Chris Nilsen in action in Caen (© Gaëlle Mobuchon)
USA’s Chris Nilsen became the first man to pole vault six metres in 2025, scaling 6.01m to win at the Perch’Xtrem – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting – in Caen, northern France, on Friday (31).
The 2021 Olympic silver medallist cleared the winning height on his first attempt, then went on to attempt a would-be North American record of 6.10m.
Olympic bronze medallist Emmanouil Karalis was second with 5.90m, while French duo Baptiste Thiery and Renaud Lavillenie were tied in third place with 5.80m.
European champion Angelica Moser won the women’s competition with 4.71m. New Zealand’s Olympic finalist Imogen Ayris added six centimetres to her PB with 4.66m in second place.
On the same evening, but at the opposite end of the country, there were several stand-out performances at the Elite Indoor Track Meeting – another World Indoor Tour Silver fixture – in Miramas.
Morocco’s Abdelati El Guesse came close to his own national indoor record to win the 800m in 1:45.57, just ahead of European U23 champion Yanis Meziane who went to third on the French indoor all-time list with 1:45.87. 2002 world indoor silver medallist Noah Kibet was third (1:46.05).
Liadagmis Povea won a close triple jump contest from her fellow Cuban Leyanis Perez Hernandez, leaping a world-leading 14.57m to win by five centimetres.
Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov took the men’s long jump with 8.19m, winning from China’s Shu Heng (8.12m).
Elsewhere in Miramas, Senegal’s Mamadou Fall Sarr won the men’s 60m in 6.54 and Louis Gilavert took the men’s 1500m in 3:36.25. European silver medallist Enrique Llopis won the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.54 and France’s Laeticia Bapte clocked 7.93 to win the women’s race.
Several world-leading marks were set in distance events on the first day of action at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston.
Olympic finalist Whittni Morgan set an outright PB of 14:48.41 to win the women’s 5000m ahead of Ella Donaghu (14:50.89) and Bailey Hertenstein (14:56.33). Morgan now moves into the top 20 on the world all-time list, while Hertenstein smashed her outright PB by 14 seconds.
World and Olympic 5000m finalist Elise Cranny stepped down in distance to the mile and clocked a world-leading 4:20.83 to move to third on the US indoor all-time list.
World indoor 1500m silver medallist Nikki Hiltz won the women’s 3000m in 8:32.52, finishing comfortably ahead of Australia’s Linden Hall (8:35.17).
