Jakob Ingebrigtsen has an individual medal haul on the world stage which most countries would be envious of.
But the Norwegian athlete had never won World Indoor Athletics Championships gold before Saturday night in Nanjing.
Over 3000m, the 24-year-old added the only global title to have eluded him and now has every chance of doubling that tally on Sunday over half the distance.
Should he achieve that feat, he will become the only male athlete in the history of these championships to do so other than Haile Gebrselassie, who pulled off his own distance double all the way back in 1999.
But this wasn&rsquo;t the procession that some had anticipated, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Berihu Aregawi, who had been the runner-up to Ingebrigtsen when he broke the 3000m world record so impressively in the wake of the Olympics, pushing him right until the home straight in a thrilling finish.
None of the three men who denied him a medal in the 1500m at those Paris Games last summer have made the trip to China, with him publicly taking umbrage at their absence in the lead-up to the event.
Any suggestion that he might potentially be feeling Friday&rsquo;s heat of the 1500m in his legs in this final were not apparent from the outset.
And despite clearly being the marked man, he looked comfortable slotted towards the back of the front five for much of the 3000m final as his rivals tried, at points, but ultimately failed to find a way to unsettle him.
All credit to Aregawi in particular, who kicked as Ingebrigtsen moved off the kerb with three laps to go in a bid to take the lead and set the tempo. At the bell, he tried to go again only to be again fended off.
Undeterred, he sensibly and successfully saved his final attack for the final bend despite having been outdone by faster finishers in race finales in the past.
His closest challenger finally failed down the home straight having to settle for silver as Australia&rsquo;s Ky Robinson rounded off the podium.
Ingebrigtsen has talked about having &ldquo;a responsibility to see what the human race can possibly do". For all his athletics prowess, however, the question mark remains whether he can pull off the double with his rivals for that having had 24 hours and one less race in which to rest up.
But he is comfortably the runner of his generation and has previous experience of pulling off track doubles having successfully doubled up at these two distances at the past three European Indoor Championships, including earlier this month, as well as doing so at the outdoor European Championships over 1500m and 5000m.
Matt Majendie for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">MEN'S 3000M MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">7:46.09 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Berihu Aregawi (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">7:46.25 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Ky Robinson (AUS)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">7:47.09&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/nanjing25/results/men/3000-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

World Athletics Indoor Championships

Report on the men's 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25

Ingebrigtsen takes 3000m gold in Nanjing

Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu won the second world indoor title of her career, and her third world indoor medal across as many disciplines, at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25 on Saturday (22).
The 24-year-old clocked 8:37.21 to win the 3000m ahead of USA's Shelby Houlihan and Australia's Jessica Hull.
Hailu's first world indoor medal came in 2022 when she claimed 800m silver. She won 1500m gold in Glasgow two years later and now has a 3000m crown to add to her set. This latest victory returns Ethiopia to winning ways in the discipline after USA&rsquo;s Elle St. Pierre paused the nation&rsquo;s winning streak in the event last year, with athletes from Ethiopia having won 10 of the last 12 titles on offer.
Hailu had already shown her intent by arriving to the WIC Nanjing 25 as the fastest woman in the world over the 3000m, having set a world lead and personal best of 8:19.98 in Lievin where she beat three-time global champion Gudaf Tsegay to move to third on the world indoor all-time list
Competing at Nanjing&rsquo;s Cube, Hailu bided her time as the race took off, remaining behind the rest of the field while Olympic 1500m silver medallist Hull took the opposite position, making her way to the front of the pack.&nbsp;
However, the Ethiopian began to move to the middle of the pack with eight laps to go, as Japan&rsquo;s Nozomi Tanaka took over the lead, with Hull on her shoulder. Their positions mostly remained the same until Hull tried to stride out with three laps to go, and that was when Hailu began to make her move, taking the bell in the lead.
The 2018 world U20 800m finalist surged away and was unstoppable, crossing the line first as Hull and Houlihan engaged in an intense battle for silver behind her. However, it was Houlihan who pipped Hull on the line to claim her first global medal, having finished fourth and fifth respectively in her previous outing at the 2018 World Indoors where she competed in the 1500m and 3000m.&nbsp;
&ldquo;To win this event, I prepared myself strongly, and I feel very happy that I won the race,&rdquo; said Hailu. &ldquo;I was sick at home just before coming to Nanjing, so I stayed at the back to conserve myself before making my push. I'm healthy now, and I came here to win.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Last year I won the 1500m, now I've won the 3000m, and I'm so happy about that. I try my best, and God helped me with the rest. I don't know how I will celebrate &ndash; my happiness is beyond me.&rdquo;
World 2000m record-holder Hull was delighted with her historic bronze as she became Australia&rsquo;s first medallist in the women&rsquo;s 3000m after finishing fourth in Glasgow and sixth in Belgrade.
Yemi Galadima for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S 3000m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Freweyni Hailu (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">8:37.21</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Shelby Houlihan (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">8:38.26</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Jessica Hull (AUS)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">8:38.28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/nanjing25/results/women/3000-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Report on the women's 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25

