and then clearing 2.05m on her second attempt, her sights shifted to 2.08m, one centimetre above the world indoor record set by the great Heike Henkel at the 1992 German Indoor Championships in Karlsruhe. Fittingly, Henkel was in the crowd as Bergqvist prepared for her first shot at history.
<h2>&ldquo;Something special&rdquo;: the jump, the embrace, the quotes</h2>
You could see in the Swede&rsquo;s ice-blue eyes and steely expression that she believed she would make it. She brushed the bar with her heels but landed on the mat as a world indoor record-breaker. A wild celebratory circuit of the hall followed, then a warm embrace from Henkel, the retired world indoor and outdoor, Olympic, and European indoor and outdoor champion.
&ldquo;I had a feeling something special was going to happen,&rdquo; Bergqvist told Cege Berglund of G&ouml;teborgs-Posten, the long-time master chronicler of Swedish track and field, who sadly died in December 2025. &ldquo;I was really motivated by Heike being here. I&rsquo;m sure it was worth an extra centimetre or two. She&rsquo;s my all-time high jump hero.&rdquo;
Henkel, meanwhile, said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy that Kajsa is the one who has broken my record. She deserves it because she&rsquo;s turned in consistent performances over the years.&rdquo;
<h2>From late starter to serial medallist</h2>
Born and raised in the municipality of Sollentuna, 14km north of central Stockholm, Bergqvist did not specialise in the high jump until she was 15 after finishing last in that event, and also in the javelin and long jump, at the Swedish U20 Championships. Two years later she won silver at the 1994 World U20 Championships in Lisbon, losing to Russia&rsquo;s Olga Kaliturina in a jump-off.
Coached by Bengt Johnsson, she also finished runner-up at the 1995 European U20 Championships and the 1997 European U23 Championships before making her senior breakthrough with gold at the 2000 European Indoor Championships.
A fortnight after clearing 2.00m in Patras, she repeated the feat in Ghent, winning the European indoor title ahead of Czechia&rsquo;s Zuzana Hlavoňov&aacute; who cleared 1.98m, with her idol Henkel placing eighth. It was the first of her 10 consecutive medals at major championships indoors and out in the first six years of the new millennium, including five golds: European indoor (Ghent 2000), world indoor (Lisbon 2001, Birmingham 2003), European outdoor (Munich 2002) and world outdoor (Helsinki 2005), alongside Olympic bronze (2000), world outdoor bronzes (2001, 2003), European indoor silver (2001) and European outdoor bronze (2006).
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/69835b058e299ad15dad2663.jpg" alt="Kajsa Bergqvist in action at the Sydney Olympics" />
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Kajsa Bergqvist in action at the Sydney Olympics (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
<h2>Twin peaks, a home disappointment and a lasting legacy</h2>
The 2005 world title and the world indoor record set in February 2006 proved the twin peaks of a 15-year international career. Under Yannick Tregaro &ndash; her coach since 2003, the former junior international high jumper who guided Christian Olsson to world and Olympic triple jump glory &ndash; Bergqvist found her way back towards form in the build-up to the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg, coming close to a 2.10m outdoor world record at DN Galan in Stockholm and clearing 2.05m at the London Grand Prix. Yet she could not add to the home gold rush at Ullevi Stadium: while Olsson, Carolina Kl&uuml;ft (heptathlon) and Susanna Kallur (100m hurdles) struck gold, Bergqvist and fellow Swedish high-jump star Stefan Holm had to settle for bronze. In Bergqvist&rsquo;s case, championship-best clearances of 2.03m by Belgium&rsquo;s Tia Hellebaut and Bulgaria&rsquo;s Venelina Veneva left her third on 2.01m.
After placing seventh in the 2007 world final in Osaka, the world indoor record-holder announced her retirement in January 2008. &ldquo;Physically, I am okay, but after a long career I have simply come to the point where I feel it&rsquo;s &lsquo;mission completed&rsquo;,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I look back on my career with great joy and pride.&rdquo;
Two decades on, at the age of 49, Bergqvist remains a major force in Swedish track and field as head coach of the national team. Her 2.08m clearance in Arnstadt still stands unbeaten indoors, with only Yaroslava Mahuchikh (2.10m) and Kostadinova (2.09m) having gone higher, both outdoors.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage 
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It was the afternoon everything came together in a glorious crescendo for Kajsa Bergqvist

Hocker, Myers and Ruthe for Bowerman Mile, Jefferson-Wooden to race 100m in Eugene

Defending champions Ngetich and Ebenyo head fields for Sirikwa Classic

World leads for Werro and Sarâboyukov in Belgrade

Official WIC Kujawy Pomorze 26 medals unveiled, Orlen becomes event supporter

Liu leads Chinese gold rush at Asian Indoor Championships