Hailu wins world indoor 3000m title in Nanjing

Good news for the 11 women who followed Yvonne Murray home in the women&rsquo;s 3000m final at the 1993 World Athletics Indoor Championships. They can now get a close-up view of the clean pair of heels the Flying Scot showed them in Toronto 31 years ago.
Mrs Murray-Mooney MBE, as the always gutsy British runner has become, has kindly donated the running spikes that took her to world indoor gold that day to the glittering array of track and field artefacts on display in the <a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a>.
The shoes have the personal touch of the initials &lsquo;YM&rsquo; and the number &lsquo;3000&rsquo; stitched on the outer side of each heel.
For the final 10 circuits of the SkyDome&rsquo;s tight 200m indoor track, YM&rsquo;s nominal 3000m rivals had to make do with a disappearing view of them.
At the 1000m mark, Murray made her move. Covering the next 800m in 2:13.9, she sailed into the far blue yonder. With two laps to go, she was 100m clear.
Crossing the line in 8:50.55, Murray had plenty of time to savour her global success. The second woman home, Romania&rsquo;s Margareta Keszeg, clocked 9:02.89.
The 12.34 gap &ndash; more of a chasm &ndash; remains the record winning margin in the history of the event.
The US runner Lynn Jennings, a three-time world cross country champion and 10,000m bronze medallist at the Olympic Games in Barcelona the previous year, finished third in 9:03.78.&nbsp;
Elly van Hulst of the Netherlands, world record-holder in the event, was another notable &lsquo;also ran&rsquo;, sixth in 9:08.33.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/679b6810472b7b780f535c8c.jpg" alt="Yvonne Murray celebrates her 3000m win at the 1993 World Athletics Indoor Championships" />
Yvonne Murray celebrates her 3000m win at the 1993 World Athletics Indoor Championships (&copy; Getty Images / Allsport)
</div>
<h2>&ldquo;Tommy helped persuade me to carry on&rdquo;</h2>
For Murray, the tour de force nature of her performance made victory all the sweeter.
Six years earlier, after breaking the field in similar fashion to lift the European indoor 3000m title in Lievin, she had tried to win the 1987 world indoor final in the same manner in Indianapolis but she wound up a well-beaten fifth.
Fresher in her mind were the dramatic final lap fades from first to eighth in the 1992 Olympic 3000m final, and from first to 10th at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo.
After leaving the rest of the world on the suffering end in Toronto, the 28-year-old confessed she had considered hanging up her YM spikes in the wake of her Olympic capitulation in Barcelona; she had led with 300m remaining, but finished 10.19 behind the victorious Russian Yelena Romanova.
&ldquo;This win is for my coach, Tommy Boyle,&rdquo; Murray proclaimed. &ldquo;There was an awful lot of soul-searching after Barcelona and, along with my family, Tommy helped persuade me to carry on.
&ldquo;It would have been so easy for him to throw in the towel as far as I was concerned but he didn&rsquo;t and I will always remember that.
&ldquo;It is a mark of how good he is that he helped persuade me to carry on after two really trying years.&rdquo;&nbsp;
It was a mark of how good a coach Boyle happened to be that &ndash; aided and abetted by his sprint guru assistant, Stuart Hogg &ndash; he guided another Scottish athlete to world indoor gold in Toronto, Tom McKean bouncing back from similar setbacks on the global stage to win the world indoor men&rsquo;s 800m title.
Murray was six years into her international career when she moved to Motherwell, near Glasgow, with her future husband Tom Mooney in 1987, to join Boyle&rsquo;s training group.
A native of Musselburgh, five miles east of Edinburgh, she was only 16 when she ran for Scotland in the senior women&rsquo;s 4.4km race at the 1981 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Madrid.&nbsp;
She finished 79th, 93 seconds behind the victorious Grete Waitz in a race that also included Ingrid Kristiansen (16th) and Rosa Mota (17th), two other all-time greats of women&rsquo;s distance running.
Murray was still a pupil at Musselburgh Grammar School when she travelled, with textbooks in her luggage, to the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. On her 18th birthday she finished 10th in the 3000m final.
"I was instructed by Meg Ritchie on no account to utter a word to anyone that she was my PE teacher,&rdquo; she told Doug Gillon in an interview in The Herald.
&ldquo;Meg won the discus in Brisbane. The memory of her standing on the winner's rostrum, with the gold medal round her neck and Scotland the Brave playing, really inspired me."
Four years later, at 21, Murray had Commonwealth gold in her sights on her hometown track when she hit the front with 150m to go in the 3000m final. Despite the roars of the Edinburgh crowd, however, she had to settle for bronze behind Canadians Lynn Williams and Debbie Bowker at Meadowbank Stadium.
Two weeks later, Murray outsprinted her Great Britain teammate Zola Budd for European 3000m bronze in Stuttgart, clocking a Scottish record 8:37.15 behind Russia&rsquo;s Olga Bondarenko and Olympic champion Maricica Puica of Romania.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65c0d00b1e4318153cb233c6.jpg" alt="Yvonne Murray-Mooney with world indoor gold medals from 1993 and 2024" />
Yvonne Murray-Mooney with world indoor gold medals from 1993 and 2024 (&copy; Mark Gibson)
</div>
<h2>&ldquo;Mum&rdquo; is number one&nbsp;</h2>
In the broad sweep of her career, Murray neatly claimed a full set of medals at the Commonwealth Games &ndash; adding 3000m silver in Auckland in 1990 and 10,000m gold in Victoria in 1994 &ndash; and at the European Championships, with 3000m gold in Split in 1990 and silver at the same distance in Helsinki in 1994.
She also won 3000m gold, silver and bronze at the European Indoor Championships.
At global level outdoors, her finest achievement was third place in the 1988 Olympic 3000m final in Seoul, behind the Ukrainian Soviet Tatyana Samolenko and Romania&rsquo;s Paula Ivan.&nbsp;
She also won World Cup 3000m races in Barcelona in 1989 and in London in 1994.
Reflecting on her long, distinguished international career, the much bemedalled Murray-Mooney was asked by Gillon which title she treasured the most.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s easy,&rdquo; she replied. &ldquo;Mum.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Laura Mooney proudly wore her famous mum&rsquo;s Commonwealth 10,000m gold medal when she ran in the Queen&rsquo;s Baton Relay ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
View Murray&rsquo;s spikes in glorious 3D in the <a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/visitMOWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a>.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics

The shoes have the personal touch of the initials ‘YM’ and the number ‘3000’ stitched on the outer side of each heel

"This win is for my coach" - Murray's Toronto spikes enter Museum of World Athletics

Jamaica&rsquo;s Kishane Thompson got his indoor season off to a winning start at the Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes &ndash; the opening World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2025 &ndash; in the Kazakh capital on Saturday (25).
But there was a slight fright as the 23-year-old grimaced over the line in the 60m and limped momentarily in the aftermath of a final he won in a time of 6.56.
The Olympic 100m silver medallist, denied agonisingly by just 0.005 by Noah Lyles last summer in Paris, had marked himself out as a serious threat to the US sprinter yet again in 2025 with a season-opening 6.48 outdoors back in Jamaica last weekend.
A week on after a 32-hour journey to the Kazakh capital, he was less assured, struggling with his start in the heats and again looking forced in his running but it was still enough to take a deserved win.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q4fXnUvqOtU" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
In the heats, Thompson was slow out of the blocks but still booked his place in the final comfortably with 6.58. He let out a roar as he was announced to the crowd for the meeting&rsquo;s finale, so too as he was called to his marks, and then he used his power to take a clear win.
Hopes of a duel with 2021 Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse were denied. The Canadian had always warned that 60m was probably too short a distance for him and he had to make do with fifth place in the final as Oman&rsquo;s Ali Anwar Baluchi was second to Thompson and Japan&rsquo;s Shuhei Tada third in 6.60 and 6.62 respectively.
De Grasse&rsquo;s partner Nia Ali had, on paper, been the star attraction in the women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles but, despite qualifying for the final, did not take up her place in the eight-woman line-up because of injury.
In her absence, Yuri Tanaka clocked a personal best 8.05 with a big dip to the line ahead of Finland&rsquo;s Nooralotta Neziri and Klaudia Wojtunik of Poland.
In the other 60m final, Tia Clayton broke the meeting record, clocking 7.18 for a comfortable win while twin sister Tina, a double world U20 champion, who matched her in the opening 20 metres, struggled in the latter stages and had to make do with third. The siblings, like compatriot Thompson coached by Stephen Francis, were separated by Portugal&rsquo;s Lorene Bazolo.
The women&rsquo;s 3000m was a testament to youth as a 16-year-old Marta Alemayo out-kicked her fellow Ethiopian Shito Gumi, herself just 17, to shatter the world U18 best for the distance.
The world U20 cross-country champion sliced more than six seconds off the mark, which had stood for 12 years, to cross the line in 8:39.80.
The teenager had tried to force her way into the lead by going up the inside but, when she found that blocked by Gumi, and Axumawit Embaye, the third Ethiopian in the field, she showed age-defying maturity to go round the outside to take the win.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6794e69ba921caa8eb25c008.jpg" alt="Marta Alemayo wins the 3000m in Astana" />
Marta Alemayo wins the 3000m in Astana (&copy; Alexey Gubanov)
</div>
As a two-time world champion outdoors, Chase Jackson had looked a class apart going into the shot put and so it proved, the only athlete capable of throwing beyond 19 metres.
Her second-round effort of 19.13m was an early world lead and proved a strong start to 2025 having endured the disappointment of failing to qualify for the final of the event at the Paris Olympics last year.
Britain&rsquo;s Alex Haydock Wilson, a double Olympic relay medallist last year, held off the challenge of Chidi Okezie to win the 400m. His time of 46.47 was an improvement of half a second of his run in Luxembourg just a few days earlier.
World and Olympic medallist Sada Williams of Barbados navigated her way through the field on the second lap of the women&rsquo;s 400m to win in 53.51.
Just two centimetres separated the top three in the men&rsquo;s long jump, as Lester Lescay&rsquo;s 7.91m took the win ahead of US duo Marquis Dendy and Isaac Grimes.
Local favourite Nadezha Dubovitskaya, who cleared two metres back in 2021 and was a 2022 world indoor medallist, could only finish fourth in a women&rsquo;s high jump competition which Japan&rsquo;s Nagisa Takahashi won with a clearance of 1.88m. The men&rsquo;s event, meanwhile, was won by Luis Castro for Puerto Rico after clearing 2.15m.
Astana is one of nine Gold level World Indoor Tour events in 2025, with the series also taking in the likes of Boston, New York, Madrid and Belgrade.
Matt Majendie for World Athletics

Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes

Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson got his indoor season off to a winning start at the Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes

Thompson, Alemayo and Jackson victorious in Astana

The World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 will take place between 27-31 August, with more than 1700 athletes from 134 teams set to take part.
Here we take a look at the distance events at the Estadio Atletico de la Videna.
&nbsp;
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 800m</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Sarah Moraa will look to follow in the footsteps of her cousin, Mary, by claiming a global 800m title. Mary Moraa finished fifth at these championships back in 2018 and went on to win the world 800m title at senior level in 2023 and she&rsquo;s been a mentor for her 18-year-old cousin, Sarah, who finished third at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in June, lowering her PB to 1:59.39.
Moraa is the second quickest in the field on personal bests, the entries headed by Australia&rsquo;s Claudia Hollingsworth, who broke the national U20 800m record to win the Australian senior title in April with 1:58.40 before going on to the Paris Olympics where she reached the 800m semi-finals.
Sophia Gorriaran is another who is likely to be in the medal hunt, the US 19-year-old equalling her PB in May with 2:00.65 and she finished seventh in the semi-final of the US Olympic Trials in June.
Japan&rsquo;s Rin Kubo is one of the country&rsquo;s most exciting young prospects, having clocked 1:59.93 in Nara last month at the age of just 16 and she could well announce herself on the international stage by snatching a medal here. Norway&rsquo;s Malin Hoelsveen, Germany&rsquo;s Jana Marie Becker and Italy&rsquo;s Ngalula Gloria Kabangu should also be strong contenders.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 800m</h2>
Australia&rsquo;s Peyton Craig tops the world U20 lists for 2024 via the Oceanian record of 1:44.12 he ran in Vienna in June, the 19-year-old Queensland athlete going on to compete in the Olympics in Paris. He competed over 1500m at the last edition of these championships in 2022.
Czechia&rsquo;s Jakub Dudycha is the European U20 champion and the 18-year-old broke the Czech senior record in June with his 1:44.82 and made his Olympic debut in Paris over 800m.
Japan&rsquo;s Ko Ochiai is the Asian U20 champion and broke the national U20 record in Niigata in June with 1:45.82, which he lowered again to 1:44.80 in late July. Ethiopia&rsquo;s General Berhanu Ayansa has a best of 1:45.45 and is sure to be in the medal hunt while Qatar&rsquo;s Hatim Ait Oulghazi, Kenya&rsquo;s Kelvin Kimutai Koech and USA&rsquo;s Daniel Watcke are among those to have run under 1:47 and should also feature.
&nbsp;
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 1500m</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Saron Berhe is the clear favourite for this title with a personal best eight seconds quicker than her nearest rival on the entry lists. The 17-year-old won the African title in June and dipped under four minutes for the first time in April at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, China, clocking 3:59.21. She will be joined by compatriot Tsige Teshome, who won silver at the Ethiopian U20 Championships last month.
Germany&rsquo;s Jolanda Kallabis has made giant strides this year, lowering her PB to 4:07.55 in May, while Britain&rsquo;s Ava Lloyd (4:12.07), Norway&rsquo;s Malin Hoelsveen (4:12.17) and Denmark&rsquo;s Sofia Thogersen (4:12.95) are the others on the entry list to have run below 4:15.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 1500m</h2>
Australia&rsquo;s rising star Cameron Myers has enjoyed another strong season and the 18-year-old looks capable of crowning it in Lima with a world U20 title. He missed out on qualification for the Paris Olympics after finishing fifth at their national championships in Adelaide and then clocked a 3:50.15 mile at the Eugene Diamond League to break the national U20 record.
But to win in Lima, he will have to defeat Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abdisa Fayisa, who tops the entries via the 3:32.37 he ran to win the Ethiopian Olympic Trials in Nerja, Spain in June. Fayisa then competed at the Paris Olympics, finishing 14th in his 1500m heat and 10th in the repechage.
Norway has significant strength at senior level in this event and the same is true in the U20 category, with Hakon Moeberg and Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen both capable of contending for a medal, having run 3:37.25 and 3:38.32 this year. Kenya&rsquo;s Josphat Kipkirui and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Sendel Musa have both run below 3:40 already, as has Britain&rsquo;s George Couttie.
&nbsp;
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 3000m</h2>
You have to go back to 2016 to find the last Ethiopian winner of this title but it will come as a surprise if the distance-running superpower doesn&rsquo;t reclaim the crown this year, with Aleshign Baweke and Marta Alemayo topping the entry lists, having run 8:41.10 and 8:45.40 respectively this year. Both of those times were run at altitude in Hawassa to lead the way at the Ethiopian U20 Championships, with Alemayo proving her strength in Liege, Belgium in June by clocking 14:39.61 for 5000m.
There are three other women on the entries who have run below nine minutes: Sofia Thogersen of Denmark, Amy Bunnage of Australia and Innes Fitzgerald of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Thogersen won silver over 1500m and 5000m at the European U20 Championships last year and ran her 3000m PB of 8:50.26 indoors in Metz, France in February.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 3000m</h2>
Kenyan duo Clinton Kimutai Ngetich and Denis Kipkoech should prove tough to beat in this. Australia&rsquo;s Cameron Myers tops the entry list with his PB of 7:46.38 but he&rsquo;s expected to focus solely on the 1500m in Lima, with Ngetich (7:48.09) and Kipkoech (7:48.48) the next quickest.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ybeltal Gashahun and Abrha Gebru finished 1-2 at their national U20 Trials, clocking 7:58.70 and 7:59.00 in the thin air of Hawassa, and while both of those were personal bests, it&rsquo;s likely that both are capable of significantly faster at sea level.
Norway&rsquo;s Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen and Juan Zijderlaan of the Netherlands have both run 7:51 and should also be in contention for a top-five finish, along with Britain&rsquo;s Henry Dover who has a best of 7:57.47.
&nbsp;
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 5000m</h2>
Ethiopia looks to have the strongest hand in this event courtesy of the only two athletes to have run below 15 minutes in the field: Medina Eisa and Mekedes Alemeshete.
Eisa will start as favourite to defend her title, having clocked 14:16.54 &ndash; the fastest time ever by an U20 athlete &ndash; in London last year. She finished seventh in the 5000m at the recent Paris Olympics and took an impressive win over 5000m at the Marrakech Diamond League in May. Alemeshete should prove the biggest threat, having run 14:36.70 to win at the Suzhou Diamond League in April.
Australia&rsquo;s Amy Bunnage has a best of 15:11.68, which she ran indoors in Seattle in February, and the Stanford University student will fancy her chances of contending if she produces her best. Kenya&rsquo;s Sheila Jebet clocked her PB of 15:20.48 in Italy in May and should also be in contention, along with her teammate Mercy Chepkemoi, Britain&rsquo;s Innes Fitzgerald and Japanese duo Kana Mizumoto and Yuumi Yamamoto.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 5000m</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Andrew Kiptoo Alamisi tops the entries via the 13:05.55 he ran in Italy in early June, but he was beaten into second at the Kenyan U20 Trials a few weeks after that by 2023 world U20 cross-country champion Ishmail Rokitto Kipkurui, who clocked 13:05.47 last year and finished a fine 10th in the world 5000m final in Budapest. They look the two athletes to beat.
Burundi&rsquo;s Emilie Hafashimana has enjoyed a strong season and he lowered the national U20 record to 13:15.24 in France in July and clocked a national U20 record of 27.47.88 for 10,000m in London in May.
Ethiopian pair Nibret Kinde and Sewmehon Anteneh should also be in the shake-up, while Uganda&rsquo;s Samuel Simba Cherop, Burundi&rsquo;s Desire Niyomwungere and Tanzania&rsquo;s John Nahhay Wele are also among the potential medallists.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

World Athletics U20 Championships

A look at the 800m, 1500m, 3000m and 5000m in Lima

WU20 Lima 24 preview: distance

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m the mailman, I guess,&rdquo; says Josh Kerr, reflecting on his ability to deliver &ndash; at least in the two most recent global track championships.&nbsp;
First there was the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, and that thrilling finale to the men&rsquo;s 1500m as he swept past Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Then there was the&nbsp;World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, when Kerr almost took the roof off the Glasgow Arena as he powered to 3000m gold.
And we all know what comes next.&nbsp;
The Olympics, and that showdown, not just with a certain Norwegian but with all the other men who stand in Kerr&rsquo;s way. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not worried about how many times I get beaten throughout the season as I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;ll happen,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just excited for that Paris Games.&rdquo;
That same excitement was with him on the eve of the world indoor 3000m final. &ldquo;I was like a kid on Christmas eve,&rdquo; says Kerr. &ldquo;Like I had a secret in my head all day: I know I&rsquo;m going to win this world title and I hope everyone is excited and ready to see it.&rdquo;
The 26-year-old duly fulfilled the prophecy, powering past Ethiopia&rsquo;s Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega entering the final turn to strike gold after a vicious 25.19-second final 200m.&nbsp;
Not long after the race, Kerr thought back to 2015, when he clocked 9:11.76 for 3000m at a British Milers Club meeting in that same arena. He was 17 at the time. Later that season, he went on to win the European U20 1500m title, then a new chapter began: Kerr spent the next three years at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, USA, for whom he won three NCAA titles.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65f073fbe83d7a29dc375fd1.jpg" alt="Josh Kerr wins the world indoor 3000m title in Glasgow" />
Josh Kerr wins the world indoor 3000m title in Glasgow (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Still, for all his outlying talent, Kerr knows what it&rsquo;s like to fall short. He got his first taste of how cutthroat it is at global level at the 2017 World Championships in London, Kerr finishing 11th in his 1500m heat. That memory came flooding back in Glasgow. &ldquo;I failed in front of a British crowd,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;And now I&rsquo;m able to perform like that. It&rsquo;s been a long process.&rdquo;
Kerr took up the sport at the age of eight, joining Edinburgh AC, where one of his clubmates was Jake Wightman. Their careers ran on separate but relatively parallel tracks as they progressed to senior level &ndash; Wightman choosing Loughborough University in England, with Kerr plying his trade in the NCAA.&nbsp;
They both had to take a few beatings before they cracked the code of major championships, with Wightman rising to the top of the world in 2022 in Oregon, Kerr doing so a year later in Budapest. And, of course, they both did so by toppling the same Norwegian.&nbsp;
In Glasgow, Kerr was visibly reticent every time he was asked about Ingebrigtsen, aware that he&rsquo;d likely heaped enough fuel on the fire in interviews in recent months.
&ldquo;What&rsquo;s great is there is a rivalry,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a rivalry between myself, Jake, Ingebrigtsen, Yared (Nuguse), everybody. They&rsquo;re all trying to go after that title. I&rsquo;m going to work my way through the season and hopefully see those guys later in the year. You never want to be involved in an era where it&rsquo;s boring in the 1500m, where you know someone is going to win it.&rdquo;
Kerr is a student of his sport, and he grew up watching footage of the British middle-distance greats on YouTube. He&rsquo;s aware that the one of the greatest rivalries in athletics history &ndash; between Seb Coe and Steve Ovett &ndash; thrived off the two being pitted against each other, both in the media as much as on the track.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re having a bit of fun back and forth, aren&rsquo;t we?&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Hopefully it keeps you guys interested, but I&rsquo;m more looking forward to the head to heads (on the track).&rdquo;
In Glasgow, anytime he was asked about Ingebrigtsen &ndash; which was a lot &ndash; Kerr always turned the conversation back towards himself.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just focusing on myself and I&rsquo;m confident, so things are going to come out (in interviews). He&rsquo;s focused on himself as well and that&rsquo;s going to end up in clashes. It&rsquo;s a very high level of sport and we&rsquo;re going to go head to head many times this season, I believe, especially with the races I&rsquo;m signing up for.&rdquo;
Kerr isn&rsquo;t yet able to announce which races he&rsquo;ll do, but rest assured he won&rsquo;t be wrapping himself in cotton wool on the path to Paris. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a fantastic season of 1500m running and I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m going to win them all, but I&rsquo;m going to win the right one,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my goal. That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m focusing on.&rdquo;
His progress in the past year has been both physical and psychological. Last December, Kerr ran a 1:01:51 half marathon on a slightly downhill course in San Diego, proof that the endurance work he&rsquo;s been focusing on is paying dividends. His approach to training hinges on consistency, with coach Danny Mackey steering his career with a sensible hand since Kerr moved to Seattle and joined the Brooks Beasts in 2018.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I run a pretty simple schedule of six days a week: two sessions, a long run, two gym sessions,&rdquo; says Kerr. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not recreating anything. We&rsquo;re not doing anything wild. I don&rsquo;t do lactate testing. I don&rsquo;t do double sessions. I just focus on consistent work and I know what my body is capable of.&rdquo;
On his workout days, Tuesdays and Fridays, Kerr also lifts weights which he says has &ldquo;changed the game, not only in building strength and power but also staying away from injuries.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64e67467440ed0db4f16ef6b.jpg" alt="Josh Kerr wins the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Josh Kerr wins the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Getty Images)
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The heat of major championships can make many athletes crumble, but Kerr relishes that cauldron. &ldquo;When the pressure&rsquo;s on, the lights are on, I put my shades on and have a good time,&rdquo; he says.
He left it late to commit to Glasgow. As much as Kerr wanted to compete at his home championships, Mackey insisted he could only do so if his body was properly assimilating the training, conscious that with the Paris Games just five months away, they would not push the envelope with unnecessary risks.
Kerr knows how many Scottish youngsters were in the arena and how many more were watching at home. He hopes his performance sent them a message.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an amazing sport but it&rsquo;s a very difficult sport and I hope people find inspiration from that,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our job now, to help everyone from the grassroots level to get where they want to be.&rdquo;
Still, Kerr knows this sport is not only about the medals. &ldquo;For me, it&rsquo;s the process,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I fall in love with the process and I&rsquo;ve found what works for me.&rdquo;
Can he get better? Of course. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m one of the worst 5km runners in the world, so that&rsquo;s a pretty big weakness. There&rsquo;s lots of ways to go, but I&rsquo;m getting better every week.&rdquo;
And given the level he&rsquo;s reached, with those two global titles, Kerr now carries a certain swagger every time he lines up against the world&rsquo;s best.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a sick boy with that, I can&rsquo;t stop believing in myself,&rdquo; he smiles. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a funny feeling I&rsquo;ve got anytime I step on that track &ndash; that anything is possible. I trust my feelings and my instincts and my fitness. Because it&rsquo;s there every single time.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

First there was Budapest, and that thrilling finale to the men’s 1500m. Then there was Glasgow, where Kerr almost took the roof off the arena as he powered to 3000m gold

'Mailman' Kerr, determined to deliver again in Paris

Elle St Pierre ran a perfectly judged race to win the women&rsquo;s 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, outsprinting Ethiopia&rsquo;s world indoor 1500m champion and outdoor 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay to set a North American and championship record of 8:20.87.
A performance that took almost five seconds off her personal best saw her step up to the top of the podium having won silver in this event two years earlier in Belgrade.
St Pierre (nee Purrier), who gave birth to a son almost exactly a year ago on 4 March 2023, tailgated the lead group of four for most of the race before making her move on the final bend as she came past the leader on the outside and held her form to the line.
&ldquo;This is amazing,&rdquo; St Pierre said. &ldquo;It's all I ever dreamed of. It&rsquo;s been a big year for me. It&rsquo;s really emotional to think of, but a year ago my son was born; to be here as a world champion, I can't imagine it. I feel like a new person, a new athlete. I can't wait to see him after this.
&ldquo;It's really exciting to break the championship record. I did worry the pace was too high in the middle, but after that I decided not to think too much about it and just go for it.
&ldquo;I definitely didn't know I had the gold till the finish, the last 10 metres. Then wow! Having a baby just a year ago (this month), it feels like I have gone full circle to be back. I have felt in the groove in the racing I have been doing and I really wanted to be in the mix today.
&ldquo;This really is a dream, and with the Olympics ahead it is a big confidence-booster. I could have been intimidated with the names on the board tonight but you have to believe in yourself and I went and gave it my best shot.&rdquo;
St Pierre&rsquo;s win bucked the trend of this event at the World Indoor Championships, in which nine of the past 10 gold medals had gone to Ethiopia.
Tsegay, the world 5000m record-holder, came within a whisker of the world indoor 3000m record with 8:17.11 in Lievin on 10 February, but here she had to settle for silver in 8:21.13.
Bronze went to Kenya&rsquo;s steeplechase world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech, who had taken the race off at a brisk early pace. She clocked a national indoor record of 8:22.68, with Australia&rsquo;s Jess Hull just missing out on a medal as she clocked an Oceanian record of 8:24.39.
Britain&rsquo;s Laura Muir, who won European indoor 1500m and 3000m titles in this Glasgow Arena in 2019, sought throughout to keep in touch with the lead group but in the end had to settle for fifth place in a season&rsquo;s best of 8:29.76.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">WOMEN'S 3000m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Elle St Pierre 🇺🇸 USA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">8:20.87 CR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Gudaf Tsegay 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">8:21.13&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Beatrice Chepkoech 🇰🇪 KEN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">8:22.68 NR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/glasgow24/results/women/3000-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Elle St Pierre ran a perfectly judged race to win the women’s 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, outsprinting Ethiopia’s world indoor 1500m champion and outdoor 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay

St Pierre wins 3000m in championship record a year after giving birth

Just before the bell sounded in the men&rsquo;s 3000m final, Josh Kerr made his move, sweeping through to join Selemon Barega at the front of the field with one lap of the track remaining.
Could the Scot who brought down Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Norwegian prince of the middle distances, in the last 200m of the stunning men&rsquo;s 1500m final at the outdoor World Championships in Budapest last August do the same to the defending 3000m champion back on home ground at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24?
Indeed, he could. And then some.
The noise threatened to raise the roof in the Glasgow Arena as the pride of Glasgow kicked again halfway down the back straight. Barega, the Olympic champion at 10,000m, was unable to respond.
As Kerr rounded into the home straight, the gold medal was in the bag. He still dipped for the line but with 0.61 to spare.
The time, 7:42.98, was a statistical irrelevance as the double world champion savoured his victory ahead of his US rival Yared Nuguse, who came through to snatch silver in 7:43.59, Barega fading to third in 7:43.64.
Kerr had become the first British man to win the world indoor 3000m title and only the third Scottish athlete to strike world indoor gold in any event.
He wasn&rsquo;t even born when the Bellshill Bullet Tom McKean hit the bullseye in the men&rsquo;s 800m and his training partner Yvonne Murray did likewise in the women&rsquo;s 3000m in Toronto back in the mists of 1993.
Fittingly, McKean and Murray were both in the house to join in the celebrations as Kerr soaked up the applause wrapped in a Scottish Saltire flag.
&ldquo;For Scotland and for the UK, this is a huge championships,&rdquo; said the Tokyo Olympic 1500m bronze medallist, who has been based in the United States in Albuquerque since the age of 17.
&ldquo;I needed to be at my best. It was a hard-fought race.&rdquo;
It was indeed and Kerr fought the smartest, judging his effort to absolute perfection, as he had in that wonderful world outdoor 1500m final seven months ago.
He was happy to sit back in the pack as Barega and his Ethiopian teammate Getnet Wale toyed with the pace at the front, injecting fleeting surges.
The field remained bunched with 800m remaining, at which point Kerr coolly drifted up into second, behind Wale. It was the perfect position to react to any major move.
That came with 500m remaining, Barega making his way past into the lead. Nuguse&rsquo;s US teammate Olin Hocker entered the equation too before Kerr closed down Barega at the bell &ndash; and proceeded to break not just the Ethiopian runner but the Ethiopian stranglehold on the event.
After wins by Yomif Kejelcha in Portland in 2016 and in Birmingham in 2018, and Barega&rsquo;s success in Belgrade two years ago, Kerr became the first European winner since Italy&rsquo;s Gennaro Di Napoli retained the title in Toronto in 1993.
&ldquo;I just didn't want to short change anyone because I knew I had the support of all Scotland and the UK tonight,&rdquo; added Kerr, who has raced sparingly on the boards but set a brilliant world indoor two mile best of 8:00.67 in New York on 6 February.
Behind the three medal winners, Wale finished fourth in 7:44.77 and Hacker fifth in 7:45.40.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">MEN'S 3000m MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Josh Kerr 🇬🇧 GBR</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">7:42.98&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Yared Nuguse 🇺🇸 USA</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">7:43.59</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Selemon Barega 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">7:43.64&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/glasgow24/results/men/3000-metres/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Just before the bell sounded in the men’s 3000m final, Josh Kerr made his move

Kerr delights Glasgow crowd with world indoor 3000m win

While his pet tortoise snoozes in hibernation, Yared Nuguse wakes up every day with a mission: do whatever it takes to win a medal in the 1500m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Nuguse can&rsquo;t wait for Tyro &ndash; named after tyrosine, an amino acid &ndash; to emerge from his dirt-filled, refrigerated box this spring.
Yet as much as Nuguse, 24, relates to the tortoise, he definitely has the speed of a hare. In establishing himself as the premier 1500m, mile and 3000m runner in the United States, his strategy has evolved from sit-and-kick to more lead-and-kick.
In the last 13 months, Nuguse has claimed national and North American records at all three distances, usually &ldquo;hammering,&rdquo; as he puts it, from the front. Fresh off his US title in the 3000m, the former Notre Dame runner will race that event at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 on Saturday (2).
But his heart belongs to the 1500m and the mile &ndash; whenever he gets a chance to race it.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The mile&rsquo;s kind of like the perfect event for me,&rdquo; said Nuguse. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not that aggressive, and so an 800 doesn&rsquo;t really appeal to me.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The mile &ndash; it&rsquo;s four minutes of just going at it &ndash; seeing what happens. It just feels like it matches all my strengths perfectly.&rdquo;
He&rsquo;s finished considerably under four minutes in his last three miles. In February 2023, Nuguse clocked the second fastest time in history (3:47.38) in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games for a North American record, setting a 1500m record along the way (3:33.22). Just 15 days earlier, Nuguse opened his season with a 7:28.24 to break Galen Rupp&rsquo;s record in the 3000m.
Then last September, Nuguse obliterated Alan Webb&rsquo;s 16-year-old US outdoor record, running 3:43.97 at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon. That eased some of the disappointment from his fifth-place finish in the 1500m at the World Championships in Budapest.
&ldquo;I felt like that was the point of my season where I was tailing off a little bit and I was still able to run something that was really amazing and really fast,&rdquo; said Nuguse, who finished just behind Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s 3:43.73. &ldquo;So I was very excited to get the next season started.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65e227a2965fb2c4a45babc6.jpg" alt="Yared Nuguse and Jakob Ingebrigtsen go head-to-head in Eugene" />
Yared Nuguse and Jakob Ingebrigtsen go head-to-head in Eugene (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Earlier this month, Nuguse went after the indoor mile world record in the Millrose Games, but couldn&rsquo;t quite get there despite a 55.96 last quarter mile. Nuguse posted a time of 3:47.83, still the third-fastest in history indoors.&nbsp;
&ldquo;In my second year as a pro, to be just a little disappointed with not getting (the world record) is kind of crazy,&rdquo; Nuguse said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I love about indoor. It&rsquo;s kind of like the &lsquo;See what&rsquo;s to come&rsquo; part of the year.&rdquo;
Nuguse never envisioned any years like this when he was a kid. His parents came to the US from Ethiopia and Nuguse and his five siblings moved around a lot, eventually settling in Louisville, Kentucky, for his high school years. He played violin and his biggest competitions were science fairs. Nuguse wasn&rsquo;t into sports, except some fencing, a year apiece of YMCA basketball and soccer, and the bowling team.
&ldquo;It was me living my best life, wanting to be like a scientist or something,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was not a fan of physical exertion.&rdquo;
Yet Nuguse&rsquo;s natural talent came through in his physical education class. His teacher told the track coach. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to say track found me because I wasn&rsquo;t looking,&rdquo; Nuguse said. &ldquo;The track coach came to me and was like, &lsquo;You should do track,&rsquo; and I said &lsquo;No,&rsquo; and he was like &lsquo;Please,&rsquo; and I was like, &lsquo;Yeah, OK.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Nuguse adapted well to his new routine. &ldquo;I have a very chill, kind of &lsquo;go with the flow&rsquo; personality,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not too excitable in general.&rdquo;
When Nuguse lost a shoe in his first 3200m race indoors, he calmly finished in under 11 minutes. As a high school senior, Nuguse won five state titles: cross country, 800m, 1600m, 3200m and 4x800m relay.
He made his first US national team for the World U20 Championships in Finland in 2018, but says with a laugh that he &ldquo;did terrible,&rdquo; failing to advance from the heats. A year later, he was NCAA champ for Notre Dame in the 1500m and as a sophomore broke the famous four-minute barrier.
Nuguse qualified for the US Olympic team by placing third at the trials, but did not compete in Tokyo due to a quad strain.
His senior year at Notre Dame was marred by injuries, and he applied to some dental schools.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been passionate about that more than anything,&rdquo; Nuguse said. &ldquo;When I was a kid I had really, really messed-up teeth and I loved my orthodontist. I just feel like I had a really strong connection to him and how he helped people was the way I wanted to help people.&rdquo;
Nuguse liked knowing that he could see something in a child&rsquo;s mouth and fix it. &ldquo;That&rsquo;ll be fun,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll get there one day.&rdquo;
But he had unfinished business on the track and withdrew his applications in order to turn pro, joining coach Dathan Ritzenhein in Boulder, Colorado.
Ritzenhein, a former US record-holder at 5000m, told LetsRun.com that he expected Nuguse to progress, &ldquo;but definitely not this quick. He&rsquo;s a special talent.&rdquo;
Nuguse trains with world-class runners including Mario Garcia Romo of Spain, Olli Hoare of Australia and Geordie Beamish of New Zealand.
&ldquo;We push each other to our limits,&rdquo; Nuguse said.&nbsp;
As a pro, he has increased his workload. &ldquo;It feels easier than everything was in college because I have more time,&rdquo; said Nuguse, who earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and a masters of science in management. &ldquo;Having that one focus has really helped me become the runner I always felt like I could become.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65e227fc78597fdef467733e.jpg" alt="Yared Nuguse celebrates his win at the US Indoor Championships" />
Yared Nuguse celebrates his win at the US Indoor Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
He also has time to read fantasy novels, play video games and draw. Nuguse has been working on a dragonfly in charcoal and pastel. He&rsquo;s also become more of a student of the sport, learning the names of runners from the past.
That&rsquo;s fitting, since Nuguse is part of the wave of the future, along with rivals Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler. His laidback personality is also attracting attention. For his yaredthegoose Instagram page, Nuguse filmed a &ldquo;Get Ready With Me&rdquo; video showing Tyro getting ready for hibernation. And for World Athletics, Nuguse did an interior monologue while training, where he popularised the term &ldquo;snack and field.&rdquo;
After Nuguse broke the North American record in the 1500m at the Bislett Games in Oslo on 17 June, clocking 3:29.02, he captured his first US title in the event. When he subsequently won his first Diamond League race, the expectations for Budapest ratcheted up even higher.
But the World Championships final was unlike any race Nuguse had ever experienced. He regrets not running a smarter race and believes he should have gone out harder. The race got away from him. Nuguse said he should have fought to be on Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s shoulder. Instead, Great Britain&rsquo;s Josh Kerr took the upset win.
Nuguse watches videos of the race to learn from it.
&ldquo;A lot of championship races are just being comfortable and then striking when you want to,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t really find that comfort, which made me a little more tired at the end of that race.&rdquo;
Nuguse had not finished lower than third place in any other meeting in 2023. He went on win the Diamond League race in Zurich before his record-breaking performance in Eugene, where Ritzenhein said he was &ldquo;super dialed in. For Yared especially, everybody thinks he&rsquo;s so nonchalant, but man&hellip;&rdquo;
The coach even thought Nuguse was going to catch Ingebrigtsen with 80 metres to go, but the Norwegian was too strong.
The last US runner to win an Olympic gold medal in the 1500m was Matthew Centrowitz in 2016, breaking a 108-year drought. His winning time of 3:50.00 in an extremely tactical race was the slowest since 1932.
&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t do that,&rdquo; Nuguse said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not that kind of racer. I get antsy waiting like that. I think I&rsquo;d probably just take the lead at that point. But, obviously that worked very well for Centro.&rdquo;
Nuguse said that as his reputation has grown, &ldquo;people kind of expect you to set the tone. I&rsquo;m in a position where I can make the race whatever I want it to be. I&rsquo;ll always kick, but maybe not so much sit.&rdquo;
Yuguse expects the Olympic final, should he make it, to be much harder than the World Championships.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m in the right mindset now to really just give it everything I have at that level. Last time I was at the Olympics, I wasn&rsquo;t able to compete and that was really sad. Now l&rsquo;m at a point where I should be more than capable of putting myself where I want to be.&rdquo;
Ritzenhein said that if Yuguse had won the world title in Budapest, it might have shortened his career.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want Yared to be in dental school in 2025,&rdquo; the coach said following Nuguse&rsquo;s US record in Eugene. &ldquo;If Yared won the World Championships (in 2023), won the Olympics and set the world record, we would probably not see him any more in 2025.&rdquo;
Ritzenhein joked: &ldquo;We need to slow him down a little bit.&rdquo;
That&rsquo;s something a tortoise could appreciate.
Karen Rosen for World Athletics

While his pet tortoise snoozes in hibernation, Yared Nuguse wakes up every day with a mission

No slowing Nuguse and his fast-track success

<h2>Women&rsquo;s 3000m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/glasgow24/timetable/bydiscipline/women/3000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middlelong/3000-metres-short-track/all/women/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middlelong/3000-metres-short-track/all/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/5000m/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>
Nine of the past 10 gold medals in the women&rsquo;s 3000m at the World Indoor Championships have gone to Ethiopia, and that trend looks set to continue in Glasgow.
Gudaf Tsegay, the world indoor 1500m champion and outdoor 10,000m champion, was considering ending her indoor season at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Boston. But the world 5000m record-holder &ndash; who came within a whisker of the world indoor 3000m record with 8:17.11 in Lievin on 10 February &ndash; made a late decision to compete in Glasgow.
If the 26-year-old triumphs in Glasgow, it would mean she has won four global titles across four different distances across the space of two years.
Defending champion Lemlem Hailu is also entered, but her only race this season was over 3000m in Lievin, where she dropped out at 2200m, some 110m adrift of Tsegay. She earned her entry by winning the World Indoor Tour last year.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6234f0d96513dd100e91ed0c.jpg" alt="Lemlem Hailu wins the 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22" />
Lemlem Hailu wins the 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 (&copy; Getty Images)
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Hirut Meshesha, the 1500m bronze medallist behind the victorious Tsegay in Belgrade two years ago, won the battle for second place in Lievin, finishing a distant runner-up in 8:29.71.
The 23-year-old won in Metz a week earlier in 8:28.46 and heads to Glasgow as the fourth-fastest entrant on season&rsquo;s bests. Having made the world indoor all-time top-ten lists with 4:19.53 for the mile in Ostrava and 3:56.47 for 1500m in Torun, Meshesha will be tough to beat.
Still, two other entrants have gone significantly quicker than her over 3000m in 2024.
At the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Boston on 4 February, Australia&rsquo;s Jess Hull blasted past Elle St Pierre off the final bend to win in 8:24.93, an Oceania record.
St Pierre &ndash; the silver medallist in this event two years ago &ndash; clocked a PB of 8:25.25 as runner-up, then gained revenge a week later, improving her own US indoor mile record to 4:16.41 at the Millrose Games in New York, Hull taking consolation in a national record of 4:19.03 as runner-up.
Kenya&rsquo;s Beatrice Chepkoech is next fastest on the 2024 list at 3000m, the world steeplechase record-holder having clocked a PB of 8:30.87 behind Tsegay and Meshesha in Lievin.
Now 30, Britain&rsquo;s Laura Muir will be seeking to add to her international medal collection at the venue where she completed a 1500m-3000m double at the 2019 European Indoor Championships.
The Scot, who did her veterinarian training in Glasgow, set a British two mile best of 9:04.84 in New York, passing 3000m in 8:31.45.
The field also includes Japan&rsquo;s multiple national record-holder Nozomi Tanaka, who set a Japanese 3000m record of 8:40.05 en route to an Asian two miles record of 9:16.76 at the Millrose Games.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 3000m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/glasgow24/timetable/bydiscipline/men/3000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middlelong/3000-metres-short-track/all/men/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middlelong/3000-metres-short-track/all/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/5000m/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>
After his home-straight heroics in Hungary last August, Josh Kerr will be aiming to find another global Midas touch back on home ground in Scotland.
This time the distance is twice as far and the opposition every bit as formidable as it was in that thriller of a world outdoor 1500m final in Budapest.
Kerr had to dig to the very depths of his competitive reserves to get the better of Jakob Ingebrigtsen and keep the world outdoor 1500m title in British hands &ndash; indeed in those of Edinburgh AC, the Scottish club that also produced the 2022 champion Jake Wightman.
At the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, he will have to find a way to break the stranglehold Ethiopia has taken on the men&rsquo;s 3000m.
The past three finals have all been won by Ethiopians: Selemon Barega in Belgrade in 2022 and, before that, Yomif Kejelcha in Birmingham in 2018 and in Portland in 2016.
Barega will be seeking to emulate his compatriot&rsquo;s back-to-back feat by retaining the title in Glasgow.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6237103ca8627eaa82745107.jpg" alt="Selemon Barega beats teammate Lamecha Girma in the world indoor 3000m final in Belgrade" />
Selemon Barega beats teammate Lamecha Girma in the world indoor 3000m final in Belgrade (&copy; Getty Images)
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The Olympic 10,000m champion heads the 2024 list, having emerged from a dominant victory over steeplechaser and compatriot Getnet Wale with a 7:25.82 PB at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Torun on 6 February. The 24-year-old also won comfortably in Lievin four days later.
Barega led an Ethiopian one-two in Belgrade two years ago, outsprinting Lamecha Girma, and was part of a one-two in Birmingham in 2018, behind Kejelcha.
In Glasgow he will be backed up by Wale, who will be chasing his first individual global medal at senior level.
A member of the Ethiopian team that took silver in the mixed relay at last year&rsquo;s World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Wale finished fourth in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships and at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Also entered for Ethiopia is Telahun Haile Bekele, fourth in the world 5000m final back in 2019, who made a modest seasonal debut at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Madrid on Friday, finishing fourth in 7:43.76.
Kerr, aiming to become the first European winner since the successful title defence by Italy&rsquo;s Gennaro Di Napoli in Toronto in 1993, passed 3000m in an outright British record of 7:30.14 en route to his two mile world best time of 8:00.67 at the Millrose Games in New York on 6 February.
The NCAA indoor 1500m champion in 2017 and 2018, Kerr will be tackling his first international championship on the boards. &ldquo;The 200m indoor track isn&rsquo;t always the best suited to some of us,&rdquo; he confessed. &ldquo;I need to be sure I&rsquo;m careful with that, because my body is not always great on tight bends.&rdquo;
Third fastest on indoor PBs, behind Wale (7:24.98) and Barega (7:25.82) is Yared Nuguse of the USA, with 7:28.24.
The North American indoor record-holder at 1500m, one mile and 3000m, he followed a 3:47.83 victory in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games &ndash; the third fastest time in history &ndash; by taking the US indoor 3000m title in Albuquerque in 7:55.76.
Norway's Narve Gilje Nordas took world 1500m bronze last year, finishing just 0.30 behind Kerr. He has raced just once over 3000m this year, winning at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Madrid with an outright PB of 7:41.28. He also showed in Budapest that he is a smart championship racer.
The European challenge will be bolstered by the seasoned Spanish campaigner Adel Mechaal. The 33-year-old has won European indoor gold, silver and bronze medals at the event. He finished fifth in the 2018 world indoor final in Birmingham and seventh in Belgrade two years ago.
Also in the field are Italy&rsquo;s Pietro Arese and Belgium&rsquo;s John Heymens, who have improved to 7:38.42 and 7:41.59 this season.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the women's and men's 3000m

WIC Glasgow 24 preview: 3000m

Men&rsquo;s world indoor 3000m record 7:23.81 Lamecha Girma (ETH) Lievin, 15 February 2023
 The world indoor 3000m record of 7:23.81 set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event, on 15 February has been ratified.
Girma beat Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir in the thrilling race in Lievin, France, and both athletes dipped under the previous world record of 7:24.90 set by Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Komen in Budapest on 6 February 1998, Katir finishing second in a European record of 7:24.68.
Girma, who claimed world 3000m steeplechase silver medals in Doha and Oregon, as well as Olympic silver in Tokyo and world indoor 3000m silver in Belgrade, has since made history in the 3000m steeplechase, too, running 7:52.11* on a remarkable night in Paris last week.
In Lievin, the leaders were paced through 1000m in 2:28.49 &ndash; right on schedule for the record. As Girma took over, the clock showed 4:58.38 as he passed 2000m and he went on to race to a time of 7:23.81, taking more than a second off Komen's 25-year-old mark.
It was fourth time lucky in Lievin for Girma, who had contested the 3000m at the meeting the previous three years. In 2020 he missed out on a top-three finish. In 2021 he ran 7:27.98 &ndash; one of the fastest times in history, but he still finished some way behind his compatriots Getnet Wale and Selemon Barega. Girma then won in 2022, but was a couple of seconds shy of his PB.
In 2023, Girma achieved his aim.
"I am so happy with this result," he said. &ldquo;I was talking about this world record attempt for the past three days. My brother is my coach. He told me I had it in me and of course I believed him. I felt really good in training and it was my best form ever, plus the crowd was very supportive today.
"The pacers and the Wavelight were perfect &ndash; it all clicked. I have raced here several times in this meeting. The atmosphere and the crowd never disappoint. I hope the record stays for a long time."
World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

The world indoor 3000m record of 7:23.81 set by Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event, on 15 February has been ratified.

Ratified: world indoor 3000m record for Girma

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lamecha Girma, who has one Olympic and two world silver medals at the 3000m steeplechase, had a golden moment at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais on Wednesday (15), breaking the world indoor 3000m record with a stunning&nbsp;7:23.81* run at the&nbsp;World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold&nbsp;event.
After a prolonged&nbsp;mano-a-mano challenge with Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir, both athletes dipped under the previous world record of 7:24.90 set by Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Komen in Budapest on 6 February 1998, Katir finishing second in a European record of 7:24.68.
It was fourth time lucky in Lievin for Girma, who had contested the 3000m at this meeting for the past three years. In 2020 he missed out on a top-three finish. In 2021 he ran 7:27.98, one of the fastest times in history, but finished some way behind compatriots Getnet Wale and Selemon Barega. Girma then won the 3000m here in 2022 but was a couple of seconds shy of his PB.
This time, though, the world indoor silver medallist was the man of the moment.
"I am so happy with this result," said Girma. &ldquo;I was talking about this world record attempt for the past three days. My brother is my coach. He told me I had it in me and of course I believed him. I felt really good in training and it was my best form ever, plus the crowd was very supportive today.&nbsp;
"The pacers and the Wavelight were perfect &ndash; it all clicked. I have raced here several times in this meeting. The atmosphere and the crowd never disappoint. I hope the record stays for a long time."
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OHf7C7qhvnw" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Paced through 1000m in 2:28.49, the leaders were right on schedule. As Girma took over, the clock showed 4:58.38 as he passed 2000m and he went on to race to a time of 7:23.81, taking more than a second off Komen's 25-year-old mark.
It was the 11th world record to have been set at the Arena Stade Couvert since home runner Bruno Marie-Rose won the European indoor 200m title in 20.36.
And this epic race, in which Katir shadowed the Ethiopian without managing to get past him, provided the crowning moment of a fifth World Indoor Tour Gold meeting of the season which saw six athletes &ndash; Keely Hodgkinson, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Gudaf Tsegay, Miltiadis Tentoglou, Liadagmis Povea and Katie Moon&nbsp;&ndash; set world-leading marks.
Both 400m meeting records were re-written by 400m hurdles specialists as Femke Bol of the Netherlands clocked 50.20 in the women&rsquo;s race and Norway&rsquo;s Karsten Warholm rounded off the night with a typically barnstorming effort to clock 45.51 in the men&rsquo;s race.
And there was defeat in the men&rsquo;s 60m for Italy&rsquo;s Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs, who had to give best to an effervescent Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya.
All in all, a full evening of excitement for a capacity crowd of 5000.
Ingebrigtsen, returning to the track where he set the world indoor 1500m record of 3:30.60 last year, had suspected he would not be operating in that region after missing more than a month&rsquo;s training because of a viral infection.
But after working hard for a victory in 3:32.38 that took him past the 3:33.22 set by Yared Nuguse of the United States at the top of this year&rsquo;s world list, he had the look of a relieved and happy man.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63ed67f678366e95e18346bd.jpg" alt="Jakob Ingebrigtsen on his way to 1500m victory in Lievin" />
Jakob Ingebrigtsen on his way to 1500m victory in Lievin (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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Before the race the 22-year-old Norwegian had declared: &ldquo;My main goal is to figure out where I am at.&rdquo; Job done. And in March he will be in Istanbul for the European Indoor Championships.
&ldquo;It was a tough race, but it&rsquo;s good to get one race in and I am very happy with it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So now I&rsquo;m looking forward to defending my 1500m and 3000m titles at the European Indoors.&rdquo;
Home runner Azeddine Habz took second place in a personal best of 3:35.27 ahead of Spain&rsquo;s Adel Mechaal, who recorded 3:36.55.
Tsegay, as expected, was in a race of her own over the second half of the women&rsquo;s 1500m, but the green snake of lights indicating the world record pace she had set on this track two years ago, when she ran 3:53.09, slithered just beyond her reach.
She was gritting her teeth as she came through for the bell but hung on to lower her world-leading mark of the season, set at 3:59.48 en route to her second-fastest indoor mile of all time in Torun a week ago, with a time of 3:57.47.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63ed6e5d054a34f637120f04.jpg" alt="Gudaf Tsegay races the 1500m in Lievin" />
Gudaf Tsegay races the 1500m in Lievin (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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Britain&rsquo;s Hodgkinson was steely in the women&rsquo;s 800m as she disposed of the challenge of Kenya&rsquo;s Mary Moraa, who beat her to the Commonwealth title in Birmingham last summer, to win in 1:57.71, bettering her own world lead of 1:57.87 set in Torun seven days ago.
The 22-year-old world and Olympic silver medallist had said she was &ldquo;a bit disappointed&rdquo; with her time in Poland, and she looked thoughtful rather than triumphant after a victory that was effectively established as the pacemaker peeled away shortly before the 600m mark.
Moraa finished well back, but still earned a personal best of 2:00.61, with French-based 37-year-old Noelie Yarigo of Benin taking third place in 2:01.47.
Tentouglou, Greece&rsquo;s Olympic and world indoor champion in the men&rsquo;s long jump, produced a mark of 8.32m with his first attempt and added five centimetres to it in round two.
He didn&rsquo;t stop there either, raising his best on the night to 8.41m with his fourth attempt, at which point he retired from the competition. Sweden&rsquo;s Thobias Montler was the only other jumper able to operate in 8.00m-plus territory, leaping 8.06m.
The women&rsquo;s triple jump produced a similar turn of events as Cuba&rsquo;s Povea improved the world lead of 14.64m she had managed in the opening World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe with a third-round effort of 14.81m.
The result in Germany was replicated as her compatriot Levanis Perez Hernandez took second place with a personal best of 14.65m ahead of Ukraine&rsquo;s European champion Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk on 14.01m.
In the women&rsquo;s pole vault, USA&rsquo;s Olympic and world champion Moon was all smiles after winning with a mark of 4.83m from Tina Sutej of Slovenia, who cleared 4.78m.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63ed67bd78366e95e18346ba.jpg" alt="Katie Moon celebrates her world-leading pole vault performance in Lievin" />
Katie Moon celebrates her world-leading pole vault performance in Lievin (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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Omanyala, also a smiling winner after his men&rsquo;s 60m heat, maintained his happy mood by defeating Olympic 100m champion Jacobs in the final in a national record of 6.54, with the Italian equalling his season&rsquo;s best of 6.57 in second place ahead of Arthur Cisse of the Ivory Coast, who clocked 6.59.
Four days after reducing the Dutch indoor 400m record to 49.96 in Metz, Bol was in dominant form once again. Just unable to get under 50 seconds once more, she came home more than a second clear of Poland&rsquo;s Anna Kielbasinska in a meeting record of 50.20.
&ldquo;I would have liked to get 49,&rdquo; the 22-year-old said. &ldquo;I think it was the second lap that made the difference. It was a tough last 50 metres. But now I will do Europeans for sure.&rdquo;
Warholm, who opened his season with a 45.31 clocking at his home meeting in Ulsteinvik, had thoughts of bettering the European record of 45.05 he shares with East Germany&rsquo;s Thomas Schoenlebe. After passing 200m in 21.3, bang on target, he was unable to find the required pace over the second lap in what was nevertheless another highly encouraging pointer for the world 400m hurdles record-holder&rsquo;s prospects at this summer&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Meanwhile Olympic, world and European men&rsquo;s pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis maintained his winning momentum in his third event of the season but cut short his activities after clearing 6.01m at his second attempt, leaving an attempt at bettering his world record of 6.21m for another day.
Duplantis had seemed less than happy from his first effort, at 5.64m, where he sailed over but left a trailing knee close to the bar on the way down. After passing at 5.73m, a first-time clearance at 5.82m established him as joint-leader with Italy&rsquo;s Claudio Stecchi, who had also managed 5.82m, a personal best, with his first effort.
A rare blemish occurred on the Duplantis scoresheet as he took two attempts to clear 5.91m, but as all four remaining rivals went out at that point it was hardly critical, with Stecchi finishing second on a night he will long remember.
Australia&rsquo;s double Commonwealth champion Kurtis Marschall and Jacob Wooten of the United States finished joint third, with countback consigning Chris Nilsen to fifth place, all on 5.82m.
The pugnacious figure of Benjamin Robert shadowed Sweden&rsquo;s Andreas Kramer at the bell in the men&rsquo;s 800m before bustling past him just before the final bend and holding position to win in 1:46.78 &ndash; to loud acclamation.
As Kramer faded he was passed by Belgium&rsquo;s Eliott Crestan, who clocked 1:47.23, and 2019 world silver medallist Amel Tuka of Bosnia and Herzegovina, third in 1:47.86.
As it turned out, the Frenchman&rsquo;s winning time was slower than those recorded by the first two home in the previous men&rsquo;s B race, where Tony van Diepen of the Netherlands won in a personal best of 1:46.36 from Morocco&rsquo;s Moad Zahafi in 1:46.64.
Grant Holloway&rsquo;s incredible unbeaten indoor run in the 60m hurdles, stretching back to 2014 when he was 16, abides. The two-time world 110m hurdles champion from the United States, a peerless starter, was first to hurdle one once again and proceeded to win in 7.39, just 0.01 outside his current season-leading mark.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63ed6db7054a34f637120f01.jpg" alt="Grant Holloway wins the 60m hurdles in Lievin" />
Grant Holloway wins the 60m hurdles in Lievin (&copy; Dan Vernon)
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Compatriot Daniel Roberts was second in a season&rsquo;s best of 7.43 ahead of home runner and 2018 European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde in 7.52.
The heats had seen another local hero Kevin Mayer, decathlon&rsquo;s world champion and record-holder, finish fifth in 7.80 in a race won by Holloway in 7.40, comfortably the fastest qualifying time.
With 1000m remaining in the women&rsquo;s 3000m, the race was between Ethiopia&rsquo;s Diribe Welteji and Lemlem Hailu, 30 metres clear of their nearest challengers.
At the bell, Hailu charged ahead of her compatriot but failed to move clear and Welteji produced a final effort over the last 20 metres that took her to victory in 8:34.84, with Hailu clocking 8:35.15. An Ethiopian top three was achieved as Mizam Alem came home in a personal best of 8:39.03 from Uganda&rsquo;s Sarah Chelangat, whose 8:41.16 was also a personal best.
Poland&rsquo;s Natalia Kaczmarek won the women&rsquo;s 400m B final in a personal best of 50.90.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Lamecha Girma takes down the 25-year-old record at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting